Another Type of Groove will host poet Simply Kat on March 5.
Sam Gilbert
[follow id = “samgilbert279”]
Cal Poly’s MultiCultural Center will present poet Simply Kat for this month’s rendition of Another Type of Groove (ATOG) on March 5 in celebration of Women’s HERstory Month.
ATOG is a spoken-word poetry event held the first Wednesday of every month, with an open-mic portion for all students and community members as well as a feature poet.
“Every month is in coordination with a heritage series,” ATOG coordinator and biological sciences sophomore Brianti Williams said. “This March we’re celebrating Women’s HERstory month.”
Usually, the poet that performs is representative of that month’s heritage series, Williams said.
This month ATOG is hosting Kat Magill, who goes by Simply Kat in the poetry realm.
“Her style is straight up — it’s real, it’s honest,” Williams said. “She’s kind of funny, too. She’ll make you laugh with how blatant she is.”
Magill isn’t afraid to express anything and everything there is about being a woman, and is very empowering, Williams said.
Magill has performed for HBO’s Def Poetry Jam, was featured in the documentary “Spit” and opened for 2011 Grammy Award winner Ryan Leslie and hip-hop artist Mos Def, according to her blog.
“What I really like about the poets that have come to ATOG is they are very human, so they talk to you about themselves,” Williams said.
The student performers help create a relatable atmosphere as well.
“I would describe ATOG as a space created by students to foster their creativity and get the juices flowing in a community which accepts them,” philosophy senior Sam Medal said.
There are people who like to make poems and people who like to get their feelings out with words, Medal said.
Artists such as Simply Kat help add to the sense of empowerment and community ATOG tries to reflect.
“What drives her specifically is being all that she can be as a woman, but not necessarily letting being a woman define who she is,” Williams said.
Williams said she quickly became a fan of Simply Kat.
“I expect to see a lot of excited people, because she is an amazing poet,” Williams said. “I didn’t know who she was at first, and not even a couple of seconds into her poem, she had me.”
ATOG will be held in Chumash Auditorium in the Julian A. McPhee University Union, and is free. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 7:30 p.m.