And that was thanks to a girl in a hoodie. Step two was the moment I said, "I will. I will continue. 这要感谢那个连帽衫的女孩。第二阶段时我说，“我会，我会继续。

I love spoken word. I will keep coming back week after week." 我爱上口语诗。我会每周回来表演。”

And step three began when I realized I didn't have to write indignant poems, if that's not what I was. 第三阶段开始时，我意识到我不必写些愤青的诗，如果这表达的不是真的我。

There were things that were specific to me, and the more that I focused on those things, the weirder my poetry got, but the more that it felt like mine. 有些事对我来说是很独特的，我更关注这些事，我的诗歌就更离奇怪诞，但这也更像是我自己。

It's not just the adage "Write what you know." 这不只是一句格言“写你所知的，”

It's about gathering up all of the knowledge and experience you've collected up to now to help you dive into the things you don't know. 而这是有关集合所有知识和体验，到现在你已收集到的一切来帮助你深入了解你所不知道的东西。

I use poetry to help me work through what I don't understand, but I show up to each new poem with a backpack full of everywhere else that I've been. 我用诗歌帮助我经历我所不理解的事，但我展示每一首新诗，它是用我已去过其他地方的一打故事来写的。

When I got to university, I met a fellow poet who shared my belief in the magic of spoken-word poetry. 我在大学时，我遇见同校诗人，他和我坚信口语诗的神奇。

And actually, Phil Kaye and I coincidentally also share the same last name. 而且，我和菲尔·凯巧合也同姓。

When I was in high school I had created Project V.O.I.C.E. as a way to encourage my friends to do spoken word with me. 在高中我已创建V.O.I.C.E.计划，它是鼓励我的朋友和我一起创作口语诗的一种方式。

But Phil and I decided to reinvent Project V.O.I.C.E., this time changing the mission to using spoken-word poetry as a way to entertain, educate and inspire. 但我和菲尔决定彻底改造V.O.I.C.E.计划--这次改变它的使命为：用口语诗作为一种娱乐，教育和激励的方式。

We stayed full-time students, but in between we traveled, performing and teaching nine-year-olds to MFA candidates, 我们还是全日制学生，但中间我们旅行，表演和传授给9岁到美术硕士的任何申请人，

from California to Indiana to India to a public high school just up the street from campus. 他们来自从加州到印地安那州，到印度，到公立高中，到校园刚刚注册的街角等。