Washburn students and community members gathered in the Memorial Union to celebrate the book launch for “Ichabods Speak Out Again: Poetry Against Domestic Violence,” which features works from poets in the Topeka community.

Dennis Etzel Jr., senior lecturer for English, Jericho Hockett, associate professor of psychology, Washburn’s Counseling Services and the Northeast Kansas YWCA Center for Safety and Empowerment hosted the seventh annual Ichabods Speak Out event Oct. 10, 2023.

Nearly 30 people attended the event to hear contributors read their poems from the book and listen to some open-mic readings on the topic of domestic violence.

“Poetry can be a personal form of expression. It can be a tool for survivors to speak their truth. It can also be a tool for anyone to speak out as a way of social justice,” Etzel said.

In 2018, these groups published their first book, “Ichabods Speak Out: Poems in the Age of Me Too,” which was launched in a similar fashion to this year’s book.

The speakers took turns reading their works inspired by their experiences with domestic violence either personally or experiences those close to them have gone through. The event ended with a representative from the YWCA informing attendees of local resources that are available to everyone.

Molly Steffes-Herman, Washburn campus advocate and counselor, talked about what assistance Washburn Counseling Services offers for students like help navigating the criminal justice system, providing emotional support and sharing crime victim rights. These services are confidential and available to all Washburn and Washburn Tech staff, students and faculty for no charge.

For Sebastian Hernandez-Montijo, a freshman biology major, it was his first time attending this type of event. He was moved by the readings and plans on participating in the event in the future.

“It’s a really beautiful event to be able to see people who have been through things or have seen people go through things all come together to just read and respect each other without judgment, and have a moment to feel what you need to feel without being judged,” Hernandez-Montijo said.

After the event, the organizers wrote with chalk in front of the Memorial Union to spread awareness for Domestic Violence Awareness month and the YWCA’s Week Without Violence Oct. 16-20, 2023.

Edited by Jeremy Ford and Aja Carter