In the past I’ve shared graduation speeches. There is something about the idea of putting words to a big moment that I like. The words inevitably don’t reach the meaning or emotion of the moment, but the best speakers make it briefly seem like they do. There is something beautiful about the tension between this attempt and the way writing and performance come together with an audience to commemorate, mark, envelop, and make digestible the before and after experience that they’re supposed to celebrate.
Today at Salem State we were treated -we received- Lenelle Moïse. Author, performer, and impressive presence, she left the Convocation audience spellbound and speechless. The university president’s inability to follow her presentation with brief remarks was a succinct reduction of the feeling in the room.
In the video below, the introduction to her words begins around 38:30. It was much more than a great way to start the year.
Today at Salem State we were treated -we received- Lenelle Moïse. Author, performer, and impressive presence, she left the Convocation audience spellbound and speechless. The university president’s inability to follow her presentation with brief remarks was a succinct reduction of the feeling in the room.
In the video below, the introduction to her words begins around 38:30. It was much more than a great way to start the year.
