WBEZ 91.5 Chicago

Poet Miona Short, 16, is a junior at Walter Payton College Prep High School, but she was representing YOUmedia Chicago in this year's competition.  This is her fourth year participating in Louder Than a Bomb. Her piece, The Surrender of Troy Davis, is a harrowing retelling of the September 2011 execution of prisoner Troy Davis in the state of Georgia.

Poet Camara Brown, 16, is a junior at Oak Park and River Forest High School.  This is her first year participating in Louder Than a Bomb. Her piece, Elvis, recants a childhood memory when Camara learned laughter isn't always the best medicine.

Poet Cecilia "Ce-Ce" Tate, 17, is a junior at Curie Metro High School.  This is her second year participating in Louder Than a Bomb. Her piece, Lurking Strangers, explores the idea of a someone coming into a home and taking advantage of a situation.

 What Black People Say to Racist Republicans is a team piece performed by the poets of TEAM Englewood Community Academy High School Slam Poetry Team: seniors Keith Warfield, 18, and Jeremy Johnson, 17, Myara Robinson, 17, and Melana Bass, 17. This was the fourth year in the competition for all four poets. This piece is presented as a response to recent comments by several Republican candidates involved in the current Presidential race.

Our Voices is a team piece performed by the poets of the Percy L. Julian High School Slam Poetry Team: seniors Jeffery "Tri-flow" Cain, 18, and Sydney "Sydd Da'Kidd" Malone, 18, alongside sophomores Ivery "Poison Ivery" Johnson, 15, and Wilson "Broken Knight" Milner, 17. This was the first year of Louder Than a Bomb competition for the team.

Poet CeeJay "Shock Therapy" Hannah, 18, is a senior at Percy L. Julian High School. This is the first year the school has participated in Louder Than a Bomb, where they advanced to the Final round of competition in the 2012 Festival. Truth is CeeJay's plea to listen to today's youth, explaining how children should be seen, heard, and their opinions valued.

 Poet Ivery "Poison Ivery" Johnson, 15, is a sophomore at Percy L. Julian High School.  This is the first year the school has participated in Louder Than a Bomb, where they advanced to the Final round of competition in the 2012 Festival. My Generation is a scathing commentary on teen mothers, the role of education, and the responsibilities of parents, Ivery reminds us that not all youth approve of the reputation some teens have cultivated.