On Tuesday, 26-year-old Adam Gottlieb performed spoken word in Fiske Planetarium followed by a Poetic Justice Workshop on Wednesday for the Communication and Society RAP students and faculty. His spirit and energy lingered throughout the week in Buckingham Hall.
For the past two years, Gottlieb said that social justice has taken over the artist and audience members could definitely tell when he performed his poems about systematic oppression, privilege, and equal rights.
“I’ve become really obsessed with it,” Gottlieb said. “I’m passionate about all of it. If you had to name what gets me up in the morning, it’s hard to say. I really think about it in terms of saving the world.”
His poetry was powerful under a theater of universe and made many COMM RAP students, like Trinity Clark, think about the role they play in society.
“Adam’s performances artistically expressed the underlying feelings of systematic oppression,” Clark said. “He showed how powerful words can be, no matter our background or our privilege. We can make a difference and positively influence others.”
Gottlieb performed his poem called The Music of Anger (This is the Year), which was featured in the 2010 documentary film, Louder Than a Bomb where he got his start and exposure in youth spoken word.
Five years later, Gottlieb works as a teaching artist in Chicago and continues to mentor students with Young 
Chicago Authors, staying involved in Louder Than a Bomb.
On Wednesday, Gottlieb hosted a poetry workshop he called “Poetic Justice” and discussed the importance of irony in poetry and the idea of a utopia. Students in the workshop analyzed poems and were also given the opportunity to write their own poems.
In addition to Gottlieb’s spoken word, two Buckingham Hall and COMM RAP residents performed their own forms of spoken word.
First-year-student Jennifer “Jen” Keller performed a song from her band, American Grandma, and Kathryn “Kat” Gardner read a poem she performed in a national poetry competition.
Students said they were inspired after Gottlieb’s visit and appreciated the experience.