I think I have been going to poetry sets for a year now.  I’ve loved poetry since elementary school. Every year Chicago Public Schools had an academic olympics and part of those competitions was the oratory competition. During the oratory competition various students around the city performed poems with various subject matters and deliveries. I’ve performed a few times so its natural to see why I enjoy poetry so much.  This week my travels through the city took me to At Ease Sundays in Oak Park at AJ Styles Barber and Beauty Salon 42 West Lake Street. When I arrived I was met at the door by the hilarious Ms. Wallace who is a stylist there. If you’ve never experienced her perform you are missing a barrel of laughs. She shoots straight from the hip !  She talks about everything that most people won’t talk about and makes it funny.  Every set has a host and it’s crucial that they can keep the energy up and make sure that everyone is having a good time. The host Misha Fourelevn Collins was funny, talented and on her toes she didn’t miss a thing in the room and was on top of here game. Whenever I go to a set there is always a ton of talent in the room! MaMa Brenda Matthews delivered an ASTOUNDING piece ! She is a woman who loves the children and her love for this city and despair about the condition that it is currently in jumped out of her heart. Danielle Barnhart-Coakley who I first saw perform at Hot Sauce poetry was celebrating her birthday and gave the audience a gift which was her poetry that dealt with issues of the heart.  Ted Weissberg who is everywhere brought his energy and talent to the stage as well as Sabrina Jordan. I was invited to at Ease Sundays by Ollie HoodRaised Woods who I’ve featured on the blog before and if it wasn’t for him I probably would have wiggled out of doing a piece myself.  The fear of any beginner is that they will have to perform in the midst of experienced people and come off as an amateur. One of the goals of At Ease Sundays is to create an environment where even beginners will feel comfortable performing.  The night was dedicated to the ladies and honoring those who have battled breast cancer which was a GREAT cause . Tiff Beatty set the stage on fire as usual and closed out with a piece dedicated to uplifting the ladies.  The treat of the night was seeing Ollie’s daughter perform, she truly is her father’s daughter. His style, delivery, talent, and features are all over her.  she did an excellent job. Kudos to venue and the team that put At Ease Sundays together. It occurs every first Sunday. Mr. Openyonated signing off and that’s my 2 cents.