​​On a dark Monday night, the dazzling bulb lights hanging from the ceiling of Midnight Coffee shone through the streets of downtown Iowa City, inviting people to come through its doors and engage in poetry with others.

On Sept. 29, the featured poet was Ashley Crooks-Allen, known under the stage name Lyrical Ley. Crooks-Allen earned their master’s degree from the University of Georgia in 2022 with a doctorate in sociology, focusing on social movements and Black immigrant identity.

As of October 2024, they became an officially published writer via a collection of poems titled “The Hot Glue Gun Chronicles.”

When it comes to slam poetry, however, they’ve been writing for 15 years and performing just as long. But Crooks-Allen doesn’t just attend events like slam poetry to showcase their own talent; they also appreciate what surrounds the art form. 

“It’s nice to get to hear other really talented artists and be in a community and be in conversation with them,” Crooks-Allen said.

Since 2017, Midnight Coffee has hosted poetry slams on the last Monday of every month. 

The shows provide an opportunity for community members to showcase their art through a contest with other like-minded people.

To people like Joe Artz, the host of the slam, poetry is more than just making up clever sequences of words, especially for those who go out of their way to attend a poetry event. 

Poetry can be an outlet for their emotions, a form of self-expression, or even a way to protest against social injustice.

“Slam poetry is more of a performance, not a reading,” Artz said. 

At every event, they bring in a featured poet, usually an accomplished writer of some sort who performs several of their poems in between rounds. 

Through every poem Crooks-Allen read, a chorus of snaps could be heard from the audience — a signal to the poet they enjoyed or resonated with a particular line.

“They really are very talented,” Cecilia Douglas, another performer, said. 

A majority of Crooks-Allen’s poems highlight their experience as a Black person from Irvington, New Jersey, and how their parents settled in predominantly Black communities after migrating to the U.S. 

Crooks-Allen used this background to enhance their emotional performance, ensnaring the attention of every audience member.

Although many of their poems received snaps from the audience, a portion from one, called “Trigger Warning,” stood out in applause. 

The lyricism provided a powerful message, resulting in a barrage of snaps and appreciative hums.

“So where am I supposed to go? I’ve heard I have too much melanin to pop pills and spill my secrets to strangers; Too much strong Black woman to take a mental health day; Hair too curly to pull out; And skin too beautiful to scar,” Crooks-Allen read from “Trigger Warning.” 

Although many of their poems stem from racial frustration, that’s not the only thing inspiring Crooks-Allen’s writing. 

Like many others involved in creative work, they lean on peers, family members, and the stories of the community around them for inspiration.

“We are experts in our own lives and can share them with other people. I feel my best experiences of spoken word are through my poetry — just to really be able to connect and create that community for yourself,” Crooks-Allen said.

Linda Muller, founder of the Iowa City Poetry Slam, said Crooks-Allen’s writing is a perfect example of how slam poetry can serve not only as a platform for those to share their poetry but also as a way to build connections between similarly talented people from different walks of life.