Twice a week, words are exchanged for poetry in the halls of the Florida Avenue Residence Hall. This is when a group of talented performers and writers meet as a part of the organization Writers Organizing Realistic Dialect (W.O.R.D).

W.O.R.D. was founded in the Spring semester of 2009. Following the founders’ success in WBML’s (Where Black Music Lives) talent show, they contemplated the possibility of a club that invited students with similar performance interests to share ideas. Abril Edwards, senior in LAS and vice president of W.O.R.D, won first place in the show twice in a row; and Kenneth Neal Thompson Jr., senior in LAS and president of W.O.R.D, followed shortly after, claiming second place.

“We found it fitting to put together an organization full of people who aspire to be what we are or have as much talent as we do,” Edwards said.

The club invites an array of performers — poets, comedians, singers, songwriters, playwrights and anyone interested in pursuing the field of writing. Non-performers are also welcome to enjoy the environment.

“We are not teachers and cannot teach how we write,” Edwards said. “But we are here to have this space where people can come and if they have an aspiration and let their minds expand.”

Matthew Garcia, junior in Business, decided to join the RSO after meeting the members on Quad Day. Their use of words to express themselves through performance appealed to him.

“I just wanted to express myself and spoken word seemed like a good way to allow me to do that,” Garcia said.

W.O.R.D has hosted two open mic events so far this year, and Edwards, among others, believes the events were a success.

Garcia performed a poetry piece for one of the last open mic events, which had a “one-night-stand” theme.

“The open mic I performed in was really fun because the audience got into it,” Garcia said.

According to Edwards, the open mic events, which take place at the Illini Union Courtyard Café, are always sold out; however, Edwards remembers a time not long ago when W.O.R.D meetings and events were not so jam-packed. She said there was a lot of expanding since the club’s opening in 2009.

“I remember being in the Black House basement with six to eight people,” Edwards said. “This was including the executive board members.”

Today, W.O.R.D is composed of 40 to 50 members and meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It moved to the FAR multi-purpose room to accommodate the increase in number of members.

Thompson and Edwards are planning an off-campus W.O.R.D volunteer event at a homeless shelter next spring.

Thompson was 13 years old when he began performing, and continues to express himself through W.O.R.D. He remembers his first performance in seventh grade, when his teacher assigned him to sing “This Christmas” as a solo for the school’s Christmas concert.

Today, Thompson is not only a singer but also a songwriter.

“A song title may pop up in my head,” Thompson said. “Then, I will jot down ideas and go from there.”

Thompson said that he uses his experiences to provide activities for the club’s meetings and train the performers to focus. A recent workshop paired members together and had them present their pieces in front of a “distracting audience,” made of the other members.

This taught them to focus during their performance despite the distractions.

“When you are on stage, sometimes you may get distracted by things in the audience,” Thompson said. “You have to learn how to not look at that and stay focused in order to deliver your piece.”

W.O.R.D is all-inclusive. Edwards said performers and non-performers alike are welcome to the meetings. However, Thompson believes there is a prime trait that makes up a W.O.R.D member.

“Creativity is key,” Thompson said. “Writers should be open to new ideas and feedback from other members. That is most important.”