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Coffee + Poetry = Home

Home can be find in many places. I found mine in a latte and through the power of spoken word.

             As a college student who loves coffee and poetry, my go-to spot for entertainment is Atlanta's Urban Grind Café. My first experience at the café happened by chance. After leaving my friend’s dorm, a student at Georgia-tech, I walked the crowded streets of Atlanta, taking in the city’s scene, when I noticed a crowd of college-aged people standing outside a packed coffee shop. I walked up  and asked what was happening inside. “It’s a poetry jam,” someone responded. This intrigued me, so I squeezed into the already full café, and after ordering a caramel macchiato, sat back to enjoy.

            The Urban Grind gives off a cool vibe and is well known as a place for young people. The coffee was decent but, it was the talent that brought in the crowd. The café filled with the sounds of snaps as poets performed, some novice, some seasoned poets, some taking the stage for the first time. The crowd gave off an easy atmosphere that encouraged even the shyest poet to step up.

            Although Urban Grind is one of my favorite "spoken word" spots, other cafés in the city boasts talented artists: Kats, Apache, and Copper are a few that give off a similar vibe to Urban Grind. In a city saturated by Starbucks, these fresh, privately owned coffee shops offer the kind of charm threatened by Atlanta's gentrification.