Tanier Uribe (TU)

Scarlet Gitelson (SG)

What was the inspiration for the poem you presented at Gathering?

My mom is a refugee from the Iran and Iraq War. She's just been talking about how much of a trauma it was being a woman in Iran. I talk about Afghanistan because of the recent Taliban invasion that has happened and the overtake of the country. She talks about how her family there just really is having a hard time, and I'm seeing the news and all these women—they just can't speak, they can't go to school. That's why I feel like that's something that needs to be addressed to all these people, and as much as possible that women in Afghanistan need some attention because they can't speak on their own.

Is poetry a medium you use a lot for advocacy like that?

That was really a new thing that I was kind of observing. I do a lot of love poetry. That poem, I really came up with on the spot. I have talked about Iran in my poems at some points. This one was the first Afghan one I have made. I think poetry is a beautiful way of expressing how one feels and advocating for people who need help. I think poetry is such a beautiful way to do it.

What typically inspires your poetry?

My family history overall. My mother in general, she's lost her father as a kid in Iran, she's lost a lot of people in Iran. That's why I am so inspired to do this, mostly because of my mother. She's always taught me about this one poet in particular, Rumi, and I've looked at his poetry, I have his books, and it's just so beautiful the way he expresses love and the way he expresses his time during the Mongolian invasions. I read them all the time. It's so amazing for someone at that time to do such amazing work.

What is something about you that people might not expect?

Poetry is not really my biggest goal right now. As a matter of fact, I do a lot more social media. I'm on TikTok, and I really do—I post every day on TikTok about, specifically, “Jurassic World” and “Jurassic Park.” I have 41,000 followers, and I've gained 13,000 in the last three months.

Why is social media something you like doing?

This wasn't just the first time I've gotten social media. I used to do social media back in the pandemic. I also did video games somewhat. I gained a lot of attention, and I just was collaborating with people with millions of followers. For me, it was just such a journey—it was absolutely fantastic that I was able to meet all these great people. I feel like the reason why I came back to that is because I want to find more people to collaborate with and “Jurassic World” has been something that I've just genuinely loved my whole life. I mean, obviously it’s some fantasy, but I love it. And I post about it and it's worked.

Is that your favorite movie?

It's my favorite franchise. I think my favorite movie is “All Quiet On the Western Front.” It's a war movie, it's really intense, and I really like how the directors have made it so unsettling. I love poetry, I love “Jurassic World,” but I have a lot going on in my life and other things that also spark interest for me.

What's your favorite Latin tradition?

Project Week, definitely, like everybody else. Project Week is just the best. I recently did songwriting. That was pretty fun. I made a song. I think it's pretty nice. It also kind of delivered somewhat of the same message. My song wasn't about people in Afghanistan, but rather about the kids in Palestine. I really am an advocate for the Middle East, and I think that there are a lot of things going on that people really don't see on the media.