Poet Adán Bean came to the Panther’s Den on Sept. 15 to give a show of spoken word poetry.

“I like that he prioritized engaging with the crowd,” said Melanie Rooks, Coordinator of Residence Life and Educational Programming. “He also opened them up to a different side of performance.”

Bean presented his work that ranged from love poems to poems that give messages on important topics.

“I do it for nights like this, getting to meet people and to travel,” said Bean.

One of Bean’s works focuses on the topic of consent and alcohol, entitled “The Thirst Trap.”

“I think that the performance was great,” said Makaila Veney, sophomore. “It spoke to me in an emotional way but also spiritual.”

Bean also had a question and answer in between poems, allowing attendees to get to know him better regarding himself, his career, and where he gets his inspiration.

“He was very engaged with the audience and very eager to learn more about us,” said Veney.

Growing up listening to rap music, Bean said he gets his inspiration from artists like Kendrick Lamar and Lil Nas X, along with other poets.

“Ashlee Haze is one poet who is based in Atlanta, who is also a close friend,” said Bean.

He also took time to get to know more about the audience and offered to say hi to everyone after the performance.

“I think that’s what inspires me now is being able to draw connections with people I have nothing in common with,” said Bean. “The emotion behind the work is universal.”

Originally from Massillon, Ohio, Bean did his undergrad work at Morehouse College in Atlanta.

“Upon graduating, there were so much more opportunities in Atlanta than there were in Ohio,” said Bean.

While going through school, Bean did not have a planned path, but he knew he always had a love for words–starting with trying to compete with one of his siblings trying to beat him at free-styling at age 12.

“I knew I loved language, words, stories, and reading,” said Bean. “I let the love of what I enjoy doing lead my decisions around school.”

Bean also was a part of a hip-hop group The Remnant and was able to tour for 10 years. After doing this, he continued to work a nine-to-five in digital marketing. Since then, he was introduced to pursuing spoken word as a career by poet Amena Brown.

“She saw me as an emcee and said I could do spoken word as well,” said Bean.

Since he started his career in spoken word, Bean has been a competitor in the National Poetry Slam Competition in 2015 and 2017 as a representative of Atlanta. Bean was also a 2017 National Poetry Slam song winner, which is a competition where poets submit their work.

“Whenever it happens, I’m shocked because it’s not why I do it,” said Bean.

Bean was also a speaker for a TEDx Talk in 2017 and performed a work entitled “The Impermanence of Home”. This work was to give a message that home is not one place; it can be a matter of relationships, people, etc.

“It’s something that moves with you and changes over time,” said Bean. “Ultimately you have to find a sense of home in yourself; you have to carry that sense of knowing who you are and that you’ll be who you are at what the environment is.”

To add to his artistry, Bean hopes to have an EP out in the spring of 2023 with the working title, “Songs for the Ride Home”.

“I’m fifty percent done with it,” said Bean. “I’m trying to see if I can get it finished before year’s end.”

To see more of Bean and his work, visit his website.