English writer William Hazlitt once said that "poetry is the universal language." For students in assistant professor Colin Dalton's Foundations of Literacy class, this sentiment is truer than for most.

These urban education students performed their original poetry at Cafe Luz, a downtown, historic district coffee shop on Tuesday, May 1.

According to Dalton, "This course-culminating activity and celebration required students to write and perform a poem based on a theme, event or character in Lois Lowry's award-winning dystopian children's novel "The Giver." With Jazz music playing in the background, the rich aroma of fresh coffee wafting through the air, and the sound of snapping fingers applauding each poem, the students took part in a literacy development activity they can replicate with their future students."