UA Little Rock Alum Marquese McFerguson is using spoken word poetry and hip-hop to make a difference No Comments Spoken word poetry became a lifeline for UA Little Rock alumnus Marquese McFerguson, an assistant professor of intercultural communication at Florida Atlantic University, to express his thoughts and emotions during the turbulent time following the death of his mother in 2005. “During my final semester of undergrad studies, my mother passed away,” McFerguson said. “She had been battling cancer. It was a time in my life when I was a senior in college, and I questioned whether I would be going back to finish college. You don’t meet many 21-year-olds who don’t have a living parent. I started writing and journaling to process my emotions.”