Introduction to Slam Poetry (secondary presentation)

What is Slam poetry and why on earth would you want to do it?

Students will be introduced to the world of slam which is competition format performance poetry. It’s Masterchef with words, So You Think You Can Dance with metaphors, The Voice, but pure poetry.

Using live demonstrations, slides, videos and audio, students will be both entertained and inspired by what spoken word has the potential to do, what it means to be a professional poet and where slam can take you. The presentation includes showing performances from both established slammers and up and coming youth from around the world performing both individually and in teams. Poetry is not just about flowers and trees, you can use the stage to tell stories, confess secrets, vent your spleen, experiment, rant and comment on the world around you. What does your generation have to say?

“Students left the presentation with ideas jumping out of their heads, it was wonderful to see” –P. Rogers, Principal Rutherglen High

“I’ve written, like 120 poems now!’ Chloe (yr 7) Rutherglen high

Topics:

• The origins of slam starting in Chicago in the early 80’s
• How has slam grown around the world and in Australia?
• What can you use as inspiration?
• Why would you want to get up on stage and speak poetry?
• How can you get involved?
• What’s in a poem?
• How do you start to write a poem?
• The tools for a great performance