Emilie Zoey Baker

How Poetry Slam Can Revolutionise Your Classroom: A Conversation with Emilie Zoey Baker

In the world of poetry, there’s one form that stands out for its energy, engagement, and student-centered learning: slam poetry. A captivating blend of performance, creativity, and social commentary, slam poetry can bring literacy, expression, and critical thinking into your classroom in ways that traditional poetry often cannot.

Emilie Zoey Baker, a world-renowned poetry slam champion, educator, and Creative Director of OutLoud—Victoria’s premier youth slam competition—is one of the leading voices in making poetry accessible, exciting, and deeply impactful for young learners. With years of experience working with students across primary and secondary schools, Emilie’s approach isn’t just about reading poems—it’s about giving students the tools to find their voice, think critically, and perform with confidence.

Why Slam Poetry? Why Should Teachers Embrace It?

Poetry has the power to unlock creativity and self-expression, but slam poetry takes it a step further by combining both writing and performance into a dynamic, immersive experience for students.

Here’s why slam poetry works so well in the classroom:

1. Develops Confidence: Slam poetry asks students to perform their work in front of others, which is an excellent way to build public speaking skills and help them overcome fears of speaking in front of peers. The immediate feedback from the audience, whether it’s applause or constructive criticism, builds confidence and resilience.
2. Improves Literacy: Writing slam poetry encourages students to think about language creatively, expanding their vocabulary and understanding of rhythm, structure, and rhyme. It’s an active learning experience that goes beyond reading and into writing, performing, and revising their work.
3. Encourages Emotional Expression: Slam poetry is personal and often deals with heavy, real-world topics such as identity, bullying, and social justice. This allows students to connect to the content in a meaningful way, giving them a safe space to express their emotions, thoughts, and experiences.
4. Fosters Creative Thinking: Slam poetry isn’t about right or wrong answers. It’s about self-expression and embracing the unconventional. Students get to see that creativity has no boundaries, helping them explore their imagination and ideas more freely.
5. Creates a Fun Learning Environment: Students love competition, and when slam poetry is framed as a friendly contest, it brings out the best in them. The lively atmosphere and sense of camaraderie inspire enthusiasm, making learning poetry feel more like a game than a chore.

What other jobs have you had?

I’ve been a waitress, a waitress dressed as a wench, a bar hand and a record shop girl. I’ve been a bunny, a tiger, an aeroplane (a soft one) and a clown. (No really, I can ride a unicycle and everything.) I’m an award winning face-painter and body artist and once I stood in the middle of the MCG dressed as a lion balancing on a giant inflatable ball.

What are you passionate about?

My motto is ‘Children should be seen and heard, OUTLOUD!’ I’m passionate about bringing poetry into the classroom in a fun, exciting and unexpected way and introducing slam to teenagers.

What themes are recurring in your work?

I talk about feminism, cyber bullying, advertising, Australian culture and those blow-up dancing men you see out the front of car-washes

What have been the highlights of your career?

Winning the Berlin International Slam, having my poetry translated and published in the Moscow Times, meeting David Attenborough (he has a copy of my book), performing in Paris, Indonesia, New Zealand, England, At the Bowery Poetry club in NYC, The Green Mill in Chicago and winning the Nimbin Performance Poetry Cup.

Where have your works been published?

On the side of Melbourne’s trains, in journals such as Going Down Swinging, Cordite, Schriftstelle (Germany) and Short Fuse (US), Rudomino Book Centre, Moscow and poems inspired by the films of David Lynch in the collections We Don’t Stop Here and A Slice of Cherry Pie (The Private Press, UK & US).

Haven’t I seen you before?

Yeah, I’m pretty famous (blows on nails). But if you haven’t seen me yet, here are some places you can get an idea of what I’m all about:

• In 2012 I took a residency (supported by Arts Victoria) with fellow poets Ezra Bix, Sean M Whelan, and Michelle Dabrowski. You can view a video about our work at Rutherglen here (YouTube, 12 minutes)
• I’ve given talks about slam poetry far and wide, but close to home, The Wheeler Centre recorded one of them and you can view it here (Wheeler Centre site, 20 mins).
• There is a nice profile of me from working with the 2011 Overload Poetry festival which you can view here.
• If you’re really young, you have may have learnt a little about some of your feelings from one of the six children’s books I wrote for Book Group Australia.

Anything else you’d like to share with us?

I have a major life-long crush on David Bowie.