English News

Slam Poetry Winners Compete in New Zealand

Following the success of the OutLoud Eco!Slam Poetry Competition, Amy, Neha, Upani and I had multiple amazing opportunities come our way from a radio interview with David Astle to a paid gig, performing at the Wheeler Centre. But the most groundbreaking announcement of all was learning that we were going to New Zealand to represent Australia in the Trans-Tasman Poetry Slam 2019!

We obviously were quite shocked and amazed, but also quite broke! With the amazing support from donors, our school, friends and family, us girls and our mentor, Emilie Zoey Baker (EZB), the founder of the OutLoud Poetry Slam, were able to travel to New Zealand and compete.

We had so much fun going to writing workshops, meeting the other competitors and exploring the cultural practices of the Māori people. The highlight of the trip was truly the competition itself so much vulnerability and craftsmanship was shown on that stage, leaving us truly amazed. Although we didn’t win, we truly felt like winners after such a wonderful night.

We highly encourage any other young students looking for a creative outlet to try slam poetry. We all enjoyed it so much and will definitely be continuing with it. Again, a big thank you to Ms Lee-Ack for her huge role in supporting our endeavours and to the school community for generously donating to our cause. We couldn't have done it without you!

Ruth Jarra

Year 11