Year 8 Slam Poetry

Poetry from page to stage

At the start of the poetry unit, most of us hated everything about poetry. But writing our own poetry has helped change many minds. Last Thursday, the annual year 8 Northcote high school poetry slam final was held. A poetry slam is a competition where all poets (groups of up to 5) perform an original piece out loud. Students got one session to get some ideas down, as well as two workshops with an actual poet. The day of the slam, finalists even got the chance to meet Australian poetry slam champion, Ren Alessandra! 

The content of the poems ranged from racism and sexism, to how school is stressful, and even the way dreams feel. Listening to poetry being spoken by people our age has really emphasised that anyone can write poetry. Performing in front of 300 people takes guts, so congratulations to all finalists. The fact that most year eights have even written and performed a poem is amazing, considering that poetry can be a very personal thing. Overall, the Northcote High School poetry slam was a great opportunity for everyone to showcase their skills, while having a lot of fun! 

Big thanks to everyone involved.

~Alex Wright –  Year 8 Poetry SLAM Finalist