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29 November 2006

Poetry for All!

‘Poetry Live, 2006’: A full day of culture, history and personal experiences brought to life by the punchy Anthology poets themselves. On Tuesday 21st November, a group of 62 Year 11 pupils and 3 staff attended the annual ‘Poetry Live’ conference in the Carriageworks Theatre in Leeds.

Probably some of the most valuable lessons we learnt during that day were that firstly, “poems are meant to be heard as well as read”, and secondly, that everyone interprets poems in their own way; that does not mean that your opinion is wrong. In fact, we can give meanings to poems that even the poets themselves did not originally intend. Individual ideas are always better and provide greater insight into not only the poem, but how it can be adapted to our own personal experiences.

Three poets who really made the day come alive were Simon Armitage, Grace Nichols and John Agard. The conference was topped off by an interactive session with Agard who truly knows how to breathe life into his words. He managed to teach us that not only can a poem have a serious meaning, but it can also offer a funnier side, bringing laughter into sometimes more controversial scenarios and topics, “Ah listening to you wid de keen half of mih ear, Ah lookin at yu wid de keen half of mih eye…”

Throughout the day, we were given helpful advice and tips on how to tackle the GCSE examinations from Peter Buckroyd, the Chief Examiner for AQA. These sessions are going to prove beneficial to our GCSEs in the coming months.

Overall, the main message that the poets gave us was that “Language is the most powerful tool, and one that everyone can use”; to inspire, to motivate and to succeed!

Written by: Rebecca McNulty, Natasha Hatherly, Rebecca Kent, Alex Rennick, Laura Stephenson and Grace Himsworth.

Photography by Miss Shand.