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EDUCATION
children sometimes get bored with poetry, when it’s not responsive or relatable to them. The idea isn’t to only give the children what they want – no parent would let their child eat ice cream every day, but challenge and fun are not mutually exclusive. This responsiveness also has implications across intersections such as race and gender – if we are barely beginning to come to grips with including the experiences and work of people not racialised as white in mainstream publishing or prize lists or reviews then it’s unlikely their work was prioritised in old canons. Additionally, there’s just tons of exciting, explorative, exemplary writing happening in recent literary history and in real time. How have you inspired students and collaborators? Lawrence: Through creating and delivering unapologetic poetic content challenging the status quo and continuing to be consistent while still developing and evolving along my own personal journey of discovery. CARGO Classroom will be launching a set of verified, high-quality teaching resources for history that embraces poetry as a method for sharing human stories. Shagufta: Workshops with young people are the most rewarding part of my work. It allows students to be braver and think more creatively, with their own opinion in relation to the world. I have seen students shine, where they have otherwise been written off. I have seen the quietest students transform into magical storytellers. Poetry allows us to offer the most distilled versions of our truths, and young people can do incredible things with this opportunity.
Adding in that unexpected element can make it possible to articulate things you didn’t even know you knew, or felt, before
Caleb: One of the joys of my work is finding exactly the right poem, approach, and activity for an individual or group. Sometimes, this means poems about things I’m not really into (ie, football poems!) so that a group can get into the idea of poetry through that topic. I tend to use a few approaches drawn from experimental traditions, like cut-ups, blackout poems, decks of cards, collages. These have a way of disrupting what we think a ‘poem’ is or should be and freeing people up to play and experiment with language. Even when you work with personal stories, adding in that unexpected element can make it possible to articulate things you didn’t even know you knew, or felt, before writing it. How hard do you think it is to inspire younger children who might see poetry as stuffy and boring; is the curriculum diverse enough to do this? Connor: It needn’t be hard to inspire kids today! The biggest step to making poetry less ‘stuffy and boring’ is to show that people are still making it. I’ve gone into classrooms before to talk to children and to get them writing poetry and it’s wild how quickly they go from perplexed that an actual human being still makes poetry as part of their career to enthusiastically producing their own work. Tjawangwa: Diversifying reading lists/chosen texts is one way of auditing what might be considered stuffy or boring, but more needs doing. Children, rightfully, have notoriously exacting palates and by bringing well-chosen, practising writers into the classroom we can mitigate these ideas of boredom. I expect that teachers have their contractual obligations to meet – grading rubrics, materials to cover, syllabi and all that – while visiting poets have some leeway to bring creative freedom to the students even as they build skills and have a new face to engage with. What does an understanding of poetry bring to young minds? Rebecca: Poetry gives a voice to current affairs, both on a personal and collective level. Therefore it’s vital that contemporary responses to the 46 THE BRISTOL MAGAZINE
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SEPTEMBER 2020
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No 192
world at large are offered through literature, and that we are shown this through a wealth of voices. Readers and listeners want to hear a narrative which resonates, applies to them or moves them into understanding someone or something else in greater depth. That is the beauty of art, to transcend what we know, while still offering reference points for what is ordinary and every day. Solomon: A different lens to see the world through. An idea might translate in a whole new way through poetry. It’s its own language. And that language might just be the key that unlocks a trouble a young person is dealing with; helps them understand themselves and how they relate to this world a little clearer. Caleb: Working with First Story, Poetry Society and Paper Nations, I’ve seen how the cycle of reading and writing can improve confidence, emotional literacy, group cohesion, speaking and listening. Poetry can offer a space for young people to affirm their sense of self, explore ideas, be challenged and challenging, and rediscover their joy of language. This last one is a big one for me: lots of us stop playing as we move into what we think is ‘adulthood’. (What is it, anyway?) There’s plenty of evidence that having no element of play in our lives is bad for health and resilience. There are lots of ways people play, but if you’re interested in language and creativity, poetry can be one of the most enjoyable and rewarding. Connor: Aside from the obvious cultural enrichment, discussing, analysing, creating, and performing poetry gives kids a host of skills – efficient and persuasive writing, debating artistic merit and meaning, the understanding of local, national and international history through the evolution of artforms, an understanding of contemporary, living history and current events. Anthony Anaxagorou’s I Am Not A Poet uncovers a greater swathe of the sins of the UK, both internationally and domestically, in under six minutes, than any one hour lesson ever could. Tjawangwa: Some people think poetry is expendable because it is a form of play. I’m not here to say otherwise. I think poetry is definitely partly a practice of pedagogical play, but this is a thing to celebrate not undermine. It may be that we need to have conversations with early childhood development specialists who look at play to ask them how this functions in the teen/adult classroom because play and productivity are entangled. And of course, poetry is not all play, it is a practice that can and should demand rigour: reading widely, ‘analysing’ or close reading, discussing text and context. Poems often deal with difficult subjects from the very personal to the overtly political and this can create opportunities for students to become aware of themselves as citizens in the world. Why is poetry having such a renaissance in Bristol? Lawrence: Poetry’s profile always seems to rise in times of despair and with the recessions, elections, Brexit, Black Lives Matter and the coronavirus – to name just a few of the shocks to the system over the last decade – it doesn’t surprise me poetry is back in favour. Solomon: It is direct, clear communication of nuanced and big ideas, thoughts, feelings, perspectives. When you have a medium that functions that way, in a time when the landscape is becoming increasingly unclear and unpredictable, people are naturally going to be drawn to the thing that can bring clarity. In so much confusion. And chaos. Poetry is the magnifying glass. It brings clarity. It vents pent up emotion. It’s... a lot. Shagufta: It is the hard work and dedication from our artists who are leading the way for poetry in Bristol. Also, it is clear to see how much poetry speaks to people, how it gives space and a place to stop and reflect in a hectic world. What are your observations on poetry as a vehicle that can help people articulate difficult things within its flexible framework and devices? Lawrence: For me, poetry is the ultimate freedom to express. No rules, no form, no boundaries, no permission required. Just write what feels right, don’t get caught up in constructs. Shagufta: I think the root of spoken-word poetry is often found in a vulnerable place – it does not claim to know the answers. It often acts as a way to reflect back the world, question or challenge, without enforcing an opinion. It should leave the reader/audience to see things from a new perspective in a delicate and empathetic way. It is about a sharing of experience, accepting that we are human. I think poetry can speak to us all, and make us feel less alone. ■
