Poetry is any written or spoken word that has pattern and rhythm. Poems can be as creative as you make them, from slam poetry to word art. Poems and activism have enjoyed a long and close relationship, especially in anti-discrimination movements.
“Poetry is the way we help give name to the nameless so it can be thought. The farthest horizons of our hopes and fears are cobbled by our poems, carved from the rock experiences of our daily lives”
Audre Lorde
High school students from across north and south Wales take part in Poetry Slam Cymru every year. Poems included 'Sticks and Stones' and 'Blue for a Boy, Pink for a Girl' which raise awareness of sexist and sexual cyber-harassment, and the pressures of gender stereotyping.
‘I am not sugar and spice and everything nice. I am music, I am art, I am a story…’
An anonymous 8 year old’s feminist poem was posted by her teacher online and went viral on Twitter, especially the final line: “I am a rich pie strong with knowledge. I will not be eaten”.
Read more about it here. #Iwillnotbeeaten #richpie
For more on the power of poetry, poetry slams and the spoken word see the young people’s laureate website, @litwales, The Young Poets Network, and @youngpoetsnet.
Find out how to write slam poetry.
