poets unite!

i attended a performance poetry workshop. it was truly the best 8 hours i have ever spent on anything. it was jointly organised by the British Council and Project OMG. the workshop was conducted by UK poet Malika Booker, a funky little goddess with Caribbean descent. she is a very animated character who took her job very seriously. her spirit and energy somehow reminded me of Antares. i suddenly missed Uncle Ant.

i really did not know what to expect from the workshop and in the first half hour or so i was really intimidated. the workshop was attended mostly by people who had had experience in writing and performance arts. some even had extensive writing credits. most of what i write end up in the wastepaper basket. eeep.

performance poetry, as i learned, is slightly different than poetry on print. the first part of the workshop focused on how to analyse poetry by dissecting poems according to its structure (e.g. the memory, the moment, the epiphany, etc.). then we were given the chance to free-write, where Malika played us some inspirational music and told us, "I wanna see your pen move and never stop until i say so!". so when the music played, we just wrote down anything that occupied our minds at that moment. things like grammar, spelling and relevance did not have to matter. after that we were told to pick out thoughts and ideas and to identify the memory, the moment, the epiphany, etc. then we proceeded to pen all that down into a crafted poem.

the next part of the workshop revolved around how to perform the poems we wrote. now, when it comes to performance poetry, there are other elements that are involved in a poem's presentation. it is no longer printed on paper. it has to be delivered on stage with voice, intonation, motion, etc. that is why it is not just a recital, but a performance. Malika actually turned us all into performers within just a couple of hours. she knew exactly what she was doing.

it was the first time i had ever presented my writing. my feet turned into jello and i was holding on to the mic stand to keep from collapsing. as i read my words, i could feel their eyes fixated on me. and when i finished i actually received an applause. whoo!

it was truly a good start to my weekend. intensely productive.

i had my Goddess to thank for a day well spent.