Webinar #43 | Jen Scott Curwood - My Beating and Bleeding Heart

‘My Beating and Bleeding Heart’: Spoken Word, Mentor Poets, and Social Justice

Spoken word poetry offers young people a powerful opportunity to explore the intersections of the personal and the political as they critically reflect on their lived experiences and bear witness to others’ stories. Through local poetry slams and social media channels, spoken word poetry has become an increasingly popular form of creative expression, particularly among youth whose voices have historically been marginalised or silenced. As young poets come to see themselves as agents of change, speaking their own words positions them to engage in social justice and take action against socioeconomic, gendered, racial, linguistic, and civic inequities.

This presentation will focus on Real Talk, a six-week spoken word poetry workshop organised by the Bankstown Poetry Slam, the largest poetry slam in Australia. Situated in Western Sydney, the workshops are facilitated by mentor poets who are passionate about spoken word and social justice. This presentation will explore how mentor poets drew on culturally sustaining pedagogy to encourage youth to be honest and vulnerable with their poetry. Through sharing their original work and empathetically listening to others’ poems, the students were encouraged to question inequities in their lives and reclaim their power and voice. Within the workshops, mentor poets engaged students in an exploration of the catharsis and hope inherent in spoken word poetry.

Dr Jen Scott Curwood is an Associate Professor of English Education and Media Studies at the University of Sydney. A teacher educator and former secondary English teacher, her research explores the intersections of literacy, creativity, and technology.