2024 SCHOOLS PROGRAM:

SLAM POETRY - For Teens Who Think They Don't Like Poetry ... and Teens Who Do! Delivered by Joel McKerrow

DATE: Thursday 7 March 2024
TIME: 9.15am to 10.15am
VENUE: Cairns City Library, Abbott Street, Cairns
PRICE: $12

-- Please note: These sessions are only for students enrolled in Cairns and Far North Queensland schools --
-- Please contact your school to secure your spot--

AGE GROUP: This session is designed for students in Grades 9 to 12

SYNOPSIS: Sometimes we can get stuck when it comes to poetry. It can feel boring and irrelevant when we read it and it can seem really hard to write. Well…what if it wasn’t? What if there was a form of poetry that you might really like- both to hear and to write. That’s what this workshop is…an intro to poetry as something WAY cooler than what you thought it was.

ABOUT JOEL MCKERROW: Joel McKerrow is an award-winning writer, speaker, educator, artist, creativity specialist and, having performed for hundreds of thousands of people throughout the world, is one of Australia’s most successful, internationally touring, performance poets. Based out of Melbourne, Australia he has carried on a FULL-TIME creative career for the past decade. He is the Artist Ambassador for the aid and development organisation, ‘TEARFUND Australia’ and was the co-founder of community arts organisation, 'The Centre for Poetics and Justice' (2010-2013). Joel was the third ever Australian representative at the Individual World Poetry Slam Championships in the USA and is a highly sought after speaker at conferences and festivals all over the world. He has four published books and four spoken word/music albums, is a successful play-wright and is a co-founder/host of the The Deep Place: On Creativity and Spirituality Podcast. Currently he teaches at the Melbourne Young Writers Studio, is a lecturer at Whitley College and is teaching in over 100 schools to more than 50 000 students. In publishing Joel has released four music/spoken word albums, three published books of poetry and one creative non-fiction book (Woven: A Faith for the Dissatisfied- Published by Acorn Press). He has had his work featured in such publications as: Mindfood Magazine, Relevant Magazine, Going Down Swinging Literary Journal, Soul tread magazine, Spirituality for Youth Work (Cambridge Scholars Press), Australian Stories for the Soul (Strand Publishing), Gestalt Arts and Culture Journal, New Urban World Journal, and many more. From The Justice Conference to The Global Health Conference; from the ITEC (International Transforming Education Conference) to the Greenbelt Festival (UK); from the Sydney Opera House to the Metropolis (Montreal); from Melbourne’s Townhall, Exhibition Centre, Atheneum and Forum theatres to the renowned Nuyorican Poets Cafe in New York City, Joel has captivated audiences worldwide with both his speaking and his performance poetry. He has performed/spoken alongside such poets and speakers as Shane Koyczan, Sarah Kay, Phil Kaye, Anis Mojgani, Morgan Harper Nichols, Don Hahn (Disney), and Brad Montague (Kid President).