Grammar Gazette- Issue 2, 2016

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confectionery, to the idolisation of well, idols, to genuinely affecting and intimate expressions of the deepest emotional bonds, requited or otherwise. This kind of poetry-writing would seem to fit the quaint stereotype many of us have of the poetic enterprise; a solitary activity carried out in a garret or bohemian coffee house, wearing a turtleneck, for a readership (excluding the hoped-for posthumous rediscovery) of not many. I have no doubt some of our young poets do have a favoured black skivvy, but there are many who write together. We get quite a few joint entries, which pleases an English teacher no end, because it means the girls have sat down and struggled amusedly together for those best words and best order. ‘Every girl who puts pen to paper or finger to keypad deserves kudos for taking the risk of sending a few words out into the world.’ To air out the musty garret, and to give literary credit where it is certainly due, the best of the entries — and ‘best’ can mean cutest, funniest, groan-worthiest, most satirical, or most touching — are shared publicly. Everyone who enters knows that notable entries are published not just on Moodle but at a whole-school Assembly, so there is an element of bravery to entering. Poetry is like any other performance; it involves risk and an uncertain reception. The more heartfelt the poetry, the greater this risk is, which is why I argue that every girl who puts pen to paper or finger to keypad deserves kudos for taking the risk of sending a few words out into the world unaccompanied. Happily, the assembled girls are a receptive and supportive audience, and the poets get as big a cheer, laugh, or teary ‘ngaawwhh’ as any rower, waterpoloist or debater singled out for praise in front of the School. ‘The immediacy and energy of Slam poetry is compelling and contagiously exciting, and about as far from the consumptive garret as can be imagined.’ The Poetry Slam is, of course, a decidedly more public outlet for poetic expression, and at Girls Grammar it is very public. I can write with hand on heart (I am a poor typist, so this is no great inconvenience), that in my decade at the School, I have never experienced a Gehrmann Theatre as full or as loud as it is for the Slam each Term IV. The immediacy and energy of Slam poetry is compelling and contagiously exciting, and about as far from the consumptive garret as can be imagined. There are slam poems on YouTube that have been watched millions of times, and ominously, slam poetry is now so popular that advertisers have discovered its appeal. Slam poems are written to be spoken out loud, to an audience encouraged to ‘click’ their approval, and are judged on the spot by members of the audience chosen

Ellen Wilson (11L) performing her poem ‘Talking’ about the silencing of female voices

at random. It is — pardon the cliché — poetry for the people, but what makes the School Slam so exciting is that it has been, from the outset, of the people too. Three years ago, the Arts Captains and their poetry-minded associates decided to get a Slam going, and their energy and enthusiasm brought it to fruition. Several of the competitors in that first Slam have gone on to compete in State Slams, including Ashley McGregor (2014), who took out a prize at Woodford before representing Queensland at the National Slam at the Sydney Opera House. The friendly competition offered by Slamming has seen our girls participate last year and this in the SlammEd programme supported by the State Library of Queensland (SLQ) as part of the Queensland Poetry Festival. Zoe MacDonald (2015) and Macada Roebig (2015) last year, and Megha Prasad (11M) and Ellen Wilson (11L) this year joined other girls in Slam workshops held at school with Angela Pieta, the convenor of Ruckus Slam. Zoe and Macada won through a mini-slam at the conclusion of the 2015 workshop and attended a special workshop at SLQ with students who had won through from other schools. They later competed admirably in the SlammEd Finals at the Judith Wright Centre; an exciting and rewarding experience that awaits Megha and Ellen this year. 2016 has also seen the birth of Slamming as a co- curricular group, thanks to the enthusiasm of English Teacher, Ms Jules Smith. The Year 8s also had their very own inter-class Slam this year, with classes first running their own heats to choose a class representative, and then clashing in good-spirited Slam style at the final in the Gehrmann Theatre. The School also hosted its first international slam poet this year; Ms Desiree Dallagiacomo from the USA recently worked with delighted groups of younger and older girls on topics, techniques, and delivery. The network of people at this School and others, and even overseas and online who are interested in putting the best words together in their best order, or just appreciating someone else’s attempts to do so, will only encourage our girls further in their own poetic endeavours. As I joked at the Love Poetry Prizegiving at assembly this year, poetry might just make an Olympic comeback (it was in the Games until 1948), and our girls have their turtleneck tracksuits at the ready.

SPRING ISSUE / 2016