Poetry was meant to be heard, not read. That is the guiding principle behind a poetry slam. At the start of the academic year, the English Department had made plans for such an event. We had hoped to conclude our Upper Prep poetry unit with an evening of performance. Pupils would have the opportunity to share their works in a safe and supportive space. Poetry read aloud, of course, is a moving and expressive experience best enjoyed in person. But, as you might have guessed, the small matter of a city-wide lockdown threw a spanner in the works.  But that did not stop our Upper Prep pupils. Their creative drive and desire to be heard were so strong that we decided to take our poetry slam online.

These have been tough times for all of us, so our pupils had no shortage of inspiration for their works. Their poems spoke of our current predicament, from local matters like the recent lockdown to more global concerns like climate change. They eagerly broke the ‘rules’ of poetry, showing fearlessness in their experimentation with words and phrases.

But rather than describing it to you, I would like to share with you some moments from our recent virtual poetry slam. What you will witness in this video is bright young people expressing themselves, finding and using their voices and sharing their concerns. At a time when it might seem easier to bottle up our anxiety about what the future holds, these performances are a much welcome bottle opener.

I invite you to enjoy these wonderful online performances. And hopefully next year we can all come together once again for an in-person poetry slam!