Big Country Poetry Slam and everyone’s invited

By Madeleine Murray

YOUNG POETS will perform at The Regent in Murwillumbah on Friday, August 11.

Kids 12 to 18 years will compete in the Youth Slam!

These finalists from the Poets Out Loud Youth Program are top-quality poets and performers.

Slam poetry is a way to make poetry exciting, where instead of reading words from a page, the poets enthrall or confront the audience.

They bare their soul, which takes a lot of courage, especially if you are a teenager.

Poets Out Loud’s Sarah Temporal said these young poets have been honing their craft and connecting with like-minded creatives including professional mentors.

“It’s about building confidence in young people so they have a voice on things that matter to them,” Sarah told The Weekly.

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Youth Program has connected with schools across the Northern Rivers and hundreds of young people from Casino to Kingscliff. The program offers young people creative writing and slam poetry opportunities run by professional writers and poets.

Prizes include $400 cash to the winning poet along with a spot at Byron Writers Festival’s feature event Voices in the Wild.

Poets Out Loud Youth Slam will be at 6pm for a 6:30 start, Friday, August 11, at The Regent. To book, please visit: byronwritersfestival.com/ satellite-events

“Things like mental health issues and the state of the environment come to the surface in these wonderfully creative ways.

“To see students’ confidence grow to the point they feel empowered to stand up and speak their truth through the incredible medium of poetry is such a powerful thing.”

Now in its fourth year, the Poets Out Loud