Year 5 was invited to lunch followed by a Poetry Workshop at Epsom College with poet Kayo Chingonyi. Kayo talked with a very calm and clear voice to the girls and explained that for him writing poetry is about sounds, to share ideas with others and share conversations. For him, it is especially about places where he has been and where he belongs to. He went on to take the girls through writing their own poem about where they are from. Starting with a place that came to mind, the girls sketched that place on paper and wrote words that they associated with it. To give structure to the poem, he asked them to begin with the line ‘I am from / I come from’ and look for a sentence that contains an image relating to sound, colours, smell and emotions. The girls came up with the most wonderful lines. Next they went on to write a Haiku poem based on a word the girls like the sound of. In order to practise projecting a clear and meaningful voice in front of an audience, Kayo frequently returned to voice warm up exercises with a humorous twist. Everyone was given the opportunity to share what they had created. The girls had a wonderful afternoon of poetry writing and creative thought.
