We are thrilled and delighted to be part of the Spoken Word Power project.
SPOKEN WORD POWER is a three year national spoken word poetry programme for school age young people. The project, which began in 2021, is led by Eastside Educational Trust. Essex Book Festival is the delivery partner for the Essex region.
The project creatively champions the spoken word, nurturing positive attitudes to language and learning and embeds spoken word poetry teaching, practice, writing and performance skills into the nation’s school life.
Through a truly collaborative approach, it makes language exciting, inclusive and fun. Young people will develop the confidence, skills and creative acumen to write and perform their own spoken word poetry, showcased at over 180 school slam events, 15 major regional spoken word events (celebrating World Poetry Day) while becoming published in annual Spoken Word Power anthologies.
Spoken Word Power provides a platform for the vibrant voices of a new generation of young people.
Spoken Word Power Open Call – a free programme open to primary, secondary and SEND schools across the UK and beyond, is now open for 2024 entries. Kickstart your students spoken word journey with an interactive livestream lesson on 28th/29th February, led by poetry experts.
Find out more at eastside.org.uk/spoken-word-power
Spoken Word Power 2024 in Essex
Workshops for our 2024 Spoken Word Power schools are underway. Watch this space for videos and photos from the performance event which will be taking place on World Poetry Day, 21st March 2024.
Spoken Word Power 2023
Thank you to the amazing schools in Canvey Island and Basildon who took part in Spoken Word Power 2023. Well done to the students who performed their poems at the Celebration Sharing Event at Towngate Theatre, Basildon in March 2024.
Take a look at the photo album from the 2023 Celebration Sharing Event here
Performance Archive
Explore the full array of talent showcased at Spoken Word Power live poetry slams across the country. View the full Performance Archive here.
Anthology
Every school who joins Spoken Word Power is eligible to submit one poem per participating class group for publication in our annual anthology – and will receive a free copy of the anthology to take pride of place on classroom and library bookshelves!
Copies of the 2023 The Places I’ll Go Anthology can be ordered via this link.
Spoken Word Power 2022
Performance Event, 14th March 2022
A spectacular event was held in March at the Lakeside Theatre. Hearing the children and young people perform their own poetry was amazing and inspiring. Congratulations to all involved in this uplifting project.
Take a look at the videos from a few of the performances on the night. You can also see videos from the events which took place in the other regions participating in the project.
Photo Album 2022 Regional Sharing Event
Take a look at the full photo album from the Performance Event on Flickr: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzHyKZ
Our 2022 Artists
A huge thank you to our fabulous Artists who completed the workshops in the schools to support the children and young people in their poetry writing and to prepare them for their performances. What an amazing job you did.
Justin Coe: justincoe.co.uk
Martha Paling: marthapailing.com
Marina Cusi: marinacusisanchez.com
