IT WAS standing room only at Wagga’s first poetry slam Raw Roar.
Belinda White is now hooked after performing poetry for the first time.
“It was exhilarating, an absolute buzz,” she said. “It built my confidence, when I went up there I was anxious but I noticed I was having an impact on people and connecting with them.
“I thought this is working – this is what I wanted – I connected.”
The audience clicked their fingers if they were enjoying the performance and rated the nine poets using a coloured card at the end of each of their three-minute show.
Over 50 people packed the Old Empire Tea Rooms and more were turned away due to a packed house.
Ms White, a Wagga High English teacher of eight years, uses slam poetry to teach students.
“Poetry is not a favourite thing with teenagers, but they have to study it,” she said. “It isn’t like reading a novel it’s brief and powerful.”
Witnessing Wagga’s first poetry slam first hand has encouraged some of her students to take part at the next event.
Ms White believes slam poetry, a spoken form of poetry, is the proper way to appreciate it.
“Poetry was never written to be read, it is written to be heard,” she said.
Wagga’s first poetry slam was held last week with another expected in the coming months.
