Students: Welcome to Poetry In Voice!

 

Maybe your poetic curiosity has brought you here, or maybe your teacher sent you kicking and screaming — doesn’t matter! Either way, we guarantee if you spend more than 7 minutes on this site (start your timer after you finish reading this page), you’ll certainly find something surprising, maybe something surprising about yourself.

So how should you spend your 7 minutes?

READ

Browse our poetry anthology with Poem Roulette, or you can just use this button:

Random Poem

Skim lots of poems. Let the poems be what they are — meet them like you would meet some friends of a friend. You don’t have to love every poem you read. You just need to find one that captures your attention. If you skim 20 poems and still haven’t found one you love, don’t worry. There’s still hope! Check out the WRITE section below.

Once you do find a poem you like, get to know it a little better:

  • Read it several times. Consider it might mean more than you first thought. Ask your friends and fam to read it and get their take on it. Disagree with them. Start a poetry debate. Win the debate. Study law. Run for office. Become Prime Minister. Remember, it all started here.
  • Check if there’s a series of guided questions and links below the poem you’ve chosen. We call these “Dive Ins.” Try answering them (probably for a school assignment, but still, better than an exam, right?)
  • Read the poet’s bio. See if they’ve answered our questions or if they’ve sat for a video interview for us. Google them. Follow them on social media (if you and they do that sort of thing).
  • Read your poem again. And again. And again. Would you look at that? You’ve practically memorized it!

 

RECITE

But why memorize a poem? According to plenty of studies, memorizing has been found to increase neural plasticity and the health of your hippocampus. So memorize a poem and you’ll be smarter!

Ok, but why recite a poem?

When you recite for an audience, like a singer covering a classic song, you create a unique interpretation of a great poem.

Watch how these student champions each bring something unique to the stage:

Embedded thumbnail for Hamish Marissen-Clark: “Illegalese: Floodgate Dub” by Wayde Compton
Embedded thumbnail for Gabrielle Nebrida-Pepin: “I Lost My Talk ” by Rita Joe
Embedded thumbnail for Enzo Campa: “Echolalia” by Ian Williams

Using our tips, you can learn how to use your breath, voice, and body to put the poem’s words centre stage. And with those skills, you’ll always be able to command a room with confidence. Wouldn’t that make public speaking just a little less terrifying?

Jump out of a plane, swim with sharks, recite a poem! #YOLO

Ask your teacher how you can get involved in our individual and team competitions. You could win hundreds or even thousands of dollars in prizes, travel, and the title of National Champion.

 

WRITE

Time to write your own poem! Two great places to start:

After you’ve polished your work, submit your poem to our poetry journal, VOICES/VOIX. Your work could be read by millions of people across Canada and around the world.

 

So why not take a few minutes today and read a poem or two, then read one aloud? Maybe even write one. Who knows, it might change your life.

 

English
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