WORDCUP - Session #7 - Local Showcase with Hounsdown School, Romsey School & Barbican Young Poets

04.07.23: MAST Local Showcase - Hounsdown & Romsey - plus Barbican Young Poets

When: Tuesday 04th July 2023

Where: MAST studios, Southampton

We welcomed the WORDCUP 23 Wessex Team from Hounsdown School, the Team from Romsey School, local poet Eve Wright, and members of the Barbican Young Poets.

We gathered to celebrate our collective creativity, and hear original poems generated over the past 3 months of working with a select group of students from both schools.

The celebrants for this event were: Kiki Gilbert and Annie Hayter from the Barbican Young Poets, and Artfulscribe assistant poetry coach Claire Hillier. They were set with the task of celebrating the following:

Best individual poem
Best individual performance
Best group performance

All the pieces were good and were celebrated this evening. This task was very very difficult.

Antosh Wojcik (Artfulscribe lead poetry coach) opened the proceedings reflecting on the poetic journey we had all been on and outlining the celebrations to come. Antosh then invited the audience to utilize holding up the ‘invisible pineapple’ and/or pulling the ‘duck face’ - both good, strong options when responding to poetry. He followed this warm up by performing a few of his own poems - the sacrificial poet - an offering to the stage. “Give time. Give love. Give thanks”.

In this showcase, group poems are also included, in their own category, all the students got to perform solo poems as well, if they wished to.

Romsey Team - Curry Maggots with Windows
Romsey - Maya with Collectivism
Romsey - Ethan with Farnborough 52
Romsey Team - The Sweet Stawberries with The Mirror
Hounsdown - Lucy with Flognokahbajibication
Hounsdown - Ella with Confidence
Hounsdown - Xenya with The Firebird
Hounsdown - Amy with Mirror

A set from assistant poet coach: Claire Hillier. Ode to the Road and Dear Unknown

Romsey Team - The Vinaigrettes with The Mirror
Romsey - Bethany with Inside my brain

A special guest set from Barbican Young Poet: Kiki Gilbert.

Romsey - David with My Prayers

A special guest set from Barbican Young Poet: Annie Hayter. The Selkie.

Hounsdown - Kitty with Yellow
Hounsdown - Alicia with The pupils unwritten rules
Romsey Team - Subjective Vain with Controversy
Romsey - Agnes with Trigger Warning: Gore

A special guest set from Artfulscribe Poet: Eve Wright. Love letter from a Microbiologist

Hounsdown - Ava with Death
Hounsdown - Sam L with The Wind
Hounsdown - Cassie with Ode to Words
Hounsdown WORDCUP Team - Bearing Witness with The Last Tree
Hounsdown WORDCUP Team - The Unknown with Somewhere between a meal deal and death. (2 of the team members were not able to make the showcase, Antosh helped with those parts)

A special guest set from Artfulscribe Director: Matt West (whilst the celebrants compared notes)

The celebrants left the room, and agreed on the following awards:

● Best individual poem went to - Ethan (Romsey) with Farnborough 52

● Special mention: Cassie (Hounsdown) with Ode to Words

● Best individual performance went to - Xenya (Hounsdown) with The Firebird

● Special mention: David (Romsey) with My Prayers

● Best group performance went to - The Vinaigrettes (Romsey) with The Mirror

The winners were announced and invited to the stage to bask in their moment of glory!

Everyone was gifted Artfulscribe poetry books & bags.

Well done! To all the performers this evening. It really was a very special night of poetry, collaboration, creative support and celebration of the written and spoken word.

Our blogs

Regular news and insight from our many poets, writers, educators and facilitators

WORDCUP - Session #7 - Local Showcase with Hounsdown School, Romsey School & Barbican Young Poets