THEY ARE SO WONDERFUL, I’M GOING NEXT YEAR!
We are referring to the students of the Jan Blahoslav Grammar School in Ivančice, near Brno. Every year, I give them a presentation on experimental poetry, highlighting excerpts and examples of individual pieces.
Explaining experimental poetry is no simple matter when addressing adults, never mind children, especially teenagers between the ages of fourteen and eighteen. But it always goes surprisingly well. They listen carefully, laugh and react, showing no signs of boredom, tiredness, or even of their own ego through loud or embarrassing comments. The presentation is followed by a workshop. Every year I prepare a new experimental poetry game and let the students go create for themselves. Although the faces of students attending change over time, the results are always the same – simply excellent. I have no doubt that with such an intelligent, witty and capable young generation, our society can finally move forward.
The presentation and workshop should usually take no more than an hour, but each time it’s getting longer. This year we spent a full one hundred and twenty minutes together and I left absolutely delighted. And I don’t want to boast but in addition to their wonderful attention, I also received a poem as a gift. A poem about me and solely for me. I won't lie, it made me quite emotional. It is clear that I am going to visit them again next year, I just have to now think of some new experimental poetry game to entertain them.
Sylva
