In an effort to nurture budding poets in the spoken word industry, Penboy recently organized a comprehensive four-week online workshop focused on poetry and spoken word performance.
The primary goal of the workshop was to provide participants with valuable skills in both spoken word and written poetry. Penboy, also known as Taleabong Boris Alemnge, harbors a profound passion for poetry, using it as a tool for advocacy and conveying diverse messages. This passion motivated him to initiate the workshop after observing a surge in young individuals engaging in poetry without formal training or a background in art.
“Poetry, just like any other art, comes from the heart,” Penboy explains, underscoring the impetus behind the workshop.
The five-day workshop included assignments designed to delve deeper into the nuances of poetry. Despite the challenges of conducting online classes, Penboy expressed satisfaction with the turnout and outcomes.
“I was quite impressed by the participation and engagement of some students. Hosting online classes is quite challenging, especially with differences in time zones, schedules, and technical difficulties. But I’m quite glad that a handful of students showed interest, participated fully, and were equally fully engaged,” Penboy noted.
With an active membership of over 41 participants, each joining with high expectations and varied motivations, some attendees shared their positive experiences.
Ethel Muring praised Penboy as a “maître” in his field, stating, “He is just so excellent in spoken word poetry. He inspired me to attend his own poetry and spoken word class. I’ve learned quite a lot during this session, such as proper writing skills and good applications of rhyme schemes, amongst others.”
Blessing Fonyuy expressed her satisfaction, stating, “Going into this session, I had never written a poem or done spoken word before. But after attending those classes, I have learned a lot, and I am looking forward to when I start writing my own poems.”
Despite being impressed with the online turnout, Penboy aims to invest more time in on-site training to provide practical demonstrations, believing it will yield even better results.
“As for my students of this particular online training, I’m going to keep my watch just as I’ve always been doing; not just by showing up when they need me, but equally helping them out with materials until they’re fit to stand on their own,” Penboy added.
The organizers hope that participants will not stop at the workshop but will use the lessons to create impactful works in the future.
