Poetry slams for mental health

The October 17 event saw participants share their poems relating to mental health in an informal slam poetry format.

It was co-hosted by Cherie Gilmour and Michelle McCrae. Ms Gilmour said that the pair were both sold on the format soon after they had attended their first poetry slam.

“We went to a poetry slam in Geelong and we just loved it.

“We said ‘we should do this in Torquay,’ because it brings the community together. You don’t have to be good at it, you don’t have to be an English professor to write a poem, especially slam poetry, because it’s a bit more of a relaxed style.”

Nevertheless, all the performances impressed the crowd that packed out the upstairs section of the brewery, with Sandra Taylor announced at the end of the night as the winner.

Slam poetry is a form of poetry competition where participants read their own poems to a set time limit (on this occasion it was two minutes) without props, costumes or music. Competitors are then scored out of 10 by randomly selected judges in the audience.

Another feature is that members click their fingers rather than clap to show their appreciation for a certain line, rhyme or turn of phrase. Any type of poetry is allowed.

Ms Gilmour had worked with Art of the Minds last year, and felt the format could offer people a positive environment to express their struggles with mental health.

Ms Gilmour and Ms McCrae plan to run poetry slam events in Torquay on a frequent basis.

For more information about future events, head to facebook.com/Torquay-Poetry-Slam-123973282330953/.