Well-known poet Phillip Shabazz works with students as they craft new poems throughout the week.
Liz O’Connell | Anson Record
Campers attentively follow directions, working their magic pencils to string together beautiful poetry about hope and how it relates to them.
Liz O’Connell | Anson Record
Emily Bolick teaches students about agriculture during the “Writing in the Garden” camp at Morven Elementary School.
Contributed Photo
Students take turns reading their poems out loud, practicing pronunciations and projection, during the “Writing in the Garden” camp at Morven Elementary.
Liz O’Connell | Anson Record
Students complete a a special North Carolina Arts Council led camp, “Writing in the Garden,” on June 17 at Morven Elementary.
Contributed Photo
MORVEN — Several students were selected to participate in a special North Carolina Arts Council camp led by poet Phillip Shabazz and Emily Bolick.
The “Writing in the Garden” camp was hosted at Morven Elementary School from June 14 through the 16th with a unique Poetry Slam night on June 17.
Starting at 4 p.m., students gathered at the library at Morven Elementary School with Shabazz.
Shabazz is a distinguished poet, author and teaching artist. His work explores issues of community and culture through diverse points of view. His poems range from life challenges family and friends face to narratives celebrating human possibilities.
For the hour, Shabazz would explain a new style of poem they were going to learn for the day. In the packets they were given, he would go over the directions on how to craft the poem.
Shabazz taught students about inspiration poems called free verse, rhyme couplets and similes. Each exercise was preparing them for the Poetry Slam on June 17.
Students listened in awe and eagerly got to writing. Shabazz walked around the room, checking in on students and answering any questions.
After students were finished, Shabazz asked each student to stand up in front of the room, sharing their poems. He was teaching them to speak aloud, enunciate and project their voices. He instructed them not to be afraid — while being nervous can be a good thing, and is something he experiences — but fear can derail a presentation or performance.
By the end of the camp, students selected a poem they wanted to read at the Poetry Slam.
Following Shabazz’s hour class, students worked with Bolick, a former Anson County Youth Career Connect and UNC-Wilmington student, for the agricultural part of the “Writing in the Garden” camp. Students learned about plants and even had the chance to grow their own bell peppers in the Morven Elementary School garden.
Adults were also invited to take advantage of Shabazz’s classes. There was a virtual adult writing and poetry workshop from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday. Adults also participated in a Hour of Power Poetry Slam on June 18.
“Our community is very fortunate that the NC Arts Council is adamant about getting the funds channeled through our community through HOLLA!” Leon Gatewood, CEO of HOLLA, said.
The camp was supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
