In the week between January 8th and January 12th, renowned UK poet Mark Grist visited the Dulwich College Shanghai campus, and spent many hours with students in Senior School. For year 7 students in particular, Mark Grist spent an entire day working with students crafting their own poems and raps. Mark Grist is an internationally renowned poet and rapper based in UK, who has visited many other international schools around the world.
The day began with Mark Grist introducing his background and love for poetry. He informed the students of how he discovered the passion to do creative writing at a young age, as he could openly express his emotions through writing. To gauge the interests of the audience, Mark Grist decided to recite a poem and rap on his love for boardgames, which have been his biggest childhood passion. After that, he shared with the students a humorous narrative about how he drank a whole bottle of mouthwash by accident when he was a kid, which sent the audience into jubilant laughter. After that, Mark Grist taught students different poetry techniques; the students were given the opportunity to write their own poems. However, Mark Grist guided them one step at a time, using metaphors to describe a family member, a friend, and their loved ones.
After the lunch break, students were then split into groups for the second part of the program. In their respective groups, they had to craft a convincing narrative about their own villains and why their villains were better than others. The groups had a chance to perform in front of the entire year group, with the best raps being selected by Mark Grist himself.
The next day, some of the poems that the students wrote were chosen to be performed at the piano foyer and published in Mark Grist’s Anthology. Even though not every student had their poems published, all the students have learned to make new friends through the wonders of creative writing.
Hear the opinions from other students here!
“It was fun because I got to be with friends and write funny poems.” Rafael L in Year 7.
“I think it [the poetry Cafe] helped students develop their creativity in writing.” Nate C in Year 7.
“With Mark Grist, I have learned to use different poetry devices, such as metaphors and similes, in my creative writing.” Julian L in Year 7.
“I think that Mark Grist is cool and is very good at rapping.” Marcus C in Year 7.
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