Word by Word Presents:
Workshop VIII: Poetry Off the Page
with Jan Blake
Sunday, 16 January 2022
13:00 – 15:15 (Online)
We're very excited to welcome storyteller and performer Jan Blake to kick off our 2022 Word by Word Presents series.
Through various immersive exercises, Jan Blake will show you how to take your narrative or poetry off the page, and into the world of storytelling, and help you to build your confidence delivering your writings verbally, weaving a story.
Jan's style is far removed from the popular "spoken-word" format and draws upon her experience of storytelling taking influences from Africa, The Caribbean and Arabia. Come and join Jan, as she brings you on her dynamic and exciting storytelling journey.
If attending this workshop, please bring a poem/narrative you're happy to work with (either your own or someone else's published work). It is open to anyone who would like to have a go (you must be aged 18 or over). No prior experience necessary.
**Black, people of colour, LGBTQ+ to the fore.**
We are especially welcoming people based outside of London to join this online workshop.
​
End of project Zine
All workshop participants will also be invited to submit any work they have written, whether during the workshop or in their own time, for our Zine: Issue 2. The Zine will be a celebration and showcase of our workshop participants work, and will launch mid-summer at the end of the project with an event at The Bush Theatre!
​
​
​
​
​
As one of the leading storytellers, Jan Blake has been performing worldwide for over thirty-five years. Specialising in stories from Africa, the Caribbean, and Arabia, she has a well-earned reputation for dynamic and generous storytelling. Recent highlights include Hay Festival, where she was storyteller in-residence, the Viljandi Harvest Festival in Estonia and TEDx Warsaw.
As well as performing at all the major storytelling festivals both nationally and internationally, she works regularly with the British Council, leads storytelling workshops for emerging storytellers, and gives masterclasses for teachers, brands, and businesses. She also regularly captivates school children with mesmerising stories.
In 2011, she was the recipient of the biannual Thüringer Märchen Preis, awarded to scholars or performers who have devoted their lives to the service of storytelling. As part of the World Shakespeare Festival in 2012, she was the curator for Shakespeare’s Stories, a landmark exhibition that explored themes of journey and identity, in conjunction with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.