A former Adult Education creative writing tutor, Jonny provides many and varied poetry and performance workshops to humans of all ages.
In Schools:
As well as facilitating hundreds of one-off workshops, Jonny is also a trained Slam Poetry coach for schools – offering high-energy one-day and two-day packages that combine writing skills with light-hearted ‘X-Factor’ style competition. Working with a whole year group at KS2 or 3 (up to 80 pupils alone, or up to 130 with another practitioner) children have the opportunity to write and perform their own work in a high-energy setting. Fantastic for promoting both literacy and engagement, these workshops have proven a hit everywhere.
Jonny worked with former Birmingham Poet Laureate Giovanni ‘Spoz’ Esposito to co-ordinate the Herefordshire Youth Slam in 2010, running slam workshops in schools across the county, culminating in a finale at the Ledbury Poetry Festival. He also coaches on the annual All-Bristol Primary Schools Slam, and has coached and hosted the Ashton Gate Primary School slam for the past three years.
But it’s not all about slams, of course: Jonny offers a full range of workshops for different levels and abilities. Workshops can be tailored to suit schools requirements or to tie in with a project or campaign.
Jonny has worked extensively in more complex educational settings, such as special needs schools and PRU’s. He is currently jointly leading Seldom Heard Voices, an ongoing poetry and performance project, working at length with severely disabled young people, with young adults with learning difficulties and with those living with homelessness and addiction issues. This project has been the subject of a documentary and is helping to develop future govenment strategy for disability arts. Showcase performances have taken place at both the Paralympics and the House Of Commons in Westminster.
Out Of Schools
Jonny has brought poetry and performance to the people in all sorts of settings, from prisons to doctors surgeries, old folks’ homes to public libraries. He has co-ordinated and run a series of long-term projects with people living with dementia across Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, and is about to start another in Herefordshire; this work was the subect of a feature on BBC Radio 4. His main interest is in working at the ‘frontline’ of community arts- unlocking creativity in those who have never engaged before, or thought art ‘wasn’t for them’. He works extensively with Poetry on Loan, running workshops and ‘instant poetry’ sessions in libraries across the Midlands.
He holds a current Enhanced CRB check and full insurance.
Please get in contact to discuss requirements, for more info and for availability and fees.
