GRAN SLAM BREAKS THE AGE BARRIER
Senior Gold Coasters teamed up with teens to bring a new “gran slam” performance to a popular literary festival.
This week’s Somerset Storyfest Writers Festival featured teams of slam poets bridging decades and battling it out on the stage for a cash prize and a lucrative publishing opportunity.
Nerang grandmother Gillian Crow said performing poetry with a teen the same age as her grandkids was definitely not on her 2024 bingo card.
But an advertisement on Facebook calling on senior Gold Coasters caught the 66year-old’s eye.
“I remember seeing the ad and thinking, sign me up. I didn’t even realise it was for a poetry competition,” Ms Crow said.
“I’ve done some creative writing in the past, but I’ve never tried poetry. I used to think it was quite a stilted and strange way to communicate – but I get it now.”
After signing up, Ms Crow was paired with Somerset College student Matilda Guthrie and over a threeweek workshop the two were tasked to find common ground.
“It was really amazing,” Matilda said.
“Gillian and I found so many common interests we shared.”
The Gran Slam performance was a collaboration between the annual writing show and HOTA resident company Every Body Now, who initiated the Gran Slam series.
Former teacher and librarian Marj Osborne said the competition was about “breaking barriers” between seniors and teens.
“There’s lots of generalisation made about both young people and seniors,” Ms Osborne said.
“But doing this took me back to when I was 15 and writing poetry and now 53 years later I haven’t continued with that and it made me question why.
“So if there’s one thing I could tell my younger self, it would be to continue writing throughout my life.”