Spoz - Writing
Spoz
AIM High Writing
Summary
Age range KS1 to KS5
Books Yes
DBS Checked Yes
Booking
Contact
+44 (0)1535 656015
aimhigh@caboodlebooks.co.uk
Spoz (real name Giovanni Esposito) has been Birmingham’s Poet Laureate (2006/7), performed at Glastonbury Festival and Cheltenham Literature Festival (to name just two of many).
About Spoz
Spoz has facilitated poetry workshops at hundreds of schools, both in the UK and abroad. He has also been commissioned by the BBC on several occasions and even popped up on The One Show.
As well as his love of poetry and spoken word, Spoz’s first love was music – playing guitar and singing in many popular bands. It was his love of word play in song writing that launched Spoz into poetry all those years ago. Spoz has gigged with many poetic greats, such as John Cooper Clarke, Carol Anne Duffy, John Hegley, Hollie McNish and Attila the Stockbroker.
Spoz’s AIM High Writing Days
Following a brief introduction, Spoz will engage the students in a ‘rhyming battle’. In the sixteen years of delivering poetry and writing workshops, this exercise has never failed to get the energy flowing with students … as well as adults!
Follow on exercises involve work on rhyming, free-writes, word bursts (also known as brainstorms/mind maps) and discussions, leading to writing sessions, where students are encouraged to write in school groups for group/team performances. As the day progresses, it’s great to watch the students confidence increase!
After a little bit of poetry performance coaching and rehearsal time, Spoz runs a ‘poetry slam’ for the final part of the day. Imagine the groups/bands in ‘X-Factor’, but with poetry instead of singing, where teachers get to be the judges.
A poetry day with Spoz takes writing poetry (and sometimes raps) from the page and onto the stage …
Spoz’s Books
A collection of 52 poems from subjects as diverse as a hipster hamster, happy pirates, an avenging badger to how even superheroes need the toilet
Spoz’s first collection of poems for the young … and the young at heart. Poems about rapping, house flies and balloon dogs feature with many other slightly weird poems that splurged out of Spoz’s brain, all those years ago.
Canalligator’ is set in the canals of Birmingham and tells the rhyming tale of Casey, an unlikely reptile hero and his friendship with four young people. A graphic novel with QR codes that take you to YouTube films of the book
Bookings
To book Spoz please contact
aimhigh@caboodlebooks.co.uk
Spoz also offers visits to schools and other settings, click here for more information.