Will Small
BIO
Will Small is an inspiring spoken word poet and storyteller who works at the intersection of the creative arts and social impact.
A 3 x Australian Poetry Slam national finalist, author of Poems for When the World is Ending and the founder of Lead by Story, Will graduated from the ANU in 2013 after writing an English Honours thesis exploring the intersection of slam poetry, hip-hop and alternative approaches to teaching poetry in the classroom. Since then, he has worked with thousands of young people in schools across Australia and been commissioned by organisations like headspace, Anglicare and the Hunter New England Central Coast Primary Health Network to produce creative work for social impact. Will passionately inspires students about the power of the written and spoken word, while often weaving in themes around wellbeing, mental health and purpose.
SHOWS
School Performances & Workshops
- Primary
- Secondary
(grades 3-12, 50-60 minute sessions)
Will’s school performances integrate dynamic live poetry and storytelling, with engaging creative writing exercises that help every student in the room to overcome their inner critic and write their own original poetry. Will is sought after by both English and Wellbeing departments and his presentations align with curriculum outcomes in both areas. His regular sessions include:
‘How I Accidentally Became a Poet’: Acknowledging that basically no young people answer ‘poet’ when asked the question ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?’ Will shares the surprising journey that led him to a unique creative career as a performing writer while teaching students the core elements of his creative practice.
‘This is How We Survive’: a powerful show that interweaves live poetry and storytelling with short cinematic films and an immersive audio journey, This is How We Survive demonstrates to students the possibilities of poetic storytelling, along with a message around wellbeing and resilience.
‘Unleash Your Roar’ Workshop: After a performance, Will can run a workshop with students who want to take a deeper dive into the process of writing, editing and performing spoken word poetry.
BOOKING ENQUIRY
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