Luka Lesson Performance and Q&A (50 Minutes)

Luka Lesson performs some of his most well-known poems, as well as a number of new pieces. Luka will talk about his process in relation to writing, being a full-time poet & artist as well as his personal connection to his work. There will also be time for questions and, if warranted, young poets in the group may also be given a chance to perform to the group alongside Luka Lesson. If there are ample questions, Luka is happy to stay for a full 60 minutes with your students.

Luka Lesson 'May Your Pen Grace The Page' in conversation

Luka Lesson will talk about the meaning behind his poem which has been placed on the year 12 HSC reading list: May Your Pen Grace The Page. As the poem has now been placed on the syllabus in Australia, Luka will talk about his process in writing the poem itself, give the group some pointers on how to write something similar and answer any questions regarding the work itself, as well as Luka’s career and creative process as a whole.

Full Day Incursion

Luka Lesson will facilitate a number of session in your school. These can include both a combination of workshops and performances catered to your students. Choosing from the list of workshops provided, Luka can work with a whole year level with a performance introduction and then break off into groups focussed on writing and performance techniques. A day incursion is limited to a maximum of four sessions per day, with workshops stretching to 90 minutes and performances to 50 minutes. If required, a full day incursion can also simply include four 50 minute performance sessions.

Luka Lesson Workshops (up to 90 Minutes)

Luka Lesson will facilitate a writing and performance based workshop for students of all levels. These workshops require students to have pen and paper and will be a chance for them to connect with Luka’s writing process in a real way. Each student will be able to create their own poem, learn to find confidence in their writing, apply to the page some performance annotations and finally, read their work with passion and focus. If preferred, the workshop can be adjusted to focus solely on the writing, or lean more on the performance aspect. Details on the types of workshops offered can be downloaded and read from the information sheet.

1. Diaspora - A look into the journeys of displacement shared by so many of us in today's world. What is home? How does one find their 'place in the world'? These questions are encountered in this workshop process.

2. Make Your Myth - A dive into Greek Mythology and the art of myth-making. A chance to rebuild your creation story from the ground up and redesign your personal history with nothing but the limits of your own imagination. Step into the hero's journey.

3. The 10 Line Formula - Ten prompts are given, one for each line, and in the end the writer discovers that to let go of control can be the most powerful way to write. Sometimes, we need to get ourselves out of the way, to create the truest forms of expression.

4. Portrait Poem - Based on Luka Lesson's 'Yiayia' poem about his grandmother, as well as his 'Macquarie' libretto about Governor Lachlan Macquarie. Writers are asked to either research a public figure, or record facts and quotes from a family member, before being lead through the creation of a poem based around their life story.

5. Social Issues Poetry - Writers are invited to discuss the power of art and poetry for social change before being lead through a process of choosing, researching and writing a poem based around a social issue. Both powerful facts and statistics are combined with metaphor, simile and other poetic devices to create an educational and emotionally engaging piece.

6. Stream of Consciousness - Writers are lead through a series of long form writing processes with the aim to create as much text as possible. They are then assisted in approaching the writing with an editor's eye and are able to create a poem with what has already been written. This releases need for 'perfection' from the outset and helps the writer to realise that sometimes our best work happens when least expected.

7. 'Found' Hybrid Poetry - Writers are invited to take words from other books, magazine or songs, before being lead through a process of incorporating those 'found' passages with their own writing. In this way they create something of a collage of words.