SESSION 34: I Come From... with Ariel Clarke

Storytelling is an imperative part of our healing process. This session will share techniques that promote self-expression in an empowering way!

Our special guest, Ariel Clarke, will share tools and techniques on how we can gain perspective and a deepened understanding of our personal stories through poetry. Nobody knows you better than yourself. Whatever is created during the session is a beautiful reflection of you! This session will provide helpful prompts, tools, and examples that support us to create our own poem. If you resonate more with visual expressions, we will also explore how to create blackout poetry using found words to create our own stories and meaning. 

Suggested Materials: 

• Paper
• Pencil
• Black permanent marker/black tape

Optional:

• A text excerpt of interest to you, an old page of a book, a newspaper article, etc. 
• Paints
• Electronic resources

 

1. Collective Creation Check-In

Create a poem using only the words and phrases below. You can arrange them in any order. 

 

2. Blackout Poetry

Blackout Poetry is a form of “found poetry” where you select words that catch your interest from a newspaper, book, or other printed text, to make it flow. This is often (but not always) done with a black marker, hence the name “blackout poetry”. 

Start by circling words you like in pencil or by placing a piece of tracing paper on top to help with word selection while you get the hang of it. Use a black marker or paint to redact, remove, or blackout the words you don't need. 

Take your Blackout Poetry a step further by adding patterns, designs, or a drawing to the areas you’re “redacting”. For example: instead of just filling in around your chosen words with solid black, you could create a drawing or design that relates to your poem. Just as with any illustration, your art should support the remaining text and add to its meaning.

Remember: 

• Are words and text blocked out effectively?
• Are descriptive verbs and adjectives and selected to enhance the poem?
• Does the poem flow and make sense?
• Is it specific, unique and creative? 

 

3. I Come From / I Am Poem 

This is another form of “I am” poem. To write an “I am from” poem, you need to be ready to talk about yourself and who you are. You might use imagery words and figurative language to define yourself or to illuminate descriptive personal traits. 

It is more complicated than an “I am” poem and requires strong descriptive language to be effective. If you enjoy writing and poetry this would a challenge. 

Remember:

• Use repetition of the phrase “I am from”
• Use description to invite sensory images. 
• You can start your lines with "I am from" or "I come from"

The poem can be broken down like this:

Part 1: Sense memories: tastes, smells, images, sounds

Part 2: Places of significance to you (describe elements of the place) 

Part 3: Objects that hold personal meaning

Part 4: Sayings/voices you recall from your past

Part 5: Books, readings, music of significance to you

Part 6: Stories passed down to you

Part 7: A favourite childhood pass-time or game

Part 8: A person of influence or significance to your identity

 

About the Guest Facilitator

Ariel Clarke is a drama and education alumna from the University of Windsor. She went on to complete a master’s in teaching at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. She has done a variety of community work with marginalized and racialized youth and has taught across multiple elementary and secondary schools in Ontario during her undergrad and graduate programs. Drama and theatre are a big part of the work that Ariel has done, and she has passionately advocated for and researched the benefits of arts integration into non-arts subjects.

Ariel has also done specific work in social justice education targeting systemic racism, which can allow the option to implement anti-racist and anti-colonial perspectives as part of lesson plans. Ariel’s teaching specialty is in using drama as a tool to support other core subjects. Her lessons use drama resources like drawing, writing, and acting in role to facilitate student learning across multiple subject areas. Ariel also has a theatre background that guides introductory work in script writing, directing, and acting. 

 

Taking Care: Where Art Meets Wellness is supported by the Solcz Family Foundation and by the Ontario Trillium Foundation