From the English Faculty

Luka Lesson Inspires Year 12s: A Masterclass in Spoken Word Poetry

Spoken word poet, Luka Lesson, visited SAC as part of his season in Adelaide. The Year 12s enjoyed Luka’s work, which was at times humorous, at times reflective, and always engaging. While the benefits for students of English were clear, Luka also had some great insights to share for all students involved in creating and composing.

“Luka is an extremely engaging performer, and had the entire cohort enthralled. He delivered his poetry with immense passion and clarity and provided us all with further context which was both inspiring and profound. The advice Luka provided for the cohort will be of great help as the English students hone their own poetry skills throughout the course of the year. Overall an incredibly memorable incursion!” Revathi 12TC 

“I really enjoyed having the opportunity to gain valuable insight into slam poetry through Luka’s performance. His use of various tones, facial expressions and rhythm gave his poetry a dynamic and engaging atmosphere. Due to this experience, I was able to understand the valuable role emotions and personal experiences play, not only in the creation of poetry but also the delivery. Luka’s performance and willingness to answer our questions provided me with important information about the literary techniques at play and the process behind creating a work of literature.” Jasmeen 12SC

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SAC attends Writers’ Week 2025

The Writers’ Week program contained a new event this year and St Aloysius College students were amongst the attendees at the inaugural Schools Day. Accompanied by Ms Courtney Kerr and Ms Elena Koulianos, our squad of 15 students from Years 7, 8 and 9 attended workshops, heard valuable advice and met the authors in person. A few students have shared their reflections on the day:

“The Writer’s Week Schools Day was very entertaining, and I got a lot out of it, whether it was the stories or personal experiences from the speakers. It was great to be around other students who loved to read and write as well, and we shared what we found enjoyable about the day with each other.” Nekeesha 8NW

 “I learned some valuable lessons about writing, such as always have a supportive squad behind you, it may take some time to actually write a book and get that book published and to write about something important to you.” Charlotte 8JT

“One of the highlights of the event was when they told us about how their characters are made and how world-building works, as it gave me some ideas about making my own characters. Many authors also mentioned that they read many genres for ideas and that they practised writing every day and to not being afraid of failing.” Vivian 7CK

“My favourite tip that I got was from Lili Wilkinson. It was to write down 15 things, it doesn’t matter if they are crazy or you know you aren’t going to use them, because it will get the ideas flowing. I look forward to using the tips I’ve learnt in my writing.”  Clelia 8LU

“I learnt that you should never give up on something that you are passionate about. I also learnt that even if people push you down, you should always get back up and not let other people’s thoughts get to you. I also learnt that every good book is somehow related to your own life, even if its just the little things.” Georgina 8LU

Ms Genevieve Pelekani
English & Literacy Coordinator

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