“My beating and bleeding heart for all of you”: Enacting culturally sustaining pedagogy through spoken word poetry

Abstract

This article highlights how mentors in spoken word poetry workshops drew on culturally sustaining pedagogy, modeled their own creativity and vulnerability through their poetry, and amplified the voices of youth poets by encouraging them to explore their identities and grapple with inequities in their own lives. Situated in western Sydney, one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse communities within Australia, the article focuses on the Real Talk program, a 6-week school-based spoken word poetry workshop organized by the Bankstown Poetry Slam, the largest slam in the southern hemisphere. It examines the critical role that mentor poets play in supporting young people's storytelling through spoken word poetry.