Van Staden named Poet of the Year

WILLOWMORE NEWS - The talented Courtney van Staden was named poet of the year at Willowmore's first ever poetry slam that was hosted by PenM Productions last week.

The event, organised by local co-ordinator Leaticia Stuurman, gave opportunity to many local artists to show off their talents and, in addition to poetry, guests were entertained to visual art, song and dance.

Graaff-Reinet Advertiser had the privilege of judging the poetry slam together with two teachers from Willowmore Senior Secondary.

Based on the rubric, it was agreed that Van Staden delivered the best performance, but it was also agreed that Pravanya Schoeman most certainly is Willowmore's most promising poet.

During the opening of the poetry slam, Jefferson Dirks, the Willowmore born and bred founder of PenM Productions, gave a summary of the history of the entity, and introduced the PenM Productions Willowmore team. PenM Productions gives voice to the lives, experiences, and stories of women, particularly women of colour. They offer a collaborative environment for writers, producers, and performers to explore and artistically present these stories and more. On the history of PenM Productions, Dirks explained: "It was my first year of university and as a Drama and Theatre Arts student I had a lot of dreams, aspirations and hopes. I was sitting in an interestingly boring Theatre History lecture and as usual I escaped in my daydreams. The lecturer's voice became an underwater sound.

I turned a page in my blue note pad, that was meant for study notes, and listed legendary names of artists that I would love to work with. The dream continued with how I can pay tribute to my four grandparents, Phillip, Elizabeth, Nettie and Manuwel. It was easy, it was a given – I would use their initials P.E.N.M. and that will be a sign that they will always be with me. It was clear that the yet to come production company shall be called PENM Productions." PenM has seven branches in the country, each with its own team leader. In addition to the Willowmore branch, there are five branches in the Free State and one in the Northern Cape. The PenM Willowmore team is visual artist Julian Willemse as team leader, Leaticia Stuurman, Anastasia Stoffels, Rochelle Jordaan, Zenobia Jentels, and visual artists Marcello Farendale and Denilo Smith. Dirks says his dream has always been to return to Willowmore and this was his motivation for establishing a branch here.

The poetry slam was preceded by five other events all aimed at keeping Willowmore children and youth engaged and entertained. These events included Dixi street bashes, making of percussion instruments, and an event for disabled children coordinated by Stuurman, Jentels and Jordaan respectively. Upcoming events include a scavenger hunt that will be coordinated by Stoffels. To end off the year, the Willowmore Awards Festival will be hosted on 28 December. This event will be coordinated by Dirks and is aimed at honouring locals for various contributions to development in Willowmore.

Dirks mentions that the project started in June 2022 and will draw to a close in March 2023, but that this will not mean the end of PenM in Willowmore. "I trust that PenM Productions will live on beyond me," he says. He concluded with an appeal to the community to support the creative arts and to never think that it is less valuable than science and maths. "Art is powerful. Art can change lives. Creative art is the only subject at school that allows children to express themselves. If children are allowed to express their thoughts and feelings, the science and maths results will automatically look better."

Willowmore's poet of the year, Courtney van Staden.