Canowindra’s very own Max Harris will showcase all he has learned during eight weeks of slam poetry coaching and workshops when the ground-breaking ‘Gran Slam’ project goes digital in a free live-streamed event.
The 2020 ‘COVID edition’ of the popular slam poetry project will culminate on Friday, November 27 when Max along with a collective of seniors showcase what they have learned during eight weeks of coaching from experienced literary performers.
Gran Slam is a collaboration between performance producers Everybody NOW and people care provider Feros Care – two organisations that share a commitment to smashing stereotypes around age, ability and supporting communities to live bigger, bolder lives.
Max, who bills himself as a 65-year-old from country Canowindra who is a belly-dancing, Latin-grooving, weightlifting-record-holding grandfather of seven, spoke to the Canowindra Phoenix on the benefits of competing in ‘Gran Slam.’
“I’ve met a lot of different people,” Max said. “With ‘Gran Slam,’ I’m the baby at 65, the oldest is 99 and a half. People might be living on their own or in Aged Care so I get to mix with different age groups.”
Max went on to explain the experience of performing slam poetry saying, “The first few times you do it, you get a bit of nervousness like people do in public speaking. I quite like it now,” admitting that he now has to allow those more bashful to take their turn.
Max does not limit his activities to slam poetry. Coming from a teaching background, Max has shared his passion for art and poetry with Canowindra kids through the Art Society, helping out with their mentor program in 2019 and 2020 with Sue Hodge leading the program. Max praised Sue and the mentoring program saying, “Sue made the program interesting because art is her love.”
The audience on Friday night should expect anything from Max who is known to draw on both deep issues and mundane experiences to write his poetry, writing about anything from a flat white at a cafe that was more like a “frothy flat-acino” to sonnets about diabetes and heart disease.
Catch Max at Gran Slam LIVE via vimeo on Friday, November 27 from 7-8.30pm.