Last Friday the whānau class and Year 10 drama attended the Dunedin Writers and Readers Festival - 'Language' sessions.

A late change in the programme led to well known cartoonist, Toby Morris adapting his presentation to the younger audience. It was a tough ask, but of interest were details on his creative process and hearing how he became a full time illustrator and cartoonist after 10 years working other jobs. He left us with a clear message of sticking with one's passion and holding on to a long term goal.

Akala, a British hip hop artist and advocate for returning Shakespeare to the 'common folk', took to the stage and immediately got the audience involved in a highly interactive session. This English teacher was one of many in the audience to incorrectly attribute the lyrics of Eminem, Jay-Z, Tupac, RZA and others to Shakespeare. It was a revelation to see just how many similarities there are between hip hop and England’s national poet, and Akala clearly showed us the thematic, rhythmic and literary connections. A rap rendition from the crowd of Sonnet 18 got many boys speaking the words of Shakespeare for the first time, before Akala finished with a couple of raps that in the space of only a few minutes somehow incorporated the titles of 27 plays as well as numerous quotes.

Thank you to the boys who posed a number of interesting questions to both presenters, to Lynn Vare for taking the time to join us, and to Stewart Tagg for securing us the tickets for a great afternoon’s entertainment.