Fun's the word

Sara Hirsch leads a slam poetry workshop in Dunedin yesterday as part of the New Zealand Young Writers Festival taking place in the city until tomorrow.

The Wellington-based poet and spoken word educator said the workshop had gone well, with all participants deciding to go on and perform in the Otago Poetry Slam.

A former UK Slam Champion, she ranked third in the World Slam Championships in 2014 and won the European Slam in Madrid in 2016.

Her tip for aspiring slam poets was to take a relaxed approach.

"Keeping it all as a bit of fun and not taking it all too seriously has really worked for me.

"I’ve really enjoyed myself, which I think comes across on the stage."