Taalmonument offers enjoyable workshop; also sponsoring local learners in honour of Youth Day
For those confronted by writer’s block when putting pen to paper or finger to keyboard to create poetry, the Afrikaans Language Museum and Monument (ATM) in Paarl once again offers a poetic solution: a workshop on Saturday, 15 June 2019, with poetry expert Prof Bernard Odendaal. Not only does this form part of the monument’s Youth Day commemorations, but participants’ best Afrikaans poems will be considered for the Green Gallery exhibition at the monument.
The enjoyable day, presented in conjunction with the ATKV-Skryfskool of the North-West University and the LW Hiemstra Trust, will discuss various aspects of poetry and include a practical section to polish participants’ poems. Since the workshop is aimed at people who want to gain insight into improving their poems, they are encouraged to bring one of their poems along. Odendaal, the director of the ATKV-Skryfskool, is an expert in the field of Afrikaans poetry and a published poet, songwriter and essayist in own right.
Some of the questions that will be discussed are:
• Why do we, as humans, write poems?
• What distinguishes poems from prose, for example? In other words, which manners of communication and creative means are particularly relevant in the writing of poetry?
• Do lyrics and poems differ at all from each other?
• Based on what can one judge a poem’s artistic value?
The workshop takes place in the conference room of the Taalmonument in Gabbema Doordriftstraat on Paarl Mountain from 09:00 to 16:00. It costs only R150 per person, which includes a free visit to the monument as well as coffee/tea, sweet treats and a delicious lunch. Places are limited, so please book timely with Jeffrey Pietersen on 021 872 3441 or send an e-mail to bemarking2@taalmuseum.co.za. In honour of Youth Day, the ATM will also sponsor 10 Drakenstein learners to attend the day for free.
Besides exciting music and other events, the ATM annually presents a series of workshops focusing on the development of basic professional skills. This year’s programme includes subjects such as book repairing, museum conservation and star trails photography. Anyone is welcome to make suggestions for additional workshops. See www.taalmonument.co.za for more and follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. More on the ATKV-Skryfskool at http://humanities.nwu.ac.za/af/atkv-creative-writing/oor-ons