MARLBORO – A poet who has worked as an artist-in-residence for the State Theatre, New Brunswick, since 2009 recently spent time teaching poetry and African-American history to pupils at the Marlboro Memorial Middle School.
Glenis Redmond conducts what she calls “informances,” during which she discusses how she came to write and perform poetry.
“The purpose (of the workshops) is to make our community more tightly knit by sharing our stories through poems,” she said.
Redmond spoke with students in Shelley Rothy’s eighth grade Honors English/Language Arts class and Pat Wry’s eighth grade English class in a performance and lecture during which she performed some of her poems.
She performed poetry inspired by enslaved African-American potter David Drake and African-American entertainer Peg Leg Bates, as well as poetry inspired by her grandparents. Redmond discussed slavery and segregation and how that ties into her poetry and her life.
“I was impressed by the students, they were engaged,” Redmond said. “My marker is always if they answer the questions I ask during the informance and after. When I asked them to participate, they did. When I asked them if it was alright for me to return for a poetry workshop, I received a resounding yes. The students were leaning into poetry.”
Redmond has toured the country, working with students from elementary schools through colleges and universities. She became a teaching artist for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and works with school districts, performing arts centers and arts councils nationwide.
“Students and staff were absolutely mesmerized by her performance which was much more than a poetry reading, it was more like a one-woman show,” Rothy said. “Glenis brings personal experiences from her world that many of these kids have never, and probably never will be, exposed to. The mere fact the State Theatre offers this program at no cost gives our students a big plus.
“I see this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that will serve as a major inspiration for my students and myself for years to come. Glenis is truly unique and the fact she devotes her life to spreading the written word is undeniably generous. I look forward to repeating this experience in upcoming years,” Rothy said.
“My work is to create poems and give them away via performance,” Redmond said. “I hope to inspire, uplift and encourage others to write their own stories.”
During a workshop, Redmond spoke about different types of poems and described how poetry allows people to notice things others have not noticed.
She had students write a poem of origin and transformation, for which they selected two ages and focused on the outside and the inside. She had the students use poetic techniques to build rhythm. For inspiration, she read her poetry and poetry written by students with whom she has worked.
“Glenis Redmond had a unique story and made me feel more encouraged to share mine,” student Jack Jarashow said. “Her enthusiasm toward what she experienced inspired me to share my experiences just as she did.”
Student Emily Luo said she liked how other students were able to “cleverly write about a transformation” and how Redmond “made the activity easy to follow. I never felt too stuck at any particular moment and felt really guided throughout the process.”
