The Kaboom Poetry Show gives students and teachers a wide variety of poems they can experience in a fun-filled, hour-long program. I’ve memorized dozens of my own poems as well as classical favorites that I act out as a dramatic spoken word piece or with help from audience members who act out various gestures or repeat call-and-response parts from the poem. I perform with devil sticks (also known as juggling sticks), an art form that is said to have originated in China. Whether it’s a rap about soccer or an adventure with a surfing llama or a trip to the Alligator Cafe, I like to take students on an imaginative journey where they can discover how to express themselves through words. My hope is that students and teachers come away entertained, informed and eager to learn more about poetry.
Artist Background
Michael Beadle is a poet, author and teaching artist with a passion for language, writing and literature. His goal is to encourage, inspire and challenge writers to express themselves so they can become more confident with writing and be lifelong learners and creative problem solvers. Since 1999, he’s taught thousands of students in poetry and creative writing workshops across the state and performed poetry at schools, libraries, churches and festivals. He’s the author of several poetry books, including What Makes a Giraffe Laugh?, Does Your Goblin Have a Problem?, and Beasts of Eden. His poems have appeared in various journals and anthologies including Broad River Review, Kakalak and River Heron Review. In addition to a 15-year career as a journalist, he’s worked as a high school English teacher, magazine editor and freelance writer. Beadle has served as poet-in-residence at the NC Zoo, emcee for the NC Poetry Out Loud state finals, A+ Schools Fellow for staff development training, student poetry contest coordinator for the NC Poetry Society, and visiting instructor at the Federal Medical Center in Butner, NC.
Search Criteria
- Program Type: Performance
- Discipline: Literary, Theatre
- Grade Level: Elementary
- Cultural Context: African-American, European, Latinx
- Accepts bookings in Johnston County
