"I was made a poet through heart-ache and hip-hop
art laced with big drops
where the beats fell like avalanches
and made the parts of me that were placid, dancers "
art laced with big drops
where the beats fell like avalanches
and made the parts of me that were placid, dancers "
Will Small is a refreshing and thoughtful Australian voice; poetically fusing together influences in philosophy, literature and hip-hop, to communicate in a unique and powerful way. His writing is informed by faith, doubt, fatherhood and a relentless desire to ask better questions, tell better stories and inspire a fresh collective narrative where no voice is forgotten or left out.
Will has a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) majoring in English and Philosophy from the Australian National University, where he wrote an innovative thesis titled: 'Slamming Hip-hop in Secondary Schools: Rethinking the Ways we Teach Poetry' and developed the 'Voice Poetry Slam' program, using hip-hop and slam poetry to give a voice to marginalised young people throughout the ACT & NSW.
Will is the author of All Things New, and the host of the Poetic Beings podcast. Will also runs Lead by Story, helping individuals and organisations to nail their message and make every word count through workshops, content development and speaking engagements.
Will first performed his own poetry in 2007 at a heat of the Australian Poetry Slam. He quickly developed a love of the spoken word format, and has since been a national finalist at the Sydney Opera House twice including being chosen as the ABC Radio National Wildcard in 2013 for his poem 'Op Shop Jacket'. Will is also a previous winner of the ANU Uni Pub Short Story Competition, and his short story 'The Promise' was published in Award Winning Australian Writing 2011.
Will's services have been employed by numerous organisations including the the NSW Department of Education, the Central Coast Council, Headspace, The Salvation Army, Transform Aid International, Compassion Australia, Crossover Australia and he is regularly a feature artist and speaker at conferences and events. He has delivered countless poetry workshops and performances at public, private and independent schools and is able to help anyone find their voice and their story.
Will has a story to tell for every audience, and a diverse repertoire of work that marvels at the wonders of birth, confronts the injustices of a chaotic world, and dwells on simple moments of hope.
Will has a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) majoring in English and Philosophy from the Australian National University, where he wrote an innovative thesis titled: 'Slamming Hip-hop in Secondary Schools: Rethinking the Ways we Teach Poetry' and developed the 'Voice Poetry Slam' program, using hip-hop and slam poetry to give a voice to marginalised young people throughout the ACT & NSW.
Will is the author of All Things New, and the host of the Poetic Beings podcast. Will also runs Lead by Story, helping individuals and organisations to nail their message and make every word count through workshops, content development and speaking engagements.
Will first performed his own poetry in 2007 at a heat of the Australian Poetry Slam. He quickly developed a love of the spoken word format, and has since been a national finalist at the Sydney Opera House twice including being chosen as the ABC Radio National Wildcard in 2013 for his poem 'Op Shop Jacket'. Will is also a previous winner of the ANU Uni Pub Short Story Competition, and his short story 'The Promise' was published in Award Winning Australian Writing 2011.
Will's services have been employed by numerous organisations including the the NSW Department of Education, the Central Coast Council, Headspace, The Salvation Army, Transform Aid International, Compassion Australia, Crossover Australia and he is regularly a feature artist and speaker at conferences and events. He has delivered countless poetry workshops and performances at public, private and independent schools and is able to help anyone find their voice and their story.
Will has a story to tell for every audience, and a diverse repertoire of work that marvels at the wonders of birth, confronts the injustices of a chaotic world, and dwells on simple moments of hope.
“Will is also a person of real integrity, whose workshops for youth are renowned in Canberra and New South Wales. His commitment to engaging marginalised young men and women and helping them to connect with contemporary poetry through hip hop and performance is admirable and inspiring.”
Lucy Neave. Author, 'Who We Were' (2013), Creative Writing Lecturer, ANU