English Language Fellow Delia Dunlap facilitated a poetry workshop for the Creative Writing Days Conference at the University of Bejaia in Algeria. This event was organized by the Bejaia English Student Team in partnership with the university’s English department faculty, who participated as presenters for the conference.
Dunlap held two sessions at the conference that explained the show, don’t tell writing technique often used in poetry. Two poems she selected to help participants understand this style of writing included For my People by Margaret Walker Alexander and Where I’m From by George Ella Lyons. The workshop was an awesome opportunity for Algerian university students to improve their creative writing skills as well as a great opportunity for them to interact with a native English speaker.
Below is a compilation of the poems the workshop participants created:
Where I’m from
I’m from Bejaia, city of saints
I am from the bride with a blue dress
Surrounded by green mountains
I’m from the land of martyrs
I’m from Lounes
I’m from Massinissa and Dyhias
I’m from the sweetness of Tassadit
I’m from the Mediterranean Sea
I’m from fresh air that makes you awaken
I’m from roses
I’m from jasmine
I’m from olives
I’m from hot peppers and couscous
From asbane and nekach
I’m from “Bismilahe”
I’m from fasting
I’m from a full house
I’m from Ali, Madjid, Djamila
From Linda and Sonia, Tata and Nazahra
From Fatima, Mohamed and Ikram
I’m from family gatherings, group prayers
From Islam and my prophet Mohamed
I’m from where I used to play with my dog Bimbou
I’m from the red train that never moves
I’m from a bicycle I could never ride
I’m from a dream which makes me run
I’m from where people live for music
I’m from the book is a doctor of my soul
I am from “le bonheur” as some would say
I’m from “Believe in yourself”
I’m from “You’re too young to understand that”
I’m from “Better not be late” and respect
I’m from words of Allah
I’m from red, white and green
