Solli Raphael - Limelight

Limelight copyright 2019 by Solli Raphael. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of reprints in the context of reviews.

Andrews McMeel Publishing a division of Andrews McMeel Universal 1130 Walnut Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106

www.andrewsmcmeel.com

ISBN: 978-1-5248-5233-7

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018962445

Text copyright Solli Raphael 2018. First published by Penguin Random House Australia Pty Ltd. 2018

The poem, To Unite, Like Uniting Is a Sport, has been reproduced with the kind permission of the Commonwealth Games Federation.

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This book is dedicated to you, the reader.

I could n t believe it. My heart was racing, my nerves were flip-flopping in my stomach. At twelve years of age, I found myself standing backstage at the Sydney Opera House, getting ready to compete in a poetry slam off in front of hundreds of people, as well as media and one of my poetry idols.

Hi, Im Solli (which you might have guessed from reading the cover). Im a poet, performer, and now, an author.

WHHHHHOOOOOOHHHHHOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

I have always dreamed of becoming an author, but I didnt think it would happen before I was an adult! Im so lucky to be sharing my journey because maybe this book will help you to dream big too.

So let me tell you a bit more about myself before I get back to how I ended up on that amazing Opera House stage.

I love writing, playing tennis and table tennis, and creating musicI play the saxophone, keyboard, and drums. I compete in long-distance running events, and love training for them especially when theres an event coming up, then Im like, oh man, I gotta start training hard for that!

This book is something I started to write when I was thinking of becoming a slam poet. Basically, I wanted to encourage others to create poetry and also talk about some of the issues I think are important for my generation. I love helping people be the best that they can be, and Im truly passionate about the types of changes that can make tomorrow better than today! That idea in itself is my motivation for doing what I do.

And over the past year Ive realized that by writing this book, I might be able to help people like you to become a slam poet.

Some people like going to slams as a form of meaningful entertainment. This is because slam poets usually use their personal experience to tell a poetic story. Sometimes a slam poet will focus their work on a topic that they want to raise awareness of. Like meIm passionate about discussing humanitarianism and the environment, along with several other important issues. By becoming a slam poet, you can be a voice for your generation and talk about issues that matter most to you. Plus, becoming a slam poet is a fun experience!

Poetry often features rhymes, and my first memory of rhyming is having Dr. Seuss books read to me every night, for years and yearsand years. My mum loves to rhyme and its something weve always done around the house. Most of my family has a love of poetry and rhyme too.

In my early primary school years, I found myself writing narratives in poetic verse in school and after school as a hobby. I have no idea how this happened it was just what I liked to do. (I used to imagine that my comics written in a poetic style would one day become as famous as The Simpsons. Keep dreaming! ... I know, right?)

I was nine when I learned my first technical style of poetry, the haiku. (You can read a haiku and many more of the poems Ive written in Part 2 of the book.) From then on, the wonderful world of poetry opened up to me.

After finishing primary school in 2016, I started homeschooling for my high school education, which gave me time to learn more about poetry. I wrote poems frequently and found a love for different technical styles, and my favorite styleslam poetry. My mum showed me YouTube clips of some rappers and a slam poet, and that was when I knew I was going to become a slam poet. I was hooked.

When I was in our local library only a few months later, I found a brochure that read:

Coffs Harbour Heat Australian Poetry Slam 2017 on the 24th of August.

My mum said she was going to enter. (Wait! Before I continue, you must know that one thing I love more than slam poetry is trying to beat my mum at pretty much everything!!)

So, I raced home to think about what I should write and thats when I wrote my first piece, Evolution. After three weeks of writing, typing, and reciting, it was time for the local poetry slam heats. While battling with EXTREME nerves and excitement, andof courseperforming my poem, I won!

This was a complete surprise. It was only my first poetry slam, and I was also doing it as part of my homework for English.

Long story short, after six weeks of sporadic writers block, more EXTREME nerves, excitement, and then travelling to Sydney, it was time for the state finals held at the State Library of New South Wales. This is where I first recited my Australian Air poem.

The competition at the state final was fierce, with some really creative entrantspoet after poet. And I came second!

What????

Yes, I came second by one-tenth of a point.

That meant I was off to the Sydney Opera House for the Australian national finals!

Twenty-four hours later, I was backstage at the Sydney Opera Houselet me repeatthe Sydney Opera House! It was amazing! The architectural design of the building is truly something, and the stage was massive. Ive never seen anything like it.

The way the event worked was that competitors names were randomly drawn out of a hat, so I didnt know when Id be called to the stage. (Scary, right?) So, after two rounds, where I recited Australian Air and Embrace Our Differences, it was me and one other person left in the competition. That meant a tiean equal score, and a SLAM OFF!!!!!