The second day of Sancta Maria College’s Writers Week gave us the pleasure of hosting Kiwi poet Dr. Karlo Mila. This was the culmination of 4 years’ work from our English department trying to bring her to our school.
Her presentations throughout the day to Years 11-13 did not disappoint, with many students commenting how “relatable” and “fun” they found her work.
Dr. Mila holds a doctorate around the cultural experiences of Samoan youth, which is reflected in the insightful commentary present in many of her poems on racism and indigenous cultures, particularly in the Commonwealth. Yet her impressive academic experience was still presented in a way that our students connected to.
We all loved hearing the poems she read to us, as well as the workshop where she guided Year 12 and 13 English scholarship students in writing our own poems. Hearing from Dr Karlo Mila was an invaluable experience.
Danica Loulie-Wijtenburg
