Poetry with a purpose: Derron Sandy teaches youths confidence through the spoken word

2026-03-30 - 03:05

Freelance Contributor It was more than a decade ago, but Derron Sandy still remembers performing his very first poem as if it were yesterday. The year was 2009, and the stage was UWe Speak, the long-running open mic at the University of the West Indies. He performed a parody of a well-known piece by Muhammad Muwakil called “The Last Midnight Robber Killer.” He had been warned by friends that he might be lyrically destroyed, so he kept another poem in his pocket as backup. “The crowd went wild,” he recalls. “What they were not expecting was that I would come back. And I delivered the second poem, and that’s when I really felt like I belonged on that stage.” Derron, 38, has built a life around the written and spoken word. He holds a BA in English Language and Literature, an MA in Literatures in English, and is currently pursuing his MPhil in Literatures in English at UWI. His days are spent as an artistic director, a tutor at the university, an actor and a writer. His inspiration comes from news, music, lived experience—even a song. He admits he has never been much of a planner when it comes to writing; he starts typing and trusts himself to carry the piece to its end. His work has taken him to major platforms. Most recently, he performed at Kirk Franklin’s “Prisoners No More” concert, where he delivered two poems—“I Am,” which serves as a daily reminder that God is in charge of his life regardless of his professional accomplishments, and “Free,” alongside Jediah Joseph, a young poet he coached in primary school. That piece explores the distractions that can pull people away from God. “I am not a gospel artist; I am just a beggar who knows where the bread is,” he says in a chat with Guardian Media. Jediah’s growth is one of the reasons he remains deeply committed to the next generation through the Borderlines Children’s Confidence Camp. This year marks the second edition of the project, which is rooted less in performance and more in transformation. “Many of our leaders today would benefit from a poetry course,” Derron says, because it forces a person to become “more empathetic and understanding of their place in the world.” He adds, “I have seen what it has done for me and so many other young people over my 17 years in the business, and that in itself is valuable.” The camp runs this April at Five Rivers Secondary School and is designed to be a lively, immersive environment. Derron and co-founder Idrees Saleem act as “absolute characters” to keep participants engaged. Writing exercises mirror real-life situations—crafting lines to confront a bully or using figurative language to explain a missed homework assignment. Each participant works through a personal workbook across 12 hours of guided activity, making the confidence camp the longest and most intensive of Borderlines’ offerings. “And of course, look out for the dance breaks!” he jokes. “The presentation of activities is unique; we have years of facilitating experience, so children are never bored.” Borderlines also offers beginner and intermediate classes for those who want structured guidance in poetry. For more advanced poets, a masterclass challenges participants to push the boundaries of their craft, with a selective intake and an intense workload designed to refine artistry. This series includes online sessions and culminates in an in-person session, giving poets the opportunity to elevate their skills under focused mentorship. The camp and classes form part of the wider Borderlines ecosystem, launched in 2018 as a collaborative effort between Derron and Idrees. The two creatives chose partnership over rivalry. Their work blends performance, storytelling and spectacle, pushing the boundaries of how poetry is experienced locally while challenging audiences to think even as they are entertained. “Every year, we create a themed event and write new poems, then curate masterful performances and spectacle. You will be hard-pressed to find anything comparable in the region.” Derron acknowledges that building and sustaining creative work also depends on support from the public and private sectors. Asked whether enough is being done to invest in initiatives like these, he says: “God has been good to me, and as such, supporting entities have been good to me. Are they going to look for these things to invest in? No. However, if you maintain visibility, purpose and uplift people, they will find you, or you will be in a better position to reach out to them.” This year, he says, “the legacy of spoken word poetry” suffered “a major blow” as the sponsor of the flagship event pulled out without a clear explanation. “However, the work must go on, and we are grateful for what they did over the past 12 years. That is why concepts such as Borderlines are important, because the artist must leverage corporate pillars to become independent.” Even in a world increasingly shaped by screens and artificial intelligence, Derron remains convinced that youths still love poetry and crave “independent creation”—a fact he sees in those who approach him a decade later, recalling moments from workshops he led at their schools. “And I think that is what God put me on this Earth for,” he says without hesitation, “to reach people.”