The concept for Poetry NonScenes was inspired by an article Tom Penfold wrote for the journal African Identities. In the article entitled "Reading emotion, reading joy: South Africa's literary non-scenes" (2023), Penfold argues for a shift in how poetry is approached in educational and cultural spaces. He proposes :

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• Moving away from the study of  anglophone and canonical poetry that is currently taught in schools and embracing new South African poetic voices.

• ​Promoting the power of  performance poetry.

• Creating South African poetry that extends beyond the political. 

• The recognition of poetry that is created via "literary nonscenes", informal spaces such as open-mic nights and protests where some of the best poetry is born.

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The three main workshops we have run so far have aimed to address these needs. They have turned intellectual spaces such as museums into dynamic sites of inspiration and creativity, and given the youth of South Africa, in particular, the chance to present refreshing new poetry to the public.