Polis Loizou
Describe yourself in 3 words… Creative, talkative, irritating. What inspires you? History, culture and weird lore. I’m also very inspired by mediocrity. Part of me thinks, “Well, I can definitely do better than that,” which fires me up to do my thing. Tell us about your worst ever gig? I’ve only done a handful of poetry…
Tatenda Matsvai
Describe yourself in 3 words… Playful, Enthusiastic, Sporadic What inspires you? I am inspired by life the beauty the weight, the flow of it all through music movementbreath, it moves me, makes me feel present, real unreal at times and like magic, My family,my mother the story teller, my father the spokesperson, my sister and…
Linden McMahon
Describe yourself in 3 words… Just a hopepunk hobbit What inspires you? At the moment I write a lot about the ecosystems we’re part of; my relationships with land, plants and animals. I’m also facilitating nature connection sessions, and I’ve been veering more and more towards projects which combine ecology and creativity. I’m working on…
Muskaan Razdan
Have high standards. Be brave. Try everything. Give up on some things. There is food at home. Describe yourself in 3 words… Future fun grandma What inspires you? The women in my life. The company of creatives. The desire to anger the aunties. Tell us about your worst ever gig? It was a small audience….
Helen Seymour
There’s no such thing as a ‘slow reader’, just read books in your own time and don’t feel like you’re ‘too slow.’ On a similar theme, running is over-rated. Describe yourself in 3 words… Worried little mole What inspires you? People who don’t take themselves too seriously and do their thing with a lot of…
Zena Edwards
As a lover of live poetry readings as an audience member, I love to hear individual voices. You can give a chef a chicken and they can season and cook it 100 different ways. It’s the same with poetry, I like different seasonings in my poets. Describe yourself in 3 words… Playful, Serious, determined What…
Malaika Kegode
You can have respect for your craft, community and creativity while still embracing the ridiculousness of it all. 1. Describe yourself in 3 words… Generous, Determined, Introvert 2. What inspires you? The endurance and optimism of human beings. That we have all lived through our very worst days and just keep on going. That we’ve…
Reece Williams
Serious poets don’t find time to write, they make time. 1. Describe yourself in 3 words… Bearded bald brotha 2. What inspires you? Most of my poems are crafted in the moments that I’m not eating (or thinking about eating) plantin. I’m inspired by the way life moves around me and I’m inspired to tell…
Safiya Kamaria Kinshasa
No one complains there are too many poems about the moon, but when it comes to poetics in the Black community, my people are pressured to question what they should write about. And when we are invited to write, we are usually asked to write on trauma as though 571 years (and counting) has just…
Neelam Saredia-Brayley
Remember to keep consuming good art rather than just outputting all the time and getting burnt out. Don’t ignore red flags. You can survive anything. Describe yourself in 3 words… Joyful Hopeful Queen What inspires you? Andrea Gibson’s poetry, Queer Eye, women supporting women, Jameela Jamil, strong people of colour, Aakash Odedra and his beautiful…
Shaun Hill
If you are asking a participant to become something they have not been supported to be in society, how are you supporting them to do this? Describe yourself in 3 words @warmbloodedthing What inspires you? ‘god’, healing, critical theory. Tell us about your worst ever gig? A conference for the business sector where after the…
The Repeat Beat Poet
Describe yourself in 3 words Hip Hop Poet (easy) What inspires you? The love, support, energy, and goodwill of my friends and family, and the people in the artistic communities I’m in. Then a guy physically took the mic and said “leave it mate”. Traumatising. Tell us about your worst ever gig? Not strictly a…
Francesca Beard
My main motivators are wonder, rage and money, in no particular order. Describe yourself in 3 words… Poet, parent, improviser What inspires you? I’m constantly curious and questioning about everything but also mega lazy so it takes a lot to galvanise me into writing about anything – my main motivators are wonder, rage and money,…
Shagufta K. Iqbal
Shagufta K. Iqbal: In the Spotlight Interview A+S: Describe yourself in 3 words… Deluded. Stubborn. A believer What inspires you? My children, music, Autumn & Spring, tea & cake, walks in the rain; writing is a love. Tell us about your worst ever gig? One where, male poets will walk on to stage and disrupt…
Roger Robinson
Roger Robinson: In the Spotlight Interview A+S: Describe yourself in 3 words… RR: Curious, playful and arty A+S: What inspires you? RR: Creative Citizenship, Storytelling, Music A+S: Tell us about your worst ever gig? RR: It was at Express Excess when I was reading a really intense story for 18 mins and at the end…
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