Hey there folks, How are you doing? The world is pretty scary right now. I hope that you and your loved ones are safe and healthy in this surreal, worrisome time. I'm so grateful right now for the healthcare workers and emergency services working flat-out to get us through this crisis. It seems strange and … Continue reading Getting Through This Together
Hello all, Happy new year! 2019 was quite a busy and momentous year for me—I spent six months back in my hometown applying for a new UK visa (and was successful, phew!), and I finally submitted my PhD. I’m looking forward to wrapping up several projects this year and beginning new journeys. Here are a … Continue reading A 2020 Update
Hello all! Apologies for the long silence on this blog. I’ve been hard at work completing my PhD on authenticity in contemporary UK spoken word. I’m due to submit and defend over the next couple of months, then I’m looking forward to diving headlong into freelance life, working as a poet, producer, educator, editor, etc! … Continue reading Hello! + My Eight Favourite Poems
Hello everyone! If you follow poetry in the UK, you'll probably be aware of an article that was published by PN Review in January entitled "The Cult of the Noble Amateur" by Rebecca Watts. In the article, Watts excoriates Hollie McNish's book Plum in a rude, uninformed manner. I, alongside many other poets, critics, and … Continue reading Article for Sabotage Reviews: “What Cult?”
Hi everyone! I'm delighted to be featuring another guest post on my blog today, this time from brilliant writer and performer (and all around lovely human) Carly Brown. I remember watching videos of Carly's poems online before I even met her and being blown away by her work. Carly performs imagery-laced, tightly-written pieces which often … Continue reading Guest Post: Carly Brown on Acting and Spoken Word
Hello everyone! I’m writing today on the subject of archiving and documenting the contemporary spoken word scene in the UK. As I’ve mentioned on this blog before, I’m currently working on my PhD at the University of Strathclyde researching the performance of authentic selfhood in UK spoken word. I’m using an oral history methodology to … Continue reading Archiving Spoken Word: Some Thoughts
Hello again, everyone! As I mentioned in my last post, it's nearly time for this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe. While I couldn’t be more excited about the show I’m performing in this year (Loud Poets) and the opportunity to see other artists’ shows, I also wanted to write a post acknowledging some of the more … Continue reading Self-Care during Edinburgh Fringe
Hello all! Just a quick post today to introduce you to a resource on UK spoken word that I've found really interesting and useful. The lovely London-based poet and filmmaker Tyrone Lewis has been interviewing UK poets about their practices and local scenes and turning these interviews into documentaries which he posts on his YouTube channel … Continue reading Spotlight on Process Productions
When I first began watching spoken word, it always seemed incredible to me that poets could memorise entire sets of material and perform them live what seemed like effortlessly (same goes for actors and musicians). I wondered how they held it all in their heads, and how they could still seem like they were telling a story … Continue reading Tips for Memorising Spoken Word Poems
Hi folks! Today I'm posting something different. I was asked recently by the UK-US Fulbright Commission to speak at a conference for Holyrood Events in Edinburgh entitled International Students: Creating a Home Away from Home. They wanted to hear the perspective of an international student in Scotland on the joys and challenges of studying here … Continue reading Being an International Student in Scotland
