What you’ve missed so far #1
2023 was an exciting year for Poets Built It.
In it’s pilot phases, its founder, I partnered as an Alumni poet with Apples and Snakes poetry charity, and sought to construct and develop a groundbreaking online community for poets, spoken word and live literature artists of all levels.
This space has been in development for 3 years as an idea to fruition. Apples and Snakes provided the opportunity to manifest Poets Built It for the last year and 8 months!
‘What You’ve Missed So Far…’ series will be a taste of the kinds of programs we run at Poets Built It,. and an insight in to how want to support our collective members.
I look forward to what else this poetry community can bring to the literary and live poetry world.
~ Zena~
1.Specialist Masterclass Workshops
Our programmed Specialist masterclasses were designed to introduce our members to new ways of appoach their writing writing. We want to thank Shagufta Iqbal, S Reeson and Jamal Hassan for their contributions.
Mental Health for Poets: A Poetry Writing Program Around Mental Health Awareness by S. Reeson
S. Reeson is a poet who has won a Poetry Society members’ contest Flights / Quarterly e-journal, Green Ink Poetry, Fevers of the Mind. They are also a stalwart in the internet community with the Internet Of Words Substack blog and is an award winning, poetry nominations achieving poet. One to watch!
During my first session of counselling with the mental health charity, Mind in 2018, it became apparent I couldn't explain what was wrong with me using conventional methods. My therapist suggested poetry as a means to access and describe difficult situations instead of having to speak them out loud. The resultant work and its impact altered my entire trajectory as a creative.
S. Reeson
This program offered a plan for mental robustness, objectively discussing and reflecting the ups and downs of being a poet whilst presenting an opportunity to use these sessions as a starting point to enhance your own poetry practice.
About S
After winning a Poetry Society members’ contest in 2018 hey have subsequently been published by Flights / Quarterly ejournal, Green Ink Poetry, Fevers of the Mind, Acropolis Journal, Selcouth Station, Black Bough Poetry, ParagraphPlanet, Forest Arts, Flapjack Press, Visual Verse, Black Pear Press, Civic Leicester and Dreich.
In October 2021 they were nominated for the Best of the Net Award and spoke at the Essex Book Festival, shortlisted for inclusion as part of the South Bank Centre New Poets Collective in 2022, and in 2023 they will be exhibiting work on the LeighArt Trail in Essex.
Their debut pamphlet with accompanying art and photography entitled Flammable Solid was published by Flight of the Dragonflies Press in November 2022, and in April 2023, a chapbook NoGloss… No Veneer, No Filter was made available from Back Room Poetry.
Forming Futures was a playful look at form and structure in poetry. With a focus on food politics as part of a larger conversation on sustainable futures. This workshop resonated with the community for a while after the it was completed!
About Shagufta
Shagufta provided space to experiment with poetic forms, and look at how structure and form can strengthen the meaning of a poem.The space was also be an opportunity to discuss the relationship between environmental and ecological justice through the lens of food politics.
Shagufta K Iqbal is a Co-founder of Kiota Bristol and the Yoniverse Collective.
She is an award-winning writer, workshop facilitator and Tedx Speaker. Described by gal-dem as a poet whose work ‘leaves you validated but aching – her narratives are important, heart-wrenching and relatable.’
Her poetry collection ‘Jam Is For Girls, Girls Get Jam’ has been recommended by Nikesh Shukla as ‘a social political masterclass.’
She has also been published by Macmillian Press, and Comma Press. Her poetry film 'Borders' has won several awards, and has been screened across international film festivals.
She is currently writing her second poetry collection, a debut novel, and children's literature with Otter Barry Books."
“A creative hurricane!” Benjamin Zephaniah.
"Writing a funny poem, when you haven’t before, is often seen as an impossible task, but that is only because forcing yourself to be funny is like forcing a fart, you’ll most likely end up with 💩. Think of it's a type of energy fuelled by human connection and understanding…or misunderstanding.You can go about humour the classic way; poetry is suited to wordplay. A lot, but not all, of Comedy™ is about the setup and the punchline."
- Quote from Jamal's Poets Buit It blog.
About Jamal
Jamal (or Kid Anansi, if you’re nasty) is the poetic equivalent of finding out that the drinks machine in your local McDonalds has quietly replaced its Pepsi button with spiced rum. He is confusing, frightening, delicious with ginger beer and lemon, and unhealthy in large doses.
His unique brand of poetry will either make you laugh, cry, bite your knuckles in second-hand embarrassment, or all three. He has featured at poetry nights across London, performed on TV for Sky Arts‘ Life & Rhymes, has hosted Extra Second London and Spoken Word London, and… *checks notes* apparently, he also makes a mean veggie lasagne.