2014 (Poetry, Education, Community And Other Summaries)

shot by Adam Docker for Chill Pill Shorts -
https://www.youtube.com/user/chillpillshorts

This year I have spoken poetry to an estimated twelve thousand people from stages at Tedx, Glastonbury and LatitudeFestival to fruit sellers on Deptford Market to students and professors at Oxford University.

November 2014

I finished my Masters in Spoken Word Education at Goldsmith's University with a distinction and was promoted to Lead Educator on the MA Programme, co-ordinated by Jacob Sam La Rose, training and mentoring poets pursuing careers in education.

Faber are currently considering my new poetry manuscript.

I have delivered workshops on creativity and poetry to over two thousand young people, aged 10 – 25, nationally and internationally. I also ran workshops for adults as part of the Keats Festival in Hampstead.

I have written poems commissioned by The Arts Council, Freeword Centre and Southbank. 

Keats House Forum and Chill Pill remain two influential London based poetry and Spoken Word nights.

Chill Pill featured at Camp Bestival

This has been my third year teaching in schools and I will continue to campaign for student voice, education and the marginalised people of Hackney.

Cardinal Pole's Spoken Word poetry showcase in April 2014

In January an anthology of poetry and creative writing by many of the students I have taught in Hackney will be published and has already been recommended by The Poetry Society, Joelle Taylor and is also being reviewed by Michael Rosen.

In 2014 I experienced grief as well as accomplishment and fulfilment in (almost) equal measure. New connections have been established in terms of friendships and my family may be smaller but I feel we are closer. 

I’ve been less sociable this year, preferring to be alone, to read, to think and to hone a kind of solitude. I have shifted my ideas of success, who I am and who I want to be and I am improving the management of any anxiety and depression.

Here's to another year of learning, teaching, creating and inspiring. 

See you all in 2015.