Tim is a Poet, photographer and founder of Write Speak Recover. He is our poetry curator and connects us to the spoken word community. Keep an eye out for him pouring his heart out at a poetry event!
We featured Seb Bance, back in October after I heard him speak about the loss of his brother, Alistair at the Orbit Brewery open mic. Subsequently Seb let me know his mum, Jenny, is also a poet and that she’s been processing loss and life through poetry too. So,
Rebecca and I met at Morocco Bound at a Storytime London fundraiser event for the mental health charity MIND. So, it seemed right to meet back there to discuss the project and the portrait shoot. There is something special about these small spaces filled with books that helps you open
Maria found me through friendship. She was invited to join one of our Write Speak Recover workshops by the always effervescent Dave. Thankfully, she never left and has become woven seamlessly into our little world. She mentions Goethe in her piece and I wasn’t too aware of his poems,
Dennis is one of my favourite poets to watch and listen to. He has an earnest style of delivery, always sharing poems layered with lived experiences, feeling and a connection to the natural world. We met for the photo shoot on a beautiful spring morning at the Wimbledon Windmill which
Oi you! Yeah you! Av a Word with yourself… ask how you are really doing, what’s on your mind. Write it down, perhaps in poetic prose. Then get down to the CLF Art Lounge and say it out loud to a welcoming crowd!
Keep calm, write it down
Watch
Jules recently celebrated a special birthday and in their Instagram party post they shared Wild Geese by Mary Oliver, which begins with - “You do not have to be good // You do not have to walk on your knees // For a hundred miles through the desert, repenting // You only have to
POW! pops you in the face with a bejeweled, gloved hand of kindness - a friendly punk punch to the jaw. An encouraging wake up slap that says - “go on, you’ve got this, we’ve got you, get up there and be whatever you dream to be.”
POW! A punch
This project and the poetry scene are rooted in shared experiences. Those moments that make you sit up and say “I have written about this too!” As if you are hearing your experience but in a different context. Nic is one of those poets for me. The poem she selected
Lewistry & Dave create space for those that don’t always feel safe. Two travellers of bumpy roads that somehow met in the right place at the right time - for each other and the communities they curate. Proof that perseverance and patience can pave the way to the promised land.
I met Michael at the lovely writing group that Ruth Beddow hosts at Morocco Bound. He always greets you with a smile and an offer of a seat at his table. Michael has music and magic in him - spending time in his orbit is time soulfully spent. We met at
This was it. Everything the poetry scene should be. Innovation, debuts, tears, standing ovations, all the hugs, all the love. Words dancing into minds, magic reverberating from the walls, sewing a blanket of care. Yes, this was it.
We stitch our stories
Our tapestry of tales
Love woven into ends
Since starting this project I seem to have developed a sense that tells me a poet has a deeper story to tell while I watch them perform. Something beyond their words that has drawn them to that particular stage at that time, leaving me moved to speak to them and
