I’m new to the poetry scene – excited but aware that I have a lot more experience to gain and writing to do. I’ve taught poetry and English Lit for over 20 years at university but took the plunge into writing 2 years ago. Since then – and with the support of others – I’m beginning to feel that I can whisper the words ‘poet-teacher-researcher-artist’ with a bit more confidence.
I’m half African and Irish so my work is quite eclectic and my cultural sources quite varied. I was born in London but have lived in Cornwall since 2000. My first poem, ‘Confessions of a Lockdown Mum’ won a competition last year and this year, my ‘Bird Poems’ – which endeavour to fuse the natural world with human history – were published in ‘Homecomings’. I’ve performed my poems celebrating the life of ‘Mary Seacole’ and the ‘Black NHS’ for Black History Month. I’ve spent the last 9 months working on a series of poems entitled ‘1562’. This was made possible by an Arts Council award and the volume is due to be published in Jan 2022. I’m now working on an autobiographical project and keen to do more performing and writing.
