Documenting the life of a community poet
Over the last week I’ve been fortunate enough to work with local young people at two National Trust properties: Tredegar House in Newport and Chirk Castle, on the north Wales border. Organised and facilitated by Literature Wales as part of the Young People’s Laureateship, each residency lasted two days and a lot of fun was […]
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I was born to the sound of starlings murmurating across the north Wales coastline. The Rebel Sun rode low in an early February sky as the Irish Sea gnawed across my ribcage. My hair was knotted seaweed. Water swelled sand dunes into my belly & a flock of seagulls took up residence in my mouth. […]
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Expectation (neu addo a bygwyth) is one of the political poems from Rebel Sun. The Russian-inspired propaganda artwork by Andy Garside giving the reader the heads-up that left-wing socialist/Marxist/anarchist politics will inform elements of the content. Over a decade ago, when first starting out writing, everything I created was political but after a while I […]
Read MoreThanks to Siôn Tomos Owen for making this film of InsOmnia performed at the Rebel Sun launch in Wrexham last week. Also huge thanks to my publisher Parthian Books and to everybody who came and who has supported the book.
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Rebel Sun is here! Can’t believe it’s finally happened. This beautiful hardback book was designed by my partner Andy Garside and I can’t thank my publisher, Parthian Books, enough for all of their support. Buy the book from Parthian here. Or catch me at an event over the coming months – listed here. Thank you […]
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I’ve loved working as a community poet for over a decade now; taking poetry and the spoken word into communities across Wales; encouraging others to find their creative voice. It’s a rewarding and challenging role and one that I’ll continue as we begin the transition into living in a van this autumn/winter. I truly believe […]
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It’s just gone 7.30am and I’m on the train to Cardiff. The spring sun is pale and ethereal in a blue-wash sky and I’m looking forward to a busy three days of planning, manuscript edits and workshops. Maybe this sounds clichéd but I’m still pinching myself that this amazingly multicoloured and sprawling piece of knitting […]
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I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it is to be a community poet. Stitching it into poems, I’ve tried to understand the compulsion to go and work with community groups – to face the judgements of strangers and still feel the need to share poetry and the spoken word. I often feel apprehensive […]
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So the poetry collection Rebel Sun is out soon through Parthian Books. I’ve got some lovely extras to grab with the first editions – check out the IndieGoGo page for more info and to preorder. Much love and thanks! Sophie
Read MoreIn May 2017 Rebel Sun poetry collection is out with Parthian Books. Here’s the artwork from Andy Garside, I’m so pleased with it. Below is an excerpt from The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran that inspired elements of the work.
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