NEWSFEED
QUEERCON 2023
Queercon 2023 was an absolutely incredible event, and I was so happy to perform alongside such a wide array of wonderfully talented queer performers!
Here's a candid little performance pic of me, courtesy of Renn from Queerdos Wales.
Performance videos are currently being uploaded to my YouTube channel, and can be found at:
QUEERCON 2023
I am incredibly excited to be performing at the Queercon 2023 after party, alongside a whole host of talented queer performers!
Hope to see you there!
BACK TO PERFORMING
After a year long hiatus, I'm finally back to performing at Open Mics and other events - and not only that, but I've spread my wings and stepped (or should that be flown?) outside my comfort zone by performing in London and Aberystwyth.
Hopefully 2023 will have plentiful opportunities to perform, because I've kept writing throughout 2022 and I'm excited to share my new pieces!
LAND OF CHANGE
Anthology Release
I'm so very pleased to note the release of the Culture Matters 'Land of Change' anthology, curated by Dr Gemma June Howell and including my poem 'Child'.
I've been eagerly awaiting the release of this anthology, which includes some absolutely fantastic pieces, written by an array of poets I'm honoured to be printed alongside, which really drive to the core of social inequality and strife in our society.
I hope you enjoy.
TRANSGENDER DAY OF REMEMBRANCE
I meant to post this piece for Transgender Day of Remembrance 2021 on Saturday, but unfortunately a few errant gremlins managed to get into my laptop and made me miss it.
Nevertheless, this is an important topic, and I wanted to add my voice to it - every year, more and more transgender people are murdered or violently attacked for no other reason than the fact that they are trans. Many others commit suicide or succumb to self harm.
Despite this, promised, long overdo reforms of the systems supposedly in place to guide through transition have been scrapped, and hate speech against transgender people is becoming commonplace.
We need to continue to stand in protest, to continue to push the government to give us the support and protections we need. We need to keep fighting, whenever and wherever we can, so that the trans folx of the next generation don't have to face the evils we have.
You can see the full version of the poem at:
FREQUENCY HOUSE POETRY SLAM
I am absolutely ecstatic to have reached the final four in the Frequency House Swansea Poetry slam - my first in-person poetry slam!
There were so many incredibly talented entrants and I'm grateful to have performed alongside them. Big congratulations to everyone involved, especially Dai and Carl, who absolutely deserved their respective first and second place finishes - they were amazing!
Video of my performances will be on YouTube shortly.
TRANS AID CYMRU OPEN MIC
It was an utter pleasure to perform at last night's Open Mic night alongside a whole host of talented performers. I'd like to extend a massive thank you to the whole team at Trans Aid Cymru for organising the event, everyone who shared their talents and, of course, the absolutely wonderful host, Soph.
You can find out more about Trans Aid Cymru and the wonderful work they do by clicking the link below
INTERNATION ASEXUALITY DAY
In celebration of the first ever International Asexuality Day, 6th April 2021, I thought I'd share a video of my performance of my poem 'Daddy Issues' at the Scratch the Mic open mic just a few months before Covid shut down the world.
In this poem, I talk about my experiences as an Asexual person, and there are references to abuse and sexual harassment.
I hope you like it!
POETRY CORNER
Video Uploaded
We had a wonderful group of participants at the Poetry Corner online open mic on Friday, delivering poetry that grappled with the issues that have dominated recent news, as well as the everyday challenges and troubles that assail us and impact upon our lives in ways that can leave marks which last for years.
The recording of the event has now been uploaded to Youtube, so if you'd like to watch, please click the link below.
POETRY CORNER
7pm 26th March 2021
Following the success of my previous Poetry Corner online open mic events, I'm happy to announce that the next event will be held on March 26th.
If you're interested in participating, please contact me here or on the event page. As always, the event will be livestreamed and also shared on my Youtube channel.
RECORDING NEW POETRY
With spring creeping up on us and the sun shining in a beautiful blue sky, I thought I'd try something new and recorded some new pieces in the sunlight. Keep an eye on my Youtube channel or this page for the publication of these new poems.
NEW POEM UPLOADED
I have uploaded a new visual poem, entitled 'Borderline Tides' to my Facebook.
Sometimes, when you're suffering with Borderline Personality Disorder, it can be impossible to tell how any given event can influence your moods; sometimes a trivial or simple thing can send your mood plummeting into utter despair, whilst at other times even a significant issue can seem as though it is hardly worth caring about. I tried to channel that chaotic shifting of moods into this poem, which I've titled 'Borderline Tides'.
MENTAL HEALTH INTERVIEW
Last night, I was interviewed by photographer Richard Ansett, who I worked with last year to produce a set of images displaying the physical impact of mental health issues.
Over the course of this very emotional interview, I spoke at length about my own mental health issues, which have had a significant impact on my poetry, and more generally about the widespread mental health issues which are impacting on so many people in our society.
I also read a piece of my poetry, 'Freakshow', and was joined by my cat, Brandy, who obviously was the star of the show.
NEW POEM UPLOADED
I've just uploaded a new poem to Facebook, entitled 'The Birthday Girl.'
This poem addresses an all too common component of mental health issues that often results in events that should have been celebrations seeming like daunting, or even insurmountable, obstacles.
I hope you enjoy it.
HAPPY NEW YEAR
A very belated Happy New Year to everyone! I hope you all had an absolutely wonderful holiday period.
While I've been quiet for the last few weeks, there's been a lot going on behind the scenes and I'm pleased to announce that one of my poems has been selected for publication in an anthology later this year.
Stay tuned for more information!
POETRY CORNER
While once more the tech support Gremlins meant that December's Poetry Corner wasn't livestreamed to Facebook as expected, the event itself went ahead, and we were graced with wonderful performances from Cath Elms, Rhoda Thomas, Tim Evans, and Lucy Luca as well as a performance by myself.
The whole event has now been published on my Youtube channel so you catch it at your convenience.
POETRY CORNER
Online poetry evening - 7:30pm Friday 6th November
In this dark and oppressive time, many of us are struggling to find a glimmer of light and hope to keep us going, and what better way to ease the gloom for at least a little while than an evening of poetry, entertainment and camaraderie?
As a result, I will be hosting the first ever Poetry Corner, an online gathering of poets and literature fans, at 7:30pm on Friday 6th November.
All are welcome to participate and share a song, short story, or even a song, and those who don't feel like performing are more than welcome to observe and share in the atmosphere.
Interested? Follow the link below for the event page, and I look forward to seeing you all on the night.
COIN TOSS AT CASWELL BAY
Here's something just a little bit different - a short poem I wrote and performed in fifteen minutes whilst sitting on the rocks at Caswell Bay, near Mumbles and the Gower in Swansea.
It's called 'Coin Toss' and you can see it over on my Youtube at:
SWANSEA POETRY SLAM
While I'm disappointed with my performance in the Swansea Poetry Slam, I'm proud of myself for entering my first ever poetry slam after writing my first poem just a little over a year ago.
Also, I'd like to extend my congratulations to the winner of the event, Justin Teddy Cliff, and to all of the other incredibly talented entrants. I'm looking forwards to performing with you all again once lockdown is lifted,
For more information on the poetry slam, please see their facebook at:
COVID UPDATE
Although Covid is doing its best to shut the world down, I'm still writing and publishing new poems, which I publish on my Youtube channel. If you enjoy their work and want to receive updates on my work, please follow or subscribe to my social media accounts.
I will also be updating this page with the details of any socially distanced or online poetry events I will be participating in.
