Tag: Lytishapoet

Poems, Places, and Virtual Words.

Well, what a summer! Lots of music, poetry, friends, festivals, viruses and multi-lingualism.

Here’s a poem for you from the launch of A Journey Inside, Impressions of Essaouira.

Places: I’ve been poeting in Parliament, at Womad with The Big Girls Village, as Poet-in-Residence at Wollaton Arts Festival, in Fountaine Daniel, France, at The National Holocaust Centre, at City Arts and at hybrid events with DIY Poets, and at various World Jam performances, as well as super events around the country.

Virtual Words: This year my poems are available in the Poetry Place exhibition both on-line and touring Inspire Libraries, in the virtual house as part of the A (socially distanced) Room of Ones Own, on DIY Poets YouTube channel, on VisualVerse.org as well as A Journey Inside VR Poem, the prototype of which is being tested currently.

I hope you’ve had a super year thus far, and we all have a poetic autumn / winter.

Lytisha

Here comes 2023!

Happy New Year!

Well, here we are again – one of Lytisha’s sporadic ‘regular’ blogs! Today the view from the house on the hill is of many hues of gray, at slanted angles over the gray rooftops. The wind is blustering, bursts of raindrops are attacking the window but all is warm and dry indoors – despite being abandoned by the cat. Apparently in the jumper section of the wardrobe is even cosier than this desk – and may account for future furry clothing.

Who am I kidding? All my clothes have been furry since…. furever!

This year I will be focussing on a couple of exciting projects.

I was fortunate enough to win an Arts Council England Award in October to fund A Journey Inside – the Virtual Reality version. Some of you might recall the poem I performed a few times in 2017 following a 2016 MRI scan? In 2018 it evolved with the help of COMA into an augmented experiential piece which was performed with live music as part of both the COMA National Festival and Nottingham Poetry Festival. During these performances the audience wore blindfolds and the sounds surrounded them.

This year I am working on a new incarnation recreating the experience in virtual reality. I am working with the support of the Mixed Reality Lab at the University of Nottingham ( I Know – how amazing does that sound!), City Arts and others.

You will be able to come test out the prototype at the 2023 Nottingham Poetry Festival in May – dates to be confirmed.

Women Say Stuff will be back again in March, organised as ever by a group of women volunteers from the DIY Poets co-hort. Always a fabulous event so keep your eyes peeled for the details on social media.

Meantime Multiple Shenanigans blog with Jeanette Bird-Bradley on youtube continues monthly and I look forward to seeing you at the DIY Poets showcase at City Arts on 9th February.

Here’s a look at a poem that you can find via the QR code on the Nottingham Arboretum noticeboard as part of the Haptive Quest from 2022. See if you find the tree in the arboretum featured:

So, lots to look forward to in 2023. I hope to catch you out and about at an event or at a gig soon.

Lytisha

Phew – scorchio!!

I hope you aren’t a melted dollop of ice-cream but more a spritely icy-pole cocktail.

It’s been a busy time here in poeting world. And much more exciting happenings on the horizon. For example DIY Poets have their Quarterly Showcase at City Arts, Hockley, Nottingham on Thursday 11th August. There are a plethora of quality poets on the line-up and a few open mic spots too.

You’ll next find me at Camper Calling over the August bank holiday. Fabulous festival and sold out. If you are lucky enough to have tickets come check out the spoken word & workshops at the Woodland Stage.

Here’s a pic of Chloé Jacquet performing her hilarious and thought provoking poetry. If you’ve not come across Chloé check her out here.

September begins with a Two Seda set at the New Art Exchange as part of the Nottingham Mela. This will be our first gig since the pandemic, and we are raring to bring you more multi-lingual, multi-cultural treats. I am really looking forward to this – been an age!

Photo Credit Keith Turner

Recent gigs include the WSO Garden Party organised by Pixie Styx to raise funds and collect donations for the Bulwell & Bestwood foodbank. It was a lovely afternoon and a good sum, as well as wheelbarrow of donations were collected.

The DIY Poets had a fabulous time with our events at The Gate to Southwell Folk Festival in July. A title of Bard of Southwell was fought in the open Slam competition and this year won by 8 year old Tibbie Star with her fabulous poem Fireworks. You can often catch Tibbie, accompanied by Paul Carbuncle, at various folk events in the region.

Tibbie Star

July also saw DIY Poets performing at the Ludlow Literature Festival. It was a hybrid event and the audience were treated to an array of talents, include moi via zoom.

I wish you all a fabulous summer and I couldn’t sign off on International Cat Day without a little of my favourite #DixieCatNottm.

Poet-in-Residence speaking!

Where to begin?! So much happening with Wollaton Arts News, Nottingham Poetry Festival, qualifications and much more to look forward to in the coming couple of months.

Lytisha, that’s me!, has been appointed Poet-in-residence for the Wollaton Arts Festival. This means as well as hosting the Poetry Aloud evening on Friday 24th of June, I will also be engaging with the Wollaton community during the festival week and the results will be showcased at the Wollaton Arts Festival finale, Wollaton Park on Sunday 26th June. I do hope you get to join us for some events, in person or via Zoom.

As part of my #DYCP I have completed and passed the Award in Education and Training, and am now qualified to teach adult learners. This will enable me to create even more dynamic learning experiences for groups and workshop participants. I am keen to expand my work with young adults so if you would like to book me, please do get in touch at Info@lytishapoet.co.uk.

Lytisha, woman in 50’s with white hair, raising a glass full of brightly coloured juice.

Nottingham Poetry Festival is almost upon us. There is a whole host of amazing poets lined up, and more events than you shake a stick at! I am directly involved with these three, plus will be watching many more!

Sharing Spaces with the Social Model Writers at Nottingham Playhouse on Sat 7th May 2022 at 2.30pm

We are delighted to be performing ‘Sharing Spaces’ at The Neville Studio in Nottingham Playhouse as part of Nottingham Poetry Festival 2022.

The event is free to attend and to make this event as accessible as possible to both performers and audience, it can be accessed in the venue or via zoom.

To book your free in venue or via zoom ticket click here.

DIY Poets Festival Showcase at City Arts, Hockley is on Thursday 12th May 22 at 7.30pm.

DIY Poets are a Nottingham collective that have grown and developed some very fine poets through their regular critique sessions, workshops, and performances. This is our showcase. Details here.

WSO & Poetry Aloud presents: These are the Days at Sherwood Methodist Church, NG5 2EN on Friday 13th May 22 at 7.30pm

These are the days: …. luxury mansions owned but empty, streets being the sheets for others. Displaced people at our doorstep, from wherever they had to leave. These are the days we didn’t imagine in 2022. For more details and to book your spaces click here:

Phew- so much happening in the next short while – and I haven’t mentions Ludlow Literature festival, or the next set of Lite Bites in the pipeline! Watch this space. I’ll leave you with the trials of the creative writer… never knowing what lies beneath!

Cat, Dixie, pawing at the seam cut into the carpet

Summer is unveiling

Summer is unveiling.

Ta-da! I have a poem on stone. I guess that makes me a rock poet now – well I do have a geologically based poem or two. The poem was commissioned by Nottingham City Homes to commemorate the Lenton Green estate that has replaced the 5 multi-storey blocks that were demolished behind the Savoy Cinema in Nottingham. It has been transformed into family homes and bungalows, plus a really swish supported living block, where everyone has their own balcony, their own piece of the sky. Thanks to Keith Turner for the photo.

I really enjoyed the commission; the research, chatting to residents and hanging out by the bee hotel to get a sense of the place. If anyone else is would like to commission a bespoke poem, please do get in touch.

So, what else as been happening in the past three months?

Multiple Shenanigans continues to go from strength to strength. We were delighted to be the featured podcast by the Culture, Health and Wellbeing organisation and have a guest blog on their website which they promoted on World MS Awareness day for us, which amazing. We continue to get positive feedback and more importantly we both enjoy making them. Still learning as we go. We’ve another guest with us toward the end of June, so look out for that episode too. If anyone fancies joining us and discussing the humorous side of life living with MS or other conditions, please contact me and we can have a chat.

I haven’t been very active on the poetry stages for a few months as I had a prolonged episode of Trigeminal neuralgia which made speaking extremely difficult for a while, but I am luckily much improved now. I have kept myself busy with some other activities, including Lite Bites, but the project with Sue Allen I mentioned last time had to be poetponed. Oh, I think I inadvertently created a new word there. I quite like it! We will be back, soonish.

The big news for the forthcoming year is that I have been successful in receiving a DYCP grant from the Arts Council to work on some training and with a mentor on a new (to me) style project. So, I shall be doing lots of learning and hopefully will have something to show you all at the end of it.

Still a couple of events coming up – check out the Events listings for details.

Think that’s it for now – even though I didn’t mention swimming in the sea. Did I ever mention I love the sea?

Lytisha

Post C-19 Part 1, The Learning

Hello Lovelies. It is a strange time, and we are all learning allsorts, from tech, to baking, to our neighbours. There have been a lot of firsts for me in the past 6 weeks, and I want to share a couple with you. I, like a lot of people, have started to zoom, all over the place! I hosted my first couple of on-line music and poetry gigs, alongside – but 3 miles apart from – Martin Grey. First we had a DIY Poets readaround, then the first virtual World Jam with music and poetry from around the world to our sofa’s. That happened to co-incide with my birthday, so I had my first lockdown birthday with a screen full of talented friends. Dixie cat didn’t make me a cake, but luckily a friend did, and another delivered it on their daily exercise. Thanks Ness and Nancy!

Then, I read to the largest audience I have so far, the WSO Isolation Festival had 25,000 viewers! There was a huge talented and diverse group of performers and we raised a whopping £27 THOUSAND pounds to help those suffering from austerity. That was quite an event – sharing the experience with so many, even though I was sat alone with just the cat and a couple of bears. Amazing how these electronic connections are nurturing in these odd times.

Having a little more time to use as I choose, I had a go at making a film to go with my poem Babushka’s gift, The Matyroshka Doll, which began it’s evolution during an improv workshop with Activus 6 years ago. I was honoured to have Iryna Muha create the soundtrack and original music to accompany it. It had it’s debut at the WSO Fundraiser for Mesopotamia, a local Nottingham charity looking out for people in need, particularly at the moment.

Re-alignment

These are odd days, so I’m going to post the odd poem, short story or snippet here for you at odd times. Here’s your first. It is a short story, set circa 1989. I hope you enjoy it.

Re-alignment

You know how it is when you think you know where you are going but then the unexpected occurs? Not a complete derailment, more a realignment, a slight adjustment to your trajectory. That’s how it was with Simon and me.
We were part of the same crowd that hung out after school. We all went bowling, ice-skating, playing football together. At the end of 2nd Year people started pairing up, going out with one another, then breaking up and being a bit awkward in the group for a week before everything carried on as before. It was part of the normal teenage behaviours. Normal for here, anyway.
Except Shelly and Kevin. We all knew they would be together forever. Since we were 11 they had been going out, and never once broke up. Shelly and Kevin 4ever was carved into every tree, desk and porous surface around.
The rest of us just bumbled about, mostly just a pack, sometimes in smaller divisions, but a mixed group of friends. By the 4th year I had a huge, never voiced crush on James. We, and Simon and Jenny walked home the same way. We were a close group. I never told anyone how I felt about James, but one day during the last summer holidays ever, whilst Jenny and I were sat on the grass verge, watching the kickabout, she asked me out of the blue.
“So, are you going to do anything about James?”
I stammered a denial whilst I felt myself flush the reddest red ever. Jenny just looked at me.
“OK.”
That was all she said, and I thought I’d got away with it. I don’t really know now why I felt it was such a secret, why I never admitted it, but I didn’t.
Two years later, at the local, Jenny came and cornered me by the Ladies.
“I just want you to be prepared, in case you don’t want to be here. We have an announcement.”
Then she was gone. I stared over at the group I’d grown up with. They were all there; Tommy, Bill, Sharon, Sam, Simon, Billy T, Shelly, Kevin, Chris and Christine. And James. James, looking flushed and a bit scruffy with half his shirt hanging out, Converse laces undone. Suddenly he was calling me over and tapping the side of his pint with a spoon.
I was frozen. Then Jenny appeared at his side and flashed her hand around and everyone cheered. She glanced over at me, with a look I’ll never forget. It said so much; I gave you a chance, I warned you, I feel sorry for you, I won. Only, I had never realised the game was on. I wasn’t entirely sure when it began, or if I’d been playing. But, that I had lost was clear.
Still rooted by the loos, I suddenly became aware of Simon at my side, and his arm around my waist. I let him manoeuvre me to the end of the bar, away from the others. I wilted. That’s the only word for it. My legs buckled, and I felt like I had exhaled all the breath that had been holding me up for the past 20 years.
Simon caught me and edged the stool over to me. As he did I looked at him. He was quite good looking, in square, office type of way. Why was he here with me now? He was always nearby, now I thought about it. It was usually the two of us that brought up the rear when cycling, the slowest at skating, the worst team at bowling. This was something I would think about a lot more, over the next few weeks, and months.
“How did you know?” I stuttered. He smiled and ordered drinks for the group.
“I have been waiting. Waiting for you to realise. We’ve all seen the way you watch him, have always watched him. I never knew why you let him slip through your fingers. No-one was more surprised than Jenny that you never made a move. I think that’s why she waited all this time, she’s been so worried about how you’d react. “
At their wedding, Jenny found me, and whispered into my ear on the edge of the dancefloor. As she walked away I turned and pulled Simon up, dragging him into the middle of the crowded floor. She was right, again. Only this time I was going to do something about it.

Lft
3.4.20


2020: Part 1 Pre C-19

  • Notts TV
  • WSS5
    c.Stephanie Webb Photo
  • Two Seda at Refugee Roots Takeover

This was not the blog I thought I’d be writing. To be honest, I’ve put off updating you because I felt in a kind of suspended animation. But there have been so many good events I’ve been involved with this year it doesn’t feel fair to let the current situation to take anything away from them. So, here’s a round up of January to mid-March 2020.
So, the year began cheerfully enough on 8th January with a gig at The People’s Museum, Manchester. I read some poems at Meet We Shall Overcome event organised by Matt Hill, featuring the WSO work of Pauline Townsend, and celebrating all the WSO volunteers around the country.
Saturday 11th January saw poets from World Jam reading from their anthology at Five Leaves Bookshop. We had poems shared in several languages, and Sherry performed some verses from Rumi, the Persian poet.
January 31st Refugee Roots Take Over at Sobar. This great event featured the ever fabulous, and talented Jude Winwood playing her kora, soothing, energising and relaxing all in one set. This was followed by Two Seda performing a great set, if I do say so myself. The evening was rounded off by the enigmatic Obi Rudo who had us up on our feet dancing. Check out his music page, or you might catch him busking near the Market Square if you are lucky.
22nd Feb was a house gig collecting donations of food and clothing for WSO where we heard from Joe Solo, the motivating heart of WSO, Pixie Styx, Paul Carbuncle, and many others, including myself. Several boxes of goods and a wedge of money donated to local causes.
Then came scary Thursday! I joined Leanne Moden on the sofa at Ey Up Notts! Live magazine programme on Notts TV. It was my tv debut! Well, apart from crowd scenes and vox pops… Oh and that film.. Anyhow, we were there promoting Women Say Stuff 5, which was organised by some of the women of DIY Poets. The event itself, on International Women’s Day was fabulous. Three hours of women saying their stuff in poetic or short story format. Always great to hear new voices, and familiar ones. The featured acts were Maresa MacKeith, Sara Awayes, and myself.
I also attended and performed at two book launches, Genevieve Carver’s at Scarthins Bookshop and Kevin Jackson’s Loves Burn launch at City Arts. Both great books that I highly recommend.
From mid March my diary changed to a series of crossings out, cancelled events, and life became very home-based. Some of that has changed now with On-line events and festivals – lots of exciting news about them to come in the next blog. For upcoming events, don’t forget to check out my gig listings.

2020 – here we go!

I know it’s virtually February and I haven’t told you all about the marvellous things that occurred in the rest of December, but I’ve just got back from a week away in the sun, after the 5 week horrid cold & cough bug that left me voiceless for 17 days. I know! I bet you are speechless too.

So, January. Lots happened, happening, about to happen. I’ve updated my events page with all the future dates that are inked in, and there is much to look forward to. However, one of my resolutions was to spend more time crafting my poetry and less gadding about. So, if you see a bit less of me sharing my individual poems out there, it’s because I’m busy scribbling here. With #DixieCatNottm on my knee. Also, Mina and I will be looking to do more Two Seda gigs, so do look out for us, or better yet – book us!

So that’s the plan. Fewer gigs, less chocolate, more gigs, more excercise, and more writing. What could possibly go wrong?

Oh, and Two Seda will be at Sobar on Friar Lane this Friday, 31st Jan for the Refugee Roots take over. Good cake, good entertainments, good times, good excse to catch up. See you there before you go funking with Fat Digester?