Tuesday 31 October 2023

Cosmic Pumpkin Launch

My performance game has been all the way ON! This past month, I have been edu-taining as much as booked and as much as possible in my free-time, all in the name of Black History Month (BHM). It has truly been one of the best BHM's in the last five or so years I think (with or without the lockdowns of Covid).

Closing out the month (every month is Black History Month intellectually speaking, but of course in this instance I specifically mean according to the British events calendar) with Halloween, added extra fun and a change of vibe.

Tonight I was happy to attend the pilot poetry night named Cosmic Pumpkin at Royal Society of Arts (RSA). Now I was intrigued by two things; one being that one of the organisers (Mr. Gee) is a well-seasoned Poet whom I met thirteen years ago when he performed at my former poetry and live music event Poetic Justice, and two would be the venue. As a keen Event Planner both professionally and personally, I always love to check out new event spaces and I'm glad to report that RSA did not disappoint as it was a very attractive, nice venue. Chilly but lovely from my eyes and thermal skin experience.

Seeing Mr. Gee again after all this time was ironic as I have been constantly bumping into Poets that I've met from over a decade ago, during these past couple months. Who many of which performed at my shows, and it has been wonderful to reconnect, catch-up on all our creative activities over such a wide space of time, and to hear each other's art again in this new poetic era. Wonderful indeed.

Many great poems were read and performed tonight, I particularly loved the ones about peace and finding ones faith again by Poisonous Pixie, the captivatingly personal poem by "Anarchy" (he'd get the joke), the beautifully spoken love poems by Michelle and the socially mindful, food for thought poem by Miss Cellaneous (if that's how she cleverly spells her stage name). I'm glad I spent Halloween night this way.


My poem was dedicated to Domestic Violence (DV) Awareness for everyone affected by it and those who take the reality of its effects for granted. DV Awareness is a shared month along with BHM, World Mental Health Day and Breast Cancer Awareness etc. I know the subject makes many uncomfortable however, poetry and most vulnerable artistic expression was never determinedly intended for "comfort" it was indeed for "ARTISTIC EXPRESSION" no matter how one receives it.

To my pleasant surprise, the poem was received with great welcomed attention. So much so that many of the audience members, both Poets and listeners, came up to me mostly saying "Thank you for that poem...really liked your poem....it made me think...." What I really loved was that this was the first time that quite a few men approached me about how it moved them or what they appreciated from it, by way of a direct experience perspective, newly conscious perspective, as well as what they appreciated artistically. 

It was refreshing to connect so deeply with males on this subject matter, both young and mature. In the past I have had a couple of senior men congratulate my lyricism on the subject but not necessary to address the male behaviour of the content. FYI; I know that women can be the violent partner in DV situations also. In any case BOTH PERPETRATORS ARE TO BE BLAMED, SHAMED and PUNISHED for their actions. I believe that neither should be excused for such behaviour- in any day in age.

Noticeably, there were private conversations of where my poem sparked emotion and debate, as much of my writing does however, I was not anticipating that as much on this occasion. Two women in particular were heavily debating about the message(s) and significance of the circumstances and characters mentioned within the poem. That conversation left quite the impression. A great example of conversations and different perspectives being a good thing, because that's the way we learn from each other or at least learn and observe how other people perceive things. How we can create a better understanding of one another basically.

Unfortunately and fortunately (depending on how you look at it), the descriptions of the abuse, acknowledgement of being abused, embarrassment, guilt, fears, survival, protection, confession, dysfunction, desires and denial all described within my poem...resonated with some of those people who approached me. 

One of the many things that I love about my work, my art, is that it connects with people on so many different levels. It makes people think, it enlightens people, it makes people smile, laugh, gasp, cry or get inspired. I know because audience members tell me this directly or show me this soon after, and it never gets old. Not to get all philosophical but art really has no bounds, it's a great communicator. connector so to speak, and teacher I'd say.

Naturally the title Cosmic Pumpkin would make one think that it is directly in sync with Halloween. Well according to Mr. Gee this is not so! The name came purely through his personal background in regard to his mother's cooking of Curry Pumpkin soup (Guyanese food). It just happens to be a coincidence that they launched this new potential poetry monthly event, on Halloween itself. Consequently people would automatically assume it's in celebration of the day, being associated with pumpkins and all. A common donation in later years anyway, despite that pumpkins are not quite the origins of Halloween, such as Santa Claus in a red suit vs the green suit origins of Father Christmas aka Saint Nicholas- but that's a debate for another time and on someone else's blog.

My outfit was dedicated to this supposed theme, as I wore a really cute and comfortable (rare combination lol) orange split (sides), short sleeve dress, with my orange bandana around my neck and black leggings with black over-the-knee boots, of course. To make it feel more "Halloween-ish" I wore these skull dangling earrings that I haven't worn since I threw my first Halloween rave (in 2007 oh my word!) and spikey, skull bracelet. 

I wish I had proper full length pictures to show off my outfit but as usual, no can do I'm afraid. Just know that I was going for a "Gothic Pumpkin" look as far as I was concerned. No one got it lol, except perhaps from some of the people on the train who probably thought I just liked gothic fashion and intentionally wore orange for the day in question. That's just me assuming based on some of the looks from much older, seemingly religious folk onlooking with a mix of curiosity, plus "ah I get it," plus some disapproval (regarding the devil worship assumption).

However, many people complimented the dress though. A few women at both the show and at the train station told me how much they loved the dress and the colour (the happy citrus colour is blissfully infectious I must say). It took me mentioning pumpkins, for them to get what I as going for but alas....still cute ;-)

It was a fun night. I haven't indulged in Halloween in years, not outside of themed food and food styling, purely for the sake of food photography as a Food Blogger of course. More so, all the varied poetry shared tonight was great, as was the overall event. I look forward to many more.

More pictures of the night can be seen on my Instagram page @LkReelDeevah. Like many other people I haven't logged onto Twitter much since it became "no longer Twitter" kmt.


Love Lauren



Thursday 26 October 2023

My Wordz of Whizzdom

My Poet friend Teju Chosen was having the second running of her new open mic event Wordz N Whizzdom and I came to show support. As the performer world is so small, I knew many of the other acts there which was nice.

Certain familiar faces of the night added greatly to the activities as I hadn't seen one particular female Poet, who admittedly hadn't been on the scene in ages, for the longest time. At first we didn't recognise each other but then I recognised her voice (obviously, as Poets) and realised that she performed at a couple of my events some years ago. It's amazing how these happenstances have been reoccurring all year! After picturing me with my long hair (before shaving it all off drastically but unapologetically in 2019), my face began to trigger her memory and it was all love. Thank goodness as I needed someone who was willing to take pictures of me on stage, which I hardly ever get to do lol.

The cheeky Host who goes by the character name President Obonjo, was just that, funny and facetious. We had our friendly banter as an audience member (me) to Comedian, which people seemed to enjoy, him more so. 


Interestingly, I performed my rarely heard poem Lead the Way, which although is about anyone who had the ability, the doubt, the opportunity or the force of circumstances to make them have to 'step up' and become a leader for whatever reason (based on my past experiences of being in that reoccurring position), on this occasion I dedicated this poem to brave grassroots activists, freedom fighters and African Presidents in recent years who I have admired the progressive, bold, revolutionary actions of. 

As it is still Black History Month (BHM), which many people seem to be forgetting or overlooking to my dismay, it was important to me to inform and elevate the audience with the notoriety that inspired my vocal dedication. Such as current revolutionary (regarding his assertiveness of freedom fighting) of Burkina Faso's Ibrahim Traoré. Traoré's comparable 'ahead of his time' predecessor Thomas Sankara. Rwanda's 'rise from the ashes and get things done' Paul Kagame. Ethiopia's pioneering, economy accelerating female President Sahle-Work Zewde. Along with the recently assassinated (a valid conspiracy according to the events at the time) John Magufuli of Tanzania, to spotlight a few.

Incase ("in case" used to be and still is in my opinion, ONE WORD), you may find some dirt on either of the above names mentioned be it true or false, past or in the future, just know that I am referring to their GOOD actions and the effective changes they have brought to the native citizens of their countries in order to actively enhance their livelihoods. My praise is comes from both research and first-hand experience  (e.g. from my temporary living in Rwanda). I have to make that disclaimer, as I hate when I praise someone who I discover to be seemingly admirable and then they let me down with a scandal or some contradictory disgrace, that is not only devastating depending how high a regard I held them in, but it's embarrassing to all that endorsed them. 

I learned a long time ago not to put any human onto too high of a pedestal however, I am also referencing my deep regret in quoting and praising certain influential people in a printed interview of mine from 2014 (which I'm sure I've mentioned before), that left me feeling utterly disgraced when some of those idiots shamed the world and their fans (including me) with their foul/criminal behaviour....alas.

Back to the main point; the dedication introduction of my poem left quite the impression on charismatic non-Politician President Obonjo, him saying so made for an artistic connection.

 

Another memorable moment of the night but my biggest highlight, was the Black History quiz. I loved that they had this, because firstly it brings out the child in me (class quizzes, competitions, prizes and what not), secondly because they brought it back to BLACK HISTORY and not just entertainment. That pleased me a great deal. As a history buff and proud afro-centric individual, I knew that I'd know most of the answers but it was fun to indulge in and watch even if I wasn't to participate. We had about five questions from the Host, where we had to write down our confirmed multiple choice answers on a piece of paper. 

In my opinion these were easy questions but I would think that as an avid reader and researcher. The general public on the other hand may not feel this way. When the Host asked who got 5/5 and I raised my hand, he had the nerve to not believe me and demanded to see my answer sheet!! Which I showed with no hesitation however, if I'd have known that it was going to be looked at then I would have written more legibly, since apparently I write like a Doctor as the stereotype of bad handwriting goes. Who cares, I WON! 


There were various little prizes given throughout the night including a keyboard vacuum, debated to be a dildo (by the Host of course) but none of my dildo's nor any on sex shop shelves (yes women do buy these things, actually it's big business for both genders truth be told) look like that funny shaped thing. A useful tool nonetheless LOL. 

My prize was newly purchased African art (a picture of a village woman's silhouette). What I loved about winning this is the irony of previously, desperately wishing that I could have purchased and transported much of the brilliant art I saw all over Rwanda. Also, that I won a prize based on merit, of history about my people. That feels good, BIG UP me! And BIG UP to the organisers for putting the games and prizes together!


 

Additionally coincidental was the repeat sighting of fellow Poet, Bruce Cadogan and Comedian Mr. Blair, who I both first met at the same event in 2014! We haven't aged much and everyone is still nice, still talented and doing what they love!

More pictures of the night can be found on my Instagram page. All these pictures were taken by Lady Rhymes, Teju Chosen and myself.

Keep learning, keep enjoying, be inspired.


Love Lauren


Sunday 15 October 2023

Return to The Dial Up @ Pumphouse Theatre

[ARCHIVED BLOG POST] 

It has been five years since I last performed at The Dial Up hosted by Alex Williams, which I simply cannot believe. At the time it was to promote my play, which went wonderfully well (both the play and the entire promotion tour actually) and made for a nice performance memory that included book sales afterwards!

It was nice to be invited to return to the show and share the stage with passionate Poets, and to share the room with poetry lovers. However, this time it was much different from past Dial Up events, as it returned to Watford (was at West Hampstead last time) but taking place at a noticeably larger venue. This one being held at Pumphouse Theatre as a subsidiary of Watford Theatre. As some of you know, I just LOVE theatre full stop, therefore the setting was just right for me.

The size of the audience which is usually made for a cosy setting at a café, bar or small music venue, was not in alignment with the theatre seating plan. However, the magnitude of joy, contentment, audience appreciation and participation, talent and enthusiasm to share art from those on stage, more than made up for the sparse filled seats. Everyone was having fun and happy to be there with one another. I noticed that I was one of the few people who was not a local- a local that was fully embedded into their community no less. As they all seemed to know each other extremely well. As the night went on, more people flowed in and mini interactions between performances were happening, there was a strong feeling of an infectious warm hug to a degree or so I felt.

There were alot ("a lot" as the new so called standard of US English that I won't give in to), of elders in the room, who prided themselves on being members of the community and witnessing or participating to the history shared on the night. This edition of The Dial Up was dedicated to Black History Month (BHM). What pleased me a great deal was since much of the attendees were older, they kept bringing BHM back to the topic in question. Therefore, they were not just performing for entertainment with their presence but to add enlightenment with acknowledgement of history or Black culture in general.

Particularly with Black performers from the Windrush generation and second generation, their wisdom and experience was key to the enhancement of this BHM edition, in my strong opinion. It also meant alot to me when White (British) performers went on stage to respectfully give their perspectives and knowledge about a few things in regard to Black History. There was one man who informed the audience about the history of Rock 'n' Roll music, in regard to famous Artists (Elvis, Rolling Stones, The Beatles etc) who got more successful from copying songs from under-rated Black Artists like Buddy Walters, The Isley Brothers and Little Richard or Chuck Berry I think, due to racism. Knowing some of this myself, I was glad that he informed us further by quoting certain songs to prove his point.

The Musician reiterated this to us before doing a rendition of a Rock 'n' Roll song. I was so happy for the added information he gave because he mentioned some names that I was unaware of and had to write them down to look them up later. It prompted me to watch the new Elvis biopic that I was avoiding (due to already knowing how the story will go, as with most high profile celebrity biopics), since he mentioned that the film referred to much of that music history also.

Someone read a poem written by European (presumably renowned) Poet called Black Woman, which I am sure shocked many people in the room as well as myself. It was a positive, intriguing poem, debatably of critical analysis but welcomed nevertheless (by me anyway). There was a choir in their full attire, who sang like they meant it. Again the community love and respect, among the people within the choir on stage was obvious which captivated me more. There were quite a few Musicians with guitars and more Singers on the night than I expected. This was certainly a variety show.


As I posted on Instagram, it was a pleasure to debut my exceptionally informative and long poem Black History of Late, that I was still writing while I was in the audience which drew plenty of unwanted attention. But alas, by the time I got on stage, everyone knew that it was me who was the performer post-poning her appearance due to real-time creativity! As it still wasn't edited or shortened to my satisfaction, as it felt like it was a 1000 pages long, I did what I do best and freestyled- and very well might I add. The good thing about freestyling and waffling as I tend to do, is that it gives the opportunity for extra info, side notes, comic relief or necessary improv. It went down well. 

As a matter of fact, with the majority of the audience being older than me, and I have always been told that I "have an old soul or have been here before," I knew that the content of my poem would connect with them greatly. Referring to the recent passing of Black historic icons such as Tina Turner, Sidney Poitier, Cecily Tyson, John Magafuli, Harry Belafonte and Roy Hackett for example, had many of them cheering. Whereas when such names are mentioned to the youth, most of it goes over their head which is as annoying as a Comedian doing stand-up to an audience who just doesn't get the joke. It was the perfect poem to the perfect audience.

Afterwards I was overwhelmingly flooded with praise for the amount of knowledge and research given to my poem, gratitude and thankfulness for acknowledging certain people and events that some felt often goes ignored, joy from what they saw and heard, all said by very sweet and friendly audience members. As usual my writing sparked conversation and minor debate. Therefore, some people came up to tell me what they thought about certain events that I mentioned or to ask about key mentioned events and individuals (modern day figures) that they were unaware of. 

A lady even shared some information with me about an older West Indian woman who she knows personally, who dedicated her life to the NHS and other health and community causes in London. Apparently this amazing woman does not get the national respect that she deserves despite having received some recognition due to all her hard work and participated growth of the NHS. This was being brought to my attention as an indirect reference to my stanza about how West Indian labourer's were called on by the British government to help rebuild their economy thus they notably took on helpful essential roles as Nurses, Bus Drivers, Social Workers and other Key Workers which consequently propelled those British sectors/workforces at the time. Thus that stanza resonated with the English woman, who knew the West Indian woman that she was informing me about.

I was keen to learn more about the honourable woman in question. Moments like these, not just networking but really conversing, sharing opinions, knowledge and ideas really are invaluable. The lady went on to express how much certain points from my poem touched her and so on. An Irishman (very much a Londoner) who performed also, came up to me to express his sentiments on racism and the history of Britain. It turns out we were from the same borough but of different generations. As firm and fair as he felt about my poem and the overall discussion, he still highly complimented my poetry.

I just could not stop blushing from all this feedback, so much so that I had to have a moment to myself. The fact that I was so worried about the verbal delivery being affected by all my last second editing and additions, when neither of which deterred the poem from being received as intended, is just such a victorious feeling. It was less about the poem being liked and more about the people (particularly the Black elders of the Windrush generation in the room) being respected, feeling honoured and the Windrush Scandal vs the Windrush 75th Anniversary factors being given justice through my writing. It was important to me and emotive to many.

I really wanted to record all of the glorious things that people were saying to me and have them say their kind words and beautiful feedback on camera but I knew that they (most) would not have wanted that. I understand that not everything has to be recorded and uploaded as per activity of today's generation however, not only would it have been useful to me professionally but in any case I would have wanted to have their sweet words on record as a keepsake for my own personal memories. I'm more than thankful to have lived these moments regardless. I try to 'be in the moment,' and be as present as possible when good things are happening.

 [Click on the images to enlarge]

The show ended with a joyous rendition of Lean in Me by the host himself and a powerful Singer who goes by the name Funky Mama. That moment of such an uplifting song, with everyone including myself singing along, was SO SWEET. Almost a tearjerker I'd say. Watch clips via the link. The night concluded like church, just as I thought it would, not just because of all the choir robes among us lol, but because of this tight community of people all talking, mingling, walking slowly and discussing all that they had just witnessed as well as general catch-ups of their personal lives no doubt. Everyone was so sweet and friendly. I met plenty of nice people who I genuinely complimented for their performance, as well as a really nice lady who wore the best outfit of the night- that I want to buy myself (an African print trouser suit). 

Apparently The Dial Up concluded the Watford Fringe festival, a Fringe that I only just discovered last month. It was really a great time had and kicked off Black History Month for me perfectly and I look forward to doing more "info-taining" throughout the rest of the month.


Love Lauren

Instagram: @LKreelDeevah

Twitter: @LK_ReelDeevah

Tuesday 10 October 2023

Free Minds for Like Minds (Archived)

[This blog post was archived in November. Some of the following images are blurry but still cute. Multiple photographers. Click on the images to enlarge.]

There is a monthly poetry night at The Dalston Lounge (Dalston Kingland, London) called Free Mind and this is the second time that I've come down. When I performed a few months ago I had a great time and met interesting people with some very interesting occupations, which is one of the many things I love about mingling and networking. Such as when you meet people from various walks of life who can teach you something, I love that.

Last time I recall debuting a new poem at the time but unsure of which one, along with performing readings of two of my old personal favourite throwback poems for the sake of nostalgia. Those poems being My Testimony and Memorise My Lines. Felt good to revive those and to express certain sentiments that some audience members could relate to.

This time being Black History Month (BHM), I really wanted to debut another topical poem however, the poem is so damn long and unedited (as is much of my new writing in recent years), that I simply could not be asked to cram it into my 5-10mins set that would have felt rushed. I expressed this with the audience about being saddened to not have what I was originally going to perform, be ready or polished enough to share. More so that my energy wasn't there to at least give an extract of it despite their encouragement- much to their disappointment (their disappointment from initial excitement of potentially hearing my new material, which felt sweet in its own way). 

As I don't like to disappoint and want to always be able to leave my audience with something to enjoy, I still dropped a few gems for them to hear, think and talk about. Thus similarly to last time, I performed another throwback (Innocence), plus a crowd favourite that was on my mind due to recent experiences (Make Delicious) and a Black empowerment poem of mine titled Passionate Beings. All went down well, and made up for the absence of my new sh*t. The original BHM one was too precious to have been half-arsed, so I'm glad that I decisively didn't cheapen it or disrespect the knowledge and honour of it with a rushed performance, just for the sake of sharing. 

My specially selected substitute poems left the audience with the right amount of joy, food for thought, silence and audience interaction that was intended. Luckily for me, a few people recorded parts of my performance and generously shared their recordings with me which can later be seen on my Instagram.

There were much more people at this event than the previous one and it was noticeably more international than before, since a Poet from Los Angeles (another Lauren aka Coldest Wyntor) came with her group and they were lovely. A foreign accent is nothing new on any day around here but theirs added some extra flavour.

A sweet audience member approached me to tell me how much my poems inspired her as a new Poet and how much she enjoyed my performance, despite not being able to hear the BHM one that she was looking forward to. I met some friends of a 'new to the mic' Poet, whom some of which was coming to a poetry event for the first time and were thoroughly enjoying themselves which is always nice to see. I also bumped into another fellow Poet who I recently connected with from her show last month (Teju Chosen). 

Everyone was just beautifully social. There was a perfect mix of shared interests, smiles, hugs, vocal talent, listening ears and respect.


 

Teju, Wyntor and I ended up hanging out at the bar afterwards having a fun engagement of creative minds and opinions. It's always a pleasure to connect with like-minded positive souls. The Owner, Joshua who is the best and sweetest Host, kept the vibes going with his great DJ'ing (like he was reading our minds with his music). 

I think that one of the American ladies was celebrating their birthday (or birthday week). It was just fun, great vibes all round with the perfect temperature of London's delayed heatwave that many of us are grateful for in this autumn season. There was some food eaten, drinks flowing, drinks offered, laughs had, ideas exchanged, pictures taken, memories and contacts made. Nice one!

I sported one of my proudest haircuts as my own barber, which was well complimented. For a change it was photographed by someone other than myself (or at least with my permission lol) to capture it well from a better angle, so here you go. I often forget about my hair patterns until someone points it out to me in curiosity, shock or admiration, thus it was nice for it to be artistically noticed. I'll give you (whoever is reading this blog) a free poetry book if you can guess or near enough guess, what my unique whimsical design is in the comment section! 

More pics can be seen on my Instagram page.


Love Lauren

Thursday 28 September 2023

Impressionable Fabulous Poetry @ Wanstead (Archived)

[Please note that this blog post was archived in November' 23 to reflect on this September '23 event]


What a fabulous debut to have! I had never heard of Wanstead Fringe until about a month ago and as I love all things art, performance art, all things poetry and Fringe, I just had to find out more. More so, my eagerness to participate was due to the circumstance of being offered a headlining show at Lagos Fringe (in Nigeria) this November, but as the arrangements were becoming far too complex, that booking could not suffice. Therefore I needed to make other plans, and ideally with other Fringe festivals, and here we are.

I'm so glad that I came across this one as it was in an area that I was unfamiliar with, and with Poets that I had not heard of thus everything was new. Moreover, everyone from the Event Organisers (the lovely Chloe) to the audience members and fellow performers, could not have been more welcoming. A cohesive, friendly attitude is not the norm people! Least of all in the world of performing arts/entertainment let me tell you! So this rarity was much valued and enjoyed by the likes of myself and no doubt by everyone else involved.

The venue was nice and quaint, between the cafe area and the performance area. The performance area was perfect for a poetry event. It was an intimate but plentiful setting at the same time, as there was a great turn out. It felt very 'community' like and considering that small Fringe festivals typically target local communities to showcase local talent, to entertain local audiences, my guess is that the locals here are proper patrons of this venue and are in true support of this event. It's beautiful to see, as I have seen in a few other places.

The background, vibe and layout of the tables and chairs reminded me greatly of the music venue 'The Bluebird Cafe' as seen in Nashville (the TV show about the country music industry). The Bluebird in the series was the iconic music bar, frequented by unknown turned famous Musicians to showcase their work. If you know then you know and I know what I'm saying ;-) 

Other than the obvious, the only stand out thing that made this venue feel different from Nashville's Bluebird, was the eye-catching painting of Cillian Murphy. Murphy is the Actor who features in the TV series Peaky Blinders (which I still haven't seen but wish that I caught the theatre production last year though). I know him more from Red Eye and Batman: The Dark Knight.

I absolutely love art, thus naturally gravitate towards various artworks but my word this was magnetic! The likeness was so brilliant, as in real life Murphy does have a striking face and interestingly enough I was debating the other day about him having a pretty face, weird face or menacing face. I'd say he's all of the above really however, as a Filmmaker I stood and stand by the statement of saying that he is perfectly cast in villainous roles. Subsequently, his face, expressions and the painting itself is menacing, yet intriguing and "pretty enough" to raise a smile. It pleasantly distracted me throughout the night. Although I did not get a clear picture of the portrait, hopefully you can spot the painting in the far corner of the background?

 

This may not mean anything to anyone but as a foodie, one who has a great soft spot for M&S (although like every other major retailer they have been slacking A LITTLE the past seven odd years), it pleased my evening and overall comfort greatly to discover a new fruit pack of theirs, that made sure I was sorted (my attitude and stomach) for the night, along with my other snacks. I'll describe that "foodgasmic" moment further on my food blog Deevah's Cravings, but "have ,mercy" did that fruit combo calm my commuting stress nerves and put me in a great mood upon arrival. Food, drinks, seating and toilet use/accessibility all matter a great deal for performers and it is often taken for granted by Promoters or Venue Managers in the gig world, just saying.

Anyway, appetite aside there was a night of extremely diverse, great, eclectic and unforeseen poetry. Very engaging and soothing indeed. I loved all of the variety that we (the entire line-up) had to offer and it seemed like the audience did too.

The poems that left very dear lasting impressions on me were the ones about a Carer's relationship with their patients, that the Poet added a little more theatrical flair to. The one's about their mothers, in specific regard to a Poet sharing his feelings of gratitude for his mother that passed away. Another Poet expressing her respect for her mother's strength in raising her and her sister under their difficult circumstances. The hilariously bold poem by a very charismatic Poet about a love and hate relationship he has towards his home town of Isle of Wight, which left much of the audience embarrassed to laugh at some of the shocking lines given.

I also appreciated the range of ages between us as well as our topics, since the line-up was not of a specific demographic age-wise. Therefore, different ages of the audience had more to appreciate in turn. Actually, the crowd was mainly middle-aged, mature/senior, with few young people and fewer teenagers, enthusiastically soaking in the poetry at this Fringe event.

The teenagers and questionably 'tween-agers' that being typically of 12-14yrs old, made me very concerned about the poems that I decided to perform. I was concerned for the mere fact that more than one of my poems were of adult content with some sexual references and I did not want to disturb their minds nor vex their parents. However, their mothers were present and permissively encouraged me to share what I wanted to share with their green-lit enthusiasm. And so I did. 

Being that I finally edited the final draft of my poem My King, which is to add to my long-awaited special edition of I'm All In. My word (no pun intended yet again), this was my 6th edit people! Good grief, editing is getting harder and painstakingly longer as the years go on, whereas I thought that aging would make me more decisive...but apparently not at least where my art is concerned.

Alas, I was very proud of what I did with this performance as it was cleverly and coincidentally linked in with Alice in Wonderland Day (yes it's a real thing in UK 4th July) when I completed an earlier draft of My King. Since the overall visionary theme of the book is adopted from Alice in Wonderland and is a spin-off of the initial collection's My Queen poem from the Love chapter, which is followed by Heaven...Wonderland in the Lust chapter. I collated all three poems for this event to make for a story, for the audience to take in, connect the symbolism of among themselves and so on. It was a fun, semi-interactive experience. Another one that I wish was officially recorded, although I saw a couple of individuals record some parts with their phones.

What was also really nice is that there was one lady who seemed to be at the event by the force of her mother, and was just there to oblige as opposed to really enjoying herself, but once I began to perform after having given my introduction, her face lit up and she was enjoying the show. Audience connections like that are priceless. The young lady later came up to me, confirming my thoughts and told me how happy she was that I came.

What always completes a performance is not just the applause but the adoring feedback and personal messages direct or indirectly that you get from the audience. The people that come up to you shyly, bashfully (depending on what they want to say) or excitedly to tell you how much they enjoyed your set and want to know where they can find out more about your work; via your products if any or your online presence. Although it can be overwhelming at times, it's fabulous! The Host who had never heard my poetry before and probably didn't know what to expect, was particularly happy and impressed with what she saw and heard from me, so much so that she repeated her thoughts on camera, as seen on my Instagram.

By the end of the night my feet were F'IN KILLING ME, for the worst time in a long time! Not just due to past surgeries for those who know my health history, but due to the debut use of the overdue exhibition of my unused, few birthdays old b'day present being gorgeous, blush pink aka salmon, suede platform stiletto, awfully pointed but well presented, not for walking, just for posing, matches my corset shirt dress, SHOES....yeah. Girly and to some silly, but I simply LOVE beautiful shoes like Cruella DeVil loves real fur, SO THERE! I say with my childish tone. To repeat my word of the day, I looked FABULOUS.


Until My Next Post,

Lauren

Thursday 21 September 2023

Appearing at Wanstead Fringe 2023


It has been a while since I have updated my blog, let alone informed my audience about a performance of mine in advance. I had my reasons. The past month has been great actually, productivity-wise, performance-wise and inspiration-wise. September 2023 has been full of unforeseen opportunities, welcomed offers and things to be grateful for.

In regards to performances it was a pleasure to perform at BYOB Box Park Wembley for the first time, performing a recently written crowd-pleasing poem that I debuted at Verses the month before. I saw some familiar faces (fellow Poets) and met many lovely new ones (Poets and audience members turned new fans), and I sold more books which never gets old. Although I recorded the audio of my performance, unfortunately it didn't record well. I wish there was footage of that night as my outfit alone was amazing if I do say so myself ;-) If anything useful comes up on social media from that night, I'll share it with you.

Two weeks ago I attended the launch night of a new variety show called Words & Whizzdom. This was to support another Poet who I met many years ago when she came to perform on the open mic of my poetry event, Poetic Justice. It's always nice to reconnect with people you have once shared a stage with. 

When you have been performing, promoting and event planning for as long as I have, the poetry and open mic circuit gets smaller and smaller, no matter how big it may be getting to the general public with today's notable amount of weekly poetry/spoken word events (in contrast to a few monthly events 5-10yrs ago), growing commercial names and constant newcomers. In saying that, I relished the ol' skool vibe of this event and seeing familiar acts from back in the day (both Poets and Comedians). Again, you should've seen my outfit, my shoes were just too cute! The heatwave has got me making an extra effort lol.

Anyway, I'm happy to announce that I'll be performing at the spoken word event as part of Wanstead Fringe Festival, along with other poetic headlining acts next week. Information is as follows:


WANSTEAD FRINGE FESTIVAL

SPOKEN WORD NIGHT

WED 27th SEPTEMBER 7pm-9:30pm

@ CITY PLACE
5 CLOCK HOUSE PARADE
WANSTEAD
LONDON, E11 2AG

ENTRY FEE: £8

Sunday 19 March 2023

The Power of a Maternal Figure


[As written on my FB page www.facebook.com/lkreeldeevah for Mother's Day 2023]

This beautiful painting was hung on the corridors of Heaven Hotel in Rwanda and caught my attention everyday, with its sweet family oriented endearment that reminds me of my mother and I.

To echo my sincere sentiments of my annual Mother's Day social posts; I really admire mother figures that come in all walks of life whether that be the Childminder/Nanny/Au Pair who took care of us with responsibility and warmth, a Teacher or Coach who truly cared about us getting ahead in life and our academic achievements, with great pride, encouragement and attention. A kind neighbour (I know someone who calls their neighbour "Aunty" which I think is so sweet as they are that close) who looked out for us on occasion "to add to the village who raises us". Honorary Aunties by action not just title or blood deserve a shout-out here!
And godmothers as I've always repped. The ones who go out of their way to be in their god children's lives and not just with gifts but literally be that extended family member. It's not about blood but about love. To stepmothers who go above and beyond to be an additional parent in the most maternal way in their step-child's life, whether they came into their life as an adult or youth. Too many times I hear of the "evil stepmother" complex, the disruptors who do not have the child's best interest at heart by abusing them or disrupting their relationship with their father (I recently heard this of a friend and it breaks my heart). My poem 'Steps' reflect the stepmothers that I am championing here in the best possible way.
What I referred to 2yrs ago in an old post but cannot find; are the rare and wonderful girlfriends of fathers who bond with you (if it applies) and genuinely wanted to get to know you, earn your trust as opposed to just get along with you for the sake of appearances or getting close to your dad. The ones who willingly accept the package deal so to speak, by making sure you don't feel left out, much love to them!
I respect the kind of female mentors that take someone under her wing and enjoys seeing them prosper, in a mother hen kind of way. Even the ones you may find in a gang for example (which I have witnessed) where they are the oldest and even though they may be getting up to no good as a bad influence, they genuinely look out for the youngings in the crew. Particularly with the more vulnerable ones that have no family/parents, is who they tend to be a mother figure to and I won't deny them that acknowledgement.
Not long ago I wrote and will always highlight, the many grandmothers that end up being the mother and primary guardian to their grandchildren just because life would have it that way, which is usually an economic issue (I sadly hear it in rap songs all the time- J. Cole most recently). When grandmothers move their grandchildren in willingly, with LOVE and responsibility which is technically a burden in any case, that burden is largely appreciated and valued by many individuals that had to be raised by their grandmothers as opposed to their birth mothers. More than one friend of mine comes to mind here, as well as Oprah Winfrey actually (listen to her podcast about her childhood).
I will unapologetically repeat that I am not praising every woman or every mother today. I am literally speaking to MATERNAL mother figures who lovingly and non-regrettably take on this significant role in someone's life.
There are a couple other poems of mine that I wrote years ago where I speak about people that didn't get the chance to be a mother yet due to unfortunate circumstances, where they desperately wanted it but may have miscarried or had a stillbirth and they feel robbed of motherhood. I referred to having hysterectomies, stillbirths and women who only got to enjoy pregnancy in the upcoming months (not to full term). I know there is little comparison and I cannot fully empathise, but to these real people who have lived through such experiences you do have my sympathy and my caring thoughts of you as a "real mother" nonetheless.
To the people that I know personally who are raising their children beautifully and as best they can, "Cheers to you" 🥂. To women that are currently expecting or even in labour today about to meet your babies for the first time, this is for you. For the single or young mothers who are really trying to provide and do well but are terrified and unsure of your selves; BE BRAVE, BE LOVING, APPROACH IT KINDLY and WISELY, just celebrate your motherhood today 😊
For the new adoptive mothers who just got the legal approval of adoption and enjoying every moment of being a parent, which is such a beautiful thing (I'm thinking of a certain YouTuber going through this right now), this is for you 🎉. To women who have literally saved children (not just purchased a child from a poor country by the way, yeah I said it) and taken them in- not necessarily through the foster system but through a way of humanity where you know that you saved their life just by being supportive and caring in a maternal way that is seriously needed BIG UP YOU. This naturally applies to great foster mothers who also open their doors and theirs hearts to care for children in need. Support and love is everything, so if by any chance you have done that then this celebratory post is very much for you 😊.
To birth mothers who raised children with love, grace, guidance, positive purpose and all the sacrifices and all the joys that came with it. I wish you a very happy Mother's Day 🤗
Lastly, I know this does not get said often but I know that there are many mothers who have made some big mistakes in their parenting and have fallen out with the children as a result. Some mistakes are more damaging than others, however as human beings we are all responsible for the decisions that we make so if you have been at fault in this regard (e.g. inflicted harm, pain or neglect as a mother) it is important to take the responsibility and own up to it as opposed to deny or blame your child (I see this common dysfunction far too often).
I say this not to shame but to actually give a SALUTE to the mothers who came to terms with where they have failed in motherhood, check themselves, CORRECT IT and have been ACTIVELY putting in the work to rebuild a relationship with their child/children. To be responsible, rebuild and repair is no easy task. Therefore, if you do not let those hurdles get in your way nor "unforgiveness" from either side get in your way and you're being a better mother, your love is still there, you're still showing it and you're still trying because your love for your child is unconditional, then I do very much wish you a "Happy Mother's Day Day too 😚"


Lauren Kaye