Fusion of the Arts RECAP

Yesterday I had a great time performing at Fusion of the Arts. Camden is a very artsy area and I've performed at a few shows down there however, this one left a slightly greater impression on me. The set-up, their ethos and overall vibe was impressive to me. I loved that there was a mix of Comedians, Musicians and Poets. The eclectic line-up was definitely living up to the name of the event.

While I was on stage fellow Poet politely asked permission to record me live which is so rare! Most people just take out their phones and post your image who knows where without your consent or concern of your comfort. My alliteration wasn't even intentional there lol. As I am cautious and very selective of my image and material being paraded online for all to see, I really appreciated her request "Thank-you."

Looking back at the footage I couldn't help but laugh and cringe at moments that I come out of character or get real intimate with my audience in regard to content and information. You'll understand when you watch.

One of the best compliments that I ever received was when someone said to me "I think you're the best poetry act to ever perform at Fusion of the Arts!" What a compliment, I went home smiling after that.


WATCH THE RECORDING

Feeling Inspired (Radio)

In May 2017 I was invited to appear on East London Radio's new show Inspirational East which also featured an A Capella group called Silk Street Singers. This turned out to be a very interesting interview to say the least with melodies, vocals and poetry.

Please note that there is some adult language in my poetry to be heard- I appear in 32mins. Have a listen and enjoy!

FYI; I mention preferred release dates that have not since gone into effect so don't get your hopes up but bear with me! A creative mind and writer's block have been in deep conflict in recent months. However, I am always getting things done!

Enjoy, enjoy. CLICK HERE

Random Video Clip

Here's a flashback from one of my performance's a year ago while at City Link Up, WATCH VIDEO.

It's one of my more serious spoken word pieces called Mind Your Own. I followed on with a couple of upbeat poems to lift the back up the mood which everyone liked, but it is important to me (and luckily appreciated by many others) that messages from my previous poem get addressed. #RealTalk

Enjoy (simply click on the link)!

Performing for My Black Hereos

In 10 days time I'll be performing a very edu-taining spoken word piece at the Black Heroes Soul Food Café. A show organised by a registered charity called the Black Heroes Foundation that happens to promote and celebrate Black History every month. I am happy to be a part of it and encourage my audience to be also. Tickets are free as long as you register your ticket via Eventbrite. Food will be on sale throughout the evening.

BLACK HEROES SOUL FOOD CAFÉ

Thursday 26th October, 7pm

@ Leilani Restaurant & Ashanti Lounge Bar

14 Lavender Hill

London

SW11 5RW

FREE ENTRY

Prepare to Podcast

Not to mislead you but that title doesn't mean that I am starting a podcast series of any kind, not at this busy time in my life anyway. I am actually going to be a featured guest on one.

I have been invited by the Founder of Shine Out Loud to be a guest on her podcast next month, which I'm very much looking forward to. There are many podcasts, vodcasts, blogs and online media out there, available to people such as myself to promote their work (thankfully) however, what makes me particularly happy to participate with this one is their level of professionalism. You don't see it often, or at least I certainly do not see it often and my standards are high when it comes to handling business matters on a professional level.

It is refreshing, encouraging and lovely to see, especially being that Shine Out Loud specifically promotes individuals of Black and Ethnic Majority communities. BIG UP to all the proactive, inspirational, independent media outlets out there who are doing their thing; authentically, with heart and with class. I understand that in most circumstances it takes inaccessible funding to get things started as well as to keep things up and running but you cannot buy class. It's an invaluable attribute to have especially when dealing with guests, let alone your audience.

From what I have seen Shine Out Loud is positive and productive, therefore I encourage you to check out the website and listen to the upcoming live recording of my guest appearance.

Tune in live WEDNESDAY 11th OCTOBER 2017 

8-9pm online via www.shineoutloud.tv

On Cloud 'Diva'

Long-time no blog, well in regard to this blog anyway.

For my audience that follows my blog as opposed to my Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn pages, I am letting you know that I finally have a Soundcloud page! Yep, I've jumped on that bandwagon and it's well overdue I agree as Spoken Word is where a lot of my work is at. However, it was not a priority as it just adds to the workload in my preoccupied opinion. I was also concerned that having a collection of my audio online (for free no less) may prevent listeners from being encouraged to see and hear me perform in person (which is NOT THE ONE) and I was worried about having certain recorded poems on my Soundcloud that I'd like to reserve for the audio CD of my current poetry book as well as my upcoming book. These are all valid reasons- not an excuse, either way my case is rested and I catered for my audience with another profile for some accessible media.

Bear in mind that there is only one recording uploaded so far BUT it does include 3-5 of my poems throughout the hour's recording taken from my appearance on Poet's Anonymous this year. In a way it is like having 5 uploaded tracks I'd like to think. When I have more, I will give more, all within due time (there is so much going on creatively at the moment). Take a listen, follow and enjoy in the meantime ;-)

FYI; that picture of me that I edited into the logo to complement this blog post nicely, is one of my favourite pics ever by the way. It was from one of my previous birthdays when I went to Paris and Morocco in the same week. Definitely a vanity moment that was if I do say so myself, my cream outfit was so on point! The matching gloves which I have since lost, those sickkkk boots that I adored and still own ahh....it's no wonder I was given the name 'Diva,' just saying.

As I toot my own horn and create more media for you to go across my profile pages that now include a Soundcloud (smiling), I wish you a fantastic day my lovelies ;-)

The Greatness of Performing (Video)

My last two performances provided me with two of the most magnificent weekends of the year so far. Really they did and contributed to the continued celebration of my 30th nicely. Even more so to my goal of building more fun, joyful, happy memories as opposed to just working and stressing all the time. Although, when I perform I am doing it for professional reasons and in a professional manner therefore it is still work, I make sure to enjoy every minute of it now which just makes for a happier lifestyle. Try it, it works!

It's ironic because although I knew that these were great opportunities that I would benefit from, these two shows were also the upcoming appearances that I dreaded the most due to the circumstance. Being that they were both outside my main concern was my hay fever. Hay fever sufferers know exactly what I am talking about as being outside is not a joy sometimes, when you are trying to cope with watery eyes, itchiness and excess sneezing or what have you. My allergies have been quite manageable up till a couple years ago and now I have to take extreme measures to keep it intact which is most annoying and so not cute when you're trying to perform!

Especially if you are performing something serious or even comedy actually. In fact, the organisers at Crystal Palace asked me to perform my infamous Pest Control monologue that people seem to really love and remember me most for in regard to my online videos, but as that is such an 'in character' role that cannot be broken in order to remain effective, I simply could not take the risk on this occasion. However, I will always deliver, and that I did with my performance of other crowd favourite comedic pieces of mine that went without a hitch (just sweat lol) as I read my poetry.

My performance at Well Street Market's live stage was a half hour set to a warm, hyper and loving crowd. A good supportive, ready to be entertained and 'cheer you on' audience makes all the difference let me tell you. I am used to doing a good show don't get me wrong but a great crowd makes for a much better experience. This crowd was beautiful whereas I was prepared to perform to an audience that may not have cared much for poetry, considering that I was the only poetic act and the act before me was a DJ having everyone dancing so it was a dramatic change of pace but all was well.

My poems were received well, fell on attentive listening ears, great interaction and plenty compliments afterwards which was lovely. More than one person said that I made them emotional with my words and two people called me "Amazing." I had reasons to get big headed but as usual I just got "stupidly modest" as a friendly stranger described. I just loved the energy of the people at Well Street Market including the stall holders that had some very interesting and attractive crafts. A Dressmaker/Jewellery-maker (Freedom Country GH) really caught my attention as well as a fellow Greeting Card-maker (Sweet Design Studio) I met, who also happened to be attending the greeting card industry tradeshow that I was attending the following week. Everyone was so creative and so nice! Book sales, praise and a happy, entertained pleasant group of people is what I left with. That and the lovely sunshine that followed tanning my legs nicely, led to a wonderful evening where I met some more great people with my food blogging interviews later at a change of location.

 

The Crystal Palace Overground Festival was bigger than I thought it would be, the crowds were quite large across all areas of the park between food stands, stages and craft stalls. I am sure the heatwave had much to do with that, the hot sunny weather always brings out numbers and smiles I love it! I hadn't been to Crystal Palace in well over 10 years so it was fun for me with that in mind. There were positive vibes all round and the food stands (always my area of expertise) had more to offer than I anticipated as can be seen on my food blog.

I was the closer of the 'Up and Coming' set from the Spoken Word Tent, which was unplanned but worked out nicely, sweating profusely (it was a hectic morning) I verbally strutted my stuff and composed myself. It was quite the moment for me but a lot of fun nonetheless. It was also nice to see some familiar faces including my family who came down to support me and the Presenter/Producer from Poet's Anonymous radio show (via my Croydon Radio interview that can be heard on my new Soundcloud page). It was all love and the feedback was wonderful.

Until next time,

@LK_ReelDeevah

Overground to the Festival

Great news; I have been chosen to be one of the performers at this eclectic festival in Crystal Palace in just a couple weeks' time. I will be performing Saturday afternoon June 17th at the Spoken Word Tent, where you will also see Comedians, Actors as well as other Poets throughout the day. Renowned Poet Lemn Sissay will also be making an appearance later in the evening!

The festival itself is free with various shows and activities happening between 12th-18th June, at various locations. Please go to the website for further information https://crystalpalacefestival.org/

This is my first time attending and participating in this festival so I am very much looking forward to it. Come down to the Spoken Word Tent at the start of the afternoon to catch my performance and later engage in other shows, stalls and activities for you and the family.

CRYSTAL PALACE OVERGROUND FESTIVAL

SPOKEN WORD TENT- 'UP & COMING'

12pm-12:30pm Sat 17th June

Crystal Palace Park

Thicket Road

London

SE19 2GA

Update- Projects, Performances & Appearances

Hello my lovelies, I hope that you've had a nice weekend, mine was fabulous all throughout and I don't get to say that often so I am very pleased.

It is May already! Since my last blog post nearly 4 weeks ago, I was telling you about my upcoming performance at Beyond Words which is tomorrow 7pm for all my poetry lovers.

I'll be returning to ELR this weekend for their new radio show 'Inspirational East' 2pm Saturday 6th May, of which has me very intrigued. Tune into that live (online radio) if you can.

Additionally I'll be performing on the Live Entertainment stage of Well Street Market Saturday 3rd June. A market may seem quite unconventional or unexpected of me however, as long as it is positive I am willing to try new things and new environments of creativity. Even more so I like what this unique market does for their community and I'll like to work with them in the future. Come down, shop and be entertained!

Between the time I have been working hard as usual, writing and planning between THREE different books and the projects that surround them which includes the special edition of my last book, as well as a food book but I'll give more info about that nearer toward the time. All the while making my much adored cards and capitalising on my wedding services.

I know it seems excessive however, I do try cut down my workload but then that just leads to postponing current projects in mind for a later time and like most creative people I am concerned about the NOW. I want my vision to be created now, while I am still motivated and have a strategically timed plan in place, before I start thinking of new projects to work on- which is inevitable. It's all good ;-)

Needless to say orders for my products and services between my personal projects are unavoidable. I WELCOME THEM WITH OPEN ARMS and they pay my bills. Speaking of which, Father's Day is around the corner and it's someone's birthday everyday so seriously busy or not I am happy to make someone's day for you with one of my Custom Poetry Greeting Cards™. Look at what one of my happy customers posted on Facebook recently about my cards (I copied and pasted an extract of her comment):

"....... 110% creativity. Was touched that such a milestone was celebrated in a unique way. Her way with words is amazing. I'm fortunate to have experienced her passion for lighting up people's world using cards and poems whilst incorporating their life experiences. This thoughtful insight makes her cards and poems very much more than pen to paper. Fast forward 2.5 years my card is still displayed proudly on my mantlepiece and memories of her poems are at the forefront of my mind. Sheer and utter amazing!"
-K. Williams

It's all good, it's all good. With that said I am wishing everyone a good week and I hope that you can come and see or hear me perform at either of the above.

Miss Lauren Kaye

Going Beyond Words

I'll be performing at Beyond Words next month in South London. It was nice to be invited to feature at the event by the organiser who I met at Croydon Radio studios not too long ago. Unfortunately Croydon Radio has since been closed down which is such a shame as it was a great community online platform, plus my guest appearance on Poet's Anonymous was one of the best interviews and sharing of my poetry that I've experienced so that was sad to see. This also means that the link I posted to the podcast of my interview can no longer be accessed considering that it was taken directly from the website. All data from the website has been closed along with the studio! Here is the link to the interview with my poetry readings throughout the show via my new Soundcloud page.

Until then rather than hearing my poetry you can see me perform my poetry at this event. I'll share a variety of poems and my performance it guaranteed to go beyond just feeding you with words!

BEYOND WORDS

Tues 2nd May, 7pm

@ The Gypsy Tavern

79 Gypsy Hill

London

SE19 1QH 

Entry: £4 OTD, £3 concession

#WorldPoetryDay

There are so many national and international days of celebration that it's hard to keep up these days! I nearly missed out on this one despite it being in my field.

BIG UP TO ALL POETS EVERYWHERE! Especially my natural born, die hard, for the art, lover of words and meaning, thoughts and feeling Poets out there. Really, the one's that give me goosebumps whenever I hear them perform or read their words and can feel all their emotions through the page. Those people are the sh*t to me. There's no other way to get my point across to put it bluntly.

Spoken word and poetry has become such a popular form of entertainment now that it's losing its authenticity and many people are just jumping on the bandwagon just because, very much like Hip Hop since the style is similar although poetry is obviously older. My point is; what was once true and raw has become or is becoming commercial. When it becomes commercial it loses heart and it's harder to appreciate it sometimes. Some of you may understand that more than others.

I've loved poetry since I first got introduced to it as a child in primary school and have been writing poetry since I was 7yrs old so the role it plays in my life has got nothing to do with what's on trend. It became a big part of my business endeavours by inevitable circumstance although it wasn't planned. However, what I am happy about in regard to poetry getting so much shine these days is that it is being taken more seriously in the business world, publishing and academia. No longer in the back of the bookstore per se, considered to be too niche or irrelevant. Even more so, it is not ignored so much by Venue Managers, DJ's and Promoters now when you say that you want to host a Spoken Word/Poetry event. I know the struggle in that regard because I have been there but now venues (bars and clubs) are much more open to the idea of holding such event than they used to be. Now that it reaches a wider audience, there is much more opportunity now than ever before and that is wonderful.

Writers of fiction are still taken more seriously especially when it comes to awards and publishing deals however, the poetry genre has come up in recent years and the growing popularity- celebrity even, of Spoken Word Artists in particular has had a great effect on closing that gap. I have to say that if it wasn't for social media, online videos and open mic events, poetry world not be as impactful as it is today.

Either way I am happy to be a part of it, to have poetry in my life whether it be for an audience or not, even more so as one would expect I am beyond delighted and grateful that some of my poetry has been immortalised with the publishing of my book (self-publishing has also changed the game for Poets/Spoken Word Artists) and for the many books of me to come. My soul bearing, candid and oftentimes daring poetry is being appreciated, shared, purchased, critiqued and complimented by others.......still takes some getting used to but the bottom line is that it has contributed to the lives of others as well as mine, thus contributing to this day and that is what I am celebrating. Poetry has enhanced my way of life.

Again I say BIG UP to Poets everywhere. And to Poetry, may you forever have heart.

The 20th Anniversary of World Book Day

I have only been celebrating this since last year and happy to do so. Not just because I have written a book with a few others in the making but because I am pro-literacy, knowledge, stories and publishing altogether. Books are wonderful, depending on which ones you read of course. Took me by great surprise that it's now in its milestone 20th year and I've only just gotten wind of it but better late than never!

In honour of World Book Day I am happy to share that my poetry book I'm All In just got its 8th fifth star on Amazon! BIG UP!!! And THANK-YOU to the readers who not only took the time to fully read my book but also made the time to endorse it with your wonderful reviews. Thank-you SO MUCH. It pleases me to no end that my poems in my debut collection entertained you so.

So glad to have broken out of film despite that it was my die hard passion, expanded in media (inevitably) to get involved in publishing. Publishing is a whole new world that has been an amazing journey of knowledge and creativity thus far.

The last few books I read were French and Spanish novels which served well for my language learning. However, I do prefer reading factual information for the sake of feeding my brain. Children reading is very important (start as early as possible!) of which I had more patience for at the time. Other than reading fairy tales at home, one of the first books I had to read from school at 6 years old was The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, quite a thick book for someone of that age but entertaining enough to get through.

My favourite Authors as a child were Roald Dahl (still have all his books) and Jacqueline Wilson. Wilson made plenty appearances last year and the year before, a couple of which were at the Royal Festival Hall I believe but sadly I was unable to attend. Last year Roald Dahl had a big anniversary being 100 years since his birth, I had to tweet about that as his work contributed a lot to my childhood. We, of course, cannot talk about great Writers without the mention of Shakespeare, not to be predictable or corny as I was always a genuine fan since school.

My favourite play of his till this day is A Midsummer's Night Dream, the lyrics in that are too funny. What a brilliant mind......I do not care for the opinions of others who say that he was a fraud and wrote with a Ghost Writer. "Not tryna hear it." Naturally I joined in the celebrations of the 400th anniversary of his death last year. If only he knew his work would be so influential, famous and transcendent. I have never seen so many adaptations of one person's work! I mean how many times do we need to see or hear of another Romeo & Juliet, Hamlet or Othello??! #Legend

Due to all the anniversary's, deaths and film adaptations of some of the greats I want to read more of writing from the likes of Maya Angelou, P.L. Travers, Rudyard Kipling, Harper Lee and Lewis Carroll. I know some of their names are just pen names but their legacy remains the same. I love that Maya Angelou was successful, praised and made famous before death which is rear. Her death was devastating to me but I was happy to have caught the new documentary of her this week Imagine...Maya Angelou: Still I Rise.

I want to also take this opportunity to say; for all the adults out there who are illiterate and want to or hesitate to learn how to read IT IS NEVER TOO LATE! GO AND LEARN! There is absolutely no need and no excuse to limit yourself to such basic life-skills, when you are in the position of accessibility. Go out and read dammit. DO NOT BE ASHAMED either. There is no shame with self-improvement at any age.

Happy Reading

Great Interview with Croydon Radio

The weekend leading up to Valentine's Day was absolutely wonderful. I just wanted to perform, spread love and immerse in all the joy of it and sell books- goal accomplished!

I had a fantastic time performing at The Dial Up in Watford at a pleasant cozy venue, with a very pleasant audience- who bought my books. The Hosts were great and accommodating, so much so that they wanted me on again in the second half! Another Poet gave me the best compliment I've received of late by saying something like "Mind if I put you in an analogy? If poetry were football you'd be Manchester United and I'll be a small team that no one knows!" What a comparison, he's actually a good himself he's just playing himself short, but I have to say that compliment had me feeling good about myself all weekend. It was just a great vibe all night, worth the journey yes indeed.

Some of my readers may recall that I posted information about appearing on Croydon Radio last month, it actually ended up being rescheduled but it was for the best. I feel jinxed when it comes to radio interviews however, at the same time I feel extremely lucky as this is the second time that the second time (booking) worked out fantastically well. I do not think that if I was able to be a guest for the original scheduled appearance that it would have turned out so well or not nearly as fun.

This was a fun interview and it was a pleasure to participate alongside another Poet Ruth Smith, reading our poems and being interviewed. Naturally this was an opportune time to promote my book of love poems with Valentine's Day approaching, but it was nice to read some poems that I normally don't get to such as Unpack which was received very well and I was also happy to read a poem by one of my favourite Poets Tupac Shakur (yes I mean 2pac the Rapper). Much like a couple of my previous interviews, I appreciated being asked questions about my publishing journey and advice to give to others. Always happy to inform and info-tain.

LISTEN to the radio's podcast featuring several of our performances via the link. I know that the second picture is blurry, I apologise but I still wanted it to go to use as I am cuter in that one than the clear wide-shot despite it not being my best day.

Remember that I am performing back at Once Upon A Mic in East London this Friday. Follow the previous link for more info.

You can also follow me on Twitter @LK_ReelDeevah and like my Facebook page Miss Lauren Kaye #Happy2connect #Network

Valentine's Performances

For those that have read my book I'm All In you'll know that Valentine's Day is one of the things that it was intended for. Therefore, I'm glad to say that I will be performing around this day of romance, selling and promoting my book while I am at it. Sales aside, this is exciting for me as these events and topic in question are usually a great deal of fun for both me and my audience. As I had such a good time performing at Once Upon A Mic during my book tour last summer, I am more than happy to return to their friendly crowd among a diverse group of performers for this occasion. More information is below, hope to see you there.

THE DIAL UP

Saturday 11th Feb, 7:30pm-10pm   

@ Hidden Bar

2 Market Street  

Watford   

WD18 0PD  

 FREE ENTRY

 ONCE UPON A MIC
 Friday 24th Feb, 8pm-11pm  
@ Upstairs at The Castle
44 Commercial Road
Aldgate
E1 1LN
£4 Eventbrite, £5 OTD

In the meantime time I will encourage you to compliment your gift or flowers with the perfect, impressionable card which so I have seen and hear, DOES NOT get any more personal, impactful or impressionable than my Custom Poetry Greeting Cards™. Find out for yourself if you don't believe me, I am not one to just toot my own horn I go my feedback and experience. The greatest achievement of even creating this service was not just the satisfaction of making quality products but the happiness that it has brought to my customers- it's simply priceless! It is a fact that personal gifts leave the best impressions. Anyone can buy something generic however, it does not mean that you will be remembered or admired for it. Just saying ;-)

I shall #SpreadTheLove!

Appearance on Croydon Radio

Quite a few appearances on radio have been made by me the past year and some, mainly pertaining to my book tour which included Conscious Radio with Judith Jacobs in October 2015, Poets & Poetry Show in June 2016 and The Talk in July 2016, followed by The Food Show on East London Radio a few months ago. It was refreshing to do the food one as I was there to talk about my food writing and my Deevah's Cravings blog as opposed to my poetry book. It is so nice to get recognised for your other work.

I personally love radio, when I was at college studying Media I always saw myself as a Radio Presenter interviewing others as opposed to me being the interviewee for the most part but life has its own way of going against your plans lol.

This time I will be on Croydon Radio Sunday 12th Feb 2017 at 2pm, where I and another guest will feature on the Poets Anonymous show, discussing and performing our poetry. I will also be discussing the upcoming special edition of I'm All In.

Listen out for me on the show and if the opportunity permits itself feel free to call in and ask (polite) questions ;-)

@LK_ReelDeevah