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

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

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

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

Representing Hope

 

There was a very nice, quick, convenient and damn near perfect video that I recorded to get my message across better, but the damn thing deleted KMT. Another reason that I conflict with technology and social media often. Anyway, I'll just stay in my lane and write.

Around this time last year I was a featured act at a poetry event called Premier Poets. The Promoter who invited me as a part of the line-up, picked me because of a hilarious poem (if I do say so myself) that I performed at a nearby event a month prior, which left a lasting impression on him. It was that first impression from that one poem (You Were Tangfastic) that made him believe that I was more of a comic Poet and that most of my material would be comically driven. 

Much of my material is funny but not most. I, as I am sure many other Writers and Poets may feel the same, get quite annoyed when my entire body of unseen or unheard work gets judged or grouped into one box just from one performance, it makes no sense. I am a diverse Poet/Writer who writes about anything from food to society, to religion, health, finances, vanity, all down to domestic abuse. My topics and range are wide and random.

In saying that, I remember being very cautious in preparation of that night and was very indecisive of what poems to bring. This was because I knew what was expected of me but I didn't want to "keep it light" just to please others (especially if I wasn't being paid to do so, whereas I would have respected a contractual commission if that were the case). However, there was a poem that I had recently finished although it took me over a year to complete, it was very dear to my heart and I was eager to share it despite any potential backlash. When I say "backlash" I don't necessarily mean for it to be met with anger or offence but it was a very emotive piece that would either sadden or p*ss off the audience in some way because it was about suicide. 

Suicide and euthanasia are sensitive subjects that most people dismiss, brush off or judge hastily, usually in a manner to shut down the conversation in order to not address the discomfort of it any further. My poem Selfish, thoroughly addresses that discomfort and not necessarily from the perspective of the 'victim' so to speak, but of the friend of the suicidal individual who is trying to be understanding amidst their own selfishness of what they want and believe is right in regard to their friends choices and personal struggles. I personally think it is one of the most maturely addressed, emotional, deep and daring poems that I have ever written. I am very proud of it and glad that I brought it to the table that night regardless of the discomfort that filled the room. My poetry isn't made for the comfort of others, although in many cases my poetry has brought many an audience comfort, nevertheless it was made for me to express my thoughts, feelings and creativity thus to share as I see fit. You may like it or you don't.

What I did not realise that night or when completing the final draft of the poem, was that it was Suicide Prevention Awareness Week in the UK, Suicide Awareness Month in USA, nor did I know that it was World Suicide Prevention Day the week before. I was unfamiliar with all of that, as these were new public events as far as I was concerned however, it made it more appropriate to share such daring material to a hopefully more receptive crowd. Therefore I introduced the poem as such to slightly prepare them for what was to come. It left quite the impression indeed and as all year (2019-2020) it had me drowning in tears from my own empathy and heightened emotions. 

The Promoter wasn't too happy with my first choice of content, not that I cared. I still got a lot of love and support from the audience afterwards which was soothing. Also being the well experienced Spoken Word Artist that I am, I already knew to have a completely different poem to bring back the uplifting momentum afterward with one of my sexy poems and they really clapped, clicked and hollered with that one (of course). All was well and I was one of the most cheered acts of the night despite that it could have gone completely left, but it ended up so right.

I was happy with my decision and even happier that my poem brought some more awareness to others on how to check themselves when communicating with someone who is suicidal. I mentioned this on a previous post I did last October.

When I was shaving my head into my long desired pattern of the Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics as painted on my wall, it was to honour myself of my personal growth and to remind myself of how far I have come in certain areas of my life. As opposed to just having a painting on my wall in the hope of good luck and passive naivety, in recent years I acted on it (the hieroglyphics meaning Life, Health and Happiness) directly to have the 'fortune' come into fruition. My chosen hair pattern was me honouring the things that I have actively done to bring more value to my life, to improve my health with more awareness, as well as how I have brought and tried to maintain happiness with mindfulness.

As well as to inspire others who may need to honour certain aspects of their lives more for the sake of their wellbeing. A staff member of the hotel that I was staying at, came up to me demanding (in a friendly manner) to know who did my hair considering that it was unlikely that I went to a local barber. I boastfully enlightened him that I was my own barber and did it myself, which took him by complete surprise (as per usual reaction) and after I explained that the symbols mean Life, Health and Happiness along with me honouring Suicide Awareness at the same time, he then pointed out to me "Oh, you're representing HOPE!" I said "Exactly. Yes indeed that is exactly what I am doing."

Not to get too deep or philosophical on you lot, but Hope, Fear, Faith and Doubt....among other emotions but those four are the most poignant to what I am trying to say; these emotions have so much power and control over us. Much of our behaviour and decisions are driven by said emotions. Therefore if my little hair cut can inspire something as powerful and positive as HOPE, then I am the one who is honoured. 

Love Lauren

I'm Hysterical- Take 2

A couple of years ago, time flies so fast, I had a great time performing at a spoken word event called You're Hysterical. On my last appearance I performed a throwback poem of mine from nearly a decade ago appropriately titled 'Short Cummings,' that both cracks up and pisses off the crowd depending on who has experienced that dilemma. Along with another throwback comical poem and one more from my book. With this upcoming appearance I will be performing all new poems that I can't wait to share.

As I get asked about my book all the time and still want to cater to loyal fans, if you attend this event with poems from my book in mind rest assure that I'll be carrying SIGNED COPIES WITH ME, packaged nicely in promotion of its 4th anniversary.

My performance in question that is taking place next month, is in fact (used to be spelled as one word 'infact' according to the diction I knew growing up in England) being featured in the celebrations of their 2 year anniversary. There is much to celebrate, come on down!

THURS 12th SEPTEMBER 7pm-10pm

@ THE STAR OF KINGS

126 YORK WAY, KINGS CROSS

LONDON N1 0AX

ENTRY FEE: £5

More info on Facebook

I have 2 complimentary tickets available on a first come (be the first to notify me and I'll reserve them for you) first serve basis, so contact me asap to snatch those up ;-)

She Grrrowls (Performance)

Next week I'm performing at the well known Poetry Café in London. There will be an all female line-up hence the title I suppose, and depending on my level of satisfaction after completing this new piece I'm writing....I will share it with the audience. Everyone loves an exclusive. For some strange reason I have not been able to finish a poem for myself this year, or I'd finish one but wouldn't feel comfortable sharing it so lately it's a big deal if I actually do complete and share!

My performance will be the sh*t either way don't get it twisted ;-)

SHE GRROWLS

Fri 7th Dec 7pm

@ The Poetry Café

22 Betterton Street

Convent Garden

WC2H 9BX

TICKETS: £2-5.00

More info on Facebook and Eventbrite.

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)!

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

#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.

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!

City Link Up Again

For the second time I'll be performing at the City Link Up showcase in Camden Town. I had a great time being a part of their line-up in April as part of my book tour, alongside some great Musicians that I liked so much that I had to find them on Soundcloud and listen to them repeatedly! I do not get to say that too often.

Glad to be invited back and I look forward to performing some new poems of mine.

CITY LINK UP

Wed 14th December, 7pm

@ Undersolo Bar

22 Inverness Street

Camden 

London

NW1 7HJ

FREE ENTRY

Sunday Roast for Book Tour

A random booking for an additional date this month has been added to my I'm All In book tour. Therefore, I am performing tomorrow at Sunday Roast. Naturally I have been performing other poems of mine that don't pertain to my book, between the time e.g. I performed at Poet's Corner earlier this week as it's one of my favourite shows and I jump on some open mic's when I can.

I'm personally looking forward to wedding bookings this year as those really get me going because the occasion is so celebratory, poems from my book are opportune for that also. To book me as part of your wedding entertainment simply comment below or contact me via the details on my 'Introducing...' page.

Buy a paperback copy of I'm All In via Infiniti Promotions, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and Lulu. Hardback copies are currently only available on Infiniti Promotions (Shop Infiniti) and Lulu.com.

If you can't make it to the show but want to keep up with my performances and other book tour appearances just Sign up to my newsletter. My next issue is due next week, the last one which was full of positive vibes and info-taining content has received a lot of great feedback (Thank-you!), so join my mailing list ASAP to not miss out. Look forward to my signature quote of the day, update on my products, tour dates, pictures & videos (sometimes more than what's on my blog), as well as snippets of my blog articles which includes my Deevah's Cravings food blog!


SUNDAY ROAST
Sunday 26th June, 7pm
@ Tabernacle
34-35 Powis Square
London
W11 2AY

FREE ENTRY

I Got Poetry Luv (Book Tour)

The performances I've done this week have been great and borderline epic for one of them in particular. Without losing my mojo I have a next one coming up before I go to Birmingham as part of my promotion tour later next week.

POETRY LUV
Tuesday 17th May 2016, 7pm
Looking Glass
49 Hackney Road
Shoreditch
London
E2 7NX

£5 ENTRY FEE


Alongside other Poets I'll be going all in with my performance as you can imagine. See you there- but if you cannot make it you can simply purchase my book online!

Buy your paperback copy via Infiniti Promotions, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble. Please note that hardback copies are currently only sold via Infiniti Promotions (Shop Infiniti and Lulu.com).

Sign up to my newsletter in the meantime to keep up with my tour, shows, products and blog articles. Why not check out my last one 'My Videos & Purple Reign' while you're at it, click here.

Book Tour cont/Muzikal Seduction

After a fantastic experience at Poet's Corner's 1st year anniversary last night where I performed for the sake of participation and celebration (and smashed it), I will continue on with my book tour with an appearance at Muzikal Seduction tomorrow evening.

The event name is very much like the poems from my latest collection- particularly the chapter of Lust, as I intend to verbally seduce the audience with my poetry.

Performing and selling books on site. Come see me, get a signed copy and enjoy the show.

If you can't make it but still want a signed copy simply order through my sponsors website Infiniti Promotions.








I'm All In Book Tour

MUZIKAL SEDUCTION
Thursday 12th May, 7:30pm
@ The Masons Arms
665 Harrow Road
Kensal Green
London
NW10 5NU

£5 Entry Fee

Performing @ Frogs & Jays (Book Tour)

Continuing on with my book tour for I'm All In, I'll be performing a Frogs and Jays poetry event 26th May 2016.

Frogs & Jays
Thurs 26th May 2016, 7pm
@ Lion Coffee + Records
118 Lower Clapton Rd
London
E5 0QR

FREE ENTRY

World Poetry Day 2016

I have never seen so much appreciation for the art and literature of poetry as I see today. World Poetry Day and National Poetry Day, although both old (ish) now, only came to my attention the last couple of years due to its popularity. I'll gladly celebrate World Poetry Day today as a Poet, as an Author of poetry, a lover of poetry and because poetry is my lover, period. I wrote a poem some years ago to prove that last point, as will be featured in my next book.

In celebration of this day I encourage you to indulge in my poetry products whether it be my Custom Poetry Greetings Cards™, my book or my performances (including bookings).

Love poetry!