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

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

World Days (Real Talk So Pay Attn)

This month is jam packed with PSA days, for lack of a better term considering that they are not holidays, as it is no longer just Black History Month (in the UK) but it is also Domestic Violence Awareness Month which I only just came to know of, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Mental Health Week which I could have sworn already took place this summer and soon found out that in the UK it takes place in May and in USA it's November, I am still a little confused of what 'week' is actually taking place here. Today is World Mental Health Day and one of the charities that I used to work with informed me that it is World Homeless Day.

Without having known that it was World Homeless Day as I'm very mindful about the state of homelessness regardless of dates, I have been looking for a certain frail older homeless woman who I used to see around my area, to give her an old puffer coat of mine. I attempted to find her again and of course she cannot be found nor any other homeless woman who it would fit which is a shame. I initially found my adored white Nike puffer hard to depart with, being that it was a gift but fact has it that I don't wear it anymore and only hold onto it for sentimental reasons. I would rather give it to someone who would make better use of it such as keeping them warm in the streets at night. 

The homeless epidemic in major cities in 'first world countries' is surreal. I mean really, we can have all these unnecessary intrusive new buildings erecting and gentrifying the place for profit, without concern of neighbourhood locals, nor the environment which is damaging our soil, land, roads and certainly the air from excessive release of TOC (Toxic Organic Compounds which are harmful chemicals found in most everyday building materials), yet the government can't afford more homeless shelters or NOT to cut benefits such as full Housing Benefit and Council Tax benefit to PREVENT homelessness!

It is this sh*t that leads to widespread poverty, crime and anti-social behaviour between classes (more homeless people being attacked and more homeless/poor people attacking others). There is not one full commute that I can do without the sadness or frustration of someone begging for money on the train and nowadays it's getting more aggressive, such as when a random homeless man verbally attacked me inside McDonald's making everyone uneasy. There are not many ATM's or supermarkets that I can go to without a homeless person sitting directly next to it, more and more inner city roads (including the most expensive of areas by the way) are being filled with rough sleepers. It is so fuc*king sad. Do not be offended by my profanity, be offended by the conditions that a growing population of the public are subjected to.

I can't believe how good most of us (Londoners I can speak for) had it prior to the new millennium. There were poor people and yes there was crime and judgement towards others living a certain way but nowhere as bad as it is today, not when I was growing up. I know my posts of awareness, giving what I can when I can afford to like some food, money or old clothes cannot change the world but I really wish I could 😪.

The following is also taken from my recent Facebook page posts; depending on your generation and your culture, many of you including myself, would see counselling or seeking help with your mental/emotional issues as a bad thing. I am not jumping on the whole trending 'let's talk about mental health' campaign train here, I am giving you real talk with authenticity based on my personal experience and what I have witnessed. When I was really going through heavy tribulations more than once, at first I was in denial of how bad it was as I was basically taught to just 'soldier on' which worked for a while, externally anyway. Then sh*t hit the fan and I knew I was imploding. 

I was honest with myself and decided to seek help via NHS IAPT which was a terrible waste of time. Unfortunately, the Therapist I saw was an inconsiderate, cold and somewhat unprofessional lady who added to my resentment of medical professionals. Even when I asked for a new Therapist at a location closer to where I lived, her superior was equally unhelpful. I never sought counselling again. Therefore I lost out on what could have been effective treatment due to a poor service of bad communication thus I continued to let my problems manifest.

However, years later when I recognised that my emotional distress was getting the better of me once again I was fortunate enough to have a lovely medical practitioner offer me a Mindfulness programme and I took it. It was WONDERFUL! I have mentioned this before but seriously it calmed me down, helped me better manage my stress, anxiety and OCD, as well as my relationship with myself and others- many of which I just had to let go. It also made my physical pain from other health problems decrease because they became easier to manage with my new set of tools that I now bring into my everyday life. My breathing is slightly better too thank goodness!

Mindfulness and writing poetry has seriously enriched my life. A POSITIVE OUTLET is helpful and necessary in whatever form. Seeking help is necessary, vital and shameless. Far too often I see people turn to drugs (whatever its class), alcohol, anti-social behaviour and tantrums to escape or cover up their issues, masking their pain. Hence bullies, abusers, people that are an arse for no reason, those who are disruptive or walk around angry all the time. Be kind and honest with yourself. Seek help, find the health method that works for you and live a better life as a result. Best wishes to all. For every medical professional, friend, family member and the stranger that kindly asked me if I was OK during my tribulations and turmoil, I VALUE AND APPRECIATE YOU DEARLY. I know for a fact that I have blogged those very words before....

Alas, in light of helping yourself out by confronting your issues, watch this spoken word performance of mine.

On 11th September again via my Facebook page I posted what some may describe as a cryptic post in regard to World Suicide Prevention Day (10th Sept), National Suicide Month in USA, as well as National Suicide Prevention Week in UK. To summarise I was saying that there is a serious poem that I began writing a couple of years ago and semi-completed this year that I have been hesitating to share. Much of my recent writing has been extremely emotive lately across various scenarios but I know that this particular piece is so sensitive that it'll divide and most likely p*ss off the crowd. It is important to understand that not every form of entertainment or information is catered to your liking. Often times it is just made for your awareness if not understanding. My unheard poem is about a different aspect of suicide that often gets overlooked and what 'we' in society are expected not to say or think. All perspectives count whether we agree or not. 

I think it is an important message so I may share it some day, somewhere or just to someone if necessary but it can wait. What I will share is "Just be kind TO YOURSELF" if and when you are experiencing suicidal despair. To those witnessing suicidal behaviour- with judgement "Try to BE KINDHEARTED and patient to what they are going through." None of us can tell someone how to feel nor claim to know exactly how someone is feeling. Communication from an outsider towards a vulnerable person is key and vice versa however, the communication of the vulnerable individual with them self is what is most important at the end of the day. Again be kind to yourself. Be as honest and kind as possible when confronting your issues, your needs and 'your demons' I would say (end quote from my post). 

I know that I am repeating myself between paragraphs and posts altogether with those last words of being kind to yourself and mindfulness however, that repetition is necessary as it is important to me to spread the message. Messages don't just have to be shared once or loud to be well received, ones such as these require repetition.

I ended up performing that said poem at an event that I was featured in, coincidentally during Suicide Prevention Week so it was appropriate but extremely uncomfortable. The discomfort did not just come from the subject matter but that fact that I was crying my eyes out with each stanza, that poem is so real and emotional it's not funny. Not funny at all, I react the same when I read it to myself in private. The audience was gripped, camera phones were up and the passiveness of emotion was certainly among the crowd, there was strong empathy from one audience member in particular. I hate to be caught on camera like that however, I make no apologies for my authenticity and the realness that my writing or performing comes with. All the love and personal testimonies that I got afterwards was heart-warming. Ahhh, one for the books.

Regarding Domestic Violence and Breast Cancer Awareness month, although I have continued to spread awareness and useful knowledge through conversation and across social media platforms, I will follow-up on that shortly as certain things that I am going to share requires its own separate blog entry. That applies to BHM too. In the meantime, as a society we do have a lot to think about and to consider, with what is happening around us and how it affects others which in turn will affect us. BE MINDFUL.


@LK_ReelDeevah

Audible to be Accessible (Audio link)

Last week I performed at a North-London spoken word event called 'Verses' mainly for the sake of getting a new poem out that I've been dying to share. I have had an abundance of new poems go from pen to paper or finger to computer in recent months and I'm loving it. This one is basically a letter of complaint slash bitter love letter to one of my former favourite brands where snacks and guilty pleasures are concerned. I wrote it with conviction, sincerity and humour knowing that many other fans of the brand especially long-time fans, would relate. It made the crowd happy with laughter and I got my point across, even more so I intentionally tweeted it to the company in hope that they pay attention to customer feedback regardless of the form in which it is expressed.

Now although this performance was filmed by the organisers, on this occasion I wanted to record my myself for a specific purpose. In recent years I have seen a dramatic increase of disabled people of various disabilities and of all ages, however I've noticed an increase in young (up to 30yrs old) disabled people, well in London anyway. Blind people stand out to me a great deal and tend to gravitate towards me in general especially at train stations for some reason.

Anyway, I have come to be in awe of how some blind people make the best of their lives despite lacking sight. Knowing of Ray Charles and seeing Stevie Wonder achieve so and do so much, regardless of not being able to see the piano they were actually playing on always blew my mind. Only a month ago I learned about the astounding career Opera Singer Andrea Bocelli who lost his sight at age 12. Even Blind Fury who I saw on BET's 106 & Park freestyle rap battle (which was one of the best segments of that show by the way), blew me away at how he completely held his own.

I actually began writing a poem about a visually impaired young woman I saw walking with her rollerball white cane, semi-confidently on a hazardous, pot-holed, scaffold infested busy high street. Every pedestrian and driver stared at her in shock as did I, although I was thinking less of judgement and more of her safety. In comparison to watching the men on TV, I'd say that watching and observing this lady in person left the greatest impression on me with regard to empathy.

I have become more mindful with the acknowledgement that other than road crossings, free parking, certain door entries, discounts, some public toilets and some technologies; still many daily life things do not consider the blind, deaf or physically disabled (e.g. Wheelchairs). In recent years I have simply grown a large appreciation and a whole lot of respect for people living with disabilities, blindness in particular and have started to be more considerate of their needs in regards to my own business activities.

With that said I know that there is always braille however, reading poetry or seeing a spoken word performance in all its glory is not going to be fully received by blind people. Yet that does not mean they they can't be entertained by it in another form i.e. Audibly. So I want to reach out to blind audiences more by voice recording my performances for them. This will also give me good reason to be more active with my Soundcloud page that I do not update often. I'd love to have my poetry be more accessible to a wider audience this way or similar. I much prefer to do voice recordings as opposed to video ones anyway for both the ease and comfort, although this audience was my sole motivation, as it is for me to do audible versions of future books and the recent idea to upload readings of my food blog posts.

Verses was a fun night that fully made up for the crap night I had earlier in the week at a show that invited me down just to waste my time. It was all positive vibes, good poetry and friendly people. My stage experience was funny for me not even due to the content of what I was saying, it was due to a dog running up to me in the middle of my performance, my dry eyes watering like crazy ironically effecting my vision and my hay fever provoking that further.

To say I was multi-tasking and keeping my cool was an understatement. Watery eyes and interrupting animals aside, I pushed through my performance being the pro that I am. I'm just pre-warning you for some moments on the recording that may throw you off. Take a listen, share with any blind poetry lovers and enjoy!


@LK_ReelDeevah

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.

Press, Play

1 week until my theatre debut, it's crunch time!

Time flies so fast, as we all know. I planned on posting an update about 4 weeks ago but I got busy and when I did dedicate a few hours to do so (yes it always takes hours to blog), technical issues reared its ugly head and had me cussing to the extent that I just thought "F*ck it" and that was that to put it bluntly.

There's been so much going on between script development, rehearsals, photoshoots, set design, wardrobe, administration, promotion including; performances, advertising, meet and greets, radio interviews and general PR. Google it and see all that comes up within the first 3 pages, which is obviously more fun to do for me than it would be for you as it's personal to me. It's my hard work, my investment and my excitement goes into seeing the ball rolling! By the way, if and when you do have the patience to look it up via any random search engine, in the unlikely case that porn or anything heinous and non-related comes up with the same title IT IS NOT MINE! Just putting that out there as I have seen mishaps happen and it's funny but not funny. Also I cannot believe how many Lauren Kaye's there are out there- Authors too WTF!

The press and PR includes an interview I did with London Theatre 1, Love Camden- Close Ups and a return appearance on Conscious Radio to name a few. As well as listings on various theatre, event, culture and community websites such as UK Theatre Web, Off West End, Afridiziak, Remote Goat etc. The performances include a lovely return to the newly relocated Dial Up at Improv Theatre, of where my play could've initially taken place regarding the offers I received during the Camden Fringe application process. That show was a particularly fun experience- tears and all, you'd have to of been there to understand. Similarly, another highlight performance was my return to the newly relocated FLO Vortex at Hideaway Jazz Club by Floacist which was a great night. The enthusiasm from the audience, post-show even, was so tremendous that I went home smiling.

It's been long, semi-exhausting but all still thrilling nonetheless, I'm getting butterflies. I write and perform poetry all the time so to perform to an audience, especially a dedicated audience of mine, isn't what's got me all over the place. It's the Producer and Director roles that I miss dearly but now have to channel in a new direction (theatre as opposed to film/video), that's got me like this. As well as the fact that is it literally a one woman show, 'control freak' and 'one-woman-army' is an under-statement here but it's all good.

Life is so funny, you make one plan and it makes another for you. I swear I said this recently? Anyway, not even in addition to your original plan but sometimes just erasing your plans altogether to be like "No! This is what you're going to do..." And you just have to role with it. This has been a very challenging year for me in many different ways but this project, specifically the finale (the exhibition of it) is going to be my 2018 highlight- a climax of a highlight for me.

I don't want to have bags under my eyes on the night but judging how the actual show is set to play out, I suppose it'll be convenient if the dark under eyes stay for the sake of performance, as unattractive as they'll look between the time. It's all good. That's my motto for now.

Here's some behind the scenes footage and promo pics for ya.

I'm in awe at the realisation that it has been 3yrs since I self-published I'm All In and that I still have 5 STAR RATINGS ON AMAZON!!! As well as continuous 5* verbal ratings from people who come up to me when I do book readings or perform at shows! Nothing can top that in respect of my expectations during the making of that little gem. Now I am finally adapting it into a play as desired, well not quite as desired but a taster of what I have in mind theatrically........."Pinch me"....actually don't because I'll most likely slap you.

Thank you so very much for all the love and support that I have been getting. Each of your moments of kindness, encouragement and joy for my personal/professional joy has melted my heart and kept me going.


See you there,

@LK_ReelDeevah

Crystal Palace Festival 2018 Appearance

For a second year in a row I will be making an appearance with my poetry at Crystal Palace Festival. However, this time it will be at one of the spoken word events at a partner venue as oppose the spoken word tent of Crystal Palace park itself. The event 'A Celebration of People & Places' will be featuring the launch of Ruth Padel's latest collection, as well as another Poet Nick Alldridge.

For more information please see to the website.

CRYSTAL PALACE FESTIVAL

A Celebration of People and Places

Tues 12th June 2018, 8-10pm

@ Gipsy Hill Tavern

79 Gipsy Hill

London

SE19 1QH

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

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.