BRISTOL YOUNG CITY POET
Bristol Young City Poets 2023-2024:
Bristol’s first ever Young City Poets, Altoma Elwasila (Montpelier High) and Nara Pring (Bedminster Down), were appointed in April 2023.
The Young City Poets act as a voice for young people across the city, writing poems and performing at public events. The position will last until April 2024.
On World Poetry Day (March 21st 2023) shortlisted poets from schools all around Bristol took part in a day of workshops and performances at the Redgrave Theatre.
Nara and Altoma impressed the facilitators, and audience members from arts organisations all over Bristol, with their high quality poems, powerful readings, enthusiasm across workshop sessions, as well as their passion for poetry and how it can be used as a tool to represent other people and communities around the city.
They read their poems on live television for ITV News West Country, and performed at a ‘City of Words’ event at Bristol Beacon in April 2023. They will also be performing a new poem at the Festival of the Future City in Autumn 2023.
'Nara had a real warmth and likability both on stage and in the workshops, and she will be good at engaging people. I felt a sense of her particular version of Bristol, and I love how she incorporates her family and humour into her poems.' - Vanessa Kisuule (workshop facilitator)
'Altoma’s poetry is not only well crafted but also comes with an arresting sharpness, directness and authenticity. She began writing poetry in lockdown as a way of expressing herself, and her performance conveyed a sense of both urgency and beauty as it grappled with Bristol's past and present through the lens of Colston's statue.' - Danny Pandolfi (project coordinator)
For more information about the project and how to get involved, contact info@lyrafest.com.
The facilitators:
Deanna Rodger
Deanna Rodger is a former UK Poetry Slam Champion who has recently written and performed commissioned pieces including ‘Bigger Than Sport’ for BBC1’s Sports Personality of the Year, ‘Black History Matters’ for BBC Sport 2020 and ‘If’ which was read by Serena Williams for International Women's Day 2021. Deanna has over ten years of facilitation experience and has designed long term programs for schools and youth centres such as Active Citizens (British Council and Lyrix Organix), Creative Facilitation Training (Roundhouse) and Black Lives matter homepack (Hamilton Trust).
Caleb Parkin
Caleb Parkin is the third Bristol City Poet (2020-2022). He won second prize in the National Poetry Competition 2016, the Winchester Poetry Prize 2017 and various other shortlists. His educational work is extensive, tutoring for Poetry Society, Poetry School, Cheltenham Festivals, Arvon and First Story. Publications include This Fruiting Body (Nine Arches Press, 2021), upcoming pamphlet 'The Coin' (Broken Sleep Books) and 'All the cancelled parties', his collected City Poet commissions (October 2022).
Young City Poet project background:
Lyra Festival launched the inaugural Bristol Young City Poet scheme in Autumn 2022, thanks to support from Bristol City Council’s Originators Fund.
The scheme involves workshops available to secondary schools and community groups based anywhere in Bristol, aimed at young people aged 14-17 (school years 10-12).
The workshops were delivered by professional poets Deanna Rodger and Caleb Parkin (Bristol City Poet 2020-2022), with a follow-up day of workshops and performances for shortlisted young poets. For our inaugural year we selected two young poets to take on the role together.
Our workshops engage young people with self-expression, public speaking and self-empowerment through the medium of spoken word and poetry, inviting young people to write about what Bristol means to them - its people, places, history, etc.
If you are a school / organisation / group in Bristol interested in applying to take part, please email info@lyrafest.com for more information.
We are able to offer a small number of workshops for free for participating community groups and state schools in underrepresented and council priority areas of Bristol.
Applications will formally open in Autumn 2023.
What is a Young City Poet and why is it important for the city?
The City Poet, as with poet laureates in general, traditionally becomes the city’s conscience and reflects on relevant issues. Bristol’s current City Poet is Kat Lyons (2022-2024).
Similarly, the Young City Poet acts as a voice for young people across the city, writing poems and performing at public events.
