Ahead of Apples and Snakes’ Rallying Cry, opening on National Poetry Day 2018, we caught up with three poets and spoken word artists performing on the night.
Oakley Flanagan
What inspired the last poem you wrote?
The last poem I wrote, ‘Hunting In The Undergrowth’ was inspired by a newspaper article I discovered from 1994 when researching the history of Battersea Park which used to be a notorious cruising ground for gay men. Queer people came to blows with Parks Police and local Council back in the 1990s as plain-clothes detectives were being sent to coax gay men into initiating sex. The headline read ‘Gays Claim Harassment by Parks Police’ and it led me to think about the importance of knowing our social history & what a queer poetic response to this might be.
Who is your favourite poet/spoken word artist? How have they influenced your work?
I have so many! A poet I deeply admire is Salena Godden: not only for her undying punk spirit, full-force elemental poetry served straight up with no chaser but for her unrelenting support and championing of emerging poets. As much as coming to discover her work has influenced me, Salena herself is a power-house of poetry and stands as a lesson to us burgeoning poets about establishing an irrefutable reputation as an artist & staying generous in the process.
How did you get into writing/performing poetry?
I fell into poetry somewhat by accident. I think it all started as I was a bit of rowdy kid at school and was sent to drama clubs in the hope it might expend some of my energy. I realised I had a knack for telling stories, making people laugh and performing. From there I followed a theatre path before falling in love with words and then developing my own relationship with writing and performing.
What is your current goal or ambition as an artist?
To learn more, read more, create better work and to cultivate readership in the hope that I’ll establish a full life’s-worth of work.
Create a rhyming cuplet to describe how you feel about Rallying Cry.
Together we will gather; deliver ourselves from Apathy
Raise the rabble-rousing cry that leads us to our Liberty.
Hansika Jethnani
What inspired the last poem you wrote?
The feeling of emotional numbness.
Who is your favourite poet/spoken word artist? How have they influenced your work?
I admire quite a few poets for their style and ways of storytelling, some of these include Shatara Liora, Harnidh Kaur, and Rupi Kaur. They’ve reminded me to be authentic with myself and my words – that there is no need to water down my tone or fiddle with my voice to get it to fit into what historically is seen as more mainstream or valid.
How did you get into writing/performing poetry?
I’ve written from a really young age, I remember writing really cheesy poems about friendship for competitions at primary school. But it’s been over the last few years while I was studying my photography degree between 2012 and 2016 that it grew into something more and has become very much part of me and my art practice. More recently in the last few months, I was part of the Writing Room by Apples and Snakes and that really pushed me to see myself as more than just a page poet, but also a performer.
What is your current goal or ambition as a performer?
To create without fear, and to self-publish a book within the next 12-18 months.
Create a rhyming cuplet to describe how you feel about Rallying Cry.
The sun is about to rise.
We are all about to be galvanized.
Shaniqua Benjamin
What inspired the last poem you wrote?
The concept of what it means to be black and how it is often confined to a box, which is expected to include – as well as exclude – particular characteristics, interests and preferences.
Who is your favourite poet/spoken word artist? How have they influenced your work?
I do not have one particular favourite poet or spoken word artist, but one of my favourites is an emerging spoken word artist called Woodzy. His witty, clever word play always blows me away, which I continue to learn from and be inspired by. His more approachable and slightly conversational style is something that influences me.
How did you get into writing/performing poetry?
I was creating a short film with the charity, Fixers, to empower the voices of young people and I decided to create a spoken word piece to encompass everything I wanted to say. I then went on to participate in a creative youth programme that same year, where I performed poetry for the first time and fell in love with the form of expression.
What is your current goal or ambition as a performer?
To be a poet who makes change through words and acts as a voice for the voiceless. I also want to release a book of poetry and make a living from my art.
Create a rhyming cuplet to describe how you feel about Rallying Cry.
This opportunity has been nothing short of fulfilling,
My hope is my piece will be nothing short of inspiring.
Rallying Cry | 4 – 6 Oct | bac.org.uk/rallying