Something I want from this blog
is to give poets and performers
a place to share a bit about themselves.
So, what better way to start,
than by talking about myself
for way too long.
When did you start writing poetry?
Do you remember what your first pieces were about?
I have always said I'm a writer,
even before I started writing.
I felt it was where my path would lead.
In the early days of the internet
I used to write reviews,
mostly for video games
and obscure 90s rock bands.
I tried to write a few songs,
but my lack of real
musical talent stopped me.
then real life got in the way,
so, I packed away my pen.
Over this time, I went through
a lot of ups and downs,
mentally, physically, emotionally.
I had a few very close brushes with death.
Where I was given a chance
to find out who I was inside.
At this time, I'd spent a long time being agoraphobic,
and I wanted to share some of the feelings I was having,
to try to understand them a bit more
and to work ways through them.
So, I picked up my pen, and the words started flowing.
Until then my experience of poetry
was very limited,
at school we were taught some of Shakespeare’s sonnets
and a couple of the war poets,
so, I didn't really know what I was doing.
My early poetry was mostly about mental health,
anxiety, depression, feeling alone, locked in,
and it was very rough
but I always tried to see the good and the bad,
and I fell in love with storytelling,
playing with words to try to get my feelings out.
Why do you write poetry?
What is your favourite thing about it?
I often don't have a choice,
like I'll wake up in the middle of the night
with half of a poem running around my head,
so, I have to catch the words
before they fade away.
But also, I love the way
that poetry can be everything, anything, everywhere
it can be scary, it can be sad, happy, funny.
It can be a story, or a set of memories.
Poetry floats on the wind,
you can sometimes hear it
in the songs the birds sing,
You can catch it delicately,
like a leaf falling
from an old oak tree.
Where it demands
to be written down
and then set free.
When it comes to your own work, how would you describe it?
What themes inspire you?
Tell us a little more about your work, and what moves you.
My work is a mixed bag,
I write whatever is going on in my head,
so, inspiration comes from all around,
from the past and the future,
from those we see daily
to those that are sadly no longer here.
I try to share pretty much everything
on my social media feeds.
Each poem is usually given its own image,
that I create by combining multiple photos and images,
until I have something completely unique.
Which I then cover up completely
in text so you never see the hard work lol
I often record videos of myself to practice my pieces,
and I like to be a bit playful with the edits,
trying to teach myself a bit
every time I do something new.
Which has meant I've been able to make videos
for other people, from bands to poets.
With my books I try to keep a basic theme,
so 'In shadows' and 'Endless nightmares'
are both horror themed,
but there are humorous poems,
scary poems, poems about mental health
all given a horror sheen.
'Lone wolf' was a slightly more political book,
with a feel of the end times coming near,
it talks about social injustice,
the end of the world
and quite a lot in between!
also, a wolf.
'Headfirst into the storm'
was a bit of everything,
It's sort of life on the page,
with all of its ups and downs.
It was called my 'covid' book,
but to me it meant more than that,
it was a culmination of health issues,
societal issues and relationships etc.
'Torn pages' was probably my most deeply personal book,
as a lot of the poems were not
originally going to be shared.
They were things I had written
and had stored on my phone,
but not even put up onto my blog.
Then started to re-read them
and realised I had so much stuff that I loved
and thought people would appreciate.
I want the reader to feel my words,
whether they are painful or caring,
I want them to mean something.
Even if they mean something unique
to you as a reader, once I publish them
they stop being my words and they
become what the reader/listener
makes of them.
In Leicester we are trying to unite the poetry scene,
in collaboration with other poetry nights,
How would you describe the Leicester poetry scene,
and what, in your opinion could be improved upon?
I absolutely love the Leicester Poetry scene,
we have so many talented performers
and writers here in Leicester
and the surrounding areas.
When I first started going to some-antics
back in its early days,
I never knew what to expect.
I am a shy person,
I've always struggled around people,
but I am also someone that loves company.
Some antics was that safe space,
it introduced me to so many people,
and gave me the confidence
to start to find my own place in all of this.
I still struggle a lot,
but the person I am now compared
to then is unrecognisable.
The Leicester poetry scene
has so many deep roots and connections,
but also, each different event offers
something uniquely theirs
and the support is incredible.
There isn't rivalry,
everyone wants to help to build it even bigger.
Something we used to do at some-antics
early days was a social gathering
to talk/write etc,
this is something I'd like to reintroduce,
giving us all a chance
to learn from each other,
and for people that are shy etc
to have a chance to be around like-minded people,
so that they can feel comfortable,
not judged.
So, they can start to share their stories,
It's a beautiful thing
being able to see someone develop
and grow as a writer and performer,
and if we can aid that
in any way than even better.
Do you have any favourite poets,
both locally and further afield
that you would like to share.
Favourite poets,
Nancy Dawkins and Ellie Spirrett
are two of my favourites at the moment.
(Hence them being two
of our first set of feature artists)
I love the metaphors and similes they use,
they really paint vivid images in your head.
I listen to them and am always
left in awe at the brilliance.
Cathy Rae is a legend,
and has always been super supportive.
Chris Oliver has such a smooth delivery,
and his poems are really clever
with lots of wordplay, alliteration,
metaphor and musical references
sprinkled throughout,
whilst also being able to share
an important or powerful message.
James Scott Howse,
first time I saw him perform
he actually gave me a panic attack!
It was a basement of a shop in Leicester
and he had no mic,
but his poetry was so powerful
and full of energy, that it set my anxiety off.
Since then, I've managed to watch him
a lot of times and he is truly brilliant.
He works the stage and the crowd
like the front man of a rock band,
whilst sharing some really important messages
and poems that really deserve
to be heard by the masses.
I did a video for Sharena Lee Satti,
from Bradford,
because her poem touched my heart.
Have always loved her work having followed her
for years on Instagram and Facebook,
and would highly recommend
her book 'She' on verve publishing.
Jemima Hughes is also another poet on verve
that is incredible and a lovely supportive person.
Her work is stunning,
watch her live and you will be mesmerised
by the way she uses her words.
There are so many poets and artists
that blow me away,
and each year we have new people turn up.
You watch them grow in confidence,
hearing their stories start to really take life.
I'm sure I'll walk away from this piece
and ill think ohhh no I forgot such and such,
but if I was going to name every artist
that amazes me I'd be here all day.
If people want to follow your social media
where can they find you.
Mostly Facebook or Instagram,
Https://www.facebook.com/Wordsandfluff
https://instagram.com/kylecoare
I also have a linktree page
that has all of my social media pages,
amazon links etc
Https://linktr.ee/Wordsandfluff
