Mouthy Interviews Sammy Nour

Our next headliner is someone that I truly look up to, 

without Some-Antics I wouldnt be doing what I do now. 

They gave me belief that I could take the stage 

and that I would enjoy it. 

Also Sammy has always bought my books, 

and has basically lost a room of his house to my words!

He is also pretty good at making a cup of tea 

and has cats, so a true legend i think youl agree!

 

 

 

When did you start writing poetry? 

Do you remember what your first pieces were about? 

 

I always enjoyed writing poetry in school.

 Being honest I don’t remember what I wrote poems about back then, 

probably prompts given in English lessons!

As an adult, 

I popped into the spoken word tent 

at Shambala Festival 2012 

and watched some poets. 

I didn’t even know performance poetry was a thing! 

I was really inspired and went home and found a rap I’d written 

about being on a very delayed train 

(whilst on a very delayed train) 

when I was at uni and practiced it. 

I took it to Jawdance in Shoreditch and that was it, 

I had the bug.

 

Why do you write poetry?

Playing with words in fun, 

when you write something cool you feel really proud of it. 

It’s also a healthy way to express yourself 

and you can share it with others 

who are also into it and be part of that community, 

which is a great place to be.

 

What is your favourite thing about it?

I just love words and I the creative ways people can put them together. 

You can find beauty and talent in the local scene 

as well as the big hitters that everybody knows and I love that.

 

When it comes to your own work, how would you describe it?

I would say it’s heartfelt and honest. 

What I do has changed so much over the years 

so it’s been interesting to see the progression, 

from more rap, rhyming style to a more considered 

spoken word style these days, in theory anyway!

 

What themes inspire you?

Exploring my heritage and identity for one, 

I’m of Irish-Palestinian descent 

so there’s a lot to unpack there. 

I used to write about politics a lot 

but I try and avoid that nowadays. 

General life and situations I find myself in

pops up a lot, as well as mental health.

 

Tell us a little more about your work, and what moves you?

I have a book released through the amazing SanRoo Publishing,
a local publisher run by Sandra and Ru Pollock, absolutely fantastic ladies.
I’ve been working on some more material
but it’s been slower going the last couple of years,
most of my poetry energy goes into Some-Antics, my event.
I’m definitely moved by open and honest poetry
that is someone expressing themselves.
Sometimes we can get caught up
in trying to write crowd pleasing or slam winning material,
which I respect, but the rawness of a well-crafted poem
that lays it all on the line in a creative way really gets me.
Also funny poetry.
I love it when a poem is silly
or is satirical in a humorous way.

 

 

In Leicester we are trying to unite the poetry scene, 

in collaboration with other poetry nights, 

how would you describe the Leicester poetry scene, a

nd what, in your opinion could be improved upon?

 

The scene here is huge, 

we have so many poetry nights 

and a massive appetite for it! 

The promotors of all the events tend to get on well 

and I respect what Ty’rone Haughton 

has been doing to get everyone 

to work together on the Leicester Poetry Committee.

In terms of improvements, 

I think continuing to work together on the committee 

is a good thing and I’m interested to see where it goes. 

The Leicester Poet Laureate is such a cool idea, 

it would be great to see the Leicester City Council 

back it with some finances and energy, 

but that may be for the future.

I’d love to see a Leicester Poetry Festival too, 

I don’t think we’re that far away from it.

 

Do you have any favourite poets, 

both locally and further afield that you would like to share.

 

There’s so many! 

I’m so blessed to see so many amazing poets 

at Some-Antics each month. 

I’m too scared to start naming names 

for fear of leaving anyone out!

In lieu of poets I’ll share some of my favourite poems:

B Dolan – Who Killed Russel Jones?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97W1sLRsrtE

Berkavitch - Short List of Things We Already Know

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRwu9r0bk1I&t=57s

Brendan Constantine - The Opposites Game

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cf5t_uhZlEQ

Mark Grist – It’s Still a Fucking Poem

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFW_Mzdbc4I

Kid Anansi – I’m so Straight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0WSuhX6f6I

 

If people want to follow your social media where can they find you.

People can find me on:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/sammy.nour.5

Insta - @sammy_someantics

And Some-Antics

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/someantics.poetry

Insta - @someanticsleicester

TikTok - @someanticsleicester

 

Thanks, I’m looking forward to Get Mouthy!

Goodnightheskye - New fables for transformation

 

Goodnighttheskye

New fables for transformation

 

I was lucky enough to stumble over

goodnighttheskye's work a few years ago

on Instagram and Tik Tok,

I watched in awe as their words soared,

I was flawed by the metaphor,

the way they conjured worlds

from just a few words,

letters twisted into incantations,

spells that transformed them

into something beautiful.

 

So, I recently found out they had a book.

Well, I wasn’t going to miss out on this.

I love listening to spoken word,

but sometimes you miss

a touch of the magic that you get

when you can sit,

with a nice mug of hot chocolate,

that new book smell filling your nostrils,

cat clawing at you for attention,

and just letting the words

recite over your own spellbound lips.

 

So, as it flopped through my letterbox,

I dove to catch it, ripping into the packaging

to hold it within my mitts.

And the first thing I can say

is it is gorgeous.

With some brilliant cover art,

that gives a feeling of twisted fairytale worlds

and storybook forests,

this is right up my street

and it tells me that I’m in for a treat.

I flip the pages...

 

And I'm taken away from my room and placed

in a world not a million miles away,

but one that is given a whole new sheen,

a dusting of magic, a lick of the fantastical.

It’s like something from a dream.

I picture forests and streams,

unknown flowers blooming with light and love,

but there is also a darkness

that sweeps menacingly in between the trees.

 

It is experimental

weaving pop culture

and nostalgia into a fantasy realm,

Now this could be seen as gimmicky

at the hands of someone less skilled,

but here it is far from that,

it is the perfect blend.

 

Now this isn't to say this book IS a fantasy,

or a fairytale, it is real life with all that life entails,

It is moments plucked from photograph memories,

It is pain, it is love,

it is days when you feel uncomfortable

in your skin. It is life. 

it is just written in a way

that makes you look through different lenses,

seeing the colour and texture of every scene,

Feeling every emotion

as it washes over your heart

like the waters of a stream.

The wordplay is immaculate,

the metaphors are spectacular,

it plays on your perceptions

and then rips them apart.

the beauty of poetry is that it gets under your skin,

it climbs inside, makes a home,

letting you feel everything,

letting you almost taste the air that the writer has breathed,

it becomes a part of you.

And now I hold this book on the shelf in my heart

where it will stay, lovingly looked over many times.

So please let it into your heart too,

I assure you that it will make

everything feel different,

you will see in all new colours,

and I think you will love it as much as I do.

Five stars if I could give more I would.

 

Grab your copy here

https://writtenoffpublishing.com/shop/p/new-fables-for-transformation-goodnighttheskye

 

and follow their work on instagram @goodnighttheske

 

Peace, Love & Poetry

Emmy Jenkins - Gunpowder

 

Emmy Jenkins

Gunpowder

 

I have been lucky enough to hear Emmy performing

a handful of times and I’ve always

found her words powerful, raw, honest.

But more than that.

Beautiful.

They reach into that part

of your soul that is aching

to find understanding,

The part that is craving for love

when the person that says they love you

is holding you down and making you forget

what love ever actually felt like.

So obviously I was excited to read this book.

 

And my excitement was not diffused

once I opened the first page.

It started to tick like the timer

on an explosive device that was buried

somewhere deep in my heart.

So, as I sat reading.

No that's not right.

Savouring

the words I felt a spark

And the fuse was lit.

This was a hit.

I was hooked. Like I'd injected

every emotion into my veins at once,

I felt warmth, love, passion, rage.

Every page dripped with so much.

Beauty.

 

The sort of beauty that comes

from finding who you are

after years lost in the dark,

The beauty that turns on the light

on your darkest nights

And shows that the fears you had

were just the curtains

blowing in the breeze,

and the monster under your bed

was just a bunch of boxes

and some lost memories.

 

And whilst we look in

through the window of words,

We find so many emotions

so perfectly tangled together

in ribbons of metaphor and bows of simile.

The almost conversational tone of some pieces

Flows like a dream

into the vivid hallucinatory way

that the words play

with each other to create images

that dance across the air

like skyborne children

of another world,

And I’m there gasping

at how intricate

and perfectly

it all melts together.

 

So, in conclusion,

if there is any confusion,

I absolutely loved this book.

I read it in one sitting,

and will be going over it again and again.

Just buy it is all I can say.

You will not regret it.

 

you can find the book here

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gunpowder-Emmy-Jenkins/dp/B0DJZDWCHT

and follow her work on instagram @emmyjenks_poetry

 

Peace, Love and Poetry