Poetry for ALL - an appeal
When I said "yes" to helping Rose Drew host what turned out to be the first ever Poetry for ALL in 2018, I had no solid idea what I was getting myself into, but through all the amazing events, brilliant performers, amazing interpreters, and fascinating venues, several observations have stayed firm:
These events are both loved and necessary – there's something immensely powerful, on a personal as well as societal level, about putting disabled people in spaces where they can perform without having to strive to overcome the usual tedious access issues, or see other disabled people telling their truths, amplified and spotlit and attended to (or both, of course). All our performers have physical, mental, or sensory disabilities, or are neurodivergent (and most are a combination of the above), and there's something undeniable about being among the majority for once.
It is increasingly difficult to fund these events, despite all of the above, the Arts Council yet again turning us down, this time on the grounds that we hadn't "demonstrated the demand" for such an event. I'm pretty angry about this, but mostly in the "okay, fine, we'll just have to show them, then" way.
Rose is a terrifying force for nature and I'm glad we're on the same team.
So we're doing the event again in York, despite both of us being different types of really ill, and we're livestreaming and recording it, and we have an amazing lineup of artists that you should really grab the opportunity to witness, especially at the prices we're offering (hell, the livestream is pay-what-you-can!), and we're crowdfunding again, because that worked last time, but we're really behind, and could do with some help.
The events are so accessible it's unreal - fully wheelchair accessible venue, poem text projected onto the screens, BSL interpreters for all spoken word, Covid-safer performance space, I'll do audio descriptions for anyone who needs them, low ticket prices and discounts for disabled attendees (plus free access for personal assistants), and if I can find my Braille label-maker, we'll have a Brailled merch table to boot!
So if you fancy helping out an event that showcases some of today's most exciting disabled UK poets (Rick Dove and FR Kesby headlining?! What?!), or you just want some nifty merch, or you'd like to help us demonstrate to the Arts Council that yes, there's a bloody demand for this kind of work, you can click any of the links above to buy tickets for the York show or the livestream, sponsor us until 23rd December this year, or buy our merchandise in the shop.
And please, PLEASE do share this as widely as you can!
