One Mic Stand - February 2019

 Hello!

Photo by Alex Morgan

 Having been a regular member of Young Identity for around six months now (having previously attended on and off as university life allowed), I was overjoyed to be able to take part in my first One Mic Stand, the collective's showcase poetry slam at Band on the Wall.

 I was one of ten poets competing for a prize of £50, although winning was far from my mind as I performed - just standing on the stage and sharing my poem, "Campfire", which is quite personal and very close to my heart, was an empowering and memorable experience.

 I scored 51/60 overall, including a 10/10 from one judge for my content, which was wonderful. The winner was Saf, whose performance was intense and powerful. I loved hearing all of my friends from Young Identity sharing their work, and overall it was an amazing night.

 Thank you to Young Identity and Shirley May for making this happen, to Nicole May and Reece Williams for hosting, and to the lovely, supportive audience.

 Liz x

Young Identity - 2018 highlights

 Hello!

Keisha Thompson and Reece Williams presenting One Mic Stand

 I was a member of Mancunian spoken-word collective Young Identity for the final few months of 2017, but it was in 2018 that I really got stuck in and attended regularly (before that it had been difficult due to me living in a catered university residence, with meal times clashing with workshops). 

 I now take part in the group every week that I can, and it has become like a family to me. Everybody has been incredibly supportive and has made me feel comfortable sharing my writing, even when I have only just written it and it still feels very raw. 

 Having a space to practise performing has been invaluable to me in a year when I have hugely increased the amount of spoken-word work that I do. It is also humbling hearing the wonderful work of the other writers - we are all so different, and I get to learn about the world in so many ways, through so many voices.

 Special highlights have included attending One Mic Stand, Young Identity's own poetry slam, and being awed by the talent of the performance teams, and reading at the launch of our anthology No Disclaimers - such a lovely night of friendship and creativity.

 I enjoyed curating a special Young Identity edition of Word Life, and putting together a feature on the group, interviewing CEO Shirley May, and poet and editor Frankie Blaus.

 I was also delighted to review Keisha Thompson's show Man on the Moon, and interview her - Keisha was a core member of Young Identity, and her talent for spoken word, music and storytelling really inspires me.

 Thank you to Shirley, who has been so encouraging to me, and to everyone at the group, with shout-outs to Toreh O'Garro, Nicole May, Nasima Begum and Roma Havers for making me feel so welcome.

 I'm very much looking forward to seeing what is next for Young Identity in 2019.

 Liz x

The Writing Squad - 2018 highlights

 Hello!

Leeds

 This year I officially graduated from The Writing Squad, after two years of workshops and events. However, the great thing about the Squad is that even as a graduate you stay a part of the community and can be very much involved.

 This year, one Squad moment really stands out, and is one of my proudest achievements as a writer. I was commissioned by Manchester Literature Festival to write an original piece about what reading means to me, to encourage young people - and older ones - to read for enjoyment.

 I was incredibly proud to share "On stories and snow" at the Take Ten event at Manchester Central Library, and it felt like a major milestone for me as a spoken-word performer.

 I also attended two Writing Squad workshops, which both happened to be in Leeds. The first was with Hannah Silva, who taught as about performance techniques and technologies, such as using a looping pedal. 

 She also performed for us, and her work blew my mind in how different and brave it is, and how precise her timings have to be for the pieces to work. I was really inspired to try new things and grow as a performer.

 The second workshop was led by Stevie Ronnie, who shared his passion for making books and pamphlets. We learnt how to make precise cuts and folds in paper, and basic book-binding stitches. This workshop included a number of Squad members I hadn't met before, so I made some new friends.

 It was interesting to be so hands-on in a publishing process, making these precious, limited-edition items, and it made me much more aware of the possibilities in putting my work out there. I would definitely consider creating a small run of handmade zines or pamphlets.

 I discussed with Stevie how I wanted to work on the structure and presentation of my poetry on the page, and he was really helpful. Hopefully we can talk more about this in the future.

 I also met with Steve Dearden, the Squad Director, to generally discuss my writing and what will come next. I'm really looking forward to 2019 and moving forward as a creative.

 Thanks for reading, and thank you to everyone who has followed my writing career so far.

 Liz x

Now Then - Young Identity

 Hello!

 Issue 61 of Now Then Manchester includes a feature I put together on Young Identity. I was very happy to be able to interview the spoken-word collective's co-founder and CEO Shirley May, and Frankie Blaus, a member of the group and one of the Editors of new anthology No Disclaimers.

 The pair discuss what makes Young Identity so special, and the journey to creating No Disclaimers. There is also a beautiful poem by Joel Cordingley, "Nervous Disposition", as a taster of the anthology.

 I hope you enjoy learning more about Young Identity - the group has been so supportive and encouraging to me as a writer and has really helped me grow.

 Liz x

Now Then - Word Life 61

 Hello!

 December's issue of Now Then Manchester's Word Life page is a special showcase of writing by Mancunian spoken-word collective Young Identity. As a proud member of the group, I really enjoyed curating this month's issue.

 I hope you enjoy these poems by Toreh O'Garro, Shirley May, Ayomide Abolaji, Will Spence, Rabia Tanweer, Yorusalem Okbamichael and Tallulah Howarth.

 There is also the usual information about literary events in and around Manchester.

 I hope you enjoy Word Life 61!

 Liz x

No Disclaimers - Anthology and launch

 Hello!

 One of the loveliest evenings I have had recently was the launch of No Disclaimers, the new Young Identity anthology, at HOME, Manchester. Being part of this spoken-word group is wonderful - it really is like a family, and has given me such confidence in writing and performing.

 I have two poems, both with long titles - "On cows and skies" and "On trees, invertebrates and meteorological phenomena" - in No Disclaimers. I enjoyed reading the latter at the launch. It was also very special hearing other poems performed in their authors' unique voices, as well as generally catching up with everyone and celebrating our achievements as a group. 

 I had my copy of the anthology signed by the poets who were there, and received some kind and moving messages. I also signed other people's - it was a signing-fest! It really was a night to remember. 

 Here's to more Young Identity fun and inspiration in the New Year.

 Liz x