In partnership with Destiny Church, two of Yorkshire’s leading performance poets and workshop leaders, Louis Kasatkin and Howard Frost are pioneering an exciting new literary arts initiative for Wakefield. The initiative builds on the high profile successes in public, community and schools poetry workshops, performances and publications that have been part of Wakefield’s Cultural life since 1999
The Destiny Poets: are introducing a new inclusive style of monthly “Not Just Poetry” workshops centred at Destiny Church:- Creating and sharing original work across all literary disciplines both secular and devotional, are pioneering long term development strategies linking with other Church and Community based groups seeking to promote the literary arts for all.
There will be an official launch evening at 7:30PM on Friday 29th October where everyone will be welcome.
Updates:
● The next two "Not Just Poetry"workshop sessions @Destiny will be on Tuesday 2 November and Tuesday 7 December(sessions run from 7 to 8.30pm)
● The all-singing,all-dancing,brand shiny new newsletter of the Destiny Poets,"The Elephant"(yes,it really is called that)is now available.Highly recommended for anyone with any interest or passion for the arts and culture.
The reason I chose that title for this article, is that it "ain't" original.
Someone remembers Bob Dylan, someone equally remembers the '60's and, "You don't need a weatherman to tell you which way the wind blows," it's archetypal Dylan. Archetypes are useful, they're reassuring, they have a provenance about them. All those gilt-edged qualities you can't buy. This "article" like the borrowed title and the cosy analysis is all about re-working material that already exists. This "article" is really all about, why I do "masterclasses", which are based on my version of performance poetry, in schools.
The wheel, once invented, gets to stay that way.
A dozen or so publicly recognizable "names" make a seriously good living from poetry and that all do "workshops". I'm in the 99% or whatever it is of artists who have to have a day job; but when I do manage to secure a gig in a school, I do "Masterclasses".
They're my style, my material, my method endlessly re-worked. And by themselves are the defining reason which underpins all that I strive for as a writer. All of that, and my reputation as a poet. "You need to build up your reputation" is an aphorism repeated and repeated adnauseam by the established figures in all areas or artistic endeavour. They are right, you really don't need a weatherman....
Louis Kasatkin
Since I started writing poetry, many years ago now, I have asked many other Poets "why do you do it".
In reply I have received many variations of "because I'm a Poet".
That I felt did not help me. After all, what is a Poet?
The dictionary is not of much help here. The simplest answer it gives is that a Poet is "One who writes Poetry".
I saved you the trouble of answering your next question yourself.
The dictionary (more of less) says that Poetry is what a Poet writes.
Egg/Chicken - Chicken/Egg.
So Poet - you are on your own. Knowing you do something that you feel compelled to do, with no help from outside and worried that the world will not agree with you when you say that you are a poet.
The best way to deal with these doubts is to associate with other Poets. People who "own the Muse", and are prepared to say "I'm a Poet".
You must however have respect; never tell someone that you don't think that something they have written actually is a poem. After all, how would you know. Do you know everything about poetry?
After nearly fifty years being a Poet and writing Poetry, I only know how little I really know.
Howard Frost