In Conversation with Ursula Troche

In this month's Talking Point, I am in conversation with Ursula Troche, whose 'Migrations' poem and biography was posted on 25/08/08.

1. Would you say that the themes of your poetry are political?

Yes, in general my poetry has political origins, which developed after I went to university in the 1990s to study Politics and African studies. The conservative, pro-colonial and Eurocentric ethos of much of the teaching made me write protest into my assignments. After the degree was over, I continued my protest in the form of poetry. In this way it was more personal, with themes of society, identity, Diaspora, and being a woman. Racism is an obvious target in my poetry though people don’t know where to place me, being foreign (audibly) but white (in appearance), and it is not always easy to speak from a place that triggers confusion. But I have no other choice. In fact, this is why I am so passionate about poetry; at least it gives me a voice.

2. Does researching and presenting papers help with writing poetry?

Not really, it is truer the other way round: writing poetry helps me write papers, because I started writing poetry first! At the same time the two media do influence and facilitate each other. The themes are the same but writing poetry comes more easily to me because it is universal. Writing academically is, in the end, something artificial, even though the themes I deal with are real and important. Poetry, however, is a medium that is not artificial in the sense that in any country or culture of the world, there is an ancient tradition of poetry because it is so adaptable; it can be a story, it can be a song, it can be written or oral, it is literature or historiography or both, it has an educational content but it is also entertaining and artistic.

3. I understand that you are also interested in photography, painting and singing. Which art form dominates, or do you find they all balance each other out?

The first two art forms I really engaged in was painting and singing. Later came photography and later still poetry. I wish I could do more of all of them. I think creativity is important because it has the double attributes of being spiritual and political; it’s all about life and meaning instead of economics or exploitation. So any form of creativity points into the direction of how a society could look like, it gives us an indication that this is what we could be engaging in rather than in the ‘system’.

4. If money was no object, what would you do differently in your life?

I would help with the redistribution of money because this is my aim anyway. I want equality and I would take any opportunity that comes along to implement it. If I didn’t need to worry about making money I could concentrate on more writing, work on exhibitions, performances and be pro-active with initiatives that promote harmony and justice.

5. Do you think that your writing on political issues does make a difference?

I hope that my contribution does make a difference somehow. I have heard so many good poets over the years, who write and perform political poetry, very important radical, harmonious, beautiful, challenging, feminist, afrocentric poetry. However, in order to be heard and have an impact I think that writing on its own is not enough. I also need to get active in other ways, e.g. form initiatives, because writing is not a collective thing and activism has to be collective.

6. What is your creative process when writing poetry?

Much of it is sheer inspiration; I mean it just comes to me. I can write a lot after a great event or after reading a book. I can also put myself into a creative mood. Whenever this happens, I am reminded of the spiritual element - because it is not just me. It is a way of expressing my spirit and also of giving testimony to how interlinked we all are. To me, writing is a way of feeling, and giving expression to, our common bond. So actually your name ‘Shangwe’ poetry is really spot-on because you said it means ‘celebration’. And that’s the creative process.

NB: To read Ursula's biography, please click on this month's Migration poem.

Celebration

On 28th August 2008, I hosted a Two Year Anniversary Shangwe Poetry Evening at the Poetry Café. In keeping with the Shangwe name, the theme was Celebration.

So while the 'Celebration' chocolates were being passed around, the audience was being soothed by the entertaining and soulful open mic performers: Paula David, Christine Bell, referred to me by Ranjan Book Publications http://www.bkpublications.com/ Ursula Troche, Akuba and Devon "The Split" Jones http://www.thesplit.ca/ an international visitor originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba, residing in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on vacation and flying home the next morning. Devon was referred to me by Jacob Sam-La Rose as she was looking for venues to "drop some knowledge".

Thank you to those who attended and performed, particularly Akuba, who has consistently supported Shangwe since August 2006 with 8 performances, often writing poems specifically for Shangwe’s themed events, and has been Shangwe’s host on at least 3 occasions, including hosting my 2nd anthology’s book launch.

So it gives me great pleasure to honour Akuba’s support by awarding her with the title of Resident Poet, which means that she will have a permanent performance slot at Shangwe’s poetry events for one year. I will soon be in dialogue with Akuba as to her resident poet role, but I see the role as one that offers the freedom to write poetry and perform but this will not rule out any other forms of writing genre.

Migrations

Introducing Guest Poet: Ursula Troche, who started writing and performing poetry in 1998. Ursula has also worked as an English teacher, with women’s groups, in mental health and as part of the ‘Soul Immigrants’ collective. She has been presenting papers at conferences on identity and the diaspora since 2005. Ursula self-published ‘Embraceable – Notes from Different Places called Home.’ She is currently working on her PhD on race and dialogue.

MIGRATIONS

I search
everywhere
I migrate
more frequently now
between
cities and countries and landscapes and feelings
and aspirations and expectations and pieces and quiet
peace.

Of course, from the outside it is only one
of my migrations that is relevant
that one that can be identified by my accent
that one - of all the migrations in me and of me - is always important
as if I don't exist
as if it is only my environment that exists
and my migration
I exist as a migration
but only as one of them.

Those migrations in my mind
are not audible like my accent
those migrations before me, before I was born
are only inside me.

My accent
is non-migratory
my accent will not migrate from me, or out of me
and I won't distance myself from it
no matter how far the distance
between my current and my previous home.

I do like my accent
because if I don't exist as a migration
what will be left of me?
Maybe a non-stereotyped, non-identifiable, non-recognisable,
non-disadvantaged, non-discriminated, non-targeted, ordinary, respected
member
of the masses
the group, the collective, the family, the nation, the tribe per se.

All this I am not, not now, with this recognisable, identifiable
accent that sticks to me persistently and wanted

how can you be so audible, so identifiable
and at the same time
so invisible, voiceless and powerless?

ursula troche, © April 1998

First published by CACOEU (Caribbean Communities in Europe).

Writing Behaviour Study

On 21st August 2008, I was invited by Kay (Hor-ki Li) of the University College London Interaction Centre to take part in a research study. Kay is a master student in Human-Computer Interaction from Hong Kong who had found my details from Artscape website http://www.artscape.org.uk/ and is doing research about writing behaviour with pen-and-paper and the computer.

Kay gave me a NOKIA digital pen and special paper that could track ‘all’ my hand-writing. Using a clustering technique, I mapped out the words of a poem with the theme Celebration, and then I wrote the poem in draft. I typed up the poem in Word on my laptop, edited and then printed a copy.

Kay then showed me the digitally converted version of my handwritten poem but it had lots of inaccuracies, for example, instead of ‘shangwe’ was ‘Hague’ – really the whole page of writing looked nothing like the original. The converted handwriting wasn’t successful and in my view the digital pen software needs more developments to take place. I definitely won’t be rushing to the stores to buy this latest technology, which costs £150 approx.

Taking part in the study was interesting and discussing the creative process of my writing was revealing; I’m fussy about the paper I write on and have a favourite pen. I always use pen and paper and enjoy this process, especially in the initial stages of my creative writing projects; it’s like a springboard for my thinking and ideas, which I find enhances the craft of writing.

For more information about Kay’s study visit the following website:

http://uk.geocities.com/to_kayli/writing_behaviour_study.html

Scarlet

Introducing Guest Poet: Louise Hercules, a Black British artist based in London who specializes in both poetry and photography. Louise’s dynamic body of written and photographic work explores provocative themes such as: identity, gender and relationships through the use of sensual imagery and dramatic dialogue which permeates her artwork.

Louise’s poetry credits include contributing to the following publications: Pride Magazine (Nov 2005) Brown Eyes: A Selection of Creative Expressions by Black & Mixed Raced Women (2005) Forward Press’: Celebrations – 15 Years of The Peoples Poetry (2005) Chroma: A Queer Literary Journal (2006) Forward Press’: A Bedtime Stories for Everyday of the Year (2006) Sexual Attraction Revealed: A Selection of Creative Expressions by Black & Mixed Raced Women (2007) London Miscellany (2007). Trespass Magazine April/May (2008)

Louise’s modeling credits include having worked with the celebrated aesthetic photographer Michael Wilce and photographic journalist, Ron Coello. The photograph above is a sample of Louise's artistic talent.

Scarlet

As you sculpt your supple locks into an ample crest
I keep one eye on you and the other on the hope that you’ll join me
Take rest from your tireless task to let each dappled vine spill from the chalice of your mane like tamarind husks
Descending.
Descending among you
Descending among me
Until I shall wear them like garlands,
Sun blushed and coiled neatly around the ashen canvas of bare foot and wrist in a poultice of relic twine
A crush of amber flex that quickens my slackened pulse within two beats of my instinct to think....................
....................to sink deeper into the thickets bare, till I am nothing but a shoal of silver fish now, piercing through cutlets of lobe and brow as I too
Become indecently estranged into your swarm.

© Louise Hercules 2008

WAPPY

WAPPY’s Final Showcase

On 12th August 2008, I was invited by Akuba to speak about my role as a poet, editor and founder of Shangwe at a final showcase of WAPPY participants. WAPPY stands for Writing, Acting, and Publishing Project for Youngsters and Akuba was the project co-ordinator and workshop facilitator.

The showcase event was held at the London Life Line Academy in West London, which is where the WAPPY summer programme had been running. Nine WAPPY members aged 11 to 14 years had been working hard that day, putting the finishing touches together in readiness for what was a spectacular show.

Performance poetry by individual WAPPY members included two poems each, the first piece was written before the course and the second was created during the course.

Other speakers included Eric Huntley, Bogle L’Ouverture Press, who donated books for the WAPPY members, Judy Wellington, Principal, London Lifeline Academy, John Durston, the Positive Awareness Charity http://www.positiveawareness.co.uk/ , and Sarah Constable, Ealing Youth & Connexions/Summer University.

In attendance was Verna Wilkins, Tamarind Books Publisher http://www.tamarindbooks.co.uk/ , Sue Cook , Random House Children’s Books, http://www.randomhouse.co.uk/ , Ifilia Francois, Founder of Positive Awareness and Ursula Troche, Project Volunteer.

I was also happy to donate a copy of my anthology Brown Eyes: a selection of creative expressions by black & mixed-race women (2005) in support of the project as it is not everyday that I have the privilege to witness such outstanding talent.

Congratulations must go to Akuba who took on a much needed and ambitious summer project, which was delivered honourably and who enchanted us all at the end of the showcase with her short tale Why the Ostrich does not Fly.

Home is Time and Space

Introducing Guest Poet: Akuba, who wrote this poem specifically for Shangwe Poetry Evening held on 31st July 2008 at the Poetry Cafe with the theme of 'Home & Belonging.' For Akuba's biography please see In Conversation with Akuba - a Talking Point blog posted 12 July.

Home is Time and Space

If you were to ask me where is my home
I would have to think long and hard.
Perhaps a place of safety, a comfort zone
That enriches me with warm vibrations
and absent of torturous tribulations,
best springs to mind.

I am inclined to suggest,
my mother’s womb,
once a place of secure enclosure
that kept me protected from all
the harshness of the bittersweet world
I would come to experience so soon after birth.

Where on earth was home?
I have often wondered as a child,
Once too young to remember
suckling the sweet colostrum juices
from my mother’s beautiful African bosom.

Only images of sucking a plastic bottle of milk
In a prison-like white cot, alone,
Yet, overseen by a greying old white lady
known simply as ‘Nanny Clowe’
have haunted me constantly.

From a greying white apathetic nanny in London
to an attentive ‘Uncle’ living in my ancestral Ghana,
home became even more complex to comprehend.
How I wished my mother and father
would send for me.

I loved ‘Uncle Vi’ and
It felt good to be amongst children and elders
whose shades of blackness and other features
So reminded me of my African identity.
Yet, there was still a profound sense of unbelonging

For home could only truly be for me
back in London, where my birth mother lived,
And when that moment finally came
Our reunion would represent a wake up call.
Home really was not that simple
to embrace after all

Now if anyone dare ask me,
where is home and where do you belong?
I am likely to say with confidence, bold and strong
It is where the heart is…
And my heart is scattered along
many contours of history,
linked to various people and places.
Yes, my home is deep within me
and a permanent living memory of time and space.

31st July 2008 Akuba ©

Call Me

Introducing Guest Poet: Saran Green who is 1/3 of the talented collective of spoken word artists called Partnas in Rhyme, who host the monthly event called Rum Punch (every first Thursday). Saran is a passionate and charismatic performance poet fascinated with poetry as a craft and this is reflected in her varied style. She was born in South London, however spent the majority of her life on the beautiful island of Jamaica. Saran has featured at a number of shows for Apples & Snakes, and was the 2005 Farrago International Slam Champion. She recently won second place at the 2008 Spice Festival Slam.

Call me

Call me,
lets talk about our poetry;
each verse ,
each stanza,
our iambic pentameter.

Call me,
lets talk about the weather
you bring;
sunshine,
and cool breeze.
Let our conversation cross rivers and seas,
climb up mango trees,
four, five, six,
lets form words with bamboo sticks.

Call me,
tell me the recipe
for your dinner.
Let our thoughts simmer
under our heat.

A bit of Scotch Bonnet pepper and pimento
The scents soooo…

Call me,
tell me about your day,
what the papers say…
lets talk about Jamaica,
and Antigua,
Sierra Leone and Ghana.
Lets chant Chichi budou,
beat our drum to Soweto.

But just call me,
magicians we’ll be.
‘Abracadabra,
Voodoo!.’
Boo
you
have me spell bound by your words.
Call me and I’ll do the actions to your verbs.

Let’s speak in Isizulu,
make music like Black Uhuru.
I’ll tell you folk tales of Anansi.
You’ll tell me what your plans be.

But just call me,
may your words be the last sounds I hear before bed,
as they form dreams in my head,
cushioning where my words start and yours falls,
until I can’t tell the difference - at all.

So call me, just call me…ok!?

© 2008

In the Pink

Today was my granddaughter Sophie's 1st birthday and as tired as we all were after the day's celebrations faded, I knew I had to put pen to paper and express a few words about such an important event. This is the quickest poem, I've ever written - we're talking a few minutes!

In the Pink

Such a lot of fun
and a host who is
one year young
today.

Sophie the party girl
all dressed up in
chic pink
with lots of oohs, ahs,
balloons flying high
hugs, kisses
for a
special princess.
In with a little cake
and a single candle
to wet your appetite
and to sing those songs.

Home & Belonging

On 31st July 2008, I hosted Shangwe Poetry Night, a monthly event held on the last Thursday of the month, at the Poetry Café in Covent Garden.

The theme for the event was Home & Belonging. Featured poets were Akuba and Cezanne who enchanted us with their outstanding spoken word performances, followed by six open mic performers – Paula, Katherine, Sharon, Alan, Lucy and Matt, some performing for the first time.

This was such an enjoyable and inspiring event with lots of newcomers in a friendly, supportive and diverse audience that I had to write about it here.

Despite the hot temperature and the battle between the noisy air conditioning and the microphone (the AC lost), the night was brilliant – even though I say it myself and I know I’m biased!

I felt that the diversity of the poets in particular was what made this event unique and interestingly the theme brought out the best in everyone. I was impressed by the open mic performances as I know it can be nerve-wracking for first time performers.

I also read poems from my anthology Brown Eyes (2005) and a new poem called Coming Home, which I had just written with reference to a Memoir called Beyond Boundaries that I submitted on 31st July to an African Writers Abroad anthology on the theme of Moving. http://www.africanwritersabroad.org.uk/

The next Shangwe Poetry Night will be a Special Two Year Anniversary Event on Thursday 28th August 2008 with a Celebration theme. For more information: http://www.shangwe.com/poetry_events.htm