The Great Poetry Bake Off

This weekend we were treated to two very different events as part of Writing on the Wall Shellshock writing festival.

The first was held at the community bakery, Homebaked Anfield which played host to The Great Poetry Bake Off. This event celebrated the release of a collection of poetry entitled Sweet Tongues by writing group Commonword including contributions from over fifty poets drawing on local and international cuisines to create a diverse menu of poetry. The anthology includes established and new writers and reflects the global influences that are evident in the UK’s popular cuisine.

Our poets were a mixture of young people, their mentors and members of the Stroke Association who were previously involved in the What's Your Story? project.

The proceedings started with an introduction by Madeline from Writing on the Wall and was hosted by Reece from Commonword.

The stroke survivors poetry was simple yet moving, short but effective and really conveyed the struggle but most importantly strength and spirit of the poets. Through their pieces we were given access to their thoughts, feelings and experiences, detailing an incredible journey to rebuild their lives. The poems dealt with the small things like relearning to tie shoe laces to serious issues of depression, living with paralysis and adapting to the limitations of their bodies. What struck me is the charm, humour and wit used to convey these stories, giving us a glimpse of the poets wonderful personalities.

The Sweet Tongues poets used food as a tool to explore issues such as divorce, health, culture and heritage and families evoking strong imagery and a sense of nostalgia in their pieces. The poems complimented each other well and the positive energy in the cafe was almost tangible.

Since the morning of the event both teams of poets had been cooking together to get to know each other and create a varied culinary spread for the show. I had the honour of chatting to some of the poets before and after the performance who thoroughly enjoyed the Great Poetry Bake Off experience as did I. This was an event that I probably wouldn't have attended usually but I'm glad I did. It was a beautiful way to spend an afternoon. Projects like this are really important for fostering community cohesion and allowing people from a whole range of backgrounds the space time and support to be creative.

Find out more about Commonword
Find out more about the What's Your Story? Project

By Natalie Denny