Poetry and creative arts are important avenues through which many people seek to express themselves. Contrary to what you may think, poetry is not just the boring and complicated poems you learn at school and are forced to analyse. 

In recent years, poetry has been adopted as a therapeutic tool of expression, to allow individuals to work through difficult or complex emotions, experiences and events in a creative and relaxed setting. Poetry, in its limitless form, can be written and produced in any style, with or without rhythm and rhyme, away from traditional forms of classical poetry. Poetry can be anything you want it to be – it can hold any intended purpose or meaning, being a rap, lyrics to a song, or even a few lines scribbled into a notebook. Poetry has the benefit of being an art form which can be created and expressed in so many different ways – it can be written for page (page poetry), with the intention of being read, or it can be written for stage, with the aim of being performed out loud to an audience (performance poetry). 

Poetry has existed for centuries, across continents and geographies, written, spoken, rehearsed, recited, and kept alive by communities all over the world. Poetry is written in all languages, spoken by different tongues, tribes, peoples and is a beautiful and unique form of expression. 

South Asia houses some of the greatest poets in human history – the Indian subcontinent is known for its culture of spoken word, song and poetry. Many artists and poets hail from this region – and by extension, as travel, technology and communication developed, these traditions also travelled across vast distances, with the emergence of a global South Asian diaspora. South Asian communities which exist in the West are known to populate vibrant and bustling hubs of cities – as we find in Birmingham today if you walk down Ladypool Road or Coventry Road, for instance. 

We have piloted poetry writing workshops within the Bahu Trust for women, teenagers and young people and are excited to be introducing more poetry nights, poetry workshops and circles this coming year. This will include monthly poetry nights for women and girls, a safe space for expression and dialogue, as well as poetry writing sessions for young boys and girls to invite new forms of creativity, imagination and allow them to voice their thoughts, experiences and perspectives with our local community and beyond. 

Unlocking the power, voice, and stories of young people is especially important in archiving their experiences, documenting their thoughts and feelings, and giving them a space to create freely, without criticism or judgment.

We are also excited to be hosting poetry circles and sessions for all ages – including elderly groups to coincide with our weekly wellbeing café for the elderly. This will include sessions exploring the history of poetry and arts across South Asia and the ways in which this can be linked to the stories and experiences of migration, and life in the West of our elderly community members. We will also be launching an intergenerational podcast programme, collecting the rich and vibrant stories of the ‘Legends of Bahu Trust’ – elderly community members who have been instrumental in establishing the Bahu Trust, and pivotal to the fabric of our local community.