Wise Words Partners with The Marlowe Theatre for WARRIOR POETS

All too often, young people in care are defined by their past, rather than by the resilience they draw upon in order to overcome adversity. Society sees these young people as a burden and too often maps out a future for them dominated by antisocial behaviour and criminal activity instead of recognising that through overcoming adversity these young people develop a strength and fortitude that can lead to them contributing huge amounts to society.

Wise Words are partnering with the Marlowe Theatre and Virtual Schools Kent to develop and deliver a project working with young people in care that will lead to the young people creating an immersive installation celebrating resilience that will be sited in the Marlowe Studio as part of the Theatre's 5th Anniversary gala weekend.

A group of 20 young people who have been brought up within the care system or who are unaccompanied young refugees have been working with one of the UK's most exciting performance poets Joelle Taylor; a projection artist, a musician and a visual artist to create a virtual landscape of projected poetry, imagery and song - a landscape that tells the stories and experiences of how these young people have overcome life's challenges to become the people they are today.

Lemn Sissay who is perhaps one of the world's most famous poets (appearing almost daily in the Guardian, on the radio or television as well as beating ex-politician Peter Mandelson to become the chancellor of Manchester University), will be the Artistic Director. Lemn was also brought up in care and has devoted his life to being an ambassador for those who come from a similar background.

Through this project we want to find ways to listen, to celebrate the young people's strength and resilience, so that, like Lemn, they have the confidence to say "I am not defined by my scars but by my incredible ability to heal".

A short Poetry Competition:

As part of Warrior Poets the Marlowe Theatre and Wise Words are exploring what home means to a wide variety of people from different cultural and social backgrounds. They are inviting you to share your thoughts through writing and sharing short haiku length poems. The very best, selected by the project team, will appear within the Warrior Poets exhibition to be held at the Marlowe between the 8th - 11th October. Please share your short poems by emailing them to beth@workers-of-art.co.uk or tweeting them to @wisewordfest using #Warrior Poets. Deadline 5th October.

Pictured: Warrior Poets, credit Raphael Klatzko

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