Journalism & News from Bournemouth University

Boscombe community wears their visibility cloaks and gets poetical

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woman performing a poetry piece in front of a crowd
Claire H the Poet, performing a poem on Renaee Nicole Good following her death in Minneapolis photo credit: Naomi Kativu

Last night, Chaplin’s & the Cellar Bar was filled with literary light at the weekly ‘Get Poetical’ Poetry night.

The event has been running for 2 and a half years and aims to give a platform to poets of all levels and from all works of life.

Anyone was welcome to join in, and those who feel inspired by the energy in the room can choose from a selection of poetry books from local poets in the area.

Ri Baroche, Poet at the ‘Get Poetical’ night. Credit: Naomi Kativu

 

The headline act for the night was Ri Baroche, a person engrossed in the arts from performer, musician, theatre maker and of course, poet.

Baroche proposed the theme they used for this month which was to wear your “visibility cloak”. A theme which encourages participates to wear clothes that make them feel the mot seen and the most themselves.

“Poetry in school wasn’t necessarily something I gravitated towards” said Baroche. It was poets like Benjamin Zephaniah and John Cooper Clarke that gave her the inspiration.

Baroche voiced that events like these are important for the area to open your eyes to other creatives around you in a safe space. “[Bournemouth] is really active, and you get people from all different backgrounds and identities and ages coming together”

Another performer and avant attendee of the event, Claire Hillier also known as Claire H the Poet also reiterated this point.

Hillier said “there’s the drive and desire for that connection, I know where I belong, and I know what I’m a part of”

Hillier has performed at many intriguing events, such as in the houses of parliament, but will always come back to places like ‘Get Poetical’ to be around other creatives in the Bournemouth area.

“You can take people on a journey of human experience and human emotions through words” Hillier said.

The night’s poetry had a range of themes and ideas. Some spoke on love and connection whilst others spoke on loss and political tensions.

Claire performed a piece by Renee Nicole Good. The woman who died after being shot by an ICE agent, highlighting the global tensions being felt down to the local level.

It was a night full of creativity and life which is a pinnacle of the creative community in Bournemouth.