GROUNDation II: Poetry, Power, People will be an exciting and dynamic spoken word/ poetry performance taking place inside HMP Wandsworth, as a culmination of Safe Ground’s GROUNDation Poetry Project (GPP). The project was inspired by the success of our first ever spoken word affair – ‘GROUNDation I: Poetry for the People’ that took place in 2013. GPP involves poetry workshop series, led by renowned poets such as John Hegley, Joelle Taylor and Ty, running both in HMP Wandsworth’s library and various locations in the local Wandsworth community.
Participants will be those new to poetry and writers of sonnets alike and the workshops will help to enhance creative writing skills, literacy, public speaking and performance skills. Finding a way with words will help to build self-confidence and communication skills. By throwing themselves into active learning and with a little bit of dialogue, debate and expression through writing participants will develop a greater understanding and better relationships with themselves, each other, poetry and their communities.
On Wednesday 4th March 2015 GROUNDation II: Poetry, Power, People will bring together people on the outside with those on the inside in a creative exchange of the work they have crafted in the workshops, where they will share the work with each other and an audience of family members, prison staff and invited guests from the general public. Assumptions and perceptions will be challenged, new ways of communicating will be established and most importantly poetry, expression and change will be celebrated.
GPP will also be producing a limited edition handcrafted book of poetry, featuring the work of participants from the project with a special guest editor, due to be published summer 2015. A further two workshops, again inside and outside of the prison, bringing practical paper crafting skills, alongside design, production and business skills, will see groups of poetry workshops participants coming together to physically make 300 books. This publication will not only extend the life of the project but also make the voices of men in prison and Wandsworth local communities accessible to a wider audience.
What we need and why we need it
We have successfully managed to fundraise enough to hold a total of 8 poetry workshops, split evenly between the prison and the local community, and to produce a singular handcrafted limited edition book of poetry. However, the performance event GROUNDation II: Poetry, Power, People is an equally important component in the GPP, but what makes it special, the fact that it will be held in in HMP Wandsworth means that we cannot charge for attendance which would normally go towards event production costs.
So our www.Sponsume.com campaign is to raise £3,000 to be able to professionally stage GROUNDation II. This will include lighting, sound system, catering, performance fees for professional acts and documentary audio and video recording. Most importantly, attaining this amount will ensure that both prisoners and community members have a platform for their voices, their poetry and are able to share them with each other, their families and the wider public.
What we will do if you donate:
1. We are offering 300 shares, which we are calling ‘Lyrics’, which a donor/ investor can purchase at £10 each.
2. We will provide you with regular updates on the progress of GPP through blogs, video blogs, Twitter, Facebook and our YouTube channel.
3. We will feature interviews and performances from delivery artists and workshop participants.
4. We will provide you access to a special forum on the Safe Ground website that enables you to share your own, GROUNDation inspired poems, images and videos.
The owner of this project has not made any updates yet.
No users are currently backing this project.
