In today's episode, I speak with Shagufta Iqbal.

We discuss poetry and the taboo of divorce and how that particularly impacts women within the South Asian community. 

You will get to hear Shagufta's open and honest account of her own experiences and how her art and poetry have helped her to find a release and heal, as well as listen to spoken word poems and projects she is currently working on.

We explore spoken word poems: 

"Founder of The YoniVerse Poetry Collective and Kiota Bristol, Shagufta K Iqbal longlisted for the Jerwood Compton poetry fellowship, is an award-winning writer, filmmaker, workshop facilitator and Tedx Speaker.

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To learn more and connect with Shagufta:

http://www.shaguftakiqbal.com/

@shaguftakiqbalpoet   

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Poems From My Heart Podcast aims to connect, empower, celebrate and amplify the voices of writers, performers and activists.

Hosted, edited, and produced by Angela Rideau.

Thank you for listening, and thank you for your support.

You can now leave me a message on here, and don't forget to hit the like and follow button so you never miss an episode.

We discuss poetry and childhood sexual trauma and the responsibility we have to protect our children by destigmatising the issue.

We explore ‘Intra-familial childhood sexual abuse' within the South Asian community and how it impacts SEND communities as well.

You will get to hear Juanita’s open and honest account of her own experiences and how her art and poetry has helped her to find a release and heal, as well as listen to a spoken word poem about sexual abuse.

Juanita Rea is a South African artist-activist living in Belfast and working in a range of creative arts to de-stigmatise intrafamilial child sexual abuse, address injustice and promote wellbeing practices and activism. She has an extensive background in education and is the multi-awarded founder of eduSOIL, a social enterprise enabling under-served youth in South Africa, India, the Philippines and Sudan to access yoga, mindfulness and changemaker programmes. Juanita has been creating art all her life and having previously channelled her creativity into wellbeing resources and programmes for others, she has recently begun sharing her art through online performance, publications and exhibitions in 2021 with the aim of breaking her heart open to healing truths.

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To learn more:

http://www.edusoil.com/

https://www.juanita.uk/

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Poems From My Heart Podcast aims to connect, empower, celebrate and amplify the voices of writers, performers and activists.

Hosted, edited, and produced by Angela Rideau.

Thank you for listening, and thank you for your support. 

You can now leave me a message on here, and don't forget to hit the follow button so you never miss an episode. 

Welcome to the 'Poems From My Heart' Trailer!

Bringing you gifts of original poems, performed as spoken word poetry. Painting pictures of my experiences and musings on the world and starting a conversation through poetry on topics I care about. I interview authors, activists, artists and together we discuss difficult topics through the form of spoken word poetry and conversations around taboos. 

Connect with Angela:

Instagram:  @poemsfromyheart1

Twitter: @poemsfromyheart

In today's episode, I speak with Julián Esteban Torres López, creator and culture architect of The Nasiona: a movement that centers, elevates, and amplifies the personal stories of those Othered by systems of oppression and dominant cultures. We discuss:

Before we jump into listening to Julián explore his new poetry book: Ninety-Two Surgically Enhanced Mannequins, we explore the social constructs of identity and how to shape our world.

You will get to hear Julián and I recite on themes of heritage and cultural identity. His poetry will give you a flavour of some of the poetic genius captured in 92 poems that live within his new micro-poetry collection. The 92 minimalist, at times surrealist and magical realist, pieces tackle the absurdity of what it means to be human and honour how moments, not plots, compose our lives. The collection is an attempt to capture these fleeting moments, while also trying to remember the intensity of the mundane and the abyss of the beautiful.

We also touch on current affairs, specifically the political situation of the Great Colombian Uprising of 2021, where Julián performs a passionate spoken-word piece on his hometown of Medellín.

Link to book: https://www.jetorreslopez.com/ninety-two-surgically-enhanced-mannequins/

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Follow him on Twitter and Instagram: @JE_Torres_Lopez https://www.jetorreslopez.com/

Show some love for #92SEM and get a copy of the book. 

If you're interested in finding out about the work at The Nasiona, please follow The Nasiona on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for regular updates: @TheNasiona https://thenasiona.com/

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Poems From My Heart Podcast aims to connect, empower, celebrate and amplify the voices of writers, performers and activists. 

Hosted, edited, and produced by Angela Rideau.

Thank you for listening, and thank you for your support. 

This episode features a Spoken Word artist and published poet, Martin Grey who has a debut poetry book called the Prettyboys of Gangster Town published by Fly on the Wall Publishing.

Martin explores spoken word poetry writing, how to prepare for poetry slams, and talks about his new book and the inspiration behind the poems.

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To connect with Martin

Instagram: @martin_grey_poet

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCthvmxQJjhZSgi3q9YEBe8Q

Website: http://martingreypoet.com/

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Let's connect! You can follow my work here:

Instagram: @poemsfromyheart1

Twitter: @poemsfromyheart

Website: https://www.flowcode.com/page/poemsfromyheart

Listen to Afshan perform a spoken word poem from her new book [Re:Desire]

Together, we perform spoken word poetry and discuss miscarriage, Poly-cystic Ovarian Syndrome (P.C.O.S) and feminism.

Afshan is an award-winning spoken word poet with a new book which is an exploration of languages, cultures and sexuality and longlisted for the Jhalak Book Prize. You can buy her book from her website (below).

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To connect with Afshan

Instagram: @afshandl

Twitter: @afshandl

Website: https://afshandl.com/

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Let's connect! You can follow my work here:

Instagram: @poemsfromyheart1

Twitter: @poemsfromyheart

Website: https://www.flowcode.com/page/poemsfromyheart

Myself and a guest Moeed Majeed, (an activist living with Crohn's Disease) explore living with chronic illnessess: Endometriosis and Crohn's Disease and how it impacted our lives as well as how we managed to use these conditions to inspire ourselves to use our creative skills to raise awareness. 

This episode was made to explore difficult topics through poetry and stories. 

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Do you have any personal stories that you have related to Endometriosis or Crohn's Disease? Drop me a voice message to share your experience or reach out to me on my social media platforms. 

Would you like to be a guest and share a story through poetry? Get in touch:

instagram: @poemsfromyheart1

twitter: @poemsfromyheart

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Connect with Mooed:

Youtube Live Series called Bag Chat: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7MGKiUwwWBCceuZv-r2YOg

Instagram: @moeedmajeed

This poem is about my hometown and where I grew up. It's based in Wolverhampton, also called The Black Country in England. 

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Lets connect:

Instagram @poemsfromyheart1

Twitter: poemsfromyheart

Youtube: poems from my heart 

Drop me a message (text or record a voice message for me) to let me know what you think.

AIR

the air i breathe

a whisper from Vayu

is the force behind all motion

a child of ether that creates

a delicate dance with nature

playing with us

transitioning into lighter times

with each exhale

i permit my negative thoughts

to flow out

allowing a lightness within me

making space

for inspiration and creativity

with every inhale

i expand my consciousness

to absorb

the hidden secrets

the ideas floating around me

that i cannot yet see

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Lets connect:

Instagram @poemsfromyheart1

Twitter: poemsfromyheart

Youtube: poems from my heart 

Drop me a message (text or record a voice message for me) to let me know what you think. 

WATER

the water i drink

passes through

so many living beings

contains memories

and experiences

that recycle through me

the moment

it touches my lips

connecting our energy

teach me how to be

more like you water

forever humbly adapting

never stuck in one state

forever morphing

flowing freely

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Lets connect:

Instagram @poemsfromyheart1

Twitter: poemsfromyheart

Youtube: poems from my heart 

Drop me a message (text or record a voice message for me) to let me know what you think.