Spread the word: Poetry workshops at Walsall festival this weekend
A poet and human rights advocate is to share spoken word and run poetry workshops at the New Year Arts Festival at The Crossing at St Paul's, Walsall, on Saturday, 11 January. The event is hosted by RicNic in collaboration with Walsall Council and the West Midlands Combined Authority.
Saida Chowdhury, who studied at Queen Mary University of London, has been writing poetry for over 20 years. Her debut collection, ‘Broken Minds’, will be published this year and will be accompanied with poetry workshops across the West Midlands on the theme of mental health.
Saida was born in Bangladesh and came to the UK as a baby before growing up in West London. She moved to Birmingham over 18 years ago after getting married and is the mother of two teenage boys.
The first time that she had performed spoken word in front of an audience only took place last November for Words of Wisdom at Café Royale in Wolverhampton. Since then, she has had the confidence to read more of her work for the Human Rights Celebration Day on 10 December at the University of Wolverhampton, and All You Need Is Love And A Microphone at Café Royale in Wolverhampton where her words moved some of the audience to tears.
“It was an amazing experience" said Saida "sharing the platform with other speakers, poets, musicians and artists in a unified voice”.
Discussing the Human Rights Celebration Day. Organiser of the event Diyodi Devanda Menon said: "As a member of Creative Connections, formerly known as It’s Our Right, I am honoured to be part of this significant occasion that not only commemorates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights but also calls for action towards a more equitable world."
Saida's latest poem, "Genocide in Gaza At Christmas (Again)" is the subject of a collaboration in film and music and is aimed at bringing the communities together in a call from the universality of the human spirit. This video and poem were shared with charities and MPs in a call for action in December 2024.
Her debut poetry book, ‘Broken Minds’ explores various themes, but they are all entwined and understood by her personal understanding of the Japanese art form of ‘Kintsugi’.
"We are all broken" explained Saida "and there is a Japanese word, Kintsugi which means 'Golden Joinery'. It's a traditional Japanese art of mending broken pottery and ceramics using either precious metal liquids or lacquer with gold dusting. Kintsugi beautifies the breakage and treats it as an inspirational part of the object`s history and the broken pot not as something to discard but as something more precious than it was before".
Saida’s intention is to apply this philosophy to human trauma and scars both physical, mental and emotional. Her message to people is: “Your scars are not ugly, they are beautiful parts of you and your history that need to be embraced in order to heal, help and grow."
Saida began using poetry over 20 years ago after witnessing the injustices of the aftermath of 9/11 and trying to understand the root causes of the injustices that exist in the world.
Saida said: "Walsall is the ideal setting for this current arts celebration. What an opportunity to start the New Year with its rich history and diverse community presenting an inspiring platform to be part of in the community.
"Putting pen to paper was my outlet and soon developed into a passion for addressing my thoughts on love, life, sadness and faith."
Saida Chowdhury's debut poetry collection will be published to coincide with International Women's Day 2025.
