Tag Archives: #poetrycomission

Looking through a skylight

Yesterday evening saw an exciting event – the official launch of my exhibition with Maggie Cameron. What grew from a fun exercise for us both has become something that is bring genuine joy to people, and that is a wonderful thing.

Our Inktober poetry and art collaboration began by accident. I noticed Maggie had set herself a challenge to respond to the Inktober prompts by creating images of birds. I had my own October challenge of getting up early each morning to write, and I love to write about birds. And so a perfect match was born. I’d signed up to a Dawn Chorus writing group too, so the timing early couldn’t have been better.

The poems are different to my other work – more fact inspired I suppose. There’s a lot of fun in some of them and a fair bit of anger and frustration at the world in others. The poems in the exhibition are redrafted versions of the ones on my Inktober page, and it’s interesting to see the changes.

Things I loved about last night

Seeing my work on display – I love the marriage of poetry and art. It’s something I’ve seen a lot in various cities and it’s brilliant to have it here in Ironbridge.

Hearing the good things people say. An artist I’ve admired for years bought three cards because she thought the words and pictures were so perfect together. That’s something to treasure. So many people asked if Maggie and I will produce a book, and so many loved the idea and the content.

Seeing people spend time reading my words – it’s something that still surprises me. Self belief is not my natural state and watching people seem to enjoy my work is an alien thing.

Things I wish were different

I wish I had read. This would have been a perfect opportunity – but so close to Dad dying I just didn’t trust myself not to crack. A love of birds is something we shared from when I was tiny, and so many of the poems are intertwined with him. There’s one about a Mandarin Duck which inspired a poem sparked by one of the last conversations we had – Dad wasn’t much of a talker so this kind of memory is a precious thing. One day I’ll read it aloud.

I wish I felt less ill. Emotional exhaustion has numbed me a little, and sparked a lot of M.E. symptoms. I wasn’t as engaged as I could have been, which makes me sad. Lee, Maggie and Molly have literally take the reigns and made this happen, and as you know, sitting back and letting others do the work is not a comfortable place for me.

Will there be a book?

So many people asked this last night – it’s definitely something we will explore. The costs to publish an art type book will be a good deal more than a simple pamphlet, so it may be time to get the crowdfunding hats on again!

Thanks for reading, if you’re local to Ironbridge do pop over to 86’d to enjoy some delicious coffee and cakes, as well as looking at our work.

If you’re not local and you’d like to buy some of our poetry and art in postcard form, just send me an email kathrynannawrites@gmail.com

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What is a bespoke poem?

The eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed I’ve reopened my order book for bespoke poetry. It does occur to me though that you may be wondering exactly what a bespoke poem might be, so I thought I’d give you a little overview.

Essentially, a bespoke Poem from the Hare is a poem written by me, in collaboration with you. Usually people comission them as a gift – birthdays, Christmas, Mother’s or Father’s Day and the like – or for celebrations like weddings or christenings. Having said that, there’s nothing to stop you commissioning a poem for yourself – maybe to celebrate passing an exam, or just something to lift your spirits each day.

Do I need to know anything about poetry to comission a bespoke poem?

Not at all. I can talk to you about the type of feel you want for your piece, and build a poem to match. There’s so many different forms and styles that work alongside the words to enhance meaning and it’s a joy to weave them together and create something that will move and delight.

Do you need me to tell you exactly what I want you to write?

Yes and no. The more detail I have the more rounded the piece will be – but it very much depends on what you want. You may want something almost like a memoir, that records significant shared moments, or something more nuanced that celebrates a particular moment of resilience. We can talk about this kind of detail when you get in touch.

I’ve seen personalised poems on sale that are much cheaper than yours. Why do you charge more?

Good question! A personalised poem is generally a standard piece of poetry, with different names, or personal details popped in as appropriate. The work I offer is a completely original piece, written to your specifications. Made to measure rather than off the peg, if you like.

Are you any good at writing poetry?

Another good question! It’s really hard to answer – if I measure “any good” on how much work I have published, then the answer is “I think so” ! I know that I understand how to use language, rhythm, form and all sorts of other poetic devices to create emotion and tell a story – and I know that previous commissions have been well received. You can read a selection of testimonials on my page Poems from the Hare.

Do you take commissions for bespoke poetry all the time?

Writing a bespoke poem takes time,so I do have to limit the number of commissions I take. Occasionally I close my order book completely for a while, especially if I have a lot of copywriting work underway, so it’s always best to plan ahead, especially at busy times like Christmas or Mother’s Day. Having said that, if you need something a bit last minute just get in touch and I’ll do my very best to help.

Get in touch

If you’ve any other questions, or you’d like to discuss commissioning a bespoke poem, just drop me an email on kathrynannawrites@gmail.com and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible .