South Londoner lands National Poetry Title

WINNER: Rick Dove

LAST WEEK saw Rick Dove, 43, became the oldest winner of the national poetry slam title with a powerful piece about social injustice and innocence lost.

I never really had ambitions for it at all, I just enjoyed the scene and the connection, so becoming the winner a national title feels totally unreal.

Rick Dove

Against the backdrop of the last year which saw the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, England Players taking the knee at the postponed Euro 2020, and the manslaughter conviction of the officer involved in the death of Dalian Atkinson, Dove’s piece “The Chat” had both a timely and timeless quality, combined with and emotive delivery that stunned the audience and judges.

Poetry slams are the closest thing to literary blood sports.

A form of performance poetry event that combines the elements of performance, writing, competition, and audience participation. At a poetry slam, the audience is the judge, and the winner is the poet who wows the crowd the most.
 
The prestigious Hammer & Tongue National Poetry Slam has been going for more a decade, producing some breathtaking and innovative champions who have gone on to wider success, including holding poet laureate roles, publishing academic tomes, and starring in TV adverts for major brands.

The field at the 2021 Final was expectedly strong. Final always has slam winners from across the UK, but this year, because of the postponement of the 2020 event due to COVID, there were two years’ worth of regional champions crammed into the finals.

After fighting his way through four rounds of a heat and a final, to take the Hackney title in 2019, Dove took his place alongside the Belfast Slam Champion, the Northern Ireland Slam Champion, and the Scottish Slam Champion in the 2021 Final.

Having recently collaborated with renown academic, surgeon, and author of “Expert: Understanding the Path to Mastery” Roger Kneebone, on the Arts Council Supported Experimental Words project, Dove is now focused on inspiring others to find their voices and tell their stories.

“Hopefully, winning at 43 having only really started at 37, will show people it is never too late to try something new,” Dove said.

He aded: “Poetry has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, I wrote and read poems all the way through school and university, but then stopped when the London commute and adult life ate up all my spare time. I got back into it as a way to process a bereavement and started sharing the poems and performing in late 2015. 

“I never really had ambitions for it at all, I just enjoyed the scene and the connection, so becoming the winner a national title feels totally unreal.

“I am not sure it will ever sink in. There have been so many great poets that have won this title before, and I feel humbled and honoured to be among them.”

Dove’s next solo project will be a piece on Evelyn Dove, his great-aunt, and the first black woman on BBC radio in 1930s. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evelyn_Dove 

Looking forward to what he wants to get his teeth into, he said: “There is something really restorative and empowering in poetry, especially in the empathy it teaches and the connections it creates, and I wish more people could find that, especially in the aftermath of COVID.

“So helping others find their voices and the confidence to raise them will probably be next.

“I am not sure exactly how that will manifest at this stage, but I am open to offers and suggestions. For me, the whole writing thing has always been about doing the next project that feels right, and see what doors open from there.” 

Comments Form

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*
*

Support The Voice

The Voice Newspaper is committed to celebrating black excellence, campaigning for positive change and informing the black community on important issues. Your financial contributions are essential to protect the future of the publication as we strive to help raise the profile of the black communities across the UK. Any size donation is welcome and we thank you for your continued support.

Support Sign-up