Tahira Rehman Poet

Founder of Witty Writers' World, Olabayo Joshua Awodirepo has always loved writing. In 2017, he went from writing scripts to writing everyday for 365 days without fail! ▶️ In this episode, Josh shares his inspiring story on his journey in becoming the person it has taken him to be in a position where he is able to inspire others in making a positive impact through writing. 🎤 Josh says he expresses himself best when he picks up his pen, how inspiring! Listen to his two beautiful poems 'What Is Love?' and 'When Depression Knocks.' Also find out more about the amazing impact Witty Writers' World is having and how it is now a family that expresses art and culture and addresses real life issues through creativity. 💪 Josh believes that writing can help you master your craft and bring out your potential, how very true! This is the inspiration that he shares through his work and Witty Writers' World poetry cafe. 🔊 More about Josh: 📔 Olabayo Joshua Awodirepo also known as Witty_Pen hails from Osun State though born and brought up in Badagry, Lagos State. He graduated from the Department of European Studies, University of Ibadan where he studied French language. He also did his M. A in French Studies in the same citadel of learning.  🎉 He is an award winning Bilingual poet 🌎, creative writer, proofreader and editor. He has written over 300 wise nuggets and a good number of poems. He has proofread and edited over 200 works of others (in form of poetry, short stories and articles for publication). Some of his works have been featured on different sites like myfrenchworld.org, mapetitefranceng.com, luyisupdates.com.ng, blog.wittywritersworld.com. He won the Poetic Duel Int'l poet of the year award in 2020 as well as the first prize award for an Haiku challenge organised by Infoatassi Media in March, 2021. 🔗 You can find out more about Joshua on www.wittywritersworld.com 🌎 you can follow him on Instagram @witty_pen 🖊️

“THE MAGIC’S IN THE DEMO!” Yes! That’s right. In his own words, the New Jersey-based award-winning poet and author Robert Cozzi believes that writing is about allowing your words to speak entirely for themselves without distraction; how beautiful. Robert couldn’t get more original and sincere than that, he himself has his whole life written down in journals which long stands as invaluable advice that he has followed from his English teacher as a child. As a mentor for new writers, Robert believes that desire is the key to becoming a successful writer and you must have a “do it or die” attitude. In this episode, he shares his two beautiful poems ‘New Years Eve 1997’ and ‘Boardwalk Visions.’ We talk about how much we have in common while he shares his inspiring story and inspiration. We discuss why being true to yourself is important as Robert juggles his day job with his writing life and has a keen eyesight to his surroundings, no wonder he has his whole life written down! We talk about how losing his special friend Derek changed his life and how Derek has never disappeared in his writing. We also discuss his upcoming Anthology (at the time) which features a beautiful poem he shares. But don’t let me give too much away, get yourself ready to be inspired! ▶️ More about Robert: Award-winning poet, Robert A. Cozzi, continues to dazzle his international following with poetry and prose that tantalize all five senses and leave the reader wanting more. In addition to five published poetry volumes, and inclusion in anthologies and publications, Robert also shares daily creations and livestreams on Instagram. Educated at James Madison University and New York University, Cozzi shares valuable mentorship with new writers around the globe 🌎 For more, visit Robert on Instagram @RobertCozziAuthor, and on Twitter @RobertACozzi1. Robert has a total of six published poetry books 📔 His latest solo book ‘kaleidoscope of colors’ can be found here: 🔗 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B097CF9K1V and the Anthology ‘Perspective to pen’ can be found here: 🔗 https://www.amazon.com/Perspective-Pen-Anthology-Robert-Cozzi/dp/B08P5F9FTT/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=perspective+to+pen+robert+cozzi&qid=1631723206&sr=8-1

It's time to dive into Rob's story as a Poet, Slam Champion and founder of Punk In Drublic. Listen to his two wonderful and inspiring poems 'The Bucket' and 'Man Of The House.' What questions have you had about the amazing Spoke Word Scene? Could Rob answer any of them? What does it take to start your own poetry night? What does it take to succeed as a performance poet? What makes the poetry scene unique compared to other arts? Which poet do you know that Rob mentions in this episode? Rob believes that it takes more than a text book to build the skills one needs to succeed in the arts and what's more, he's been there himself. He has had to create and work on building a strong mental stamina alongside his desire and passion of helping others through his work as a Pastor and as someone who gives others a platform on the poetry scene. Be further inspired as Rob leaves you with some personal encouragement, something we could all do with these days ☺️ More about Rob: 🔊 Rob Steventon has been peddling poetry since 2013 and has been Champion of Manchester’s Word War and York’s Say Owt poetry slam. His night 'Punk In Drublic' won the Sabotoir Awards and has Raised more than 10k for Mustard Tree, a charity for the homeless. Rob's poem Birdfall was published in collaboration with artist Sonny Ross as a graphic poetry book in 2018. Recently, Rob's new book 'How I Made My Millions' was published by Flapjack Press. Link to his book here 📗 🔗 https://www.waterstones.com/book/how-i-made-my-millions/rob-steventon/9781838118570 🎤 | Find out more about Rob here 🔗 https://www.facebook.com/robsteventonpoet?refsrc=deprecated&_rdr

It's time to turn negative energy into healing with Karen Middleton! Be inspired as she shares her story in writing poetry and what inspired her. She is a poet and author from Sherburn Village. She started writing poems 20 years ago and found poetry made her feel better after many trials and tribulations in her life. Listen to her beautiful poems 'All I Can Do Now Is Buy Flowers' and 'Sights And Sounds Of The Seaside.' Listen to her insightful wisdom as she dives into her story. Karen believes it's never too late to do what you want in life and she herself has proven this by merging her talent of writing books and completing a law degree later in life. She has also inspired others to start writing as a coping mechanism and believed that if you can make a difference to how someone else feels, it's all worth the while! 😇 Karen believes that you don't know how you think until you start writing, what a wonderful philosophy! She is also a mother, wife and loves taking her dog for a walk. 🥰 Karen has 5 children's story rhyme books 📗 published and has recently published her second poetry collection called 'Covid 19 poems.' 📗 She is also working on a novel which will be published this year. 🥳 ... Find out more about her work on the following links: Webpage: https://stuffshewrote.webnode.co.uk/ ..... Books: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08KTGMKMMref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_2KP2KH12VCBGJ7VK85Q7

This is not only a story of Henry's journey in performance poetry, this is an I CAN DO THIS anthem from a down-to-earth individual who spends his time giving others a platform. Listen to his two energetic poems 'Discount Tescos Bunting' and 'Work Sets You Free' at the beginning and the end of the episode. Henry also shares how being inspired by John Cooper Clarke ignited the belief in him to write a punk poem and why it's important to find your voice, challenge and articulate your strengths. Henry also advises it's important to value other poets as this can lead to valuing your own work too. Be inspired by his journey as a free-bird, his enthusiasm and his attitude of 'taking a step back and challenging heirachys and power' (as he says) to give others a platform. Get an insight into his journey of founding 'Say Owt' and what's to come! Remember to have your pen ready for some valuable notes ☺️ ↘️ More about Henry: Henry Raby is a York-based, performance poet, theatre-maker, play-wright and workshop facilitator. He has performed across the UK as a mainstay of the spoken word scene. He’s ½ of Vandal Factory Theatre Company and worked for various theatres. Henry is also the Artistic Director and founder of 'Say Owt' and hosts related events across York. Say Owt celebrated its 5-year anniversary last year. Visit his webpage here: 🔗 www.henryraby.com | His book 'Nerd Punk' has been published by Burning Eye Books and can be found here: 🔗 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1911570315/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_fabc_YEX5PNF80HRVHMFFAH23

WELCOME TO SEASON 2! I am delighted to say that the very person who opened Season 1 of the show is BACK to open Season 2 and he is ready to fill you in with all the inspirational work he has been doing last year during lockdown. How can we be inspired by his work and advice? How can we apply it to the situation today? Be ready once again to awaken the giant within you by a man who's charged with wisdom and inspiration! Listen to his beautiful poem 'God' and be moved by his words. Arun Kapur is a Poet from Wolverhampton, a mental health advocate, manager at The Light House Media, a mentor, a Visual Artist and Director of TEDX WOLVERHAMPTON. Listen to his poems, story, tips on coping with isolation during COVID19 and find out how you can get involved with his great work. Follow Arun on Twitter @arunkapur333. Ps get your FREE mini eBook of Mirages to Reality here! www.tahirarehman.com/freebook

Staying strong and believing are no stranger qualities for Pauline. And we could do with such advise these days! Pauline is not only a wonderful friend who I was privelaged to meet earlier this year, she is also a strong and beautiful poet! We hear her poems 'Stay Strong And Believe' and 'My Champion.' Listen to her inspiring story and great tips on writing and getting your voice heard. Also be inspired by Pauline's amazing strength and positivity that carries her in her journey. More about Pauline: 💫 Pauline Gilman nee Hanson is the author of 'The Tapestry of My Life.' She is the mother of three fine young men and the grandmother to one grandson. Her parents are from the Windrush era to whom she greatly admired. Her love of writing stems from her childhood years at primary school. As a cancer survivor, Pauline wrote' The Tapestry of My Life.' She says "Our voices were not made to be stifled and quietened down. They were made to be heard. Let us not to be afraid of the dark to come into the light, let our dreams become reality, break our shackles, let us all rise like the phoenix from the ashes." 📙 'The Tapestry Of My Life' is about awareness of emotions in all aspects of our lives and learning how to find and explore our coping mechanisms. Moreover, not to be too afraid to discover our different ranges of inner moods. 💪 You can find out more about Pauline on the following platforms: ☑️ Facebook: Pauline Hanson Gilman ☑️ Facebook page: The Tapestry of My Life ☑️ Instagram: @adina1962 ☑️ Twitter: @phg9497 ☑️ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pauline-gilman-28895849 💫 Check out her book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1916170188/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_zvMqFb9AC37K0

We open the episode with Paula's beautiful poem 'Listen with an open heart' and we close with her poem 'Shopping' - another great piece! Paula shares her wonderful and inspiring story and how her dynamic work has remained true to her own passion and desire to give other people a voice. Her writing stuck around and last year, she decided to stand forward and started sharing her poetry on the Yorkshire poetry scene where she headlined at 'High Five' in Howarth. Paula also discusses how 'the power of your own words' can act as a powerful source in being open as an individual. Why is being open important? How can it aid us in our journey? Listen, find out and be inspired ☺️ 💫 more about Paula: Paula is a poet and performs her poetry on the Yorkshire poetry scene. As a child, Paula danced and did gymnastics and it won't come as a surprise to you, that the performer in Paula won and she completed drama school in Manchester Polytechnic School of Theatre. Paula has worked as an actor and has directed 'The Tempest' with a group of 28 learning disabled young people, which they performed on the main stage at The Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield. She has also been an Associate Artist with Blaize for many years and toured rurally and worked in community theatre. She has worked as a lead artist on many projects and in community engagement and project management. Paula is also an Accredited Relational Dynamic Coach. She has written her first play: 'The Mounting' which is work in progress. Find out more about Paula on Instagram here: @paula_horton 👉 and on Twitter here: @pjh012

Why do some people give and not expect anything in return? What do the achieve? How can learning and developing the art of giving enhance the quality of our lives? Well today's episode is dedicated to a special friend who is a very giving person. How can we be inspired by her amazing qualities? Find out ☺️ 💫 Life is always worth living if we can find the things to live for, and giving is one quality that can give you a sense of purpose.

Be ready for some HIGH energy poetry and inspiration! 💫 DrayZera started writing at the age of 7. He started performing in 2016 and since then, he debuted his first festival "Bury Fringe All Dayer” a few months later as well as the “Folkeast” Festival. He is also the author of "Broken Circuitboard" released in 2017. He has performed in the US at the “Tenth Annual Poetry Festival.” DrayZera has since performed across the UK and released the accclaimed Spoken Word-themed film series “Psycho Lucy” filmed in the grand Roman City of Bath and his Debut Music Video “Cut Them Loose” 🎶... in this episode, you can listen to his poems, find out what it takes to become a performer, the challenges of balancing work and life and we touch base on other inspirational themes. 💫 You can find out more about DrayZera on the following links where you can also watch his videos: 👉 www.drayzera.net 👉 www.youtube.com/c/drayzera 👉 www.facebook.com/drayzera 👉 www.twitter.com/drayzera 👉 www.instagram.com/drayzera I was also featured on DrayZera's Podcast! You can check it out here: https://youtu.be/mpMPmp4knHw

Luke Emsley is a talented poet, rapper and the author of 'Beyond Daylight', a psychological crime thriller. He trained as an actor at Italia Conti drama school in London and has always been massively passionate about performing. In this episode, Luke shares more on the following: "I thought theatre, TV and film work would be my ‘forever-career’, but as with the best laid plans of mice and men, it didn’t work out that way. I was a naive, young man, immature in many ways. I couldn’t figure out how to pay the bills and live independently and so waiting on my ‘big break’ was a little like playing the lottery; I was just hoping for things to fall into place..." ⚠️ Find out what happens next, listen to his wonderful poems, top tips about being true to yourself, how to deal with stress and mental health and how creativity can aid you in your journey. We discuss ways in which we can build good communication skills when working with children, the flaws in the education system and the simple solution. We also touch base on how it can be difficult to find the right balance in life, why expressing yourself through writing is important, how this can be a challenge and how Luke has been using Lockdown to rekindle his creative passion! He has also started to professionally film his spoken word poetry and you can subscribe to his channel 'lemsleyspeaks' here and if you're a poet, why not put yourself forward to 'lemsleyrecommends' and have your work featured? 🎉: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXwsjVHFpRg1S79A2bqEYKg | Check out his debut novel here 📙 | https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07GXQ9ZSW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_GNihFb9B6CJ50 | Find his amazing work on Instagram here: @lemsleynovels

Get ready your pen and paper ready for WISDOM and tips about happiness from a young and beautiful soul: Julia Iannielli all the way from New York! 🗽 Julia brings her unique story and poems to our doorstep! We dive into her past and how she used it to meet her goals and feed her inner-drive. We talk about how writing can help express one's feelings and make sense of the world. We touch base on multiple important subjects that need to be addressed more often. Julia's book 'Because The Universe Told Me To' was a work in progress during the recording of this episode, but now it is published and you can find it here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0578701022/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_0pVcFb883SMYZ ✔️ More about her story: Julia is a senior at Washington State University graduating with majors in Political Science Pre-Law, Philosophy Pre-Law, and Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies. She is a member on the board of director’s for Alternatives to Violence of the Palouse, Alpha Omicron Pi – Alpha Gamma Chapter, ASWSU Cougar Lobby Team, and the Pacific Northwest Political Science Association. She also holds intern positions at the Thomas S. Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service, the WSU Pre-Law Resource Center, and is the Contact Representative for WSU Cougs in the Law. Julia enjoys writing and performing spoken word poetry in her free time. In the future, Julia aspires to work for the United Nations and eventually attend Columbia Law School in New York to become an Apello Court Judge. Additionally, she has recently published her first beautiful poetry collection called "Because The Universe Told Me To" and aspires to use her writing to create social change. Find her on Instagram here: @juliaiannielli

Chris is an American poet living in the UK. As well as an accomplished poet, storyteller and a graphic designer, he is also the Co-Founder of the Fight Evil With Poetry Press and loves speaking about culture, creativity and the joy of failure. He writes poetry both for the page and the stage and teaches poetry online at Skillshare. Chris is also the winner of the 'Four letter word poetry Slam.' In this episode, Chris shares two great poems, we talk about what it took him to turn a story of hurt into a story of love, and how he uses poetry to express his feelings and experiences. We talk about the method he uses for writing and we can learn some great tips. Listen in for a massive inspirational boost as Chris also shares the story behind 'Fight Evil With Poetry' and how it became a great success. Get in touch for bookings, script work, workshops, or custom poetry commissions! Visit www.chriscambellpoetry.com ✔️ find out more about the Anthology on www.fightevilwithpoetry.com and follow him on Facebook, twitter and instagram: https://m.facebook.com/christhepoetcambell ✔️ https://instagram.com/chriscambell?igshid=z31zk8dhj3vq ✔️ Twitter: @chrisncambell

Mussarat is an artist and a poet. She has been a practising artist for at least 20 years and initially started off as a textiles student and expanded her horizons through self-learning and becoming self-taught. We dive into her story, how she got started and how she grew the courage to start sharing her talent in writing in poetry. We talk about the importance of self-learning and self-teaching and how she did this to aid her in her goals. Mussarat has also worked in various community projects in Yorkshire and is very active in supporting asylum seekers and refugees and volunteers for BIASAN. She is also a trained Reiki practitioner and a Spiritual Artist. We talk about her recent work on the poetry scene and how she plans to continue. Mussarat's writing expires themes about life, social issues, love, passion and spirituality. Her South Asian roots inspire her writing and we discuss this. Listen to her beautiful poems and get inspired by her story! You can find out more about her work on the following links: https://www.facebook.com/mussaratartiste https://www.facebook.com/biasanyorkshire Serenity: Bradford Cathedral https://www.facebook.com/cathmuldowneyphotography/photos/pcb.2582282775324857/2582277641992037/?type=3&theater Azaadi Freedom for Kashmir https://www.facebook.com/events/357009008571072/

Amidst the crisis the world experiences, 'who are you' is the ultimate question. In this episode, we unite together and share our thoughts and prayers for everyone. In the first part, I share my most recent poem called exactly that: 'who are you' written during personal difficulties and I take a moment to thank certain people during this time while mentioning their names. In the second part, I touch base on the global events affecting each one of us, we take a moment to think of the tragic and sad loss of George Floyd. I ask you to think of the people who have lost their lives due to the virus, other reasons, before the virus and we pray for them and their families. I also mention certain people who have lost their loved ones. In the final part, I dedicate my thoughts and wishes to four special people who have faced certain challenges recently and I ask you to think about them. We come together and together we are strong. It's time to reflect and ask ourselves the ultimate question WHO ARE YOU which I unravel in this episode. Send in a voice message on the Anchor app to be featured in the next episode.