Loved teaching with Helen Mort at Lumb Bank this autumn. Here’s a snap from one of our students. Many thanks Lisa Jay Photography.

It’s been brilliant to have been asked to have been featured on Conversations on a Bench. Many thanks to Overtone Productions for their encouragement with making the program and with letting me choose the interviewees.

All the poetry you hear has been written by me. Tune in here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0001x7z

It’s been awesome to collaborate with the Derbyshire electronica project Lippy Kid. The two of us have released a single, built around my poem called ‘Sometimes the Night’. Paul is such a talented musician and great at what he does.

All the money we make from this will go to the Women’s Centre, Padley and Samartians as part of mine and Laura’s fundraiser this year.

You can listen to the track here: https://lippykid.bandcamp.com/track/sometimes-the-night

Happy National Poetry Day! I’m very proud to say that my debut collection Please Mind the Gap is in it’s second edition after being launched in December. Poetry has opened the door for me in so many ways and it’s amazing to share that with so many different people. Whether you’re a writer or a reader, I hope you have a lovely day!

Who inspires you?

So it’s been a busy few weeks and before I run away on tour with a punk band I shall be taking part in UKYA 2016.

I truly believe that words can change the world so for my latest poetry project I have written a collection called ‘Dead Air: If they won’t put us in the history books, we’ll write our own stories’ , which shall be showcased at the festival.

This collection showcases revolutionary figures that have been forgotten throughout history such as LGBT+ activists, black revolutionary figures, powerful women and people who have just genuinely made life as we know it better.
People are amazing and some of the things I have learnt have truly truly moved me.

I was going to write a post tonight all about homesickness, how to overcome it and the loneliness of the magical, filthy city that is London.

But then I thought no, no, I don’t want to do that. I have spoken to many people these past few weeks who have been really down. So in the words of ‘Kid President’ I think we all need a prep talk. After watching ‘Kill Your Darlings’ I felt inspired to write poetry, which is something I’ve not done in ages.

This poem is a response to really negative poem I wrote about having dreams, then waking up and release you’re not doing anything about them. This poem is the opposite, because, fuck it, we all need a little motivation from time to time. It’s called ‘For Those About to Dare’. (Spoken word Link Below)

http://www.mixcloud.com/sophie_sparham/for-those-about-to-dare-by-sophie-sparham/

For Those About To Dare  

I’m tired.

I’m tired and I’m sick of being wrong.

But even if I don’t know the words,

I’ll continue to sing my own song.

I cannot swim.

But I’ll dive into the depths

I cannot say those words,

The ones closest to my chest.

I cannot run,

Unless it is from Kings.

I cannot fly.

But fuck it, I’ll do it anyway.

I am the hawk with no wings.

Baby, we’re just moth on a merry go round

Scrambling towards flashing lights

Strangled by life’s circle

Where the only direction is right

But I say No. I choose Wrong.

And yes, the punters laugh at me,

Yes, my journey is long.

But Darling, it’s time to stop this ride,

We deserve the freedom of this carnival,

I need to live, not just be alive.

Before we go any further, I know that this is hard.

I have seen my chandelier dreams,

Shattered into shards.

I have seen my carcass of hope, rotting in the sun.

And I was the vulture that picked the bones

Until the light of day was gone.

Yes, I have my freedom

Yes, I experience loneliness

Yes, sometimes my heart aches so, that I’ve had tea with death.

Yes, I wanted to give up,

before I’d said I’d tried

And yes, I am a long way from the place I thought I belonged

And sometimes I want to cut the wire

And pull myself home.

But I refuse, I refuse, I refuse.

Whatever you do, please remember this.

Baby, they taunt us.

And they will do so for the rest of our lives,

Unless we prove ourselves from the righteous view of their eyes.

But I would rather be cursed, torn, hurt, beaten down,

Have my guts pulled out, wear a bleeding, wretched frown

Have every breath draw from my body, until I cannot stand

Than live a drunken fool, starved by ignorance in some utopian land.