Medway River Lit is a Medway-based literary organisation that was commissioned by Medway Council in 2023, and is a 10-day celebration of literature and history in Medway.
Tonight, Chika Jones, a performance poet based in Rochester, Kent, tells us about being the first to perform at the event.
00:00Thank you so much for joining me, Chika, and first of all, how does it feel being featured as part of the Medway River Lit?
00:09It feels, I guess, like a honour. I'm honoured to be featured as part of this.
00:18I know that the festival has been on for quite a while, and so being part of the Festival of Future Poets is a great honour for my end.
00:28Absolutely, and you've performed on stages across Nigeria, Germany, and here in the UK.
00:34How does the energy, I suppose, of Medway's poetry scene actually compare? I know you hold Medway Poetry Nights regularly. Tell us a bit about that.
00:42I think my favourite thing is the enthusiasm people bring to their work and their performance.
00:51Comparing will be slightly hard because I think poetry communities all over the world tend to be the same.
00:59People love their poems. People love to share them.
01:02But I think for Medway Poetry Night, which I started holding in 2022, 2023 actually, so going on two years now,
01:14it's been really good to see people of all ages. I think typically most times when I see poetry performances
01:21or nights in other places, there's a certain younger crowd, which you tend to see.
01:28But I think what has stood out for me for Medway Poetry is people of all ages, people from all kinds of backgrounds
01:34show up with their poems, and it really brings a richness to the experience.
01:40You get to hear poems from people who are quite old. You get to hear poems from people who are quite young.
01:46You get to hear poems from people in between, from all walks of life.
01:49So that, I think, has stood out for me as special in Medway Poetry Night since the two years we've been holding it.
01:55I see. And what do you hope that audiences might take away from your performance?
02:00From my performance? That's usually a hard one to answer as a poet.
02:04I hope they can take away joy. Over the past three years, I think, I have been performing for Waymo,
02:12but over the past three years, I've become obsessed a bit with the concept of joy and what that means.
02:18And I hope that when people hear my poems or listen to them, they come away with joy, regardless of the subject.
02:25Absolutely. And you mentioned there that richness, getting younger people involved.
02:30What's sort of being done at festivals like Medway River Lit to make sure that it keeps poetry as a medium alive,
02:35especially getting these young people through the door? Tell us a bit about that.
02:39I think my favourite thing is the open mic feature, because sometimes when...
02:47I'm going to split it. So sometimes when younger people are getting into poetry,
02:51one of the biggest fears is, oh, what if people don't like my poem?
02:55Or what if this is just nonsense?
02:57And the open mic as a feature of festivals really says, come in with whatever you have.
03:03No matter how you think about it, bring that poem to the stage.
03:06And I think that's a way to reduce that fear and get over that barrier to entry.
03:11And away from younger people age-wise, there are people who are older who are also just starting in poetry,
03:17who just want to see what it's like.
03:18So the open mic feature is also a great place not to feel like you're being judged
03:23or you're on the spot and you can just bring yourself in.
03:27I think another thing is the cost and the timing of events.
03:32Keeping the costs relatively low so people don't have to think too much about getting the money to attend
03:36is also something that's super important.
03:39And where it's possible, also free entry is a great thing.
03:42I see. And we haven't got much time left, but I'm curious,
03:45how did you get into writing and performing poetry and how easy is it for people to get into?
03:50How can people start doing it?
03:53I started writing in 2012.
03:56I had my first slam in 2013.
03:58And I think I got into it from reading a lot.
04:01I used to read a lot.
04:02And I think by logic or consequence, you tend to write a lot if you read a lot.
04:08So I think if you are thinking of writing or becoming a poet or performing poetry,
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