July Artist of the Month – Sharena Lee Satti

Our July ‘Artist of the Month’ is poet Sharena Lee Satti.

About Sharena Lee Satti

Sharena Lee Satti is a Poet, Spoken word artist, Educator /workshop facilitator. An advocate for women and campaigning for their voices to be heard in society. Her book Shhhhh is out now via Verve Poetry Press. Sharena believes in the power of poetry and works hard in her community and beyond to ensure poetry is accessible to all. This has seen her shortlisted for the Ruth Rendell award 2024, nominated for the National Diversity Award (2022 and 2023), the British Indian Awards in 2020 and one of the ‘21 for 2021’ creatives most likely to make an impact on Bradford’s cultural scene and nominated by UnderOne Festival for the Diversity & Inclusion Award 2024. Recently she was instrumental in delivering the first-ever West Yorkshire Poetry Week as part of the West Yorkshire Poet Laureate Programme at the National Literacy Trust

What a visit from Sharena entails

Sharena delivers poetry workshops and inspirational speeches to schools. Her workshops encourage and support confidence building, whilst promoting positive minds and wellbeing. Her gentle creative approach really encourages children of all ages to want to explore poetry and spoken word.

You can read more about Sharena and her school visits here

Testimonials from previous visits.

"Just wanted to say another massive thank you for the Aim Higher Writers day you did with us - you were an inspiration to both me and my students!!! so much so that we have established a creative writers group within school which is running in a weekly basis and gathering more and more interest as the weeks go by!! the students are really looking forward to termly "open mic" style sessions to showcase their work!! You made a very positive impact on one of our pupils who is enthusiastically working on following in your footsteps - starting with taking some ownership of the creative writers club in school -( we are looking at attending one of your open mic sessions soon as well she is just busy with exams at the moment) -Thank you she is building on her confidence every day and really finding her voice which is amazing to see. Hope we can do another session soon."
St. Bede’s and St. Joseph’s Catholic College

“We had a fantastic day with Sharena, she tailored her workshop to fit with the National Poetry Day theme, which we have been exploring in school, the students produced some fantastic poems by the end of the workshop.”
Bootham School

Interview with Sharena Lee Satti

What first sparked your interest in poetry?

Poetry has always been part of me, kind of like my shadow, my eternal light within. The initial spark stemmed from my love of nursery rhymes and the rhythm and flow of words as a young child. I would write lots inside my secret diaries. Which then later allowed me to express how I was feeling through poetry and writing became an outlet for my emotions as a young person growing up.

Where do you find inspiration for your poems from?

Inspiration lives in everything, from your lived experiences to a long walk in nature. For me writing poetry as a child became a cathartic tool for me. It allowed me to express myself, my suppressed voice as a child So I would typically write mainly about my experiences, or how I was feeling, in that period of my life. Now I tend to write about lots of things, however, I am very passionate about amplifying the voiceless through my poetry. The stories that don’t always get to be voiced. I find inspiration in everything that sparks an emotion.

How much of a formula do you follow when creating poems, or is it more emotionally led?

I don’t have a formula for writing, I write inspired by how I feel, in response to the poetry writing calling. Like a flowing river, I write freely, and creatively without rules upon my own poetic creation.

You use your work to do a lot of campaigning and advocacy. What causes are you most passionate about?

Amplifying women's voices, Mental health and wellness and representation have to be at the top of some of the causes I am passionate about.

What would you say is the power of poetry?

You, you are the poetry of poetry, your thoughts generate your words, and you craft that creativity. The power of poetry lives within us all.

What is your favourite thing about visiting schools?

It has to be, seeing the students light up when they realise their own potential. How incredibly talented each individual is, and how that creativity is uniquely crafted within their own self-belief. It just needed to be unearthed and the poetry workshops really inspired that.

What impact do you hope to leave with the young people after you have been in their school?

That they realise the power of their voice, and that they can follow their dreams if they believe and work towards their aspirations.

What advice would you give to teachers who have booked an author or poet to ensure the visit is a success?

I feel that success is always driven by passion, and knowing the teachers have booked this for their students shows me they are passionate about creativity. I feel poetry is a great outlet for self-expression and positive well-being, and some students might surprise you with what they create. I think it would be helpful for the teachers if the poet visit was held in a space away from the classroom and not focused on the academic side of education. I feel it should be a space of learning, crafting, sharing, and enjoying the experience, rather than focusing on a polished piece outcome. I would say, book a space out of the classroom, such as a Library space, an outdoor space on a warm sunny day, the space in a school that is used only for special occasions. A quiet space with windows.

How do you encourage reluctant readers and writers to put pen to paper?

I think it's important to share your story, your poetry journey, your struggles and your strengths. It's important to show reluctant writers we are all human and sometimes what we write isn't great at first, I cringe at some of my older poems, Yet at that time it felt perfect. We are always learning, as adults too. It's an endless journey and nothing is impossible. I find short little writing prompts help to kick-start the writing process.

How are your A.I.M High Days different to your author visits?

A.I. M high verse Author visits: A.I. M high is a pure indulgence of creative-led inspiration, where students get a full day to plant the seed, water and see the potential of their own creative abilities grow. In that full day, you get to build trust, and confidence and inspire new friendships within the group as well as explore and create in-depth, poetry. Where a poet's visit is restricted to a time slot, the outcome is not as impactful as the A.I.M high, as the student gets so much out of the full-day session.

Do you have any plans for a poetry book for younger readers?

I am always getting asked this question and I am hoping to.

You were shortlisted for the Ruth Rendell Award this year – congratulations! What did it feel like to be nominated and what inspires you to keep going?

Thank you. It was an incredible feeling to be nominated and to be nominated by participants of my poetry workshops and people I have worked with was such an honour. You don’t realise the impact of your work until it is brought to your attention in this way and it really shows how once again powerful poetry is, and it's for this reason that I am so passionate about sharing poetry, inspiring poetry, teaching poetry because I know how it changes lives, I’m living proof of that.

Our local city, Bradford, is going to be City of Culture in 2025 – what difference do you think this will make to our area?

I have always said that Bradford is a city that represents the whole world. It's a place, of connection, community, diversity, creativity and hope. It's a place that doesn't always get represented for the amazing things that happen here. There are a lot of negative-focused issues that always get pushed to the top when people speak about Bradford and it is important that we don’t sugar-coat Bradford's Issues, however, I feel that Bradford is a beautiful place to live. It is full of creativity, and people that believe in its culture, heritage, history and its community. I hope that people will see the richness of Bradford's heart and magic through the appointment of City of Culture 2025. I hope it opens a sky full of opportunities, for the amazing people of Bradford who believe in their home town.

You have previously helped judge our poetry slams in Leeds and are going to be one of the leaders for it when we expand into Bradford next school year. Are you looking forward to it?

It's such a wonderful opportunity for young people, I played a small part in one of the previous slams in Leeds as a guest Judge, and it was a phenomenal experience. Such powerful performances, hearing all the incredible poems by the students, and seeing the schools come together. It created a feeling of connection in the room, everyone cheering everyone on, despite the competition’/ slam element. I am super excited and thrilled to be invited to be part of Bradford Extension. It's going to be incredible.

Do you enjoy the variety your career brings?

I love it, it's a whirlwind of amazingness. One minute I could be in London, just overlooking the river Thames, and then I’m back on stage performing at another Festival. It is an adventure that I feel blessed to be journeying on. My life is poetry and is everything I breathe.

Which poets, speakers or authors inspired you when you were younger?

I wasn't inspired by the books, authors or speakers, the books gave me a place to escape, and it was the real-life living people, the human books I call my sisters that inspired me growing up.

What do you read for pleasure?

I have a poetry collection that I dip into now and again, and it's a beautiful collection called “Watering the Soul” by Courtney Peppernell.

What are you looking forward to this summer?

I am looking forward to the sunshine, I have missed seeing blue skies and feeling the warm rays of the sun.

Quick Fire

Sing along or dance along?

I do love both, they go hand in hand.

Night in or night out?

A night in on a winter's evening, a night out on a summer's evening under a sky full of stars.

Sand or snow?

Sand, although I love the snow. such a tough choice

Would you rather be able to explore the deep ocean or space?

This is such a tricky question, I would love to explore both, however, I think space would be my first preference. To explore the unknown.

Would you rather be able to turn invisible or read minds?

I think our brains are filled with enough thoughts, I wouldn't want to read any other's thoughts. I have enough. I quite like the thought of being able to become invisible. To be unseen, to camouflage into the sky, or the ground would be pretty cool.

If you were Prime Minister for the day, what law would you introduce?

Freestyle writing, writing for wellness poetry and creative writing has to be part of the school curriculum