Work
Where she’s been featured
In addition to being long-listed for the 2023 Queen Mary Wasafiri New Writing Prize, judged by Caleb Femi, Brwn Girl in the Ring has been published as a featured poet by Ink, Sweat and Tears with her poem, ‘Woodland Creature’.
‘Dear Aani’ and ‘Stolen’ have been published in the Grime-e-tales ebook, Search party for Liberation: A grimy poetry anthology and the related Grime album (see below), produced by DeFaceless Producer in collaboration with Casey Bailey.
She was commissioned by Black Country Touring to write and perform an outdoor theatre piece with artist Emma Waterford as part of the community garden engagement project - Where We Grow; and to work on spoken word commission with poet Emma Purshouse for for Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust.
Collaborations & Commissions
Performance at Hawbush Community Gardens.
Where We Grow - Black Country Touring (September 2023)
Where We Grow celebrates community gardens and the local people who work, volunteer and spend precious time in them across the Black Country. Brwn Girl in the Ring was one of nine artists commissioned to develop family-friendly micro performances in community gardens across the Black Country.
She collaborated with artists Emma Waterford and Katy Rose Bennett to create ‘The Wild Wood Within’ - A magical story of the path of womanhood, Mama Earth's wisdom and the dance of the sun and the moon (Inspired by Hawbush Gardens in Brierly Hill).
Dear Aani poem-mini-movie (May 2023)
Her most recent collaboration has been creating a poem-mini-movie with photographer, digital creator and mini-movie maker Rida Suleri-Johnson:
Brwn Girl in the Ring: “For the women who led the 18th century Kherjali movement 🪬✨🌺 In the 1730s, 363 Bishnois in Northern India were murdered for peacefully protecting a grove of Khejri trees from being chopped down by the military in what became known as the Khejarli massacre. Dear Aani is my love poem dedicated to them.” 🌳🌸✊🏾✨
Rida Suleri-Johnson: “All the stars, stems and sarees aligned; when @brwngirlinthering arrived adorned, looking beautiful mA at my home, a bag full of sarees used as decor for her sister’s wedding in hand, we discussed over coffee and pastries about which poem we would like to create a visual for. I was immediately drawn to Dear Aani, and with the bag of sarees sat there, I just felt that a symbolic tying of fabric around the trees, would be beautiful. There is both life and death in the fleeting blossom season; amongst the joy and beauty, there is also destruction and suffering. Hope and pain.
Whatever it moves in you, I hope it does move you 🙏🏽🌸 “ }
🎶 Music: El Orfanato Riddim (Instrumental) by DeFaceless Producer
Other collaborations
She’s currently collaborating with music producer, singer and theatre director Odd Priest and theatre director, choreographer and DJ Steady Steadman on a children’s audiobook music album and her first theatre production.
She’ll be releasing music collaborations with some U.S. artists in 2023 including as a featured artist on the newest album by rapper GD0E (Florida), and on a track by music producer SupaFlyNoWings (Philiadelphia) and singer/songwriter Maranda Cherry (release dates TBA).
Performances
Brwn Girl in the Ring has performed at a variety of online and in person events including:
Verve Poetry Night, Birmingham (April 2024)
‘Hello Manders’ Health Hub - How May We Help You?’, Black Country Touring & Wolverhampton NHS Trust commission (Feb 2024)
‘The Wild Wood Within’ outdoor theatre performance, Black Country Touring commission (Sept 2023)
15th Sept - Gatis Community Space, Wolverhampton
16th Sept - Caldmore Community Garden, Walsall
23rd Sept - Dorothy Parkes Allotments, Bearwood Allotments, Smethwick
24th Sept - Hawbush Gardens, Brierley Hill
That’s What We Said Poetry Takeover at Shambala Festival, Northamptonshire (Aug 2023)
‘What is it to be a Girl?’: Brwn Girl in the Ring x Amplify Sounds x Festival 23 - Birmingham Festival 23 (Aug 2023)
Kohetry Festival presents Shu’ara - Headliner, Birmingham (July 2023)
The Original Poets Open Air Open Mic - featured artist, Brooklyn, New York/Insta-Live (July 2023)
Busboys and Poets, Washington DC (July 2023)
Poetic Justice - poets against racism, Birmingham (May 2023)
Medizen Lounge, Birmingham (Apr 2023)
Verve Poetry Festival all day open mic, Birmingham Hippodrome (Feb 2023)
Verve Poetry Night, Birmingham Hippodrome (Feb 2023)
I Put the T in Poetry & special guests, Baby People, Derby. Performance with music (Feb 2023)
Hayati Open Mic, Ort Gallery, Birmingham (Nov 2022)
@CloudzofHaze, @afroillipino, @thedivinestyles, @poeticunity, @thegalaxy_of_poets, @supaflynowings (Instalive open mics, Sept - Dec 2022)
Knock Knock! Soul Food Poetry, Luton. Performance with live band (Oct 2022)
Incubator Sessions - Poetry Co’Lab & B:Music Symphony Hall, Birmingham. Performance with music (Oct, Nov & Dec 2022)
Medizen Lounge, Birmingham (Aug 2022)
North Sea Jazz Festival, Rotterdam. Performance with live band (July 2022)
Empower Poetry, Birmingham (May 2022)
Hit the Ode - Apples & Snakes, Birmingham (May 2022)
GrimeBoy pre-show open mic, Birmingham (Apr 2022)
South Asian Arts Collective Bazaar, Birmingham (Apr 2022)
GullyLive, Birmingham (Jan 2022)
Sip n Stroke, Birmingham (Dec 2021)
For Books Sake Festive Farewell to 2021 (Zoom - Dec 2021)
SheGrowwls (InstaLive - Nov 2020)
The Hotline - Rose Garden Events (Zoom - Oct 2020)
Poetry Jam (InstaLive - May 2020)
Poetry Jam, Birmingham (Feb 2020 & March 2020)
Azaad Arts at Verve Poetry Festival, Birmingham (Feb 2020)
That’s What She Said, Bristol (Dec 2019 & Feb 2020)
She hosted an Instagram Live conversation discussing ‘What does Womanhood mean to you?’ and has been featured on Abdullah Adekola’s Work in Progress podcast.
Workshops
Brwn Girl in the the Ring has facilitated a number of poetry workshops including:
My Heart Sings - a poetry workshop, Bear Bookshop, Bearwood (November 2023)
Breathing new life into the wonderful world around us - Wednesbury Museum & Art Gallery (Sept 2023)
Sights & Sounds - Saathi House, Birmingham (May - June 2023): a 5 week in-person creative writing workshop programme
Discover your inner magick in community - For Books’ Sake, Zoom (October 2022)
Poetry workshop - Willowbrook Arts & Music Festival 2022, Willowbrook Farm, Oxford (August 2022)
Handbags & Gladrags - Saathi House, Birmingham (June - July 2022): a 6 week in-person creative writing workshop programme, featured on ITV News Central
Moon Magic - Who Knows Poetry, Zoom (May 2022)
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