Pune, 29th September, 2015: The British Council hosted the Young Poet Laureate of London, Aisling Fahey to India who visited Pune on 29th September, 2015 to conduct poetry sessions.
Aisling read her poems to the audience and talked about her journey so far as a Poet Laureate and the changing scenarios in the poetry and how she takes inspiration from experiences. Given that people at times find it difficult to decode poetry, she talked about how she keeps her poetry simple yet enriching.
She has performed in various locations across England, America and Ireland, including the Barbican; the Houses of Parliament and Glastonbury. She previously won the London Teenage Senior Slam and SLAMbassadors UK, run in association with The Poetry Society. As a Poet Laureate she has put on various hats- of an author, a facilitator, teacher and also conducting workshops for young children.
Aisling Fahey said, “I want to make poetry more visible and more accessible, working with groups that don’t normally get the chance to express themselves, sharing my own journey and providing them with an effective way to articulate their experiences. As a 21 year old woman from East London, I think I am in a position to authentically create conversations on issues affecting young Londoners at this current social moment – from education, to economics, to relationships and self-confidence. I am absolutely elated to have been entrusted with the role of Young Poet Laureate for London. Next year is going to be filled with poetry, self-development and important conversations with Londoners and I cannot wait to get started”.
She is a member of the ‘Burn After Reading’ collective and ‘Barbican Young Poets’ and is currently the Young Poet Laureate for London. She co-facilitated the Barbican Junior Poets programme this year, and has completed residencies in places such as the Free Word Centre; the London Irish Centre and the Stadium at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. She has appeared on numerous shows on radio and television, such as Front Row on BBC Radio 4; The Robert Elms show on BBC London and ITV London Tonight. She graduated from the University of Exeter with a degree in English Literature in 2014.