Award-winning poet Casey Bailey will share his work and reflect on his career at a special Black History Month event at The Hive next week.
The event, taking place on October 26 (6.30-8pm), will feature spoken-word performances by Casey, followed by a discussion about his work and creative process.
The former University of Worcester student has gone on to build a reputation as a spoken-word poet, performing nationally and internationally. He was Birmingham Poet Laureate from 2020-2022.
He will perform some of his poetry before taking part in a conversation about his writing, creative process and career journey, with an opportunity for audience questions.
“I will share some pieces that I haven’t shared anywhere else before and some pieces from my latest book From This Soil and I’ll do some performance pieces that I regularly read. It will be like a selection box of the type of poetry that I write,” said Casey.
He added: “My aim is that when people hear my poetry, they look back at the things that I’m speaking about and just have another look.”
Casey’s work has been featured on BBC television and radio, as well as on stages across the country. He has also been commissioned to create pieces by organisations including the Symphony Hall, West Midlands Combined Authority and Birmingham City Council.
Alongside this, Casey went into teaching and is now an assistant head teacher. He was awarded a Fellowship by the University in 2019.
He hopes that the event will give people the courage to get creative themselves, whether that’s writing, art or film, and that sharing his less predictable dual career may provide inspiration to others.
“We often define ourselves by one role or identity, and put other parts of ourselves on the back burner,” said Casey. “I’d like people to feel they can create the space to be their full selves.”
“My journey has not always been a very smooth one and I think that there are various points in my life where you could not have sold me the dream that I could be where I am right now,” he added.
Casey hopes the event will encourage people to think about both the legacy of Black History and the opportunities that lie ahead.
“To me, the power of black history now is saying who are these great pioneers?” he said. “Who are the people whose shoulders we stand on? Who are the people who fought for freedoms for black people? Who are the people who invented and created things that we can all be proud of and all benefit from? But also, I like the idea of looking at black futures.”
He added: “There are a million young black people in this country who need somebody to tell them that they can be great and unfortunately, who in different ways can be told that they’re not great. And so, for me, the importance of Black History Month is instilling in those people that you have the capacity for greatness and that is not hampered by the colour of your skin.”
Tickets are free but must be booked in advance. Find out more and book tickets via The Hive website: https://bookings.thehiveworcester.org/event/4620953.