Survivors Poetry

Founded in November 1991, Survivors Poetry is a national mental health and literature charity in the U.K. As their newsletter, Poetry Express, explains, a survivor is defined as a person with current or past experience of psychiatric hospitals, a user of counselling services, a survivor of sexual abuse, child abuse, and "other survivors who have empathy with our experience." Their work may best be described in the words of Survivors Poetry workshop facilitator, Leah Thorn:

"For those of us who have ever had our voices silenced, denied or misinterpreted, poetry can be a powerful tool for self-expression and emotional healing."

Survivors Poetry runs a mentoring scheme. As scheme participant Steve Mann describes it "the mentee poet is paired with an established published poet as mentor. The mentor supports, encourages, guides and critiques the mentee's work as appropriate. The outcome of the mentoring relationship is the publishing of the resulting completed volume by Survivors' Press and its launching at the Poetry Café, Covent Garden, London."

Steve, who is in his second year of the scheme (2006/2007), has contributed two pieces to this issue of SV: a Poetspeak reflection on his own poetry and a story in diary form of his first year with Survivors Poetry. We are also pleased to have a work by alumna of the scheme, Sally Richards, and an interview with Survivors Poetry mentor and editor, Alan Morrison.

Work published in the Survivors' Poetry Mentoring Series include:

 

Further information on Survivors Poetry