Black History Month and a Poet Returned
Voices Amplified - Black History Month Poetry and Spoken Word
Black Irish London poet Tish Ince, rooted in Gloucestershire, returns to the stage for Black History Month in Stroud, sharing verse on resilience, legacy, and belonging.
I was asked if I’d like to perform at the Voices Amplified Poetry and Spoken Word event at Stroud Brewery and Taproom, held on the 2nd of October this year. The event was in partnership with Stroud Against Racism, partnered with Gloucestershire Poetry Society and Black Ark Media, and compered by the amazing Black surrealist poet, Ronnie McGrath.
Sometimes these things take a while before you can decide whether you should or shouldn’t do something or other. Sometimes you can have an instant reaction, and on this day, I decided instantly that I wanted to return. Ronnie McGrath uplifts Black poets, all poets, writers and creatives and this was encouraging to say the least, so there was an ‘of course’ peppered within my Facebook DM reply.
I think being away for so long from performance on any stage, had been a difficult task for me because I was so used to being a performance poet, or a singer, or even in a theatre production. However, during this journey that I’ve had, this hiatus, over the past two years for not performing, mostly due to a connection with a spiritual journey that I’ve been on, I have since decided through much learning, that I can indeed return to a stage and still have the strap line ‘lipstick, boots, politic and verse’, and would include some of my spiritual endeavours.
Photography by Stephen Moore @moorecreativephotography
I’m happy to say that the decision felt right in my gut and I was very honoured to be asked. With that said, there would be a learning about what I valued, about who I had become and about the opportunity to amplify my own voice once more. I’m kind of known for having loud and powerful poetry touching upon politics and oppression and uplifting those that are downtrodden in society, and now I believe that this would be a good way to share thoughts against injustice, to uplift the downtrodden and those that are oppressed and hopefully through my words, this was achieved.
The event was amazing. A full house at Stroud Brewery and Taproom and I remembered who I was, as soon as my foot stepped on that stage. The power in the words that I spoke, that I frequently hear in feedback, landed full and hard on the listeners, also landed full and hard on me, and that has stayed with me ever since. It’s been quite a life changing experience for the life that I had been leading, very much in solitude at my home, and was glad to have had family come up from London to support me, and see faces that I haven’t seen for quite some time, with a warm welcome too.
So, this amplified not only the voices of the oppressed, that I was hoping to reach and advocate for, but also my own and it’s not going to be silent anymore.
I chose a full 30 minute set of the most well known poetry, from my collections, heard over the years, some published and offered a set showing a chronological journey over the past years too. Offering the words that I felt might have been ‘missing’ in the gap, showing the impact on my life and those around me, or globally and the future of my words on the listener, or page, or stage.
I have not forgotten the underheard, the underfelt, or the understood in the delivery, the impact on those present, and within me.
Here is a short piece I am writing today:
Remembering My Voice
I have not forgotten the underheard
the underfelt or the understood
remembered of self
reverb from mic in boots am shook
falling in ribbons layered on stage
Red White and Black Trini flag
spilling from my mouth
like sugared icing piped
onto my own feet
peppered mango
in Amen resurrection.
5/11/2025
Tish Ince Poet Writer
Ronnie McGrath gave some fine surrealist poetry and a great opportunity to hear these poetic surrealisms from his collections. Alongside other Gloucestershire poets performing were:
Craig Lewis – Halima Malek and as part of She Spoke (women’s collective), with an eclectic and moving mix of poetry and spoken word. All were so warmly received, and I am glad to have been on this stage with them all on this night.
Follow at their socials:
Craig Lewis – ( Instagram )
Halima Malek ( Instagram )
She Spoke – via Halima
Photography of all the poets was captured by Stephen Moore as part of his ongoing documentary style photography and arts projects that will include me in his 12 Poets Photography Arts Project – My blog post coming up on this soon. See more about this and his other work at his website and blogs.
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