Poet Visit: Deanna Rodger

We were delighted to welcome acclaimed poet Deanna Rodger to Clifton on Monday, 3rd October as part of our Black History Month celebrations. Deanna is a former UK Poetry Slam Champion who has written and performed poetry for BBC1’s ‘Sports Personality of the Year’ and  ‘Black History Matters’ for BBC Sport. Her reimagining of Rudyard Kipling’s famous poem, ‘If’, was read by Serena Williams for International Women’s Day 2021. 

The theme of Deanna’s talks for Years 9 and 10 was poetry and the environment, echoing this year’s National Poetry Day topic. She talked about how our relationship to the environment changes over time and helps to shape who we are. The audience were encouraged to reflect upon the now empty plinth where the Colston statue once stood, to consider Grenfell Tower in flames, and think about Sarah Guppy’s unsung role in designing the Clifton Suspension Bridge. The audience were treated to recitals and readings of Deanna’s arresting poetry, including the brilliant ‘Being British’, which explores race and national identity.

The day finished with an engaging writing workshop with Ms Vicary’s Year 9 English class, which involved self-portraiture and structured metaphors to produce poetry inspired by ‘Won’t You Celebrate With Me’ by Lucille Clifton. The students penned some powerfully evocative poetry, which they shared at the end of the session.