An extraordinary talent

The highly anticipated annual display and presentation of work by final year Creative Writing students at De Montfort University, Leicester, as part of Cultural Exchanges 2018, did not disappoint. As always, the standard was extremely high, giving inspiration to up and coming students and showcasing the wealth of local talent that abounds. 

However, one particular collection, Meaningless Destruction by Shannan Mitchener, stood out for me as being truly exceptional and I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to talk to the poet individually. 

Shannan’s enthusiasm and engagement are infectious; she is forthcoming about the challenges she has faced over the years, her initial preference for prose over poetry, and generous with her advice on how to keep an open mind. Thank goodness that she persevered with her talent for contemporary poetry, as this wonderful collection of over 50 poems speaks from, and to, the heart. From the evocative 'Brown Eyes' to the heart-rending 'Alone', the narrative progresses through the elation of new love to the desperation of dependence via self harm and domestic violence, and shines a spotlight on the dark corners behind closed doors. Moreover, the inclusion of a list of organisations available to offer help for anyone affected by the issues raised, reflect an acute awareness of mental health and elevate this collection even more.

The Demon Crew, always superb, have this time, I believe, produced an extraordinary talent and I’m positive this is the start of an incredible career.

Shannan’s collection Meaningless Destruction is available from Amazon priced £5.99

Tickets for the festival can be found by clicking here: Cultural Exchanges 
And you can also hear from members of the Demon Crew - and buy their publications - at the States of Independence Festival on Saturday, 10th March.

 
Helen Abbot

Laughter and learning

The hour-long Demon Crew event showcased the work of seven students who spoke about their experiences with their publishing projects, their writing processes and the inspiration behind their work. Their writing resonated with many audience members and I was especially struck by Alicja Walendziak's poetry pamphlet Herbata, in which she writes about being Polish and living in the UK with a mocking tone. This was clear before her reading as she said, sarcastically, "Yes I am here to steal your jobs", raising a little laughter from the audience.
 

Alicja Walendziak

As a first year Creative Writing student at DMU, I thoroughly enjoyed the event and was able to hear and see the enthusiasm the students had for their publications and their aspirations for the future. It was great to see that these students had also gained an appreciation of the craft through their course;  Shannan Mitchener launched her poetry collection with the admission that “I didn’t like poetry until my second year.”
 
 
E. Towers

Poets of the Demon Crew

Poems from the Demon Crew were living and breathing projects. Shannan Mitchener started the event by introducing her collection of poetry, Meaningless Deconstruction. Her subject is depression and mental health.

Jenny Brooks' Laughing Gas uses multiple perspectives to tell the story of a boy who has a lung transplant. The collection takes a journey through his illness and experience of surgery.

Alicja Walendziak's Herbata is a trip into the culture of Poland. The collection of poems in the booklet and the ones that the writer performed gave me an insight into the human condition as well as the similarities between Britain and Poland.

Jenny Brooks & Alicja Walendziak

Rick Ferguson

The Demon Crew phenomenon

When I entered the room for the Demon Crew presentation, I didn't know what to expect, so I felt almost like a nervous wreck. However by the end I was filled with happy and sad emotions. I felt proud of these students' achievements even though I don't really know them. It was a phenomenal experience.

There was huge variety in the presented work: poetry, novels and short stories in printed form as well as web-based a novel. Each piece came across really well, each person presented their work beautifully and in such an engaging way that I was hooked on every project.

There were two contrasting poetry presentations: Jenny Brooks' work derived from a friend's experience of lung transplant surgery and while Alicja Walendziak wrote about being Polish in England - and taking the piss out of both the Polish and the British. I definitely want to read both of their pamphlets. Shannan Mitchener's collection of poems based around mental health, which stood out because I knew where the author was coming from so I was able to resonate with the extracts she read out. 

 

Hayley Phythian

Hayley Phythian's collection of short stories was intriguing because they were based in the same world surrounded by the magic plane of existence. It was really awe inspiring. 

 HannahJones

The most unique presentation was Hannah Jones' website novel using audio. We got to hear a snippet from the prologue, and the production was just outstanding though we have to wait for the website to go live. 

But I have a thing for Sci-Fi, so the novel, No Peace on Mars, presented by Andre Cowen and Adil Lakhani appealed most of all. The extract they read out was humorous but with a deep sense of politics - and that inspired me. 

Adil Lakhani and Andre Cowen

Overall the experience was tremendous. Not only did I get to appreciate other people's work but as a creative writer I understood how very much hard work lay behind it.

Josh Harwood