THERE is one world championship where Scotland repeatedly scores well but you don’t often hear about it.
Despite the huge amount of talent that exists all over the country, few people, other than those in the know, are aware that Scotland won the World Poetry Slam Championships a few years ago and was highly placed this year again thanks to Hamish MacDonald from Inverness.
That’s a problem one Scot, Kevin McLean, is trying to rectify by making Scotland a destination for poetry, specifically spoken word.
“There are some incredible poets in Scotland but they are not really recognised,” he told the Sunday National. “We always rank really highly in the World Slam Poetry Championships and at that kind of level, so there is no reason why we should not have that light shine on us a bit more.”
What he wants is not only to provide a platform for the spoken word talent in Scotland but also to make the country the most attractive place in the UK to come and perform.
“At the moment, the UK scene, which is mostly the English scene, does not take much notice of us,” he said.
At first glance, it seems odd that someone who grew up in Livingston with no interest in poetry should now be promoting it, but as a self-confessed “theatre kid”, McLean has always been interested in performance art and when the spoken word scene started to grow, he decided to become involved.
He and his friends decided they wanted something like a comedy or music night but with poetry. To their surprise, the first night they staged saw people queuing in the street for entry and that was the catalyst for Loud Poets, which became I Am Loud Productions, a creative company that promotes spoken word and poetry across Scotland and beyond through its YouTube channel and social media, workshops, slams and showcases.
This November, they are bringing poetry world slam champion Harry Baker (above) to Scotland for their Loud Poets series. It’s part of their intention to extend the country’s network, working with multiple organisations, and showcasing the best artists in the UK by bringing them to central and rural Scotland to reinvigorate this country as the ultimate hotspot for spoken word.
McLean describes what they do as “poetry for people who think they don’t like poetry”.
“It was hard at the beginning because we were selling something to people they didn’t necessarily want to buy, but when they do come to our shows they enjoy them,” he said. “It’s really fun and a democratic art form as it is easy to access.
“It’s been a long time but think we have managed to convert a lot of people. The people who come to the nights and engage with our YouTube channel weren’t fans of poetry before but are now – and that is a testament to the poets we book.
“We want people to know that if they come to our nights it is going to be a good night and that has been one of the easiest parts because the depth of talent in Scotland is incredible. There are amazing poets who people don’t know about because they are not publishing work.
“The only time they can demonstrate their work is in a live setting and because of the lack of live opportunities those people fly under the radar.”
McLean said he had a huge list of people who should be known across Europe.
“That is why we are always trying to build the YouTube channel because it is a place where you can go and find a snapshot of the Scottish scene. You can find Scots, Gaelic, Doric and a range of styles in spoken word in Scotland.”
While there were good grassroots organisations and open mic nights across the country there was no “high-end night” for poetry until Loud Poets came along.
“Our aim is to create these opportunities and that is why we did our Big Slam series and why we are partnering with regional open mics in Inverclyde, Aberdeen, Dundee, Dumfries, Inverness and Edinburgh,” said McLean.
“We are finding talent there and giving them a bigger platform to perform on and people are starting to wake up to what is here.”
Evidence that McLean and his team are drawing attention to Scotland is the fact that the video for the winner of the Best Performance Poem in the Forward Prize this year – the first time for that category – was made at the Beacon Arts Centre in Greenock by I Am Loud Productions.
“We’re trying to prove a point that if you are a poet, the place you should want to come and perform is up here because that is where you are going to get an amazing, well-produced video,” he said.
“Our musician Jack Hinks added a whole other element and the beautiful stage at the Beacon combined to create a singular piece that we were happy for the poet to submit for the Forward Prize.
“It is all those pieces of the production puzzle that we are trying to put in place to make Scotland the most attractive place to come and perform poetry.”
For more information on events go to iamloud.co/live
