Tucked away in Stratford Park you’ll find the Old Pavilion which is now home to the Newham Poetry Group. Running every Saturday since 2016, the Group was founded by University of East London student Soni Quintero.

Soni started the group soon after moving to Newham. She says, “I grew up in Colombia and I’ll always remember the Poetry House there for it played a big part in our community. I was surprised to find there wasn’t an active poetry group here in Newham, so I wanted to create a similar space here where residents would feel welcome to share their love for not only poetry, but also community.”

Newham is rich in diversity with ethnic minorities making up over half of its population which Soni saw more as an opportunity rather than a challenge.

“This is why I felt so strongly about re-creating the Poetry House here,” she says. “Newham is home to so much talent, talent belonging to many differing backgrounds and cultures. This places so much more emphasis on our need to communicate and learn from one another. You see, that’s the great thing about poetry, it has its own language.”

Speaking on what poetry means to the people who live and work in Newham, Soni says, “For some poetry is therapy, an academia or even a cognitive process, but for me the best thing about poetry is that it acts as a bridge. A bridge that brings our community together to celebrate our differences and remind us of our common humanity.”

The poetry group continued to run throughout lockdown, finding their new normal via Zoom. This presented some accessibility challenges for some members.

“I was determined to keep our group going to provide a much-needed outlet,” says Soni. Even when people didn’t have access computer links, the group kept in touch. “We have tried to maintain contact through calls and social media in order to check in and extend our kindness any way we can.”

Soni focused her studies on the role of poetry in the community and although Newham is one of London’s poorest areas she hopes in future people will connect Newham with the creative talent in the Borough.

“Three poets in the group have went on to publish their work including myself,” she says. “The Borough is rich in new literature and talent so it’s important that we support and acknowledge those people to help combat the statistics.”

It’s no surprise poetry has found its place in the borough once again, for Newham has a history of poetry dating back as far as the 18^th century. The famous poet Gerald Manley Hopkins who once lived at 87 Grove Road, and more recently was home to the Dub Poet Benjamin Zephaniah.

To join the Newham Poetry Group contact Soni via newhampoetrygroup@gmail.com to access their ZOOMing Poetry now running every Tuesday online 6-7:30 until further easing of government guidelines.

Newham is… – By Charlynne Bryan

Newham is… a melting pot of opportunity

A fusion of cultures

Blending in a mixer.

Sometimes things get stuck

The mixer goes off

But a shake stirs thing up,

Creating a juice

That is sweet to taste!

Newham Breadcrumbs – By Samantha Palmer

Poetry built a safe cocoon in Newham.

Words were exchanged like we were breaking bread

over coffee and bickies (biscuits).

The walls we dragged in from the outside world subside.

We are so multicultural.

I wouldn’t change that at all.

Years of exchanging words on a regular

has brought us closer together.

Our words leave deposits of inspiration in our hearts.

We have bonded as a unit.

Accepting and exchanging.

We leave trails of breadcrumbs from our exchange.

Trailing breadcrumbs all over Newham.

Hoping that if birds of prey pick at our crumbs

they will taste a sense of community

created by our exchange.

By PT Corwin

We Are Poets

We are the ones

Who feel the sting of loss,

The pain and misery of life;

Connected by allowing our emotions,

By not hiding far behind

Rehearsed smiles,

But sharing our frowns as they emerge.

At home,

We might be mothers, sons or wives,

We might be English, German, Spanish, other,

We might be teachers, nurses, men in suits,

Who come from places of divorce

Or happy hearths.

We might be all and more when we’re away, But here, we’re poets sharing poetry.

No news is bad news

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.