Omari Swanston – Jeffers announced as new poet in residence

Acclaimed dancer, director, educator and writer Omari Swanston – Jeffers has been selected as Remembering What’s Forgotten’s first poet in residence, centring mental health and racial justice in Leeds.

Remembering What’s Forgotten, a 12 month co-produced, heritage-inspired programme, was created in response to the overrepresentation of black and South Asian men in mental health psychiatric services in Leeds. The eight-week lived experience poetry residency will be informed by the narratives recorded by the project, covering 50 years of hidden community history. 

Swanston – Jeffers will receive a £2,500 bursary, access to studio space and a poetry commission. A package of creative development support will be provided by two leading Northern writing and poetry agencies – New Writing North and Manchester Poetry Library at Manchester Metropolitan University, Leeds poet, curator and Artistic Director Khadijah Ibrahiim and Words of Colour.

Omari Swanston – Jeffers said: “The Remembering What’s Forgotten poet in residence is a great opportunity. My focus is on brotherhood, or rather ‘bruddahood’, among Black men – intersectionally and generationally.  I want to bring together these different perspectives of bruddahood as an accessible tool to navigate mental health as many face barriers, including accessing therapy. Through my own experience, just being able to hold space in community with people around me, including my family, has supported my mental health immensely. Black men don’t have a single identity. We have many that interweave to make us who we are.”

Co-produced by Synergi-Leeds, Words of Colour, Khadijah Ibrahiim and Heritage Corner, who host the award-winning Leeds Black History Walk, the residency is funded by the Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

Joy Francis, Remembering What’s Forgotten’s Project Manager and Executive Director, Words of Colour, added: “Omari Swanston – Jeffers is an exciting, talented and compassionate artist. He is passionate about Leeds, young people and generating work that benefits black men and other communities disproportionately affected by mental health inequalities. His poetic response to the residency is bold, holistic and has the potential to be a creative disruptor to the dangerous and unhelpful tropes about black and brown men’s identities.”

Khadijah Ibrahiim, poet, Artistic Director at Leeds Young Authors and a Royal Society of Literature Fellow, said: “The topic of black mental health is not given enough attention. Omari’s recent work actively promotes wellness and confidence among black boys. I am excited to work with and support Omari as he delves into poetic forms to address the mental health and wellbeing of black men. This residency is vital for artists like Omari as it offers much-needed time and space for creative expression while addressing the complexities of black mental health head-on.”

Swanston – Jeffers’ commissioned work will feature in the Remembering What’s Forgotten digital exhibition, which will be launched in November 2024.

Omari Swanston – Jeffers’ photo credit: Franco Royal