Abstract Benna on life as Lambeth’s first Poet Laureate

A year on and Benna’s inaugural laureateship is now coming to an end, bringing a close on 12 months of performances, workshops and more across the borough. To mark the end of his landmark year, we caught up with Benna to look back on his year as Laureate, and see what lies ahead for the poet and writer in the months and years to come.

‘Performance poet’, ‘storyteller’, ‘writer’; you’ve a number of descriptors and guises, which are you most happy as?

Writer fits me perfectly. At my core I’m a storyteller and of course I’ve been performing as a poet for a decade now but the common denominator is putting the pen to paper. I began rapping, and then scriptwriting, and then performance poetry and now I’m getting back into scriptwriting but for me, it’s writing that unites all of the mediums; combining words in various ways to paint a picture and tell a story.

Prior to being unveiled as Lambeth’s Poet Laureate at the Southbank Centre you’d been a part of our New Poet’s Collective, what was that experience like for you?

It was really good. Imagine being in a room where everyone is sick at writing and only wants to get better. We all pushed and supported each other a lot. It was a great experience that I’d recommend to others.

What did becoming Lambeth’s inaugural Poet Laureate mean to you?

It meant a lot. It came about after I pitched it to Lambeth Council, so seeing my idea take shape and then becoming the first Poet Laureate was definitely history in the making. Knowing how much value exists in the borough already and how much talent has come from it, I’m excited to see where other Laureates will take this role in years to come.

What does a Poet Laureate do? What does the role involve?

In Lambeth the role involves writing poems to perform for special occasions, running workshops across the borough and collaborating with creative partners in the borough.

What have been the highlights of your year’s Laureateship?

The main highlight has been performing. Performing on Windrush Day was a special moment, we all felt the energy in the room. It’s also been interesting discovering how far the news has travelled outside of Lambeth, clients who have approached me through unrelated channels knowing and asking about it always surprises me. Writing and recording my debut Poet Laureate poem was fun too, reflecting on Lambeth and what a role like this means to my community was a humbling feeling.

‘Performing on Windrush Day was a special moment, we all felt the energy in the room.’

Looking forwards, in November, you’re presenting the exhibition WATCHIN in Brixton, can you tell us a little bit more about that?

WATCHIN is an exhibition that will explore the role of migration in shifting the cultural landscape of the British experience. Through the lens of the past three generations – Baby Boomers, Millennials and Gen Z – we will take you on an immersive experience through film, photography and poetry. Dates for your diary are 11 and 12 November.

Do you hope WATCHIN will continue in some form beyond this initial run?

That is the aim. I am focusing on making this exhibition as good as it can be at the moment, but I am entertaining conversations with the team around touring it so watch this space.

And as your Laureateship comes to an end, what’s next for you?

A lot of sleep!. After the well-deserved rest I’ll be developing the exhibition, putting a solid tour plan together and also exploring my passion for film making and seeing how I can combine my poetry with more visual storytelling.