Poetry / storytelling
Turning connection into verse
Imagine you find yourself walking down a path you have walked hundreds of times, except this time you have noticed something new, or something that’s been there all along but chose to reveal itself on a particular day.
One of those things for me, was Street Lit hand-typed poems tailored to fit you by Jonny Writes Words.
A man who has made a living out of writing poetry with his work taking him all over the world, with a book on the horizon.
is needed now More than ever
Give him a single word it – it can be anything – and from there let the conversation flow and the poem will almost write itself.
The poem shaped by years of expert craftsmanship that centres curiosity and is driven by a need to connect.
Having written poems for people for almost seven years, Jonny Heath, says that it is interesting how many people choose similar words or words with common themes.
Pets are a go-to he says, “People love their pets.”
In order to curate his creations he has to dig a little deeper, he asks them what they like to do and what they like.
He begins to list the list familiar answers: travelling, eating nice food, going on walks in nature, their dogs or flowers.
A stifled laugh escapes as I pretend the last answer wouldn’t have been my one word.
The first piece of writing he was ever commission to write was deeply significant, he explains that a story was requested by a family he met on a bus trip across the US. The family were visiting the youngest son who was terminally ill and wanted a story.
It isn’t long before some gentle sorting through the answers, allows the person to begin revealing more personal details.
He explains that lots of people come to him in periods of transition or change, maybe they’re moving to a new city or they’ve just moved, or they’re maybe getting a new job or about to start one, or they’ve just entered a new relationship or that relationship has ended.
He explains: “That one word is like a jumping off point for a longer conversation where someone talks about what’s most alive for them in that moment in time.
“Something cool happens when you get people onto a certain topic. When you kind of give people permission.
“Their voice changes and they kind of light up. That’s ultimately what I’m aiming to do.”
View this post on Instagram
His calm energy, soft and well-paced conversation, puts you almost immediately at ease.
Having a background working with people in mental health facilities, dementia homes and children with SEN, the Easton resident is used to navigating complex conversations.
“It’s about asking the right question,” he says.
He makes an observation: “Sometimes we go around and we’re sort of on autopilot. The kinds of interactions and conversations we have with people can be quite algorithmic.”
Small talk, the thing that most of us despise but so rarely stray from like a script.
“There’s another way that you can connect with someone and talk to them where you enter into this very alive, dialogue where you’re talking about the things that really matter to you.
“It’s great to have a way of opening up those conversations, because I think a lot of us feel a bit lonely these days.”
View this post on Instagram
It’s a feeling Jonny relates to personally and in-part was a motivating factor to start doing what he describes as what was initially an “experiment.”
Jonny is a musician and having been a band for years, they parted ways to discover new pathways.
Despite continuing to write, it left a “creative void” in his life, with the experience becoming an insular practice.
That paired with losing a a good friend, his mental health wasn’t so good.
He recalled seeing a guy at a festival with the typewriter and it spurned him to start.
That decision, he says: “changed my life. I couldn’t really imagine doing anything else.
“This is a part of me now, it grounds me and it’s how I relate to spaces. It’s so good to be in connection with people.”
He jokes he shouldn’t ever take too much time off, for fear of getting lost without it.
The poems, along with Jonny’s journey and the profound interactions between himself and those who commission is work will be told in a book he is currently composing.
All photos: Hannah Massoudi
Read next:
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
