Lyra Bristol Poetry has announced the appointment of Sukina Noor as the new Bristol City Poet for 2024 to 2026, Sukina Noor, who was selected by a panel of five judges representing different cultural institutions in Bristol, is now the fifth City Poet and will be taking over the role from the outgoing Kat Lyons.
She will write 10 commissioned poems over the course of 2 years, perform at public events, and engage in workshops and activities with communities across the city. Her first performance as Bristol City Poet will be at the official City Poet Handover event, on- Tuesday, October 8, at Waterstones.
This event will also include a reading from former City Poet Kat Lyons, launching their pamphlet of poems ‘Everything comes from somewhere’ composed of poems written during their two years in the role. The event is free to attend and includes a free copy of the pamphlet.
Sukina said: “I am beyond thrilled to have been selected for the role of Bristol City Poet for the next two years. It means so much to be given this opportunity to connect to my city through the art of poetry.
“I am a daughter of Bristol, born and raised in Easton and after 18 years of living in London I returned home to lay my roots in the city of my birth just before the pandemic hit, so this role is a stunning opportunity to reconnect, to listen to the pulse of my city and pay attention to its heart beat.
“Being chosen for this is a beautiful homecoming gift, a way to reconnect to the soil where I took my first steps, whose streets shaped me and impacted the way I exist in the world. I am excited to explore how much Bristol has changed and how much has stayed the same and what new worlds are brimming beneath the surface.
“To be able to explore this renewed relationship with Bristol through a poetic lens would give birth to a rich body of work, the perspective of a familiar stranger. I am very keen to explore the potential poetry has to connect communities and am bursting with ideas of ways to bring poetry into unlikely places within the city and make it more accessible. I’m interested in cultivating places of sanctuary where poetry is a safe space to explore our truth and finding ways to highlight the plethora of voices who call this city home.”
Sukina Noor is a poet, spoken-word artist, playwright, workshop facilitator and educator, event curator and public speaker. She has toured extensively across the UK, Europe, America and Africa performing, delivering poetry workshops, partaking in panel discussions and delivering lectures.
Sukina has facilitated creative writing workshops across the world empowering communities to use the written word as a tool for dialogue and as a means for accessing their authentic voice. Her workshops seeks to explore the intersection between creativity and spirituality and awakening the voice of the heart. She has developed a series of poetry writing courses such as The Art of Speaking from the Heart, The Art of Writing Sacred Poetry and The Poetry of Female Mystics that she has delivered to international audiences and this summer led her first retreat in Portugal called The Healing Art of Sacred Writing.
Sukina has amassed a loyal fan base due to her international performances, workshop facilitation and social media presence and her debut poetry collection Love and Longing: Yearning for the Face of God was released in October 2023 and her spoken word album of the same name will be released in the Spring of 2025.
Traditionally – and in line with the national Poet Laureate objectives – the person who holds this role can become the city’s conscience and can also reflect on what makes the city tick. What they convey through their poetry and creative writing can provide important insights into contemporary events and feelings, not all of which may make for comfortable reading.
Some of the events that City Poets have performed at include the Mayor’s Annual State of the City Address, International Women’s Day, World Book Day, Bristol Pride, and the city’s twinning celebrations. Poems may also be written for the opening of new buildings, for community events and for commemorative anniversaries.
The role of the City Poet was founded and run by Bristol Ideas in association with the Mayor’s Office from 2016-2024, and the scheme is now run by Lyra Bristol Poetry. Former City Poets include Kat Lyons (2022-2024), Caleb Parkin (2020-2022), Vanessa Kisuule (2018-2020) and Miles Chambers (2016-2018).
Kat Lyons, Bristol City Poet 2022-24, said: ‘To be City Poet is to be a civic storyteller, ferreting about in the narrative for the under-stories, the small moments and ordinary lives that come together to make Bristol what it is.’
Marvin Rees, former Mayor of Bristol, added: “Bristol’s City Poets have all helped capture the spirit and soul of our city. They have helped tell more of the fullness of our city’s story, for us to better understand our past and present and have hope for the future.”
Danny Pandolfi, Co-Director of Lyra Bristol Poetry, said: “This unique public-facing role isn’t just about writing great poetry, but most importantly about community outreach and giving people access points into poetry through everyday life, and inspiring more people to read, write and perform poetry. It’s about amplifying the voices of others and communicating the views of an inspiring, progressive and culturally diverse city through your own work, and capturing the feelings and ideas of the people who make Bristol so brilliant.”