Hannah is a Churchill Fellow 2023. Hannah's report is titled ' The Power of Poetry in Education' and can be accessed below.
More about Hannah Stanislaus
The Power of Poetry in Education: The teaching of poetry to UK school children would be lifesaving, life giving and life changing.
In 2023, I was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to study Poetry in America, with the goal of changing the UK National Curriculum and having poetry as a separate subject and GCSE.
In 2024, I travelled to Boston, New York, Texas and Arizona to visit Dr Elisa New and the Poetry in America team.
I was filmed for season 5 of Poetry in America which premieres in 2026 and I was offered the first UK/USA partnership of Poetry in America.
I started to write poetry on the 6th June 2020. I was 33.
Poetry saved my life, then changed my life and finally gave me a life beyond my wildest dreams.
I became a published poet in 2022, my first collection 'Extremely Aggressive,
Uneducated and Rough' was released and in the same year, I created 'Lost Souls Events', starting with a poetry open mic night, for people who felt they could relate to the title 'lost soul'. Lost Souls poetry evenings were taken to the Wandsworth Arts Fringe 2022 and five shows were performed across the entire borough.
Next, I created a concept show called 'In Disguise', which premiered at Village Soho and The 2 Brewers, this combined poetry and alter egos of the featured poets. In Disguise was taken to the Wandsworth Arts Fringe 2023 and was sold out at both the venues performed at.
In just a few years, Lost Souls events has expanded to 3 poetry open mic nights a month (Twice a month at Exhibit Bar in Balham and once a month at the Spread Eagle bar in Wandsworth) and a quarterly poetry slam at The 2 Brewers, Clapham.
I sat my English and Maths GCSEs at the age of 34 and I am currently making my way through A-level English.
My daughter, Lucy is eight years old and writes poetry. She has performed her poetry on stage and asks me all the time ‘Mama, can I read your poetry please?’. Lucy has the power of poetry in her life, every child in the UK deserves the same opportunity on the National Curriculum.
I have delivered four poetry workshops, in four different primary schools, across Wandsworth, South London.
All 300 children I delivered the course to wrote a poem.
My aim in life is to ensure poetry is taught at every key stage level in the UK and a poetry GCSE’s curriculum is created and delivered. Furthermore, A-Level poetry and even a poetry degree is possible.
NOW is the time to turn things around and introduce poetry into the education system. Reading poetry and poems that reflect the children in our classrooms, writing poetry to explore their own identity and performing what they have written to encourage confidence and self-esteem. Our children’s mental health, emotional, social and communication development and the future generations, my grandchildren, deserve nothing less.
Poetry gives hope. Poetry gives light. Poetry gives life. Poetry is power. Poetry is freedom. Poetry is public property.
Poetry gives hope. Poetry gives light. Poetry gives life. Poetry is power. Poetry is freedom. Poetry is public
Shine a light on
Who you are
You've come this far
How much you shine
Like the brightest star.
I love you
Like you love me
After all that has been
You are now free.
Shine a light on
Where your path leads
Not where it ended
Don't worry about it
Who you befriended.
The best version of you
Will always shine through
To thine own self be true
Noone loves you as much as you do.
Shine a light on
All you have in your life
Even if you are alone or have a wife
I have my Lucy and all of my friends
People to count on right to the end.
It matters how well I treat myself
What I say in the mirror
Above my bathroom shelf
I dont need money, fame, power; inside of me is my wealth.
People will always need people
That's what my brother said
So listen to my words
Not that voice in your head.
You are good enough
The stuff you went through made you tough
You are perfectly made
Like a diamond in the rough.
So today I shine a light on love.
Hannah Maria Stanislaus
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