Poetry & community

Imtiaz Dharker in Ware, 8th November 2024

Photo © Beatrice Smith

In a 2024 highlight, the superb Imtiaz Dharker visited Ware Poets at Southern Maltings. In the afternoon she led a packed poetry reading and discussion with students from Presdales and Chauncy schools, following this with an equally enthusiastically received public reading in the evening.

Read some of the reviews below.

We’re grateful to Ware Town Council and East Herts District Council for financial support. #UKSPF

Presales and Chauncy staff reviews

‘On Friday 8th November, 55 A Level English students had the privilege to attend a poetry reading by renowned poet Imtiaz Dharker. The poetry reading was a deeply engaging experience that captivated everyone in the audience. Her words, already powerful on the page, took on new layers of meaning as she read them aloud, her voice adding texture and depth. By the end of the reading, it was clear that Dharker’s poetry doesn’t just speak to the listener; it lingers, offering a lasting sense of connection and inspiration.’
– Mrs Teal, Head of Key Stage 5 English at Presdales School

‘On Friday 8th November, 33 year 10 students and our year 12 Literature cohort joined Presdales classes to attend a wonderful afternoon of poetry enrichment hosted by Ware Poets at The Southern Maltings. There, the critically acclaimed and long-studied poet Imtiaz Dharker performed a selection of her poems, spoke widely about the craft and answered insightful questions from our students.
Students were enthralled by the connections made between poetry and protest; poetry's real-world power and the timelessness of themes such as: the futility of human power; exploitative governments; migrant rights and the beauty and power of love.
In addition to her own poetry, Imtiaz read from Wilfred Owen and Percy Shelley: poems our students study and now understand as intrinsically connected to poems that are written today. We were thrilled to hear some students opted to attend the evening event, with one student even sharing his own poetry live.
It's safe to say, Chauncy students found the opportunity enriching, challenging and above all, inspiring.’
– Chauncy School

Presdales students’ reviews

‘Imtiaz Dharker's visit was incredibly powerful and the way she explained and delivered her poems gave a strong insight into the world of writing and poetry. The range in her poetry, from being about her troubles growing up to sonnets, portrayed how much of a great poet she is, and the different ways in which you can deliver your feelings, even if the inspiration was originally something completely different. Dharker answering our questions was also very useful for aspiring writers/poets. Overall, the entire atmosphere was incredibly welcoming and warm, and Dharker's visit to Ware allowed for many young writers to have a deeper insight into poetry and literature.’
– Kamila Soltysik, Y13

‘It was a different experience to hear such poems read aloud as it allowed us as listeners to grasp a deeper meaning behind the different pauses and phrases [that Imtiaz] has chosen to use. It was also eye-opening to realise that she’s influenced by little things in life, showing me that everything in life has significance, whether we acknowledge it or not.’
- Neive Reid, Y12

‘Imtiaz Dharker’s visit was very insightful and interesting to know her thought process and structure into how she plans a poem, [and that] when she does plan, her poem most of the time does not mirror her plan. It was very insightful to know that poets generally are not told or asked from Exam boards if their poems can be used or not. Dharker implied that she could not understand why Tissue is used for GCSE as the complexity of the poem and the difficulty to interpret the poem are challenging at best.’
– Jess Pullum, Y13

‘Imtiaz Dharker guided us through a series of poems, some recent from her new book and some old that she felt were still relevant for her or for society today. She introduced us to the procedures of her writing process, inspirations and how to go about publishing our own poetry. Her wise words induced me to appreciate poetry as an art form and therefore I found the experience wholly valuable.’
– Rachel Harvey, Y13

‘Dharker's poems are filled with emotions, history and larger themes that expand her poems' audience and grasp of the world. She is a firm believer in the power of poetry and her attitude towards reading her poetry reflects this, she is passionate and expressive, easy to understand and encouraging to all those who read and study her poems. ‘
– Hannah Green, Y13

‘On Friday, we went to see the poet Imtiaz Dharker do a poetry reading which was captivating and interesting. She spoke confidently with a deliberate tone throughout the poems that brought new meaning to them and made them much more interesting rather than just reading them. I particularly enjoyed her opening poem “From another country” which captivated me with its themes of her heritage and the microaggressions of racism she experiences. Many of her poems follow these themes of her heritage and conflict in these circumstances, but also the range of joy and love. ‘
– Madison Scully, Y12

‘The English trip was very wholesome, the poetry was fulfilling and taught you a lesson of prosperity and kindness but also the hardships people face throughout their life. Imtiaz Dharker spoke with a soothing voice, with growing passion for her poems throughout the time she was on stage. ‘
– Eva Pidduck, Y12

‘I really enjoyed the poetry trip to see Imtiaz Dharker. We got to listen to some of her poems, and learn some of the backstory behind them. Her poems are very well written and it was nice to hear how she read the poems in her own style. I really enjoyed the poems from her most recent book, although they were dark they were very powerful.’
– Sophie Hayes, Y12

‘I did not expect to be so amazed by Imtiaz Dharker, a passionate, intelligent, and inspiring poet.’
– Amelia Johnson-Hart, Y12

‘Imtiaz Dharker is a very inspirational, interesting poet with a very thoughtful ideas and representations of everyday things we see in experience in life. She views the world deeply and takes note of the minor details of life which are actually quite beautiful. Her performance was purposeful and the room was silent in awe of her presentation. At the end she answered some simple but challenging questions which she carefully listened to and answered in great detail to fulfil our expectations of a good answer. The trip was very hopeful for students looking to be a poet or a writer in the future but also opened everyone's minds to be creative and look at life in a way that everything has a meaning and a purpose.’
– Bethany Botheras, Y12

‘Imtiaz Dharker demonstrated the strong passion and dedication she has for her craft, and captivated the audience with her powerful voice and words. To those of us studying poetry at A Level, it was an extremely invaluable experience for our understanding of how poems can be written and expressed to audiences, and we are thankful to the English department for organising this trip.’
– Hattie Pryke, Y12

‘I found the Imtiaz Dharker trip into Ware was very interesting and helpful, considering we had the opportunity to hear exactly how Imtiaz Dharker imagined her poems being read and all the different interpretations that she believed would be taken from the poem. We also saw a true insight into how she developed her poems, and through a series of questions, how the poems ended up being published after her hard work exploring them.’
– Tabitha Hawkins, Y12

‘Imtiaz Dharker is a renowned poet … so we were lucky to have this opportunity to hear from her in person. She began with readings of her many poems, providing us with insights into her thoughts behind each one, and then the afternoon ended with a Q&A session where we were able to ask our own questions about her poetry.’
– Martha Ker, Y12

‘I thoroughly enjoyed our trip to see Imtiaz Dharker, it was interesting listening to her talk openly about her process of writing these poems and how she draws inspiration from current and historical events, she is able to cleverly share important messages through her poetry and is able to inspire many. Furthermore, it was extremely entertaining listening to her read her poems as it gave a new perspective that you can’t get from simply reading them, it was amazing to see how passionate she is about her work and poetry.’
– Florence Hudson, Y12