A British/Ghanaian writer and performance poet, Miss Yankey captivates people with her honest and heartfelt poetry which she often uses to advocate for the oppressed and silenced. An international slam champion, co-host and resident poet at The Chocolate Poetry Club, open mic host at Mind Over Matter, and member of London’s unrivalled FLO Poets; the Winter of 2019 sees the release of her anticipated book “More Than a Machine” – an honest account of one woman’s experience with mental illness.
Bookings & commissions: info@missyankey.com
Twitter: @missyankey
Facebook/checkmissyankey
Instagram: @missyankey
Projects
- Escape The TowerWorking with the spoken word artists who came out of the previous project 'Get Into The Tower: The Mark Makers', Industry In The Streets collaborated with Poetry Prescribed to provide workshops which would produce creative responses to or inspired by John Gerard’s escape, and his life as a Catholic Priest in the 16th century. It formed a part of The Tower of London's launch of Tower Escapes, a daily offer which was available onsite for visitors to explore the story of John Gerard; an English Je
- Get Into The Tower: The Mark Makers ProjectA series of creative workshops exploring the 'medieval graffiti' hidden inside the infamous Tower of London, with the aim of telling the stories of the prisoners who were locked inside. The spoken word workshops were led by Miss Yankey, and saw participants create poems and affirmations inspired by the words inscribed on the walls of the tower by it's prisoners. Selected poems were recorded and are available to listen to on the Tower of London's Digital Visitors Guide. The project culminated i
- BMT Youth: Mental Health JourneysBMT (Black Man‘s Time) is an immersive live experience that celebrates the ‘awesome everyday’ stories of black men. Past events have featured luminaries such as Doc Brown, Chris Preddie OBE and Justin Marosa. This event was part of an ongoing Mental Health series and shared the stories of three young black men and their mental health journeys, through poetry. The event took place in the Reading Room of the prestigious Wellcome Collection and was hosted by BMT founder Alain 'Fusion' Clapham. Po
Projects credited in
- International Women’s Day 2021, meet 100 rising stars inspiring changeWe still have a way to go when it comes to improving gender diversity and equality in the creative, tech and digital industries – which is why it is so important for us, as a platform, to use our force for good. We’re thrilled to be releasing our annual list celebrating and shining a spotlight on 100+ rising stars from underrepresented gender identities – as nominated by The Dots community – who are transforming the industry of today and inspiring the generation of tomorrow. The list beams wit212
- Southall Black SistersI am a member of Southall Black Sisters. 2019 is our 40th anniversary year. I am organising a number of events. A mini-film festival (30 March and 6 April) showing 4 films to mark the 4 decades of our work in conjunction with Tongues on Fire who organise the UK Asian Film Festival. One of the films we are showing Provoked, is one I co-scripted and is based on the life of an abused woman who set her husband on fire and was released from prison by Southall Black Sisters. I am also organising a
Work history
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Founder | Director | Lead FacilitatorSelf Employed
London, United KingdomFull Time
In November 2017 I founded a project called Poetry Prescribed which uses spoken word poetry as a catalyst for conversation and creation. Since starting these workshop programmes, I have connected with hundreds of young people in collaboration with organisations including City Hall, Rethink, Industry In The Streets, Young People Insight, The Grey Dog Foundation, Mind, The Tower of London, and Southwark Council.
I have consistently created fun, engaging, and inspiring workshops to meet specific requirements.
Poetry Prescribed believe that poetry can promote good mental health and well-being. During our workshops, we invite participants to read, listen, speak, create and share poetry. Our aim is to provide a safe space for people to come together and express themselves. We offer a range of services which include collaborative workshops, youth workshops, and corporate workshops.
More Info: www.poetryprescribed.com
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Domestic Violence Awareness Poet & SpeakerSelf Employed
London, United KingdomFreelance
Secret Chains and Chambers enables me to combine my passion for poetry and domestic violence awareness. I write and perform spoken word pieces that offer an introduction to domestic violence from a multitude of victim perspectives; a snapshot into the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of real life victims and survivors of domestic abuse. It's a unique opportunity to hear the stories behind the statistics and campaigns- the parts that people rarely think, let alone dare talk about.
There is a huge community out there who actively support, speak up, share articles, knowledge and information, advocate, protest, fight for, and offer courage and understanding on the subject of domestic violence. I hope to reach out and connect with as many of these people and communities as humanly
possible. Through poetry, I hope to help people who are devoid of hope and fight, who are ignored, stigmatised and isolated. I want to be a voice that perhaps offers courage and direction to freedom. I commit to speak up on a topic that for too many people is still a taboo, a social stigma, a topic of shame and discomfort.
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Skills
- Spoken Word
- Performance Poetry
- Writing Poetry
- Poetry
- Workshop Delivery
- Workshop Facilitation
- Workshop Design
- Creative Workshops
- Delivering Workshops
- Event Hosting
Education
Media and Communications
- Croydon, United Kingdom