Janey Colbourne's Blog

I’ve previously posted about my experience of long covid, since getting ill with the virus back in March 2020. I still have long covid, and have been taking part in a long covid peer support programme pioneered by Brain Health Breakthrough. The programme is now expanding and I’m very pleased to have been asked to co-facilitate this new peer-led support group for people in Hyndburn with long covid, organised by Brain Health Breakthrough, with funding from Hyndburn Community Champions. The pro...

I’m delighted to be hosting another Rise! Spoken Word at The Bureau poetry event this Thursday 27 May 7-8.30pm. We are still online for now, so you can join us from wherever you are. We have two incredible featured poets for you, Luci:d and Amy Lee Tempest. Below is a little more info about each of them. We will also have a poetry open mic, advance booking only. There are currently a couple of open mic slots still available. See the booking page link for details.

CLICK HERE FOR RISE 4 TIC...

I’m very excited to announce Rise! Spoken Word at The Bureau part 3 is coming up soon on Zoom on Thursday 25th March 7-8.30pm.

Our headliner will be the legendary Steve Pottinger, whose poem Fatima went viral last year in lockdown. Steve’s poetry has a tendency to go viral, as he quietly hits the nail on the head with his social commentary, delivered with both sharp wit and warm compassion.

Steve Pottinger is a poet, author, and workshop facilitator, and a founding member of Wolverhampton art...

Our next Zoom workshop for Rise! Spoken Word at The Bureau will be Finding Your Voice with Sharena Lee Satti on Sunday 21st February 2-4pm. We’re really looking forward to this and we think it’s going to be a lovely, heartwarming afternoon. Tickets are on sale now at £5 each, via ticketsource

Here’s what Sharena says about the workshop:

“We have welcomed a New Year and overcome such a difficult one together

Join me for this creative poetry workshop

I want us to take this time

Happy New Year to you all! I’m very excited to announce our next online Rise! Spoken Word at The Bureau event is coming up soon on 21st January 2021. Our headliner will be Joy France, also known as the battle-rapping nanna. You may have seen her interview last year on BBC Breakfast, or in a Nationwide advert (she’s featured twice!), or heard her on BBC Radio 4’s Saturday Live on 5th December last year. She can hold her own in the fiercest battle rap, but you couldn’t meet a lovelier person. Her ...

At the beginning of this year, while I was planning the Rise! Spoken Word programme for The Bureau Centre for The Arts, I felt inspired to write a poem of the same name. Scott Jackson wanted to make a film of it, so we managed to get it recorded in February, luckily just before lockdown. Scott has done an amazing job editing the recording, and here it is!

Words ©️ Janey Colbourne 2020 Film ©️ Scott David Jackson 2020

If you’d like to hear me me performing this live, we st...

I’m so excited about our first Rise! Spoken Word at The Bureau poetry event which is coming up soon on Tuesday 17th November 7-8.30pm, and will be hosted online via Zoom. Tickets are £5, and for this very reasonable price you get to see three amazing featured spoken word performers, me as your host, and a selection of open mic poets. This is the same incredible lineup as the event we had to cancel in the Spring due to lockdown. Booking is essential and tickets can be purchased by clicking on thi...

Hi Everyone,

I’m really excited to announce that we’ve finally been able to reschedule Rise! spoken word @Bureau, our series of events and workshops which we had originally planned to host live at the Bureau Centre for the Arts in Blackburn, but which we will now be hosting on Zoom.

There will be three spoken word events and two workshops between now and March. The spoken word events will feature some of the North’s most fan...

For the fifth year running I am delighted to be a contributor to Earth Pathways Diary. This is so much more than a diary. It’s a beautiful collection of inspiring and heartwarming art and writing. Two pieces of my writing are included in the 2021 diary. I am selling copies for £14.50 each plus £3.50 postage and packing. I can take payment via my PayPal link here. Please confirm your delivery address in the message. In the past I’ve had an issue with diaries going astray due to people forgetting ...

The Ironic Tragedy of Conspiracy Theory

The attraction of conspiracy theories is, unsurprisingly, strongest when people feel disempowered. However, conspiracy theories don’t restore a feeling of control, but actually make people feel more disempowered and unable to free themselves, reducing the likelihood of political or empowering action. The problem is power and control.

However unlikely, unrealistic or paranoid the conspiracy theories might be, the conspiracy theorists correctly perceiv...