Who am I?

Hi and welcome to my new home on Substack. My name is S Reeson and I use she/they pronouns [*]. I am 56 and bisexual, and am a multi-disciplined artist and mental health advocate who lives by the seaside.

My poetry and short fiction have been published extensively in both physical print and online over the last five years. In October 2022 I was shortlisted for inclusion as part of the South Bank Centre New Poets Collective. A debut poetry pamphlet entitled Flammable Solid was produced by Flight of the Dragonflies Press in November of the same year.

Click here to buy a copy.

When not writing and creating, I am working to refine an innovative online course designed to nurture and encourage mental robustness in poets, writers and creatives. I also enjoy visual media, playing video games, cycling, running and lifting increasingly heavy weights. Paid subscriptions currently reward exclusive poetry and my photography (which is being used above and below).

This will expand to include flash fiction, audio and graphic artwork in 2024.

What do I Create?

In 2023 a poetry piece was exhibited for the first time on the Leigh Art Trail.

I have a growing presence on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. For a full list of where else you can find me, Linktree has you covered :D

A full biography is also available on my Official Website.

Questions and Answers

I’ve been asked all these questions in the last year about my work. If you have a particular question, send me a message and I’ll be happy to answer.

How long have you considered yourself to be a poet?

In my head? I was first published in December 2018. My debut pamphlet was printed and released in December 2022. By other people's yardsticks, that's about 4 and a bit years.

In my heart? I've told stories since I was ten. I made my first poetry book at 18. Then mental health issues and life generally got in the way. I picked poetry up again as a means to communicate difficult ideas with a therapist during Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. The words have always lived inside me. It has literally taken a lifetime to learn the process.

I can tell you that I'll be a poet until my last breath, too.

What do you think creatives/poets/spoken word artists can offer in a digital space?

Anything is possible with an open mind, a kind heart and some digital skills, at whatever age. Remember to get only what you give back.

Never has such an opportunity existed to tap into creativity in all of its forms, located anywhere with digital access. Without the Internet, I'd never have found my way. My first major project (Places of Poetry) happened solely thanks to promotion by the team on Twitter. During lockdown, I was spotted by my publisher thanks to a Zoom Open Mic. I was given my first-ever headline spot digitally. Having been online since the 1990s, there's a lot more to say than just this. Opportunities exist.

The key is educating people on how to navigate them with consideration and care.

What do you want to do to change people’s ideas of poetry in a digital space?

I hope to redefine the idea that poetry exists only on a page or to be studied academically. This would open access to a plethora of opportunities to find poets with like-minded interests and abilities, to connect and expand my own personal and professional remits, but most importantly it would not restrict access to anyone.

It is therefore vital to provide provisions for those with special needs, mental health issues and those from underprivileged backgrounds. Keeping festivals digitally accessible and providing permanent resources to support these groups is equally pressing. The digital stage is more important in some ways than the traditional one, especially considering its reach is planet-wide.

What are your hopes and dreams for online creative spaces going forward?

I hope for parity, honesty and acceptance that those of us with mental health issues and neurodiversity who identify as 'different' in their political or sexual outlooks can have a level field in which to work and create. Education to a certain level should never be a barrier to entry: as a digital native, I'd be more than willing to teach people how to live and work where they may not initially feel comfortable.

Mostly, I'd like to feel safe. So much bile and abuse are thrown around in digital spaces where tolerance and acceptance should exist as a default. It would be my hope to not just feel happy in such a space but accepted for what they are.

What unique thing about yourself do you have to offer readers on Substack?

This poet was born online. My real self, the one most comfortable and capable, was only possible because of this existence. I would not be a writer without it. None of the opportunities in my entire career, since my children were born, would have been possible were it not for access to the Internet. People need to understand what is possible if they are prepared to work hard and willingly give themselves to the process.

That doesn't have to happen in bars, universities or in the mainstream media any more. It is already happening online, and I am the living, breathing embodiment of what it is possible to create.

[*] Pronouns are featured in my biography to show that I respect Trans Rights, which are human rights.

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