Processing Life Through Poetry - Poet Celebrant Amy Harris

Amy Harris has a way with words that will touch the depths of your soul and take you on the wildest of journeys. As a poet based in Manchester, Amy’s has used poetry to explore the complexities of human emotions through her own experiences of love, loss, heartbreak and social justice. She’s a regular on the spoken word scene and last year her poem titled, “My Kind of Heaven” was chosen to be sold on postcards at festivals around the UK, including at the iconic Glastonbury Festival. But Amy is not just a brilliant poet, she is also a dedicated celebrant who has combined her love for words with her desire to celebrate life’s most precious moments. With a unique blend of creativity and sensitivity, she crafts personalised ceremonies, such as Weddings or Funerals, that resonate deeply with those involved. In this episode, Amy shares her journey of embracing her neurodivergent mind, which allows her to create poems effortlessly without writing them down. We explore how she uses poetry to navigate life's highs and lows, the healing and unifying power of language, and the importance of marking significant life events with personalised ceremonies. Throughout our conversation, Amy performs some of her poems Follow Amy: https://www.instagram.com/amythepoetcelebrant/ Buy Amy's Poetry Book: https://amythecelebrant.myshopify.com/products/bedtime-for-overthinkers Book Amy as your Celebrant: https://independentcelebrants.com/celebrants/amy-harris/ SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Get a whopping 65% off your first Gousto box at: ⁠https://www.gousto.co.uk/raf/?promo_code=TOM42277653 Mentioned in the Podcast: Festival Postcards: https://www.festivalpostcards.com/ Sayin MCR - https://www.instagram.com/sayinmcr/ Verbose: https://www.instagram.com/verbosemcr/ Chapters 00:00 Intro 03:11 Amy's festival poem 09:30 Poem: 'My Kind of Heaven' 10:03 Beginning to share poetry online 13:32 Writing first poem in middle of night 16:05 Using words to understand life 20:14 Waiting for it to come out 22:32 Writing poetry in sleep 23:47 Poem - 'Where Pasta Goes' 25:48 The spoken word scene 29:49 Poetry in schools 31:34 Finding local spoken word events 34:21 Poem - 'Call Me A Pussey' 35:22 Anti-Tory Rhetoric 38:00 Poetry for social justice 39:59 Inspiration from 'Suicide In The Trenches' 42:22 Poem - 'Suicide 2022' 44:23 Amy's neurodivergent mind 47:12 Writing poems in her mind - not writing them down 50:39 Navigation school with ADHD 54:55 Poem - 'My ADHD And Me' 58:42 Writing a book with ADHD 01:05:18 Hospital book launch 01:08:08 How a podcast is like a book 01:12:31 Amy's Dedication to her friend Faye Mooney 01:22:10 Using poetry to process grief 01:28:44 Poem - 'Replay' 01:33:05 Becoming a celebrant 01:41:28 Fusing poetry with the role of a celebrant 01:44:01 Celebrating love 01:46:28 Poem - 'Lemons' 01:47:48 Amy's next Chapter