At Dandelions Poetry, we recognise that performing your own poetry can be a scary and exposing experience. We recognise that many people are drawn to performing poetry because they have had their own difficult life experiences. We also recognise that very many people have had experiences of trauma, 'large' or 'small' , and that it can be lonely and difficult dealing with the aftermath of these experiences. Dandelions poetry aims to be 'trauma informed'. This means that we aim to make our evenings feel like safe places, where people are welcomed, included and valued. We aim to respond to every poets work in a positive way. We aim to give people choices about how they share their work, and to respect how they want to take part in the evenings. We are open to feedback about how we are doing and how we can improve.
While we can't offer people ongoing support around their past experiences, we can try to create an environment which is supportive and validating and which provides a sense of community.Â