REVIEWS
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Ron Gibson Jr, poet & Pushcart Prize nominated writer of fiction
“Strong stuff. Stark & sexy & smart. Wow!”
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Christopher Downing, author of ‘Van Gogh in Peppers’
“A powerful, beautiful interpretation of bipolar and depression. Wow.”
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Richard Green, poet
“Holly writes with real passion and rare clarity.”
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Leon Priestnall, performance poet & promoter of Howl
“Witty, moving and heartfelt – Holly’s poetry can make you laugh, tug at the heart strings and inspire.”
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Laila Hamdaoui, editor in chief of LAHA Magazine
“Holly is on the pulse…splendid, passionate and excellent.”
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Randy Luna, award-winning fashion designer, stylist, actor & dancer
“Holly is phenomenal. A beautiful writer who knows her craft and really connects with people.”
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Keri Davies, writer & producer for the BBC
“I love Holly’s wit, honesty and verbal felicity…her shoes are spectacular too.”
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Elaine Christie, Poetry Bites
“She is a charismatic performance artist, widely sought after and she is not afraid to touch on subjects that are difficult or taboo.”
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Danny Pandolfi, Raise The Bar
“Holly is a fantastic performer and truly original voice in the South West spoken word scene. Her poems are beautifully crafted, challenging and direct.”
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Jasmine Gardosi, poet and facilitator
“She is never afraid to use her own personal experiences, be that of mental health, sexuality, motherhood, etc, in order to expose important issues – and she flies the flag of such subject matter with exceptional passion, intelligence and articulation.”
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Rick Sanders, host of Brum Radio Poets and Caffe Grand Slam
“Holly is a poet who has the rare talent for creating brilliant page poetry that translates in equal strength in her performance work. Her poetry is insightful, thought provoking and utterly captivating. She has developed a true quality to her performance style that is not only inspiring to listen to, but is hard to forget once experienced.”
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Giovanni ‘Spoz’ Esposito, former Poet Laureate and host of Licenced To Rhyme
“Her poetry is engaging, poignant and relevant… Above all, she’s a great human being.”
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Richard Archer, Freeverse Festival 2019
“Blisteringly stunning!”
The Opus Club Summer Ball Canal Cruise reviewed by Will Pace of Nubi Magazine.
Holly was next to take up the mantle, with a series of stark poems that tempered the light of the occasion with a compelling reminder of the power and purpose inherent in spoken word. For Russia With Love dove head-first down the rabbit hole of Russia’s wanton and flagrant disregard of the right to decide and act upon ones own sexual identity:
“Sex is a matter of lock and key but it’s the souls that need to fit, not the biology”.
Intimacy further elaborated on the strength of the spoken word: “to lick someone with your language is the most intimate of acts”, and looking down the boat, each and every face wore plain a deep-seated agreement. Artists with Dirty Fingers was her coup de grâce, a paean of prose to the creative: “come to me paint smeared” and “pervert the rule of thirds” – the rallying cries of a poet at the mercy of the art.
The full review can be found here: http://www.nubimagazine.com/opus-club-canalborne-cadence/
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Holly Winter-Hughes 