Rose Condo

Biography

Rose is a Canadian poet and educator. Based in Manchester, she has won slams across the UK, and she performs her work nationally and internationally. Rose has written and toured three solo shows: 'The Geography of Me' (Spoken Word Award, 2021 Buxton Fringe), 'The Empathy Experiment' (Best Spoken Word Show, 2019 Greater Manchester Fringe), and 'How to Starve an Artist' (Runner Up Best Spoken Word Show, 2017 Saboteur Awards). She has published two poetry collections with Manchester’s Flapjack Press: 'How to Find Where You Belong' (2023) and 'After the Storm' (2020). She was a contributing writer to the ground-breaking anthology 'Spoken word in the UK' (eds. Lucy English and Jack McGowan). She runs creative writing workshops for people of all ages, exploring wellbeing through creative writing. Rose’s radio and podcast features include BBC Radio Manchester, CBC Manitoba, Love the Words on Chapel FM, the Loudcast, and Poets Talking Bollocks.

Poetry Sample - You Are Here

I carry around A red dot in my bag So that no matter where I am I can precisely tag The exact place on which I stand As the very spot Of exactly where I am Marked by this red dot A kind of ‘you are here’ For wherever I go So no matter where I am I will always know You Are Here You see There are places that I’ve been That don’t appear on any map Some of my travels Leave a geographical gap Few of these places lie Within the borders of any nations My red dot does not apply To these metaphysical locations For example I have cruised along denial I’ve sat deep in the blues I’ve tried to walk a mile In someone else’s shoes I’ve followed in others’ footsteps And walked along the razor’s edge I’ve jumped into the deep end And been in way over my head I’ve kept my head above water And been head and shoulders above I’ve worn my heart on my sleeve And fallen head over heels in love I have been atop cloud nine And walked along without a care I’ve sometimes crossed the line Or popped down to the depths of despair I’ve spent a few long hours In the dark nights of my soul I’ve gone out on a limb And I’ve spun out of control I’ve had to face the music I’ve had to take the upper hand I’ve put my foot in my mouth I’ve buried my head in the sand I’ve been struck down with worry I’ve sometimes lost my mind I’ve spent days deep in thought But I always seem to find My way back to remembering To stand here on this spot To let go of my focus On the places that I’m not And acknowledge where I am As the present reappears So this red dot is my reminder Hey girl You Are Here

All poems are copyright of the originating author. Permission must be obtained before using or performing others' poems.

Blog entries by Rose Condo

Poem in response to #refugeecrisis (06/09/2015)

Blog link: https://www.writeoutloud.net/blogs/rosecondo