The competition encourages any poet or musician to enter work about the environment
A MOTHER who hopes to win £10,000 in a poetry contest says she would spend some of the money on poetry workshops for parents in her community.
Creativity runs in the family for Caitlin Rowen, 25, from Tremorfa, who is the granddaughter of Welsh musician Meic Stevens while her aunt Megan Batin organises open mic nights.
Mrs Rowen entered the competition, which is themed around the environment, because she has become more worried about the future since the birth of her daughter Kalli, aged two.
“I care a lot more about the world we’re making for her,” she said.
Mrs Rowen entered her poem Change – which you can watch above – in the Poetry and Folk in the Environment competition, run by Home Stage, an organisation that helps poets and musicians.
Mrs Rowen would like to set up a free poetry workshop for parents and children at the old STAR centre in Splott, to help parents with the cost of childcare.
Her poem was motivated by the news global average temperatures rose by over 1.5C for the first time.
Her early experiences of nature have also fed her growing concern about the climate. She grew up in Solva, Pembrokeshire like her famous grandfather.
“There was not a lot to do but explore nature,” she said.
“I was just a little girl exploding with words.”
Meic Stevens with his great-granddaughter Kalli. Image Credit: Caitlin Rowen.
Mrs Rowen wrote her entry for the competition at the Railway Gardens creative writing group, which she attends regularly. She recorded the poem as a video – which all the competition entries are – and she jokes that the main challenge was that her daughter kept interrupting.
Before becoming a stay-at-home mum, Mrs Rowen worked as a mental health nurse and if she wins the competition she would also use some of the money to publish her novel, Wildflower, about a rural girl with ADHD.
Mrs Rowen has ADHD and believes that it also inspires her work.
“I think that helps me the most, the way I think is quite poetic sometimes.”
- Submissions for the competition are open until 30 April and the winner will be announced the following week. Entries are voted on by liking the Youtube video.
