Jaidah McDill

Described as a ‘soulful and thought-provoking’ poet, Weston-Super-Mare’s Jaidah McDill draws influence from fascination. As she explains, ‘being the thread of genuine interest in a person’s inner world that sustains love over lifetimes; this influences and inspires me’. And she cites ‘Khalil Gibran in poetry, Jean-Michel Basquiat in art and Nina Simone in music’ as the artists who offer her the greatest fascination.

McDill’s progress as a poet may surprise her teachers as, by her own admission, she ‘really struggled with, and continuously complained about English when at school’. But having been drawn to ‘the connection between poetry and The Divine in the ancient world’, she has found ‘freedom and safety of expression’ through the genre. McDill has performed as part of SEE Monster for BBC Radio, and at Clevedon Curzon for Raise the Bar, as well as spoken word nights across the south west. A part of the Apples and Snakes Future Voices cohort, she has also worked with Peckham’s FLO Vortex. Not bad for someone who after an unpleasant first performance experience vowed they would ‘never do it again’.

‘Reading poetry makes me feel rich. It has been the guidance I’ve needed, lessons in waiting, unpacking pain, feeling purpose in suffering; the love I’ve been waiting for’

As someone who appreciates ‘sharing spaces with people who value the practice of active listening’, being a part of A Poet in Every Port offers McDill an ‘opportunity to learn, develop, collaborate and be challenged to grow’. She sees her involvement in the project as ‘an honour’ and looks forward to ‘travelling outside [her] comfort zones’ as she comes together with her cohort.