When it comes to writing, people do it for a variety of reasons; an outlet for creativity, a way to express feelings, and to tell stories that are itching to be told…
For Leicester’s Kyle Coare, writing poetry is the thing that saved his life – the reason why he’s still around today.
Our editor Louise Steel sat down with him for a chat about his latest collection ‘In Shadows’, and how his creations are helping to heal his self-destructive demons, one word at a time…
Kyle Coare’s latest work is not what you’d describe as a ‘beach book’. Nor is it what you’d describe as ‘light and airy’ reading.
With titles like ‘Vultures’, ‘Gates of Hell’ and ‘Night Terrors’, each poem feels like a deep dive into a soul, which is raw and scarred with smouldering emotion.
However, it’s not surprising when you learn about the author’s background and his previous battles with mental health and addiction.
These words are important – bound together skilfully by a man who’s been to ‘hell and back’ – a deep thinker and a tortured soul, but one who’s come through the other side and is learning to heal himself – and others through the power of his art.
“My work can be dark, but through the darkness there is always light, insists the 41-year-old, who lives in Wigston.
“I’m just as comfortable writing about love and hope, as I am about loss and hurt.
“When I started out, I was going through a rough time in my life, a lot of personal loss and heartache – and I fell. I watched my world turn black. I began heavily drinking, and I became reclusive. This all took its toll on my body, and I ended up very close to death”, he told Pukaar.
“It took a few years to gradually start to pick up the pieces of me that were scattered in shards across the floor, but with each piece I was finding a reason to keep going, I was finding that I had something still to offer.”
Over the past six years, Kyle has picked himself up and has written numerous poetry collections, including ‘Lone Wolf’, ‘Seasons’ and ‘Headfirst into the Storm’.
His latest offering ‘In Shadows’, contains over 100 poems, which range in subject matter from those about society and politics to those about love and mental health.
He tries to combine poetry and storytelling, with “some humour and dark edges”, often using his words to shine a light on mental health, or society as a whole.
Kyle speaks with great pride about his poems, which he reads regularly at open mic nights across the city.
In June, he decided to enter the ‘Some-Antics’ poetry slam competition, which featured poets and spoken word artists from across the Midlands.
He was both “honoured and humbled” to win the competition, which was held at Leicester’s annual Festival2Funky arts event.
However, the biggest win that Kyle’s poetry has brought him is the effect it has had on his own mental well-being and sense of self.
In fact, he even goes as far as to say that writing has ‘saved his life’.
“Without it I would still be in that room, lost with no idea of who I was, or where my place was in the world,” he revealed.
“There have been a lot of tears and blood, but through my writing, I wanted to show that you can find positives, you can find light.
“Now I have an outlet for the hurt and pain, but also the good times and the sunshine, the beautiful things we see when we stop looking through misty windows and instead open the doors and really look.
“With ‘In Shadows’, there is a really strong sense of play and imagination,” he said of his latest work.
“I hope that people who read it will feel that this is something a little different. It should be able to grip you, and make you feel a bit of fear, before making you laugh and showing that whatever we are scared of in the dark the sunlight will make it seem better.”
To find out more about Kyle Coare and his previous work, visit: www.wordsandfluff.blogspot.com
By Louise Steel
