Rommi Smith – Press Pack
Contents
1.
2.
3.
4.
Short Bio
Full Biography
Quotes
Photo
For latest news, events and further info visit www.rommi-smith.co.uk
Short Biography
Rommi Smith is a poet and playwright. She has received commissions from Paines
Plough, Pentabus Theatre, BBC Radio 4 Drama, BBC Radio 3 and was commissioned
by Host Universal and Cafe Direct to create her play Fairtrade and Fairytales, which she
performed as part of Flight 5065 on the London Eye, an innovative event to
raise awareness of Fairtrade.
Rommi has held numerous residencies including BBC Writer in Residence for the
Commonwealth Games and more recently Writer in Residence for BBC Radio 3's Africa
Season. She is the British Council Poet in Residence at California State University in
Los Angeles in 2006.
Her play, Mountain Knows Me, (commissioned by Pentabus/BBC Radio 4), was part of
this year's Edinburgh Festival, before transferring to the West End and will shortly move
to Stockholm. The play is published by Oberon Plays and was extended for broadcast
on Woman’s Hour in Spring 2007.
Mornings and Midnights, her forthcoming collection of poems is due from Peepal Tree
Press. She is honoured that her play Rain in His Suitcase, written for BBC Radio 4 is
part of this year's Prix Europa celebrations in Berlin.
Rommi has just been appointed Parliamentary Writer in Residence.
www.rommi-smith.co.uk
Full Biography
Rommi Smith is a poet and playwright, who works to fuse spoken word and music
together. She has been performing her work since the age of 14. A spellbinding,
dynamic and powerful performer, Rommi works in collaboration with dancers, music
producers and musicians (and with her own band), to create a synthesis of lyrical
spoken and sung word.
Performing her work regularly, both nationally and internationally, at arts, music and
literature festivals (including The Guinness Jazz Festival; Ilkley Literature Festival, Sight
Sonic; Crossing Borders, Amsterdam; Nuyorican Poet’s Café, New York; Prix Europa,
Berlin and Vienna Literature Festival) Rommi has achieved a reputation for sharp,
socially conscious poetic imagery, fused with astute harmonies, and jazz, funk and soul
rhythms.
Rommi has been commissioned to create new work which has been broadcast
extensively on various media, including: BBC Online, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Radio 3,
BBC Radio 4, BBC Arabic Services Radio and BBC World Service. She is a contributor
to, and performer on, numerous programmes including: Late Junction, Woman’s Hour,
Fine Lines, The Verb, Poetry Please! Rommi and her band were commissioned to
create new work for Late Night Lines from the Lowry (part of Radio 4’s Poetry Festival).
Print and audio versions of Rommi’s work are featured on the BBC website (see the
Links Page for details). Rommi was Chair of the first ever people’s jury for the Booker
Prize.
Rommi has held numerous residencies in England and abroad. In 2001, Rommi was
invited to take up the post of Poet in Residence for BBC Music Live, the first post of its
kind in the history of the festival. In 2002 Rommi was BBC Artist in Residence for the
Commonwealth Games, writing for broadcast on BBC World Service, Radio 4, Radio 5
Live, BBC 2002 Commonwealth Games Radio and BBC Television. In 2005, Rommi
was appointed Writer in Residence for BBC Radio 3’s Africa Season, writing extensively
for BBC. Her role explored her Nigerian and English heritage, as well as stories of other
people of African heritage in the UK. As part of this residency she wrote and performed a
documentary about the cosmology of African naming, for the Twenty Minutes
documentary series on BBC Radio 3. These poems were fused with music in
collaboration with bassist Ken Higgins and percussionist Danny Templeman, for
programmes such as Late Junction and The Verb. She wrote a weblog which can be
found at the site: www.bbc.co.uk/myafrica
In 2006, Rommi was invited to work for the British Council as Poet in Residence at
California State University in Los Angeles. Whilst in residence, she worked with faculty
and students to create Blues, Boats and Hurricanes, a response to the aftermath of
Hurricane Katrina. For more information visit:
http://www.britishcouncil.org/usa-arts-literature-writer-in-residence-rommi-smithresidency-recap.htm
As an actor, Rommi has performed in Eve Ensler’s, The Vagina Monologues.
As a playwright Rommi has been commissioned by Paines Plough Theatre Company,
BBC Radio Drama and Pentabus Theatre. Rommi’s play, Take a Pinch Of was an
afternoon Drama for BBC Radio 4, featuring soul diva, Ruby Turner. In 2005, Rommi
was commissioned to write and perform a new play, Fairtrade and Fairytales as part
Flight 5065, an evening of live performances on the London Eye to raise awareness of
Africa, Fairtrade and Debt Relief. In 2006 Rommi’s play Rain in his Suitcase was a
European commission aired on BBC Radio and as part of Prix Europa celebrations in
Berlin. Her short play Mountain Knows Me (commissioned by Pentabus and BBC Radio
4 Drama) was part of the Edinburgh Festival, before transferring to Soho Theatre in
London’s West End and then onto Stockholm. The play has been developed and will be
broadcast on Woman’s Hour in 2007. The play is published by Oberon Modern Plays as
part of White Open Spaces, a collective commission from seven writers, which was
nominated this year for a South Bank Show Award.
In autumn 2006, Rommi was invited to write an edition of From Fact to Fiction, the BBC
Radio 4 series where writers are commissioned to write about the week’s news. Rommi
wrote Our Deep Sorrow, a poetic examination of the public reaction to Tony’ Blair’s nonapology, but ‘deep sorrow’ for Britain’s role in the Slave Trade. The piece featured actor
Burt Caesar and music by London Community Gospel Choir and bassist Ken Higgins.
The piece was directed by Peter Leslie Wild.
www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/fromfacttofiction/pip/3ck3l/
Rommi dreams up and leads imaginative writing workshops for groups of all ages. A
qualified teacher, Rommi tailors workshops to Key Stage subjects. Rommi teaches
creative writing at Leeds University and is a regular tutor for the Arvon Foundation.
Rommi second collection, Mornings and Midnights, which is inspired by the lives of
divas, is due from Peepal Tree Press. The chapbook of poems from the full collection
was selected as Poetry Book Society Pamphlet Choice.
Rommi is delighted to have been appointed Parliamentary Writer in Residence.
Employed by the House of Commons, Rommi’s work focuses on creatively exploring the
Parliamentary exhibition: The British Slave Trade, Abolition, Parliament and People. This
is the first time in history a Parliamentary Writer in Residence has been appointed. It is
also the first time in history there has been a Parliamentary Writer in Residence for a
Parliamentary exhibition.
As part of her role, Rommi is producing dynamic and imaginative educational resources
which will be available for download via the Parliamentary website for the exhibition. For
more information visit:
http://slavetrade.parliament.uk/slavetrade/explore/authoredpages/writerschoice1.html
http://reporter.leeds.ac.uk/526/s3.htm
http://www.parliament.uk/what_s_on/exhibitions/slavetrade_images.cfm
Rommi Smith will be Bicentenary poet-in-residence at Ilkley Literature Festival in autumn
2007.
Quotes:
‘Part-time diva, full time soul tour, this whole show is hot, it sweeps away any lingering
memories of the boring live word gig…it’s almost time for the angels. They’ll sing with
this one!” Rufus Neiba, The Source
‘The poetry diva’s renditions of her works produce sparks’ – Metro News
‘There is a place where the musical, the political, the spiritual and the beautiful come
together and it is here’ Benjamin Zephaniah
‘Spirit. Takin’ it to the edge. Sunrise. Sunset. Rommi Smith got thunderstorm in her
hands. Painting pictures with her voice…waking the landscape.’ Lemn Sissay
‘The Moveable Type book and CD is a killer. Rommi’s talented all over the map.
Carefully crafted streetwise observations that come straight at you. We put this in our
albums of the year section’ Bob Holmes – New York Poetry Website – Washington
Square Arts
For the photo of Rommi Smith in performance, please credit: Kevin Reynolds
For use of either of the other two photos of Rommi Smith, please credit: Leeds
University.