Poet Michelle Scally Clarke addresses wellbeing during online sessions

Michelle Scally Clarke has been hosting ‘Clear Out Your Closet’ (COYC) and other work virtually to bring people together so they can express themselves. The long-running COYC sessions are normally held in person at Space2 in the Old Fire Station, Gipton. The first lockdown was a scary prospect for members of the wellbeing workshop, which has helped people living with mental health issues. Members were so dedicated to the COYC cause that they even applied for nine-weeks of funding to help it continue while they were strict-shielding. Michelle, 50, said: “I think when something happens, whatever it be, my parents were always like ‘If you’re not part of the solution then you are part of the problem’. “So it was a collective case of what can I do? We went online three times a week for free so we had that meet up point.” The multi-skilled artist said she was so proud of members who had gone on to form a peer mentor group. They have also been producing some amazing writing and developing their own artistic signatures. The Clear Out Your Closet group is also now on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. But it is just one facet of Michelle’s work, which ranges from commissions by groups like Artlink and Forum Central to work with schools like Allerton CE Primary. She was also involved in the Inspiration from Isolation online gallery with Space2. The Clear Out Your Closet and Care Collective were part of its ‘Sounds of Lockdown’ Zone. A 28-page booklet of poems and writing, curated by Michelle, was also produced. The poet and her colleague Becky Cherriman are also involved with the young writers’ team at Ilkley Literature Festival. They are currently calling on all Ilkley writers past and present to help them celebrate the writing group’s tenth anniversary. Michelle encourages people to join such writing groups where people can hone their skills. She added: “The only rules in the writing group are we write from and we talk to each other in kindness. It’s positivity, there is no judgement. We go from the ethos of Rumi, the poet, ‘Outside of wrongdoings and right doings, there is a field and I’ll meet you there.” “It allows people just to talk. They don’t need to be coming from any angle or class or divided. It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor. It’s just amazing.” She also believes that expressing ourselves creatively can help us cope with the burdens of lockdown. Writing down positive thoughts and about experiences like a walk in the park or hearing birdsong can help practice self care. She added: “When are people happy? They’re happy when they are healed. Poetry is a tool for that in whatever way you want to.” In workshops she is sometimes confronted with the phrase, ‘I don’t think that’s right’ but Michelle thinks poetry and art are matters of interpretation. She said: “We all dance a different dance and we all dance differently to the page. It doesn’t matter if you can’t spell. All it is are your thoughts on the page. “You can look at them and it’s not somebody else saying, ‘It’s not like that’. “Because when you draw a picture and stick it on a wall in an art class, people look at it and they get their own interpretation from it, and poetry is exactly the same.” BACKGROUND: Michelle Scally Clarke has shared the stage with poetry stars like Benjamin Zephaniah, Linton Kwesi Johnson and Lemn Sissay during her long career. The grandmother-of-one has been pursuing her artistic dream for more than 25 years. She has many strings to her bow including playwright, author and performer. But her route to being an established artist was not a smooth one. Michelle talks candidly about her early years in a children’s home and being classified as ‘sub normal’. Michelle was adopted at about seven by the Scally family who strongly disagreed with the classification. They nurtured her talents and strengths. She said: “It’s part of my background and it is also the reason why I do what I do. Fundamentally, I am that six-year-old child but I’m going back to save her. A lot of people want to be known for their literature and the standard of their writing. I’m not that kind of poet. I want to be the person who speaks to the kid in the children’s home. I want to reach people that have been on my journey. To get in contact with Michelle’s various projects like Clear Out Your Closet see www.facebook.com/writingforwell. You can also follow @ClearCloset on Twitter or theclearclosetcollective on Instagram. Email ilkleywritersanthology@gmail.com for more about the anniversary celebrations of the young writers’ team.