A bestselling writer from Swinton is hosting a poetry workshop to raise money for a bowel cancer charity after channelling the grief of losing her mother to the disease into her writing.
After losing her mother, Rita, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, mother-of-three Sophie Butler captured readers’ hearts with her acclaimed poetry collection, Where Has She Gone?
The 41-year-old rekindled her lifelong love of poetry when her mother became ill and said writing had been “cathartic”, allowing her to process the emotions that came with bereavement in a positive way.
On Thursday night, the poet will welcome guests to the Monton restaurant Blacksticks for a discussion and poetry workshop exploring how writing can help people work through feelings of loss.
“I hope people will realise that poetry doesn’t have to be Shakespearean and can really help express emotions like grief,” Sophie said.
The poet has won readers across the country for writing about the mundane, everyday moments with loved ones that take on new meaning after they have died.
“I try to write relatable, quite funny poetry,” she explained. “I write stuff that’s very layman’s terms about school runs or Vinted; I wrote one about Britney Spears recently.
“I just try and make a joke of everyday life because when I was in hospital when my mum passed away it made me think of all the things you normally do and don’t appreciate, that you would give anything to go to the shops with them.”
Sophie’s rise into the poetry spotlight began when she posted a poem online following the loss of her mam. She was encouraged to keep writing by Sunday Times bestselling poet Donna Ashworth, a boost that led Sophie to put together her collection.
Since then, Where Has She Gone? Was featured by Hello magazine in their top 10 grief books to read in the last calendar year.
While Sophie admitted she still faces “impostor syndrome” over her success, she’s looking forward to helping others write a verse of poetry about their loss.
“I’m hoping to get people to think of words that come to mind when thinking about a person and write them down, before then building them up into a paragraph or a verse.
“After an interval when people can go for a drink, guests will have the chance to share what they have written and can stand up to read it aloud, or send it to me afterwards.”
Football boots worn by England centre-back Maya Le Tissier, donated by Worsley recruitment firm Vox, a £30 food voucher from Monton restaurant Noir, and a bottle of gin from Salford producer This Is the Promise will be among the prizes in a raffle raising money for the bowel cancer charity.
Despite some nerves, Sunderland native Sophie is looking forward to hosting an event in an area of Salford she fell in love with after moving to the city.
“When I first went to Monton, it felt like I was back in Sunderland because nobody was pretentious or pompous,” she highlighted.
“They were just dead nice and friendly and chatty. Like what everyone is in my life is when I go home.”
More information about the poetry evening with Sophie at Blacksticks tapas bar can be found here.
