Pictured above: SABS students with Miss Patience Agbabi

The Sir Antony Browne Society (SABS) enjoyed a fantastic lecture in Old Big School led by Miss Patience Agbabi, an important modern British poet and performer of poetry, on Tuesday 24^th February 2009. Miss Agbabi has released several poetry books including Transformatrix, a commentary on late 20^th century Britain that draws on inspiration from popular music and her most recent book Bloodshot Monochrome, a book of sonnets, also concerning the realities of multicultural life in Britain.

Miss Patience Agbabi pays particular emphasis on the spoken word in both poetry and her performances. Her work is influenced by rap rhythms and wordplay and Agbabi has cited her influences as various aspects of contemporary music and culture. Although her poetry is hard-hitting in addressing important contemporary themes such as issues of racism and gender identity, her work often makes use of strong formal constraints, including traditional poetic forms.

Patience explained to the students how she became a poet and also informed them of some of her past experiences. Her appointment as Poet in Residence at Eton for example was seized upon by the press as she was a black woman and had written much unconventional and explicit poetry. She gave moving performances of work she had written at different stages in her life; her poem ‘Word' for example was rhythmic and powerful. Before the meeting Agbabi took a successful and inspiring Creative Writing workshop with English Sixth Formers.

The Sir Anthony Browne Society (SABS) at Brentwood School is a society for Sixth Form pupils, which provides them with an opportunity for intellectual discussion and cultural interest.