The Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) makes awards ranging up to £15,000 to craftsmen and women of all ages to help them further their careers.

Since 1991 the Trust has awarded £1.4 million to 218 craftspeople aged between 17 and 50 plus for study, training and work experience.

QEST, the charitable arm of the Royal Warrant Holders Association, was established in 1990 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Association and the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. The Trustees look for well thought out projects, which will contribute to the pool of talent in the UK and reflect the excellence of British Craftsmanship as symbolised by the Royal Warrant of Appointment.

http://www.qest.org.uk/

Recently at a family wedding I met up with some old friends and after not seeing each other for a few years it was good to catch up with what we’d been up to.

I surprised a friend by telling him that I write and perform my poetry now and things are moving well as a ‘Wor Poet’

I was asked how I’d got into poetry and a comment was made; “Well some people can because that’s the way they are, but not everyone can”

Hmm, I didn’t really challenge it as the conversation moved around a lot but it has played on my mind and raised a few questions in my head at least. Are we born as artists or do we hone an art through desire, learning and practise?

My personal opinion on this is the latter. I say that because art is as we all say is about expression. A personal view or sharing a perspective, an emotion or feeling that is brought to life through the form of art. Having run workshops and worked with people who have heard/read poetry with little interest but have produced quality work that I have been proud of.

So what did they do? They expressed themselves and well I might add with some gentle guidance. Yes there is an academic approach too but that is if you choose to raise your work to a level which then moves you towards becoming a professional poet.

So if you want to write a poem there’s nothing stopping you, the question is – do you want to?

If you want to write something or just give it a go, then I urge you to give poetry a try.

Let me give you a few prompts to begin with;

Find something to write about!

Whether it’s about a loved one, an event or something that’s happened, a sentimental object, choose something that means something to you and begin to describe it – and we shall call it our ‘muse’

Don’t worry about the layout or rhythm etc. just write a short paragraph to describe the muse.

Now write a short paragraph about what it means to you.

Once you have this material about your muse choose a theme for your poem; inspiring, reflective, loving etc.

Now use the material you have and write your poem!

Give it time, relax and write what you feel and not about what you think the poem should be like.

Don’t pass judgement on your work, keep writing and let me know how you get on!

Wajid Hussain.

This article is one of the best written on the subject of Black History Month. Obviously it is written with an American slant, and I do take umbrage with the phrase “[s]ome people have turned Black History Month into an oversimplified celebration of their race,” but overall it addresses some of the more obvious arguments regarding the concept of Black History Month very well.

History Months: the lost art of cultural diversity

Becca Heller

As February drew to a close, public school teachers across the country pulled the staples out of the laminated face of Martin Luther King Jr. that had hung on their bulletin board for Black History Month. As they shoved him into storage for another year, I can only imagine that King was rolling over in his grave.

Our society has treated Black History Month, and other history months in general, with such superficiality that its original goals have been twisted and skewed beyond recognition.

History months were originally designed as a time to commemorate and celebrate the struggles and histories of a specific group. However, our society's shallow treatment of the historical significance that's meant to be emphasized, both in educational and social settings, has done quite the opposite.

In most secondary schools, celebrating Black History Month involves teachers dedicating a small amount of time to teach about Martin Luther King Jr. or Rosa Parks - figures whose stories have been told and retold to students since the second grade.

King and Parks are incredibly important figures in black history, but the average education system provides students with quite a limited perspective on black history when they only teach about these two figures. This lack of depth is a major problem with how history months are celebrated, and it leads to young people viewing various minority groups and social movements through a very limited lens.