On Connection: 'Powerful' MATT HAIG (Faber Social)

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Honest, hopeful and written with piercing clarity, On Connection is an inspiring personal meditation that will transform the way you see the world. Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (6 August 2020). "Kate Tempest announces they are non-binary, changes name to Kae". The Guardian . Retrieved 7 August 2020. There is life that is usually ignored in these grand old stories’ … Paradise actors rehearse. Photograph: Helen Murray

And so it continues. This month, Tempest heads to the US on tour. The European leg starts in April. There is another novel in the works; a book of poetry, too. There’s more, of course. So much of it. “I can feel myself at an important moment creatively,” they say. “Things spinning around in my head; coming out of my hands.” Frankly, I say, it sounds exhausting. But Tempest isn’t talking about merely missing a good night out at a gig or show. On Connection looks at creativity as a means of counteracting the numbness of the modern world. We get so caught up in an ever-spinning consumerist hamster wheel that we neglect what is true within ourselves and one another. “In a disconnected state, self-awareness is one of the first frequencies to be scooped out and muted,” they write. “When this happens, I need creativity to reconnect me.” Anyone who has seen Tempest live has likely witnessed their talent for sparking connection a b Donadio, Rachel (6 March 2015). "Kate Tempest, a British Triple Threat, Crosses the Pond". New York Times . Retrieved 7 September 2022.Alison Flood (11 September 2014). " 'Next Generation' of 20 hotly-tipped poets announced by Poetry Book Society". The Guardian. Music wasn’t just an escape for Tempest, it also shifted people’s attention away from their body. “When I had rapping and lyricism,” says Tempest, “ that’s what I was. Everything else disappeared. I almost left my body behind, and became an artist.” In 2013, aged 28, they won the Ted Hughes Award for their work Brand New Ancients, the first person under the age of 40 to win the award, [37] and was selected as one of the 2014 Next Generation Poets by the Poetry Society. [38]

It's really hard for me to try and imagine where my life outside of creativity begins and ends." Loading... Their latest collection of poems, Running Upon the Wires, was published in September 2018 to critical acclaim (Picador). Their new play Paradise, a retelling of Sophocles’ Philoctetes, is due to be staged at the National Theatre in 2021, having been postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Its play text will be published by Picador.a b Kakutani, Michiko (18 March 2015). "Review – Kate Tempest, a Young Poet Conjuring Ancient Gods – The New York Times". The New York Times . Retrieved 6 February 2018. Tijdens de jaren in Antwerpen die volgden op mijn soloreizen naar India greep ik steeds terug naar dat ene woordje om mezelf bij de kraag te vatten als ik in een alledaagse valkuil trapte: opgenaaid in een ellenlange rij van de supermarkt, ongeduldig op het treinperron, struikelend over kleine tegenslagen. De krachtterm ‘India’ stond lange tijd voor (zelf)relativering, geduld en het besef dat je altijd (altíjd!) kunt kiezen om de dingen anders te zien; om van een verloren gewaand moment iets waardevol te maken. Het gif van gehaastheid trachtte ik te neutraliseren met de herinnering aan Indiërs die een halve dag rechtstonden in een gammele bus met de neuzen in elkaars okselvijvers. De saaiheid van een wachtkamer, de traagheid van een rij aan het loket, het groeiende besef van een baaldag, de sleur van werk, poogde ik te compenseren door datgene te gebruiken wat je te allen tijden bij je hebt: je hoofd. Herinneringen, dagdromen, de geuren en kleuren dankzij je zintuigen, het inzoomen op gezichten en het uitzoomen naar een ander sterrenstelsel van waaruit het waanzinnig is dat ik hier überhaupt (be)sta… Nietigheid vernietigt niemendalletjes. They were determined to succeed as a performer. But being so visible came with its own set of challenges. Suddenly they were “she” and “her” in the press; nominated in the best female category. Interviews could feel treacherous. It’s not that dysphoria ever went away, but with all eyes on them, Tempest didn’t know how to engage with it. Hide and seek … Tempest has taken nearly two years to talk about their decision to come out as non-binary. Photograph: Wolfgang Tillmans