British Deaf Association announce the first BSL Poet Laureate

The British Deaf Association (BDA) has announced Kabir Kapoor, a Deaf designer from London, as the UK’s first BSL Poet Laureate.

Kapoor’s poem was chosen from a pool of 12 submissions after the charity invited Deaf individuals to apply for the role. The winner will be encouraged to create poetic works in British Sign Language that offer a Deaf perspective on major national events in the UK.

Showcasing British Sign Language

Rebecca Mansell, CEO of the BDA, expressed the need for a BSL Poet Laureate, stating, “Scotland has a Makar, Wales has a National Poet, and Northern Ireland has its own Poet Laureate. We feel the time is now right for a Poet Laureate for British Sign Language. We want to show the nation that British Sign Language is a rich, expressive, visual language that can do anything English can – and more!”

The untitled winning entry is described as an uplifting poem emphasizing unity and positivity. The judging panel praised Kapoor’s performance, highlighting their confidence and delivering an important message of solidarity.

The panel consisted of BSL translator Benjamin Gorman, Deafinitely Theatre artistic director Paula Garfield, Deaf Studies and BSL lecturer Dai O’Brien, and actors Moira Ross, Donna Mullins, Nadia Nadarajah, and Jean St Clair.

Tough competition

Selecting the winner proved to be a challenging task for the judges, who evaluated the fluency and creativity of the poet’s language, the content and originality of the poem, as well as the performance’s confidence. The top three contenders were very close in scores, but ultimately, Kapoor, Zoë McWhinney, a Visual Vernacular (VV) poet, and Michael Watkinson, a BSL teacher and instructor, stood out.

Kapoor will receive a £500 prize and the opportunity to collaborate with DeafZone at next year’s Glastonbury Festival. McWhinney and Watkinson will also be recognized for their achievements, each receiving prizes of £200 and £100, respectively.

The BDA plans to release videos of the top three poems online in the near future, allowing a wider audience to appreciate the artistry and significance of their work.

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