CREATIVE
Unlocking voices through the power of words
Creativity is at the core of who I am. For over 10 years, I’ve combined my passion for storytelling with a commitment to social impact — using my work to amplify underrepresented voices and build meaningful connections across communities.
My creative practice is centred around four key roles:
Poet
Writer
Creative Facilitator
Curator
Across these areas, I bring people together, spark dialogue, and create lasting impact—whether through cultural events, community anthologies, or creative workshops. My goal is simple: to inspire, connect, and contribute to positive change.
Click here for examples of my work.
© Photo: David Parry
Poet
My poetry is inspired by what sets my soul on fire – from race and gender, to American sports (particularly basketball) and my home of Croydon.
I bring empathy and adaptability to every project, whether I’m writing commissioned pieces like the Oratorio of Hope for the London Mozart Players or collaborating with visual artists like Ameena Rojee on her photography book Crocus Valley. My work comes to life through live sets, audio, and film — always with the goal of creating an emotional connection.
Click here for some of my poems.
Services
Commissions
Commission poems to meet your needs, whether it be an event, film, ad campaign or exhibition.
Readings
Talks
© Photo: Chetna Kapacee
Live poetry readings for all events, assemblies and celebrations.
Insightful talks and keynote speeches tailored for events, conferences and assemblies.
Writer
My writing crosses over multiple genres, with a focus on meaningful, sensitive storytelling. Whether it’s articles, blogs, exhibition text, or stage scripts, I aim to create work that connects with people.
My work has been published in local newspapers, online platforms, and I was lead journalist for Stories of Success magazine by Black Youth Achievements. I’ve also written interpretive text for exhibitions such as Out of Silence and Citizen UK: Croydon's Caribbean Influencers.
In 2023, I wrote and performed Love Warrior, a one-woman spoken word show for the Croydonites Festival of New Theatre. My stage writing also includes plays and monologues for church-based events.
© Photo: Lukasz Izdebski
Services
Non-Fiction
Blog posts or articles, expressing thought or sharing expertise, for online and offline platforms.
Scripts
Script-writing for the stage, with a special focus on spoken-word theatre.
Exhibitions
Interpretive and descriptive text to craft the story told through exhibitions.
Creative Facilitator
I design and deliver workshops that help people express themselves, build confidence, and connect with others through creativity.
Whether the focus is poetry, creative writing, or creative event planning, I hold space for honest conversations and new ideas to take shape. I’m especially passionate about making poetry accessible and helping people to discover their voice. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing someone write their first poem with pride.
I have worked with numerous schools and organisations, including Spread The Word, Central St Martins, Writerz & Scribez, and Crisis
Services
Poetry
Poetry workshops tailored for your needs and themes, as a one-off or series.
Creative Writing
Event Planning
Creative writing workshops tailored for your needs, as a one-off or series.
Workshops to support with creative event planning, as a one-off or series.
Curator
My curatorial work fuses creativity, storytelling, and community engagement. Each project is designed to celebrate voices that deserve to be heard and bring communities together through shared stories, whether in person or on the page.
I have curated a range of cultural projects, including poetry and spoken word festivals, exhibitions and community anthologies. Key highlights were co-curating Citizen UK: Croydon's Caribbean Influencers, exhibited at both the Museum of Croydon and National Portrait Gallery, and Out of Silence, also exhibited at the Museum of Croydon.
As well as running a monthly poetry night for three years, I edited community anthologies for Young People Insight, and Out of Silence as part of my final Croydon Poet Laureate project.
© Photo: Ameena Rojee
Services
Events
Supporting with the development, design and hosting of cultural events.
Anthologies
Collating and editing content for community anthologies, with a focus on poetry.
Exhibitions
Collaborating on the curation of exhibitions, helping to tell the story.
Shaniqua, during her tenure as Croydon Poet Laureate, worked with postgraduate students at CSM proposing policy interventions at an urban scale. She is a fantastic and responsive teacher, and her work on words — both as critical tools and as creative, propositional ones — was key to unlocking new critical perspectives on policies and approaches to thinking otherwise with words.
Shaniqua, the wordsmith and talented woman that she is, has the gift of unlocking the innate poet that we all have within. It was an honour to work with her over a 2 to 3 year period, that included online tuition during lockdown. The joy and liberation of Crisis members suddenly finding a voice to express themselves, under her guidance, was humbling and life affirming. Shaniqua made a great difference to their lives.
Testimonials
Diana Ibáñez López - Course Leader, MA Cities at Central St Martins
The poems workshop was great fun and opened my eyes to a new hobby. It made my mind think hard about how to structure my poem and what words to use.
Shaniqua brings the most wonderful energy to our work, we love working with her. The Poetry Takeaway is a better place when she’s on board.
Yr 9 Student - Norbury High School for Girls
Michael Bolger – Head Chef of The Poetry Takeaway
Cathie - Volunteer, Arts for wellbeing at Crisis Skylight Croydon