Sylvia Lukeman
Featured Artist:
Sylvia Lukeman: A Discovery
by Gene Marie
“We use poetry to help rediscover self-esteem, which is so often lost during illness…words can help…therapy through poetry…”
Millions of poets are spread all over the world, however within these millions I was able to stumble across Sylvia Lukeman of Liverpool, England. She has her own unique vision and style, which she freely shares. On March 28th of 2006, I had a quote of the day on the blog written by Oprah Winfrey in September 2002. The quote reads” I’ve come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that’s as unique as a fingerprint—and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you.” Sylvia Lukeman, a wife and a mother of two has heard the unique voice of her personal calling. She also has found her way to succeed and is finding ways to offer it to others.”
Lukeman has been writing poetry since she was six years old. Her first poem was written about her best friend. However, without including her translating a few French and Spanish poems her muse went to rest until she was in her late twenties. “I met a survivor, from the concentration camps, of the Holocaust.” Lukeman says to me through an interview, she continues, “I started to write poetry about life in the camps in the 1930s and 40’s and about the lack of human rights in Eastern Europe in the 1980s and 90’s. Now and again I would write about my sons, my cats and Nature. I write from time to time about being bipolar. Most of my poetry is about relationships and the joys and sorrows!” However, outside of poetry she also enjoys reading, “music of many kinds brings me pleasure. I dabble at photography and I love walking and absorbing the beauties of nature.”
When I asked Lukeman if she had another job outside of writing, she says she did voluntary work for almost thirty years, and that she also had the pleasure of running the Third World and Humane Charity shops. She was also involved with campaigning for Human rights; she did this for seventeen years! Is your mouth dropping yet, just wait, there is more to this wonderful woman. She also spent thirty years publishing poetry in anthologies and on cassettes with hundreds of amateur poets. The money that came from this she donated to many medical as well as humane charities.
How did she begin all of this? She says, “when I was in my twenties I self published my own work to raise funds for Cancer Care and a number of other charities. I also sent my work to a non-charity poetry publisher, who included my poems in a dozen or so anthologies. Another time I met a publisher from Tulsa, Oklahoma, on the Internet who twinned his writers group with my group Poets Who Care. I was invited over to talk about my work and read my poetry to groups in Fulsa.”
We all have our inspiration, Lukeman’s writings are usually triggered by events or emotional experiences, we can all relate to this. Lukeman takes these thoughts, sits down and begins writing. Lukeman personally enjoys going for walks to minimize the various effects of various health problems that she has. She runs the group we mentioned early called Poets Who Care. She states, “it is a self help group for people with chronic medical conditions…physical (terminal) or emotional. We use poetry to help rediscover self-esteem, which is so often lost during illness. We do allow the odd healthy members.”
I asked Lukeman what her dreams are as a poet and a writer. She responded with these positive words “to be read and enjoyed as widely as possible. I have enjoyed giving readings to various organizations and have appeared on a number of local radio stations.” Lukeman has sold many books that have contained her poems and she has also sold those of her own poetry, but these are all for charity. She works on the Internet displaying poetry to her friends who are not able to do the same. She says quote, “I have pleasure in posting my own poetry on various sites.” She is currently working on an anthology of poetry about Liverpool, her Mersey Ferries, music, dancing, school, war memories, and many other controversial topics from the 1900s through to 2000. She has more than seventy poets with 200 pages. However she is in need of finance, and the anthology will benefit cancer care. We all have dreams. Lets help Sylvia and hundreds of others continue theirs. Donate. If you are interested in helping her and Poets Who Care, you can send the address of your local hospice/hospital, send postage stamps, send a donation payable to The Book Fund, donate poems, or enter their summer poetry competition contact her, Sylvia Lukeman at:
The address of Poets Who Care is now as follows: Syliva Lukeman’s Poetry
( donations are made payable to ‘Poets Who Care’)
For the attention of:
SYLVIA LUKEMAN
Poets Who Care,
Northern Technical & Chemical Services
Smallwood House
331 East Prescot Road.
Liverpool L14 2DD
UK
Email:Rhygirl58@yahoo.co.uk
POETRY
The Wind, The Surf, and the Bullrushes
by Sylvia Lukeman
Copyright 2006 © Sylvia Lukeman
