Andy Summers grew up in Birmingham and Walsall. He is a retired teacher and strong trade union advocate who worked as a senior specialist behaviour manager aspiring to achieve inclusion in mainstream life for challenging pupils and students in Warwickshire and the West Midlands.
On Saturday 7th April Andy, at Birmingham`s Black Box Theatre at 19 Harford Street in Birmingham, competed against 10 other performers, entered 2 rounds of competition and competed against 4 semi finalists to become the Grand Winner of the Birmingham Black Box Award. Andy will now go forward to perform in Birmingham Fest 2024 which runs 12th - 28th July 2024.
He has been an ‘occasional poet’ for many years popping up and performing widely in the West Midlands and beyond, contributing to performances and workshops with other more established Midland’s poets, appearing at festivals in Lichfield, Walsall, Wolverhampton, Stafford, Leamington and Birmingham.
His most recent work was between 30th - 31st March when he took part in the Kings Heath United Against Racism event. It was a Birmingham Palestine weekender with music and arts to raise awareness about the ongoing plight of the Palestinian people, demonstrating solidarity and issuing a call for the immediate ceasefire and an end to genocide.
Andy is known for his strong, committed political poetry, exposing inequality and challenging injustice and he has contributed his words of protest at a range of public events and marches. He is an observer of the human condition in a wider range of material reflecting emotional and social aspects of contemporary life.
"The power of poetry to evoke strong feelings and sensitive observations has always fascinated me", said Andy "and I continue to develop new work within the community. Most recently, in response to the appalling tragedy in Palestine I have been linked with other poets producing memorable and heart-rending material for future publication in support of the victims."
Andy is delighted to have the opportunity to contribute to Birmingham Fest 2024 when he can present the full range of his poetry in the city in which he grew up.
