DWP: August 29

It is very dark. In the darkness a slim white figure is hunched overgrasping part of a great swathe of dirty white paper. They seem to be in some kind of industrial space with metal poles, and they are wearing a dirty white nightdress.

Today is Diamanda Galás’ birthday. As well as being an extraordinary musician and incredible vocalist, Galás is also a performance artist, painter, and activist – particularly around AIDS campaigning. If you’ve never heard her music, I recommend you go listen to some now.

Inspired by her vocalisations, today’s prompt is to think about non-verbal sounds and textures in your writing. How can you scream in poetic form? What difference does it make if you write specifically to scream or shout the words? Pick a subject that makes you have some big feelings that need vocalising, and write yourself a performance piece. Or, listen to some of Galás’ music or check out her paintings and see if you feel inspired by those, and write an out-loud response.

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