'I took up poetry to help deal with anxiety'

A hospital worker who turned to writing to help manage anxiety during the pandemic has been appointed as a city's next poet laureate.

Steven Beattie, who is an assistant theatre practitioner at the Royal Stoke Hospital, will begin his two-year term in May.

The 41-year-old from Bradeley, Staffordshire, was presented with a bespoke Moorland Pottery ceramic plate by Lord Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent Steve Watkins to mark his appointment.

He has written creatively since school, but his poetry gained new depth during the Covid-19 pandemic.

While working on the frontline, he experienced anxiety and following advice from his GP he took to writing as a way of managing his mental wellbeing.

"I didn't even realise at first that what I was experiencing was anxiety," he said.

"Writing became a way of getting thoughts out of my head and onto paper, and that in itself was a huge relief.

"Looking back, I can see that I was slowly building a collection that captured not just how I was feeling, but how a lot of people were feeling at that time."

That period of writing led to the publication of his debut poetry collection, Butterflies in My Braincase.

During his time as the city's poet laureate, he will perform poetry across Stoke-on-Trent and may be commissioned by the local authority to write work for civic occasions.

He will also play a key role during the National Year of Literature and Literacy, with a focus on engaging young people with poetry.

Mr Beattie described himself as an "outlaw poet" as he has said he did not follow traditional structures in his writing.

"I don't follow the idea that poetry has to rhyme or fit a certain mould," he said.

"I write what I want to write, in the way it comes out.

"A lot of my inspiration comes from people, the colleagues I work with, the patients we care for, and the sheer variety of characters you meet in the NHS."

Mr Beattie, who is currently training to become a fully registered operating department practitioner, has been involved in arts and culture across Stoke-on-Trent for more than 25 years, performing in more than 100 stage roles, writing plays, and previously serving as chair of the Stoke-on-Trent Repertory Players.

He was described by colleagues as a "great ambassador" for Stoke-on-Trent.

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