Stabbed as a boy and becoming a poet for a lost generation
'The Gen Z poet' Dan Whitlam survived a violent assault aged 16, the physical scars healed far faster than the mental ones; his response was to write and perform poetry.
Aged 16, coming out of an audition, budding British actor Dan Whitlam was caught up in a fight with a group of boys in London. He was stabbed twice in the back with a screwdriver. The physical wounds healed quickly but the mental scars took a lot longer. Dan met his attacker two years later as part of a restorative justice programme, and while he got the apology he needed the panic attacks and fear continued. What helped him was writing about that day.
He has gone on to perform his poem about the stabbing hundreds of times and earned himself a huge following for his work as a spoken word artist and musician. He writes primarily for what he calls a lost generation - young adults who grew up in an age of social media, inundated with options, comparisons and aspirations. He also now writes a lot about love.
Dan's poetry collection is called I Don't Want To Settle. He will be on tour in Europe and the US in October and November.
Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producer: Andrea Kennedy
Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707
Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707
(Photo: Dan Whitlam with short red hair stares seriously at the camera. Credit: Jordan Mckellar)
Last on
Broadcasts
- Tuesday 11:06GMT蜜芽传媒 World Service
- Tuesday 17:06GMT蜜芽传媒 World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
- Tuesday 21:06GMT蜜芽传媒 World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
- Wednesday 02:06GMT蜜芽传媒 World Service
Contact Outlook
Info on how we might use your contribution on air
Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary
Step into someone else鈥檚 life and expect the unexpected