I’ve performed on stage many times at various poetry open mic nights and at a few literary festivals also, despite stage fright and all the joys of being neurodivergent. When I did perform I found that I couldn’t sleep, eat (or keep food down) due to the anxiety that it caused.

I tried a trick that Roy Orbison used to use to battle his crippling stage fright, (not that I’m in the same league as him) sunglasses. You see they create a barrier between you and the audience. This works extremely well and I used it right up until the pandemic as a strategy to cope with the stage lights (eyes are v sensitive to bright light) and other people. Unfortunately after that I decided that the anxiety’s effects both physical and mental were becoming too much, so I now settle for just writing poetry that appears in magazines, books and websites globally. This way I can still create some really great poetry and it reaches an even bigger audience without the health issues. I do miss performing and I hope one day to be able to return to the stage. Until then most of my (unpublished) work an be found on here.