Lena Ngoudjo

Describe yourself in 3 words…

Nonsensical, mythical, mega-mind

What inspires you?

Lived experiences, mainly my childhood & noticing the patterns in life and how they cause
ripple effects. I want to create a voice for those who feel unheard to feel known,
understood & nostalgic. I’m strongly motivated through social political activism and building
a community for those of us that tend to get ‘othered’. Music, Mythology & Art also inspire
me greatly, they portray unique methods of blending a creative thought together to tell
narratives, themes or just purely for a form of expression or emotional need.

Tell us about your worst ever gig?

Honestly, for poetry gigs have been quite nice so far besides some awkward hiccups.
Though as a performance student some of the shows we did had nightmares, worst one was
being told to do a last minute show in a bar with no idea what we were performing. And we
were all dressed up as monsters doing improv movements, at this creepy bar in Dalston that
had holes in the floors and some drunk costumers would come into our performance space
without a ticket which just made things worse….I shudder at the memory.

What’s your number one poetry pet peeve?

Not sure if this is a poetry pet peeve or more open mic one but I get annoyed at too many
hmmms and clicks during a set… is it necessary every second…

Whose words do you love at the moment?

Tongue. Therapeutic. Non-linear.

What piece of advice would you give to your younger self?

Keep doing you, fully commit to the strangeness!! Don’t be afraid to step out your comfort
zone and let’s not stay hiding in the corners masked in fear of the unknown.

A genie grants you one wish; what do you wish for?

A million more, I have a lot of dreams to be granted.