Hello and welcome!

My name’s Memoona, and I am a 22 year-old poet, writer and aspiring psychologist! I am also a whole bunch of other things that don’t fit nicely into labels, but that’s why I’m here! With so much going on, it feels like the perfect time to launch my new website so I can attempt to keep up…and keep you all updated too.

For a long time, I have been known as Singing Sonnet – it was a phrase I coined back in Year 9 when I thought it sounded cool, and it sort of just stuck. I love singing and music, and started off writing poetry through trying my hand at Shakespearean sonnets! So whilst my website is plain old ‘Memoona’ now, I’ll still sign off as SS…we’ll see how long I can keep it alive!

To returning friends and followers of my work – did you think I would stop rebranding? Never! I’ve had a rather stop-start blogging journey, and it feels important to accept that as long as I’m writing…it doesn’t necessarily matter how. That being said, I really do hope to share more of what I’m getting up to in both the poetry and psychology worlds, as well as reflect on some of my experiences with the hope to help others on a similar journey.

A bit about what I do? Well, I write poetry for myself and to cope with mental illness, and enjoy performing it onstage. I have been writing since before I can remember – though for a long time I focused on very escapist fiction. I still write fiction very often, but I think poetry has far and above become my mode of expression! I am currently finishing my first poetry collection, which is an absolute dream come true. Stay tuned to hear about when it’s going to be on sale! I am also going to be performing some of it at the upcoming Cheltenham Literature Festival (!) – so if you’re in the area, hop on down…

And my day job? I’ve just finished working as an assistant psychologist in the NHS as well as doing some research for TIC+, a youth counselling charity in Gloucestershire. I’m moving on to work for the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford as a Research Assistant! I have wanted to work in mental health ever since I first experienced anxiety at school…but becoming a clinical psychologist who can provide specialist interventions for mental health issues takes a long, long time. I’m currently gaining the relevant clinical and research experience to be able to secure a place on the doctoral training course, so I’m sure I will be chatting to you a bit about that!

So a fair warning! Blog posts are likely to be sporadic, not very well-thought out, and all-round chaos, but I can promise that I will do my best to share my passions and experiences, and hopefully grow my identity as a poet and aspiring psychologist. By nature of what I do, I may deal with some heavy themes at times, but I will always put content warnings at the top of posts, and will welcome feedback at any time. Don’t hesitate to message me on my contact form at the bottom of the page, or on any of my social media too. You can also leave comments on my posts to interact, and subscribe to my mailing list for updates and new posts!

Thank you for joining me at this exciting and apprehensive stage in my journey…I hope you’re buckled in!

Lots of love,

SS xx