You have to admire the sheer ambition and scope of what Potent Whisper does as a writer. Having already (mostly) discarded the mantle of rapper in favour of writing stinging political dissertations in poem form over the last few years, he’s taken the conceptual complexity to another level with his latest work.
If 2018’s paperback release The Rhyming Guide To Grenfell Britain was moving outside of the box, ‘Lucid Lovers’ casually leaves the box by the roadside and wanders off into a forest. The project is a ‘musical audio-book’ which chronicles the story of a Sudanese couple who learn to harness the power of Lucid Dreams as a tool to bridge the distance between them. Born of the idea that dreaming can be a radical act, Potent sets his tale against the bleak backdrop of the British immigration system for asylum seekers. Acting as a narrator in rhyme (with music used sparingly) alongside scripted actors, the poet/activist creates something very multi-faceted.
Unsurprisingly, his talent for deconstructing complex issues and exposing in detail the corrupt/flawed mechanics of British law is alive and well. With the theme of Freedom of Movement at its centre, there’s plenty of subject matter in the firing line. The use of Lucid Dreams as a narrative device to bring the whole thing together is something really unique though. Potent’s tendency to methodically break things down pervades even this facet of the project. So, before the dream element of the story wanders into fantasy territory, Lucid Lovers also provides a grounded, educational introduction to the nature of Lucid Dreaming and how to start practicing it.
This core element at the heart of the project has its roots in real world application. Having learnt to lucid dream as a means of finding closure on personal trauma (and even apparently having written sections of the book while lucid), PW has been finding ways to pass it on. Recently, he’s been honing and delivering lucid dreaming workshops for the homeless, refugees and the disabled.