As part of Our Freedom: Then and Now, Knowle resident poet Emily Holtom spent several weeks visiting locations across Knowle to create spontaneous, personalised poems in response to residents’ reflections on what freedom means to them. Emily appeared at a series of pop‑up sessions throughout September and October, meeting people at Knowle Heritage Day, Knowle High Street, Bistro Viola, Knowle Library, the Ale Rooms, Caroline Creba Fine Jewellery, and Marie Curie. Each encounter offered people the chance to share their thoughts and walk away with a poem written especially for them.

The project culminated in a celebration event at Knowle Royal British Legion, where Solihull Libraries launched a new zine showcasing poetry and photography created with local residents. The publication brought together the poems developed with poet‑in‑residence Emily and images produced in collaboration with Grain Photography, capturing the many ways the community responded to the question, “What does freedom mean to you?”

The event also featured an exhibition of the poetry and visual work created during the project, offering a collective portrait of Knowle’s voices, stories and perspectives.