click the thumbnails

Stella Mandella aka Elaine Crinnion:

Born as Stella, in London, then relinquished for adoption and raised as Elaine, in Surrey, this poet and performer has lived in Portsmouth for the past 15 years. Stella has been writing poems, songs and short stories - and reading, singing, reciting and performing them - since early childhood, and now runs children's poetry writing and performance workshops at the New Theatre Royal in Portsmouth. Stella is also the director of the children's poetry performance group The Wordipops and a freelance Creative Practitioner.

A former short story writer (and illustrator) for Portsmouth & Southampton TV, Stella's poems have been published on CDs; in booklets, journals, anthologies, magazines; and online. Her first poetry collection is scheduled to be published this year by a new publishing house and Stella writes a regular poetry feature for The Southsea Directory called PS.

Stella has appeared at fringe festivals from Brighton to Edinburgh; from Glastonbury to London; at Havant Literary Festival and The Joy Festival; and is one half of the poetry duo The Disparate Housewives.

One of Hampshire freshest and most exciting talents. A performer and poet not to be missed. Havant Literary Festival.

A star. Francesca Beard.

Stella Mandella - not new to Write Angle - was a perfect guest for the occasion.
Petersfield Post, 3rd March, 2010

Into My Shadow

My child stepped into my shadow in play
on an afternoon so sun-lifted, the cracks
between the pavement slabs were

ominous. I checked my watch
I just had time to stop
and hold my shadow still enough
for him to tuck his own away inside it.

Gone! he said, when his shadow was gone.

We admired the shapes on the path
of our neat mum-silhouette and its
big sunshine-surround and then

he danced in the outline, not
spilling a speckle, twirling
to laugh up at me with his face
impossibly bright for a face in shade.

Burning. I checked my watch again.
Come on! I said, and he stepped on out, simple.

But seeing his shadow rising from mine
I wondered how we had hidden it

while his appeared inky, mine looked pale.

© Stella Mandella