what, why, whojackmann.com
whojackmann.com is the online portfolio of Jack Mann, the Yorkshire raised, thirty-something writer, online coach and personal trainer with a penchant for people, poetry and performance.
printed poetry collection, live spoken word with session musicians and drum machines
My first printed contemporary poetry collection, BLOCK, is influenced first by Sheffield and then by being a long way from home. You can buy a copy from me in person or listen to it here. All proceeds from BLOCK sales have gone back into whojackmann.com, its collaborative art projects and the BLOCK audiobook.
Before lockdowns, I aimed to perform live poetry and spoken word covers at least weekly, improvising whenever possible with session musicians or incorporating my drum machines.
contemporary poetry, your next art project, health and fitness, online and offline
When I came back from my biggest adventure to date – one year of backpacking around Australia and the UK – I was lost. I had no aims, no interests and no patience with or enjoyment of anything. My head wasn't right and nor was my body. This was rock bottom and the future was bleak. The only thing that kept me going was intrigue: a want to read, to learn, to try and figure out why. The outside world had suddenly become too much for me, so I turned to our inner worlds.
Over the course of the eighteen months that followed, I completed a master's degree in psychology at St. Andrews and was introduced to the university's Olympic weightlifters. I began to recognise human states and human traits and – through this lens of why we do what we do – to re-engage with the outside world. I learnt how to cook, how to lift weights and how to build structure to my weeks; the rigour of my degree forced me to set goals and find balance and helped me to become disciplined in my approach to writing, exercising and performing.
My wellbeing is centred on workouts and words and in December 2021 I became a qualified personal trainer and in March 2022 I launched my second poetry collection as an ebook and audiobook.
In January 2023, recognising that I was becoming disconnected working remotely full-time, I began working in two gyms in Sheffield as a fitness coach and PT. SEO work is currently on a freelance basis while I make sure to spend [more] time on what contributes to my community and brings me joy, namely: physical activity, collaborating on creative projects, reading everything and writing and speaking poetry.
In January 2024, I set up a Substack newsletter, Thinking and Fitness Fridays, to communicate and consolidate over two years now as an online and in-person health and fitness coach, peppered with pieces on food, films, gigs and even album reviews! If this sounds like a bit of you, you can subscribe here.
get in touch and let's discuss working together
Why are you here? What are your aims for the next month, season, or year? If you're looking to work on your brand, your writing and performance, or your health and fitness, why not get in touch to see how we could work together on your next project?