Hello everyone! Hope you’re keeping cozy as the days draw in. As the year winds down, I have one final live performance, and it’s a special one! On Sun, 21st Nov I’m delighted to be sharing the stage with Pete the Temp for a thought-provoking evening of performances and discussion about UK spoken word poetry. I Am Loud is producing the event at our favourite venue, the Scottish Storytelling Centre.

The evening will kick off with Pete’s fantastic show Homer to Hip Hop: a People’s History of Spoken Word. I first caught this performance lecture at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe and was so impressed with how Pete managed to convey the tumultuous, fascinating history of oral poetics in the UK in an hour, and made it so engaging and interactive to boot! The show explores why wordsmiths have always been vilified, feared and revered, from the ballad singers and Beat poets to the icons of dub, punk and hip hop. Pete is an award-winning spoken word poet, author and comic whose work has been featured on BBC Radio 4, The World Service, and Newsnight. This show follows the release of his ground-breaking book Stage Invasion: Poetry & the Spoken Word Renaissance (Outspoken Press, 2019), which if you’re interested in spoken word poetry should definitely be on your bookshelf.

Check out the showreel for Pete’s show:

Following a break I’ll be sharing some of my own research into UK spoken word poetry – and my own poetry! – in a special performance. Folks who’ve followed this blog for a while will know that I juggle several hats: I’m a spoken word poet, but also a researcher and educator of that art form. I rarely get to wear all of those hats at once, but in this set I get to combine my passions, and I’m so excited to share this work with you.

The show will conclude with an audience Q&A with both Pete and myself – we’re keen to hear your thoughts! Whether you’re a spoken word fan, a newcomer to the genre, or a poet yourself, join us for an entertaining, immersive look into this remarkable art form.

Loud Poets Presents: Homer to Hip Hop will take place 7pm on Sunday, 21st November at the Scottish Storytelling Centre (step-free access to the theatre, hearing loops, and wheelchair-accessible toilets). £12/10 concession. Tickets are available here, and you can join the Facebook event for updates here.

Hope to see you there! – Katie