After keeping this under my hat for months, I’m so happy to share news of the Loud Poets 2023 Live Season! This is the biggest project the I Am Loud Productions team has ever undertaken, and we’re so excited to get rolling with it.

Thanks to funding from Creative Scotland and the National Lottery, we’ll be hosting 21 poetry shows in 6 cities across Scotland this year.

We’re kicking off in February with our Loud Poets Slam Series! Throughout the spring/summer, we’ll be holding regional heats in Aberdeen, Dundee, Dumfries, Edinburgh, Inverclyde & Inverness. Each regional champion wins a £200 prize! The 6 regional champions and 6 runners-up all qualify for our Grand Slam Final at the 2023 Edinburgh International Book Festival. They’ll compete for a shot at a whopping £3,000 prize! Interested in competing? Links to sign up for each of these slams here.

But that’s not all; we are also hosting 14 spoken word showcases! 9 will take place at the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh, plus 5 more across the country this autumn in collaboration with local poetry nights. These showcases feature up-and-coming Scottish voices and top-tier acts from around the UK. You can book tickets for the SSC shows now here.

Our goal at I Am Loud has always been to platform excellent spoken word, to raise the profile of this fantastic art form, and to pay poets and producers so this work is valued and our sector is more sustainable. This season is a massive step towards achieving those aims, and we’re so grateful for the support of Creative Scotland, our venues and partners, and our audiences for making it possible.

We’re kicking off on 10th February at the SSC with a massive birthday show – we’re turning 9!!! Tickets and info here. The next day we’re travelling out west to Inverclyde for the first regional heat of our Slam Series. Sign up here and book tickets here. It would be wonderful to see you there! -Katie