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. … Continue reading Upcoming Show with Pete the Temp!
After 18 months away, 18 months of digital work and Zoom gigs, I am over the moon to be returning to the stage next month! Loud Poets are returning to live events for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in one week! This will be our seventh run at the Fringe and we couldn't be more excited … Continue reading Returning to the Stage: EdFringe 2021
Hello all! A quick post today to share a new poetry video. It's a (hot and humid) nostalgia trip: a well-worn poem of mine based on my summers of farm work as a teen. Almost all of it is true (I nearly crashed a John Deere learning to drive), but some aspects are fictionalised (the … Continue reading New poem: “Farm Hand”
Tyrone Lewis is hands down one of the hardest working people in the U.K. spoken word scene. For over a decade he's not only written and performed his own brilliant poetry, but also tirelessly supported others by running events including Boomerang Club and by filming events, poems, interviews, and documentaries through Process Productions. So many … Continue reading Interview with Process Productions
Hello all! Quick post today: I wanted to share with you the latest episode of the I Am Loud Productions Loudcast. These are weekly video and audio podcasts which showcase spoken word poems and feature in-depth conversations about various facets of spoken word craft. For this week's episode I sat down with Kevin Mclean to … Continue reading New Loudcast Episode: Criticising Spoken Word
Hello everyone! If you follow poetry in the UK, you'll probably be aware of an article that was published by PN Review in January entitled "The Cult of the Noble Amateur" by Rebecca Watts. In the article, Watts excoriates Hollie McNish's book Plum in a rude, uninformed manner. I, alongside many other poets, critics, and … Continue reading Article for Sabotage Reviews: “What Cult?”
Hi everyone! I'm delighted to be featuring another guest post on my blog today, this time from brilliant writer and performer (and all around lovely human) Carly Brown. I remember watching videos of Carly's poems online before I even met her and being blown away by her work. Carly performs imagery-laced, tightly-written pieces which often … Continue reading Guest Post: Carly Brown on Acting and Spoken Word
Hello everyone! I’m writing today on the subject of archiving and documenting the contemporary spoken word scene in the UK. As I’ve mentioned on this blog before, I’m currently working on my PhD at the University of Strathclyde researching the performance of authentic selfhood in UK spoken word. I’m using an oral history methodology to … Continue reading Archiving Spoken Word: Some Thoughts
Hello everyone! I'm writing to share some big news: this weekend Loud Poets launched a Patreon campaign! If you've not heard of Patreon, it's an excellent crowdfunding platform which allows supporters to pledge regular contributions to artists they appreciate. This gives these artists a more sustainable income (in oppose to one-off crowdfunding campaigns which are … Continue reading Loud Poets have a Patreon!
Hello all! Just a quick post today to introduce you to a resource on UK spoken word that I've found really interesting and useful. The lovely London-based poet and filmmaker Tyrone Lewis has been interviewing UK poets about their practices and local scenes and turning these interviews into documentaries which he posts on his YouTube channel … Continue reading Spotlight on Process Productions
Katie Ailes 