Join us for performances featuring one of Britain's foremost cross-cultural voices, John Agard, poet Michael Brome and special guests. The online event will celebrate Caribbean poetry and song and the inherent musicality and power in telling stories out loud and sharing our stories. Known for his mischievous satirical wit and flair for shaping terms of his own making, John Agard takes on the mighty role of Poetsonian – the poet takes on calypso rhythms - to draw attendees in to the joys of music, words and playfulness. The event is created as a joyful experience and takes on the mood of a Trinidadian-style lime that invites you to socialise, engage in the art of ‘hanging out’ and to go with the flow. Join in and take part! This event is part of the CaribbeanFest series showcasing the arts and culture of the Caribbean, curated by Melanie Abrahams.
Suitable for all the family. Tickets are free. Online via Zoom
John Agard is an internationally renowned poet, playwright, and author and editor of poetry collections for young and old alike. In 2012 he was a recipient of the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry and he is a former BBC Poet In Residence. Agard is an inspiring champion of books, reading and writing and his poems are featured in the English GCSE anthology. His mischievous satirical wit and wordplay are featured within his many books for adults and children which include We Brits, Alternative Anthem, Einstein, the Girl Who Hated Maths, We Animals Would Like a Word With You and The Coming of the Little Green Man.
“One of the most eloquent contemporary poets - rich in literary and cultural allusion, yet as direct as a voice in the bus queue.”
Michael Brome is a spoken word artist and workshop facilitator based in Leicester. He makes poetry and words accessible to old and young alike, and uses his oratory to inspire young people to make changes to their lives and their prospects. This has resulted in projects around the country with the Jazz Café, The Curve, Bluecoat, Bestival, De Montfort Hall and Nottingham Playhouse. Michael was a contributing artist to the ‘Freedom Showcase’ a spoken word show for the bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade cultural series and went on to win a national spoken word competition initiated by Baroness Lola Young which resulted in a performance at the Queen Elizabeth Hall. In 2017, he was a guest speaker at TedXLeicester, the first Ted Talk in the world taking place in a prison outside the US.
“One of the foremost spoken word artists in the East Midlands”