Events

We’re super excited to collaborate with Raise The Bar to bring you a night of mental health themed spoken word.

Raise The Bar put on Bristol’s biggest spoken word poetry events, showcasing the country’s finest performers and hottest new talent, and we can’t wait to work with them again. Our last event with Raise The Bar sold out, so don’t sleep on this one!

We’ll be showcasing performances from:

Nafeesa Hamid

Nafeesa Hamid is a British Pakistani poet and playwright based in Birmingham. Her work covers taboo themes such as sex, domestic violence and mental health, using personal experience as a basis for her writing.

Josie Alford

Josie Alford is a Bristol-based poet and event host and part of the Hammer and Tongue Bristol family. Winner of the Hip Yak Poetry Slam 2018, her poetry fuses the techniques of spoken and written poetry and she is currently working on her debut collection “Faulty Manufacturing” about the death of her father.

Eve Piper

Manchester bred Eve Piper is an emerging poet sinking her roots into Bristol ground. She was selected to take part in the Words First project run by BBC 1xtra and The Roundhouse, and since then has performed at numerous events around Bristol and supported the likes of Hollie McNish

Sam Grudgings

Sam is a poet perpetually on the edge of collapse. He yells stories about recovery, kaijus, cities made of teeth and haunted people cos it’s cheaper than therapy and less physically taxing than porno. His debut pamphlet, “Variations On Home” thrums with stories from other worlds and beautifully fuses text with illustrations. Copies sell out almost as fast as they are printed. He has smashed festivals, played punk shows, and supported Sabrina Benaim and Rudy Francisco. He is always talking about mental health at the most inopportune moments.

Rose Butler

One half of the founders of the new event Poetry+, Showrunner at To Be Frank poetry and one fifth of the team which placed second in Unislam 2018, Rose Butler has been performing since the end of 2016, and has now performed at Bath Spa Pride, Bristol Harbour Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival as well as taking part in various film projects. They write about all angles of love, gender and generational issues, and are described by their peers as “nice” and “needs to stop writing about stars”.

Callum Wensley

Callum is a former Hammer & Tongue Bristol Slam finalist and is now a member of the Hammer & Tongue Bristol team. Callum’s poetry has evolved over the last year as he has become a regular face on the Bristol and Bath scene. One minute you’ll laugh, the next you will sob as part of an inevitable rhythm that is such a feature of his performances. Versatile with his content, Callum holds a conversation on stage through his memories, sense of humour and his take on society. “His work is honest and light hearted… with a presence that draws the audience in.” – Saili Katebe “He has a great beard too.” – Josie Alford

ACCESSIBILITY INFORMATION 

There is a small chair lift for access into main venue space and some steps throughout the venue. Disabled toilet is available however there is no hearing loop. If you have any questions or concerns around accessibility then please contact Katie, katie.finch@freedomofmind.org.uk.

There are a limited number of highly discounted or free tickets for anyone who is experiencing financial barriers and cannot afford the listed ticket price but would benefit from coming to the event. If you would like to know more please contact us via tickets@freedomofmind.org.uk