Kent Poetry CIC is delighted to announce Poeticon, a literary convention, aiming to inspire and inform the next generation of grassroots writing talent, set to take place from 15-16 November 2024 in Canterbury Cathedral’s Clagett Auditorium.
Curated by co-directors and poets Connor Sansby and Nina Telegina, over two days, Poeticon will bring together national and local poets for a series of talks, workshops and performances, with the overarching focus on how our community can make poetry ‘better’.
Leading industry speakers and locally-based writers will address the professional and creative possibilities of poetry, illuminating radical, new approaches to sustaining a career. Touching on topics from community-building to measuring success to ways of collaborating, Poeticon aims to equip early-career and aspiring poets with the tools they need to progress in what, from the outside, might appear to be a non-starter or opaque career path.
Keynote speakers are Lisa Mead, Artistic Director and CEO of one of England’s leading spoken word organisations Apples and Snakes, and Steve Larkin, Founder of Hammer & Tongue, producers of the largest slam competitions in the UK.
Further confirmed speakers include: Stuart Bartholemew, Director of Verve Poetry Press and Festival, all of which are renowned for building community and driving positive change; neurodivergent, working-class artist and writer Dan Thompson will deliver a talk exploring how poetry enables us to resonate with other people in an increasingly fractured society; performance artist Miss Yankey will give a talk titled ‘Building Safe Spaces: The Journey Towards a Supportive Spoken Word’; and Medway Libraries Business Service Manager Irina Fridman, whose talk ‘Where Shhh Doesn’t Happen: creative writers and libraries’ explores how public libraries provide safe, creative spaces where communities meet and culture develops.
Poeticon aims to champion and showcase a rich diversity of voices, particularly writers with non-traditional, novel approaches to developing a creative practice outside of academia, with eight speakers from across the south-east soon to be announced.
Co-organiser and poet Connor Sansby said:
“Poeticon is all about connecting young, local artists with the information and knowledge they need to pursue a creative career path. It was something I didn’t realise was within my reach as a young person. I’m really keen that people see poetry, and the arts, as viable career paths. Within the literary sector, poetry alone is worth around £25 million a year between book sales, events, festivals – it all adds up, as well as opportunities to contribute to the UK’s wider creative sector, which is worth over £120 billion. Poetry doesn’t have to be a hobby, if you want to take it further.”
Lisa Mead
Lisa Mead has been the Artistic Director/CEO of Apples and Snakes, England’s leading spoken word organisation, since 2016 and has nearly 30 years’ experience working in the Arts Sector. As a creative producer, she has worked on a vast range of projects, including Architects of our Republic (2013/4 @ Southbank Centre; national), and Cece’s Speakeasy (2021 Albany; national). Lisa has also championed the organisations EDIB work with a focus on Tackling Anti-Black Discrimination and Disability Access. Previously, Lisa worked in arts education and community development, facilitated drama and visual art projects in schools, prisons and PRU’s and worked with local authorities. Lisa is a fellow of the RSA, and currently a trustee of the Albany.
In her talk, Where Do I Begin: a poet in the making, Lisa will explore what goes into starting a career as a poet, how to set up your practice, what to include in your planning – and some special top tips to get it all going!
Steve Larkin
Steve Larkin is a spoken word artist, former international poetry slam champion, and Founder and President of Hammer & Tongue, a leading force in the UK poetry slam and professional touring network. Steve is, as he puts it, ‘a working-class poet with a northern working-class accent’ who has, over decades, made the efforts to develop his talents and profile in different literary arenas.
In his talk, The Democratisation of Poetry, Steve will speak about his experiences, outlooks, and thoughts in regards to open access, class and media, which are issues at the forefront of his practice.
Stuart Bartholomew
Stuart Batholomew is Director and Programmer of award-winning VERVE: a Birmingham Festival of Poetry and Spoken Word, which returns for its eighth year in February 2025. He is also Publisher and Co-Founder of award-winning VERVE Poetry Press, celebrating the full breadth of quality poetic activity.
VERVE Poetry Festival has been described by Anthony Anaxagorou as ‘The best poetry festival in the UK’ and won the Saboteur Award for Best Festival in 2019 and 2023.
VERVE Poetry Press has been described by Andrew McMillan as ‘the always exciting Verve Poetry Press’ and has won the Saboteur Award for Most Innovative Publisher and the Michael Marks Publisher’s Award.
Stuart’s talk – Connecting With the Poetry Ecology: closing the divide between poets and the poetry industry – will explore his experiences as a festival director, publisher and professional in the book industry with the aim of equipping the audience with essential skills for career development.
Dan Thompson
Dan Thompson is an award-winning, disabled (neurodivergent), working-class social artist and writer. Dan has worked with the Turner Contemporary, Unilever, Tate Exchange, Appetite CPP, Frequency Festival and many others to create exhibitions, festivals, and performances. Along the way, he has run poetry events in Worthing and Margate, read a poem as a funeral celebrant, published pamphlets of his poetry and short stories, and performed across the UK.
In his talk, We Need Bigger Poets, Dan will explore how poetry accompanies lived experiences and enables us to resonate with other people, therefore manifesting the need for poets whose work uses individual expression as means to connect in an increasingly fractured society.
Miss Yankey
With over 7 years of experience in the Spoken Word community, Miss Yankey has established herself as a respected leader and facilitator. As Founder of Safe Spoken, a Director of Mind Over Matter Arts, and the Founder and Director of Poetry Prescribed, she has organised and hosted numerous events all over the world, showcasing the power of poetry to inspire and empower, as well as promoting mental health and wellbeing.
In her talk, Building Safe Spaces: The Journey Towards a Supportive Spoken Word Community, Miss Yankey will discuss the challenges of building a support framework for women, non-binary individuals and marginalised genders through voluntary efforts, underscoring the importance of community engagement and patience in creating a truly inclusive environment.
Irina Fridman
Irina Fridman is the Business Services Manager at Medway Libraries and an occasional poet and author. Starting out as a Local Studies Librarian in 2005 as a member of the Medway Archives team, she moved to her current position in 2021, where her highly diverse responsibilities include (but are not limited to) managing outreach and learning duties, as well as managing a team of librarians in the region.
Irina’s talk, Where Shhh Doesn’t Happen: creative writers and libraries, explores how public libraries provide safe, creative spaces where communities meet and culture develops, and how artists can forge local partnerships.
Hannah Ledlie
Hannah Ledlie is an Edinburgh-born, Manchester-based writer. In 2015 she was shortlisted for the BBC Young Writers’ Award, and in 2019 she was a winner of Penguin’s ‘Platform Pride’ poetry competition. As part of Team Birmingham, she won UniSlam 2018 and ‘19, and the Coaches Slam in 2020. Her work has featured in a number of publications; this year, her poem ‘The Embroidery’ was chosen as The Scotsman’s poem of the week.
Hannah delivered a talk surrounding the alienating effects of capitalism on creative practices – and how to get back on track!
Jessica Taggart-Rose
Jess is a poet concerned with humanity, nature and how they interact. Her debut pamphlet, The river has no colour, is out in October 2024 with The New Menard Press. Widely published in anthologies, journals and zines, Jess performs across the UK and, sometimes, in Europe. She lives by the sea in Margate and is a founding member of Poets for the Planet.
Jess talks about The Writers’ Room, an initiative supported by ACE funding that provides a safe hub for writers as well as development opportunities and support programming.
Jake Nathan
Jake is a multiple time slam-winning spoken-word poet and artist from East London. He is the current Genesis Slam Grand Champion and Kent Poetry Champion, and has performed at multiple festivals across the South-East. His poems have been featured on BBC Radio, as well as The Dead Darlings Podcast and other podcasts. Jake’s spoken-word Bear Necessities EP is available on most streaming platforms!
Jake explores creativity and career opportunities for working-class kids.
Nina Telegina
Co-Director of Kent Poetry CIC, performing artist and theatre-maker Nina Telegina explore how Arts Council England funding works, what steps to take, and what to consider when writing an application.
Ciarán Barata-Hynes
Ciarán Barata-Hynes is a multiple Slam winning poet, current Kent Poetry Champion and first runner up of the UK Slam Championship 2024. He has seen recognition for his work in theatre and web series, such as the award-winning Shakespeare By Halflight, and Medea (viewable on Amazon Prime). As a writer, several of his plays went to production, including ‘Shakespeare’s Margaret Thatcher’ and ‘Hades and Persephone: Love’s Fair Chill’ – which was shortlisted for The Globe’s 37 Plays competition.
Ciarán explores the relationship between play and community, and how events such as poetry performances are, at their core, a form of group play.
Sam Tate
Sam Tate spends his days teaching English and attempting to bring a love and passion for literature to his students. Since starting his teaching journey, Sam has taken a short hiatus from poetry, but previously competed and won at Slams all over Kent as well as representing CCCU at the national UniSlam in Birmingham in 2020.
Sam’s talk, Poetry in the Comprehensive School, explores the challenges, setbacks and successes of raising the profile of poetry in comprehensive schools. Whilst from the perspective of a teacher, this talk will consider the role of all stakeholders in educational settings in overcoming apathy towards poetry.
Setareh Ebrahimi
Setareh is an Iranian-British poet. She has been published numerous times in journals and magazines, including Proletarian Poetry, The Menteur and Ink Sweat & Tears. Setareh released her first pamphlet of poetry, In My Arms, from Bad Betty Press in 2018 and her full-length collection, Galloping Horses, from Wordsmithery in 2020. She regularly performs her poetry in Kent and London, has hosted her own poetry evenings, and leads writing workshops.
Setareh Ebrahimi explores how to make your work feel more authentic and help people be able to better recognise it as your own.
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