Experience: Lara Grace Ilori, a born and raised South Londoner from Streatham she has headlined at venues across the UK, including Brixton House, Bush Theatre, and Empower Poetry, and has developed her craft in New York, South Carolina, and Nigeria. A Cultural Leader at Poetic Unity and a Soho Theatre Writer’s Lab alumna, she also facilitates poetry workshops for all ages, enjoys performing with music, and has created work for campaigns and film screenings, including Cuckoo Broadband and We Are Parable. 

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Style: Through her perspective as part of the Nigerian diaspora, Lara focuses on stories that reflects her own personal experiences as well as that of her surrounding communities, including mental health, relationships and societal issues and pressures. 

Experience: Selorm's experience as a poet has grown this year. Starting at Poetic Unity where he used open mic nights to grow and craft his skills as an artist to blend movement and spoken word in a way that tells stories. Selorm has headlined at venues like the Bush Theatre, performed for corporate companies, schools and other organisations to bring this new art form of poetry to life. 

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Style: Selorm Adonu is a spoken word/movement artists whose poetry style combines Krump and Popping into spoken word to tell unique stories about his experiences and the world he comes from, utilising known phrases to take audiences on a journey that uncovers raw truth.

Experience: a background in singing, dancing, and acting, Jasmine discovered spoken word last year. A raw, vulnerable art form that transcends rigid structure. This summer, Jasmine headlined shows like The Laugh Word and PoetBehindTheMic, alongside countless performances from open mics to corporate events creating a deeper love for poetry. Becoming a poet created a space where Jasmine could fuse her artistic influences and embrace unfiltered expression.

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Style: Jasmine's poetic style blends introspective writing with singing, lyrical rhymes, and witty lines that resonate with the human self-experience.

Experience: Joshua Aketse-Entsie, known on stage as Jae Poetry, is a dynamic poet and actor, deeply engaged in using the power of words to uplift and inspire communities. Jae Poetry has hosted, performed, and directed numerous poetry events. His work has connected art, heritage, and social advocacy, including collaborations with the Black Cultural Archives to explore and celebrate Black British history. Through his poetry, Jae Poetry has amplified voices and stories from the community, including leading discussions with local councils on behalf of marginalized groups. 

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Style: with a unique ability to blend artistry with activism, Joshua's poetry serves as a bridge between culture, history, and healing.

Experience: Mya Onwugbonu is a multi-disciplinary and multi award-winning creative. As a self-published and performance poet, she has headlined events across the UK with companies like Poetic Unity and We Are Parable, blending her artistry into commissioned pieces, brand campaigns like IMG’s social media initiative, and community workshops.

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Style: Mya's poetic style is enriched with storytelling and lyricism; weaving themes of identity, resilience, and culture.

Experience: IAMTariq has performed across London to establish himself as a fierce punchline poet. Key features at Poetic Unity, FloVortex aswell as Empower Poetry in Birmingham has seen his poetry profile rise. He has seen collaborations with TFL, Kings College and other notable institutions.

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Style: IAMTariq is a writer who discusses people, power and politics through poetry and spoken word.  

Experience: Mr Reed started writing poetry as a therapeutic hobby to help him deal with the pressures of adult life, it wasn't long after that he fell in love with the open mic poetry scene that London had to offer with Poetic Unity being one of the earliest places he honed his talent. Mr Reed went on to win "Best Poet" at the 2020 UK Entertainment awards, has built up a creative portfolio online with thought provoking poetry releases, and has been performing at various events since 2018, including the MOBO awards 2020

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Style: Mr Reed is a great story teller and isn't afraid to speak his mind through poetry, his writing isn't necessarily metaphorically dominated, or filled with “over your head lyrics” instead he prefers to write concise, hard hitting and straight to the point poetry that has powerful messages whilst being easily digestible. Mr Reed writes about various topics but commonly expresses his thoughts on racism, social justice and narcissism in relationships.

Experience: Amaarah is an international facilitator, performer, producer and public speaker. At 22 years old, she has supported over 1000 young people to develop their skills and celebrate their talents - on stage and off. She started producing and hosting Standards, an evening of art, conversation and celebration, that brings artists and community together when she was 18 years old. Starting at The Albany, now programmed by Fuel and the Wellcome Collection.

 

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Style: Amaarah creates work that explores identity, honesty and empowerment and is an associate artist with theatre company Sounds Like Chaos.

Experience: Jerome has been exploring poetry since the pandemic and has since built a strong foundation in spoken word. Jerome has performed at a number of venues including Theatre Peckham, Roundhouse, and National Youth Theatre. Poetic Unity has been a notable part of Jerome's journey, having been part of there Spoken Word Theatre programme both as a participant and facilitator.

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Style: Jerome's poetry is playful, he enjoys the layering of sound and movement as well as audience engagement when performing.

Experience: Binta Yade is a Senegalese-Italian poet whose work has led her to headline in the likes of the Southbank Centre, Streatham Space Project, and the Roundhouse in the UK. Her artistry has taken her on a U.S. poetry tour with Poetic Unity, and her writing has been featured in poetry publications across the UK and Australia. In addition to her live performances, Binta has lent her poetry to EPs by artists from across Europe and Africa and regularly performs at fundraiser events supporting humanitarian crises.​

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Style: Binta’s poetry, delivered in soft, melodic tones explores the complexities of being human, simultaneously weaving narratives of resilience, community, and love and an unyielding hope for justice, she draws from her heritage to amplify marginalised voices.

Experience: Native is a poet and author who released a self-published book of poems called 'Points Of Contact.' He has extensive experience of performing across London.

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Style: Native is unorthodox in his approach to poetry. He enjoys reflecting on life experiences from his own but also able to do so from other perspectives. He explores topics such as masculinity, relationships, the black experience, nature and more.

Experience: Courtney has been writing and performing poetry for several years, and they had the privilege of creating and teaching poetry workshops for both kids and adults. In addition, Courtney has hosted poetry nights, helping to foster creative communities and provide platforms for emerging voices.

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Style: Courtney's poetry is freeform, though comfortable working within specific structures. Courtney's poems explore the full spectrum of human experience, from everyday moments to personal reflections, while also delving into broader themes like current world events and history.

Experience: A British-Jamaican poet from South London who has been writing poetry since childhood and in recent years developed as a performer. Denneil has had the opportunity to perform at various venues across London such as the Pickle Factory, Young Vic,Theatre Peckham, Oval House and Wimbledon Theatre. He took part in a multi-disciplinary piece, performing a spoken word poem for an audience of 4,000 people at the Aklavya International School in India.

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Style: Denneil's poetry has been described as a modern take on William Wordsworth with a Hip-Hop flair.

Experience: Imajiné is an artist dedicated to truth, connection and freedom. A storyteller and imagination advocate, her creative testimony is channeled through poetry/spoken word, music, acting, directing, and her disciplines further extend as a facilitator and host. East London born, raised and representing, Their credits include work with Tate Modern, U.S Embassy and Making Numbers. 

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Style: Imajinés work frequently explores identity, nature, and humanity.

Experience: Magero is a poet, workshop facilitator and co-founder of 'The Brotherhood Creative Collective'. Magero has years of experiences performing on the poetry scene locally and internationally.

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Style: Magero is known as a vivid storyteller who incorporates a fusion of poetry, music and acting within his artistry. He has been described by some as a 'poetic illusionist' due to his intricate writing style and ability to misdirect audiences through manipulating their perception within his narrative which often include unexpected plot twists.

Experience: Tia-zakura is a published spoken-word artist originally from Cardiff who has taken her poetry nation-wide. Her Black and Asian roots, paired with her background in social activism, allows her to skilfully discuss topics such as feminism, politics and intersectionality in a relatable and powerful way. In recent years, Tia has been commissioned by organisations such as The National Lottery Community Fund, CommonWealth, Harambee OBU and The National Trust. Outside of her own performance, the largest part of Tia’s career is made up facilitating and workshopping poetry sessions, specifically in schools and youth groups.

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Style: Tia believes the purpose of poetry is connection. She uses lived experience to dissect complex issues; linking the ‘big P’ in ‘People’ to the ‘small p’ in person. To Tia, the rhythm of a poem is just as important as the words, so expect a medley of intricate rhyme schemes, lyricism and flows.

Experience: Kobi Amoakoh is a multifaceted spoken word artist whose poetry has been showcased in a variety of forms. Kobi has had experience with written work for anthologies. Headline performances at a number of events including at Poetic Unity, South Kilburn Carnivale and Oxford University. Writing bespoke work, voicing over and acting for poetry films and advertisements for clothing brands, events companies and charities such as the ACLT.

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Style: Kobi’s style is unique and flexible characterised by captivating story telling, engaging performance, distinctive flows and intricate rhyme patterns. The subject matter of his poems ranges from emotional to intellectual to witty to spiritual. No matter the subject he manages to entertain and find a layer of relatability.