A event on Thursday 11th January. The event starts at 19:30.
NEW YEAR NEW BARS. Start your creative year with a bang.
We're kicking off 2024 with a big ol' open mic at the lovely Orchard Coffee & Co, with two brilliant feature acts Sukina Noor and Iman Sultan West!
Our open mics are welcome to poets, rappers, storytellers, lyricists, songwriters, and wordsmiths of all styles and levels of experience, whether it's your first time or your 100th. If you'd like to sign up to perform, or just sit back with a beverage and listen to some of the city's finest wordsmiths, this is the evening for you.
16+ accompanied. Wheelchair accessible. Scroll down for further access and safeguarding information.
️️ January 11th 2023
The Orchard Coffee & Co, 20 Clouds Hill Rd, Bristol BS5 7LA
7:00pm doors | 7:30pm - 9:30pm show (including interval)
PWYC £5 / £7 / £9 (£4 concessions)
OPEN MIC:
This will be an opportunity to try out new material in a safe, warm environment hosted by Raise the Bar's compere extraordinaire Saili Katebe.
There are 15 open mic spaces. These will become available at 10am on December 29th via the following link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc03OmD2t4rndWEA6uL4PymtfJRU3dPBur1ICIGYeKELTX4xw/viewform
A number of open mic spaces are reserved for writers from the global majority, the LGBTQ+ community and non-male performers.
FEATURE ACTS
SUKINA NOOR
Sukina Noor is an internationally renowned poet, spoken-word artist, playwright, public speaker and workshop facilitator who has been leading poetry writing workshops for over a decade. She has toured extensively across the UK, Europe, America and Africa performing and has facilitated creative writing workshops across the world empowering participants with the power and beauty of words.
She has developed a number of workshop series such as The Art of Speaking from the Heart, The Art of Writing Sacred Poetry, The Healing Art of Poetry, Poetry of the Female Mystics and more. Sukina holds a BA (Hons) Degree in English Literature and Caribbean Studies and an MSc in Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes with a focus on the healing potential in Sufi poetry.
Sukina is a Poetry Writing Coach and is currently training to become a Spiritual Empowerment Life Coach. She recently published her debut poetry collection Love and Longing: Yearning for the Face of God to international acclaim.
IMAN SULTAN WEST
Iman Sultan West (she/they) is a Pakistani/British poet, artist and curator. Iman’s poetry uses softness, rhythm, loud honesty and humour to explore her own heritage, neurodiversity, mental health, queerness, religion, relationships and more! As director and co-founder of @shiiku._community, they build intentional and guided spaces to encourage creativity and play for the people of Bristol.
⭐ RAISE THE BAR ⭐
The South West's leading live poetry night, running blockbuster spoken word events in Bristol and beyond since 2014.
‘From top to bottom, one of my all time favourite shows’ – Shane Koyczan
'One of the best poetry nights in the country' – Rafeef Ziadah
'Out-loud reactions are encouraged…shaking off traditional theatre etiquette' – Bristol 24/7
♿ ACCESSIBILITY / SAFEGUARDING ♿
Our events aim to be as safe, inclusive, accessible and welcoming as possible.
The venue has a wheelchair accessible entrance (via Cherry Orchard Lane) and accessible toilets.
If you have any particular access requirements or concerns, please email [email protected] in advance.
The event may include photography and videography.
SEATING / TIMINGS
Doors open at 7:00pm, and the bar will be open with a selection of drinks (alcoholic + non-alcoholic), cocktails and bar snacks.
The show begins at 7:30pm, so please arrive and be seated promptly. The event includes a 15 minute interval. We aim to finish at 9:30pm.
Please note, there is limited seating at The Orchard. Some attendees may need to sit on the steps, in the balcony area, or in a seat with restricted viewing, so please arrive promptly if you'd like to sit at a table / downstairs.
⚠️ CONTENT WARNING ⚠️
Poetry events include performers sharing personal accounts which you may relate to in some way. This may include content that is potentially upsetting or triggering. We provide a general content warning at the beginning of each event, and we encourage feature artists and open mic performers to provide content warnings for individual poems where necessary. Attendees are welcome to leave the venue at any time if necessary, and return when they feel comfortable, but please try to do this before/after a poem.
SAFE SPACE
Raise the Bar has a zero tolerance policy towards hate, discrimination and abuse of any kind. Our staff team will work together to ensure the space is respectful and welcoming at all times. The open mic rules include 'no punching down' and 'no nudity', as well as being encouraged to provide a content warning where necessary.
Entry requirements:
We're kicking off 2024 with a big ol' open mic at the lovely Orchard Coffee & Co, with two brilliant feature acts Sukina Noor and Iman Sultan West!
Our open mics are welcome to poets, rappers, storytellers, lyricists, songwriters, and wordsmiths of all styles and levels of experience, whether it's your first time or your 100th. If you'd like to sign up to perform, or just sit back with a beverage and listen to some of the city's finest wordsmiths, this is the evening for you.
16+ accompanied. Wheelchair accessible. Scroll down for further access and safeguarding information.
️️ January 11th 2023
The Orchard Coffee & Co, 20 Clouds Hill Rd, Bristol BS5 7LA
7:00pm doors | 7:30pm - 9:30pm show (including interval)
PWYC £5 / £7 / £9 (£4 concessions)
OPEN MIC:
This will be an opportunity to try out new material in a safe, warm environment hosted by Raise the Bar's compere extraordinaire Saili Katebe.
There are 15 open mic spaces. These will become available at 10am on December 29th via the following link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc03OmD2t4rndWEA6uL4PymtfJRU3dPBur1ICIGYeKELTX4xw/viewform
A number of open mic spaces are reserved for writers from the global majority, the LGBTQ+ community and non-male performers.
FEATURE ACTS
SUKINA NOOR
Sukina Noor is an internationally renowned poet, spoken-word artist, playwright, public speaker and workshop facilitator who has been leading poetry writing workshops for over a decade. She has toured extensively across the UK, Europe, America and Africa performing and has facilitated creative writing workshops across the world empowering participants with the power and beauty of words.
She has developed a number of workshop series such as The Art of Speaking from the Heart, The Art of Writing Sacred Poetry, The Healing Art of Poetry, Poetry of the Female Mystics and more. Sukina holds a BA (Hons) Degree in English Literature and Caribbean Studies and an MSc in Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes with a focus on the healing potential in Sufi poetry.
Sukina is a Poetry Writing Coach and is currently training to become a Spiritual Empowerment Life Coach. She recently published her debut poetry collection Love and Longing: Yearning for the Face of God to international acclaim.
IMAN SULTAN WEST
Iman Sultan West (she/they) is a Pakistani/British poet, artist and curator. Iman’s poetry uses softness, rhythm, loud honesty and humour to explore her own heritage, neurodiversity, mental health, queerness, religion, relationships and more! As director and co-founder of @shiiku._community, they build intentional and guided spaces to encourage creativity and play for the people of Bristol.
⭐ RAISE THE BAR ⭐
The South West's leading live poetry night, running blockbuster spoken word events in Bristol and beyond since 2014.
‘From top to bottom, one of my all time favourite shows’ – Shane Koyczan
'One of the best poetry nights in the country' – Rafeef Ziadah
'Out-loud reactions are encouraged…shaking off traditional theatre etiquette' – Bristol 24/7
♿ ACCESSIBILITY / SAFEGUARDING ♿
Our events aim to be as safe, inclusive, accessible and welcoming as possible.
The venue has a wheelchair accessible entrance (via Cherry Orchard Lane) and accessible toilets.
If you have any particular access requirements or concerns, please email [email protected] in advance.
The event may include photography and videography.
SEATING / TIMINGS
Doors open at 7:00pm, and the bar will be open with a selection of drinks (alcoholic + non-alcoholic), cocktails and bar snacks.
The show begins at 7:30pm, so please arrive and be seated promptly. The event includes a 15 minute interval. We aim to finish at 9:30pm.
Please note, there is limited seating at The Orchard. Some attendees may need to sit on the steps, in the balcony area, or in a seat with restricted viewing, so please arrive promptly if you'd like to sit at a table / downstairs.
⚠️ CONTENT WARNING ⚠️
Poetry events include performers sharing personal accounts which you may relate to in some way. This may include content that is potentially upsetting or triggering. We provide a general content warning at the beginning of each event, and we encourage feature artists and open mic performers to provide content warnings for individual poems where necessary. Attendees are welcome to leave the venue at any time if necessary, and return when they feel comfortable, but please try to do this before/after a poem.
SAFE SPACE
Raise the Bar has a zero tolerance policy towards hate, discrimination and abuse of any kind. Our staff team will work together to ensure the space is respectful and welcoming at all times. The open mic rules include 'no punching down' and 'no nudity', as well as being encouraged to provide a content warning where necessary.
Entry requirements:
Tickets for similar Bristol events.
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spoken word
lgbtq+
lgbtq+
poetry