Headfirst Editor's Pick
"A Lyrafest special for all the speculative sci-fi poetry-loving queers out there. Prepare to enter your worst dystopian nightmares and best utopian dreams through the words and vision of trans revolutionary Chuck SJ, “shouty sober horror poet” Sam J Grudgings, Shiiku Community’s Iman Sultan West and more."
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A event held at 395 on Friday 12th April. The event starts at 19:30.
Date: Friday 12th April
Venue: 395 Bristol
Time: 7:30 - 9:30pm
Tickets: £5
Aish Humphreys and Sam J Grudgings present an evening of poetry and performance on the theme of QUEER FUTURES. Join us in exploring themes of utopia, dystopia and speculation through a queer lens. Headlined by Chuck SJ, and featuring poetry from Iman Sultan West, Harper Walton and Ife Grillo.
Presented in collaboration with We Will Read U.
Chuck SJ is a multidisciplinary artist, with a focus on music and wordplay as a tool to explore and express around social political issues, specifically on the trans revolution. This Punk Powerhouse is well known for their intoxicating stage performance, unique guitar skills and unapologetic honesty. Chuck has completed 5 European tours, 12 UK tours, 15 albums and 2 EPs. In 2020, they had words published in the Creating In Crisis anthology by Polari Press.
Aish is a poet, performer and w0rkshop facilitator from Cornwall, living in Bristol. He has performed all over the UK and last year worked in Romania with Tongue Fu exploring the relationship between music and spoken word. They were the poet in residence for the SS Great Britain in 2022 and their first poetry pamphlet, Saints of Golden Hour was released in February 2023 which treads soberness, girlhood, queer relationships and the gods we create for ourselves. He is currently writing a spoken word theatre show with Eryn McDonald exploring transness and masculinity.
Ifẹ is an award-winning writer, dramaturg, performer, and educator, their work focuses on finding new ways of talking about the complexity and beauty of everyday life. Ifẹ's work has been featured on BBC, Roundhouse, Watershed, Penguin Books, and Bristol Old Vic. Ifẹ's a National Poetry Slam Finalist and won the UK University National Poetry Championships. Their Joint Poetry Collection and show, Language is a Queer Thing, debuted at the BBC Poetry Festival and the Mumbai International Literature Festival. They’re currently the resident poet for Wake The Tiger
Harper Walton is a PhD English student from Bath. Their poetry, fiction and essays are published by Oestrogeneration, t’ART, 1883 Magazine and more. In 2023, they were highly commended for the Manchester Cathedral poetry competition, achieved third place in the Brick Lane Bookshop short story prize, and won the Young Poets Network’s Self Portrait Challenge.
Iman Sultan West (she/they) is a Pakistani/British poet, artist and curator. Iman's poetry uses softness, rhythm, honesty and humour to explore all the nuances of their identity. As director and co-founder of Shiiku Community, they build intentional and guided events/w0rkshops to encourage creativity and play for the people of Bristol.
Paranormal investigator & erotic doomsday prophet, Sam J Grudgings is a queer poet & mesmerist from Bristol shortlisted for the Outspoken Poetry Prize 2020. His work explores rehabilitation via the lens of body horror, the 1920’s burlesque scene & the new weird movement. Commonly found yelling poems & apocrypha at punk shows & hypnotising audiences with projections & cheap magic tricks - his debut collection The Bible II investigating addiction, loss & the masculine urge to fight or fuck god was published by Verve Poetry Press in 2021. His pamphlet The Nation’s Saddest Love Poems was published in 2023 by Broken Sleep Books.
Filters:
Live Event
Part of #LyraFest.
Entry requirements: no age restrictions
Venue: 395 Bristol
Time: 7:30 - 9:30pm
Tickets: £5
Aish Humphreys and Sam J Grudgings present an evening of poetry and performance on the theme of QUEER FUTURES. Join us in exploring themes of utopia, dystopia and speculation through a queer lens. Headlined by Chuck SJ, and featuring poetry from Iman Sultan West, Harper Walton and Ife Grillo.
Presented in collaboration with We Will Read U.
Chuck SJ is a multidisciplinary artist, with a focus on music and wordplay as a tool to explore and express around social political issues, specifically on the trans revolution. This Punk Powerhouse is well known for their intoxicating stage performance, unique guitar skills and unapologetic honesty. Chuck has completed 5 European tours, 12 UK tours, 15 albums and 2 EPs. In 2020, they had words published in the Creating In Crisis anthology by Polari Press.
Aish is a poet, performer and w0rkshop facilitator from Cornwall, living in Bristol. He has performed all over the UK and last year worked in Romania with Tongue Fu exploring the relationship between music and spoken word. They were the poet in residence for the SS Great Britain in 2022 and their first poetry pamphlet, Saints of Golden Hour was released in February 2023 which treads soberness, girlhood, queer relationships and the gods we create for ourselves. He is currently writing a spoken word theatre show with Eryn McDonald exploring transness and masculinity.
Ifẹ is an award-winning writer, dramaturg, performer, and educator, their work focuses on finding new ways of talking about the complexity and beauty of everyday life. Ifẹ's work has been featured on BBC, Roundhouse, Watershed, Penguin Books, and Bristol Old Vic. Ifẹ's a National Poetry Slam Finalist and won the UK University National Poetry Championships. Their Joint Poetry Collection and show, Language is a Queer Thing, debuted at the BBC Poetry Festival and the Mumbai International Literature Festival. They’re currently the resident poet for Wake The Tiger
Harper Walton is a PhD English student from Bath. Their poetry, fiction and essays are published by Oestrogeneration, t’ART, 1883 Magazine and more. In 2023, they were highly commended for the Manchester Cathedral poetry competition, achieved third place in the Brick Lane Bookshop short story prize, and won the Young Poets Network’s Self Portrait Challenge.
Iman Sultan West (she/they) is a Pakistani/British poet, artist and curator. Iman's poetry uses softness, rhythm, honesty and humour to explore all the nuances of their identity. As director and co-founder of Shiiku Community, they build intentional and guided events/w0rkshops to encourage creativity and play for the people of Bristol.
Paranormal investigator & erotic doomsday prophet, Sam J Grudgings is a queer poet & mesmerist from Bristol shortlisted for the Outspoken Poetry Prize 2020. His work explores rehabilitation via the lens of body horror, the 1920’s burlesque scene & the new weird movement. Commonly found yelling poems & apocrypha at punk shows & hypnotising audiences with projections & cheap magic tricks - his debut collection The Bible II investigating addiction, loss & the masculine urge to fight or fuck god was published by Verve Poetry Press in 2021. His pamphlet The Nation’s Saddest Love Poems was published in 2023 by Broken Sleep Books.
Filters:
Live Event
Part of #LyraFest.
Entry requirements: no age restrictions
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