LIVEwire Poetry

The world needs more poetry. I think that’s plain for all to see. It can’t cure the world’s gravest ills but as human beings, it’s the connection, understanding, validation, and escapism, that keeps us going day by day.

So, we’re over the moon to introduce LIVEwire: a brand-new poetry organisation. Our aim is to specialise in live events and writer development, with poetry at the centre of everything that we do.

This new organisation has evolved from Nymphs & Thugs – an independent spoken word record label established in 2015, which has grown into a world leader in its field. N&T still exist as a record label, belonging to LIVEwire, and you can check out our releases here.

As with N&T, LIVEwire will be driven by poet and educator Matt Abbott, with support from cultural entrepreneur Jack Simpson as a Director. We also welcome acclaimed poet and performer Maria Ferguson as Assistant Producer, and have a small number of freelancers providing specialised support.

This first phase of this project, running until June, has been mainly funded by Arts Council England. It includes live events in Leeds, Manchester, and Weston-super-Mare. It also includes workshop serries in Huddersfield, Blackburn, Clevedon, and online.

The workshop series will culminate in an online sharing event and zine launch in June. All of our workshops are open to all, but are specifically targeted at writers who identify as working-class, or as coming from a working-class background. Accessibility is at the heart of what we do and we want to champion poets from all walks of life.

For now, though – join us at LIVEwire Manchester on Thursday 14 March, or at the first-ever Roundhouse Poetry Slam Leeds heat on Tuesday 29 April!

Also, if you have any PR enquiries or you’re a partner venue interested in hosting a LIVEwire event, please contact Matt Abbott on matt@livewirepoetry.org.