This is Just To Say

Oxford Poetry Library presents a spoken word open mic night! Join us in the library on the first Tuesday of every month to enjoy all manner of word-weaving, story-sharing, and spell-casting.

We welcome poets, storytellers, and writers of all kinds to share their work (or the work of others) in a safe, supportive, and inclusive space. Slots are 2-3 minutes long, and performers sign up on the door – first come, first served and slots fill up quickly so we recommend arriving in good time for 7pm!

At OPL we want everyone to feel comfortable and has space to enjoy the night. That’s why we have a few basic guidelines that we ask everyone to follow:

• Please refrain from using discriminatory language or harmful content in your performance. If you are unsure about your performance, speak to the host when you arrive.
• You should aim to read something that’s around one page or two minutes – this ensures that everyone has enough time to read.

Every month we feature a performer with a slightly extended set and this month’s featured performer to grace our stage is Yasmin Inkersole! Yasmin is a British-Turkish poet and novelist from Oxfordshire. Her poems have been published by The Poetry Society, The Frogmore Press, Artemesia Arts and Winchester Poetry Festival, and taught on MA Translation courses. She is a previous Foyle Young Poet of the Year. Alongside poetry, Yasmin writes sci-fi and fantasy novels in the company of her fluffy spaniel. Yasmin holds an MA in Creative Writing and is a PhD Writing student specialising in post-Ottoman fantasy novels.

The theme for this month is MOTHER TONGUE. We invite you to explore language in whatever way that means to you – through your own native language(s) and ancestral roots, homegrown dialects, or just the ways we bend and blend words. This event is part of Makespace Oxford’s series of International Women’s Day celebrations so might also wish to explore the idea of the motherland, and motherhood. Or all of the above!

The session starts at 7.30pm (performers are advised to arrive from 7pm), at The Community Works (21 Park End St, OX1 1HU).

£5 entry (£2 concessions), performers free.

The building is accessible, but if you have any specific access needs, please drop us an email at oxfordpoetrylibrary@gmail.com beforehand!

This event is part of Makespace Oxford‘s series of events in celebration of International Women’s Day held throughout Women’s History Month, designed to celebrate, platform, and showcase women’s voices. Find out more here.