This Is Just to Say: spoken word open mic

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, harmful content or excessive profanity 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.

The theme for this month’s session is WHERE I STAND. We invite you to explore the ground beneath your feet and how you got there. Take us on your journey!

Every month we feature a performer with a slightly extended set and this month’s featured performer to grace our stage will be Carl Tomlinson. Carl lives on a smallholding in rural Oxfordshire. His poems have appeared in Orbis, South, The Alchemy Spoon, The Hope Valley Journal, Spelt, and several anthologies. In 2019 his poem Market Forces won the Shout out for the Oxford Covered Market competition, and now forms part of the market’s audio guide. Carl’s debut pamphlet Changing Places was published in 2021 by Fair Acre Press. Helen Mort says of it that it ‘challenge[s] us to move beyond a naïve appreciation of the ‘natural’ and recognise the ways that our landscapes have been profoundly altered by human presence’.

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!