I am very excited to be one of the poets involved in this fun and unusual project inspired by Taylor Swift!

A group of us were each given the title of a song from Taylor’s upcoming album “The Tortured Poets Department”, and we wrote a poem based on the title alone. It will be really interesting to see how similar the poems and the songs end up being!

The zine is being launched at Gullivers in the Northern Quarter, Manchester, and I am looking forward to performing. The project is also raising money for the LGBT Foundation. Come along!

I have really enjoyed spending time at Lancaster Litfest the last couple of years - there is always such a nice, relaxed atmosphere and lots of time to chat, eat cakes, and buy books.

I’m therefore very happy that I have been chosen to perform at this Festival’s Gala, on the theme of ‘Histories’. The brilliant Hannah Lowe, who will be hosting the event, selected my poem ‘Frog summer’, which is one of three that I have on the Litfest ‘Histories’ Poetry Map.

It will be a lovely evening!

I’m really happy to have a poem in Issue 11 of Strix, and am looking forward to performing at the launch in Leeds.

Strix is a beautiful publication, and it is a real joy to be part of it. I hope you can come along!

I am overjoyed to be Commended in the 2024 Verve Poetry Festival Competition on the theme of Eco-poetry.

I will be performing at the Competition Event with the brilliant Helen Mort, who was the Judge.

Do come along if you are at the Festival!

After a brilliant trip to Bangor to perform at Words and Wine, I was so happy to be invited to do a guest slot at Llandudno Arts Festival!

I will be performing a lovely long set of half an hour, and can’t wait to share a mix of crowd favourites and newer work.

Do consider coming along!

I am looking forward to being part of Manchester Poetry Library’s 2024 Multilingual Open Mic!

Last year (shown in the event photo) was really lovely, with brilliant voices and poems shared.

You can learn more here.

I always love performing at Natter in Bolton, and I am really happy to be part of the upcoming Natter #18, which is also this spoken-word night’s second birthday!

I can’t wait to enjoy some pastéis de nata at lovely Th3 Guys and share some poems!

I am really excited to be the Guest Poet again at Write Out Loud in Sale.

This is always a really warm, friendly spoken-word night, with an open mic. Entry to the event is £3.

It would be lovely to see you there!

I’m really excited to be the Guest Poet at a special edition of Words and Wine in Bangor, Wales, for LGBT History Month 2024.

I can’t wait to share some of my poems about my queer identities and queer joy and love.

It would be wonderful to see you there!

I am incredibly proud and happy to have a poem in Issue 19 of Butcher’s Dog, which has long been a dream publication for me, and to be reading at the Zoom launch.

I will be sharing my poem from the magazine, “things we might never do in the night”, as well as a couple more.

See you there!

It is such a milestone and an honour to be chosen to perform at this legendary night at Feel Good Club in the Northern Quarter in Manchester!

I always love attending and savouring the sheer queer joy evoked by the range of musical and spoken-word acts. So excited to be part of it.

I’m very happy to be creating and leading a workshop around queer time as part of a weekend of events at UNITOM in Manchester, in collaboration with The Greenhouse, a magazine that has included my work in two issues.

‘Queer time’ encompasses ideas around queer people experiencing time, stages of life, and milestones in different ways to the societal norm and how, as poets, we can really explore ways to subvert expectations, free ourselves, and tear up the rule book in our writing.

Learn more here, and do consider coming along!

Volume 4 of The Greenhouse has the theme of “Time”, and I’m overjoyed that it features an extract from Frogspawn, my comic collaboration with illustrator Michelle Freeman.

I’m really excited to attend the launch and talk about the comic, as well as sharing some of my poems.

It would be amazing to see you there!

I’m really looking forward to being on this Women Poets’ Network online panel with Sunita Thind and Aoife Lyall, where we will discuss not only the process of applying for grants, but how life can change afterwards, which is an aspect that can often get neglected.

I received a Developing Your Creative Practice grant in 2021, and it was definitely life-changing, but there was a lot to learn in order to make the most of it. I’m looking forward to sharing my knowledge, and to running a workshop afterwards focussing on defining our practice and mapping out our aims and dreams.

It is pay-as-you-feel from £6 - learn more and sign up here.

I’m so excited to be performing at the launch of Howl New Irish Writing in Cork!

I’m overjoyed that my poem ‘Ulnar’ is part of this anthology, and am really looking forward to visiting Cork, where I have family.

Learn more about the launch here.

Under Your Pillow is an empowering, sensual anthology of erotic poems from Victorina Press. I’m very proud to have a poem, ‘At high tide’, in its pages.

The online launch will no doubt be a brilliant and memorable event - learn more here, and do consider joining us.

I am really looking forward to performing a 20-minute Special Guest Poet set at Wellies and Words, an outdoor spoken word event at Haigh Hall.

I grew up in Wigan and spent a lot of time at Haigh Hall, so this feels very special.

I’m overjoyed to be one of the poets chosen by the brilliant Caroline Bird to perform at the launch event of Lancaster Litfest, on the theme of ‘Refuge’.

Litfest is always lovely, and I’m so happy to spend National Poetry Day in such a fabulous place with wonderful poets.

I’m really happy to have a poem, ‘Alert’ - my first published golden shovel! - in Issue 09 of Spelt Magazine.

This online launch promises to be a lovely evening - do come and join us!

The event information can be found here.

I feel very honoured to have been invited to be the Featured Poet at Poems + Pints in September.

I first performed at the Button Warehouse as part of the launch of Greenhouse Magazine, and it was a lovely evening, with a warm, supportive audience. I am very happy to be returning.

Learn more here.

The event photo of me performing was taken by Simon Brown.

It is such an honour to be asked to be a guest performer, representing the brilliant spoken-word night Natter, at Mic at the Mill Festival!

This is a brand-new festival at Leigh Spinners Mill, and I can’t wait to be part of it.

I’m really happy to have three poems in the upcoming Bone Down Zine!

The launch in Leeds is looking to be a lovely afternoon, with poetry, music, art, and more. I can’t wait to meet my fellow zine contributors, and perform some poems.

It would be fab to see you there!

I am delighted to have a poem about posh salt and vinegar crips published in the ‘Food’ issue of Magma Poetry, and am really excited to read at the launch in Glasgow, one of my favourite cities!

There will also be a potluck - I may or may not be bringing some posh crisps…

Natter is a really cosy, café-based spoken-word night in Bolton.

There is always a really interesting line-up, and I always just have to get one of the delicious natas or pastries.

Do consider coming along!

I’m really looking forward to performing at Poetry in the Park!

This will be such a lovely event in an outdoor space. Bringing nature and poetry together makes me very happy.

It would be brilliant to see you there.

Join me at Pride on the Range in Whalley Range, Manchester, where I will be a guest performer at this lovely event, with spoken word curated by fab poet Sarah Pritchard.

This was such a wonderful, warm, social evening last year, and I’m excited to be returning.

I am excited to perform at this event at Haigh Hall, in my hometown of Wigan. I spent a lot of time at Haigh Hall growing up, so it will be lovely to return and be part of this night of poetry and music. I’d love to see you there.

This is always such a fabulous day, in a stunning and unique venue.

I will be performing some poems, and would love to see you there!

I am really happy to have a short story, ‘The starfish by the clocktower’, in the Transform issue of Greenhouse Magazine!

Join us for the launch night, with readings, and a chance to meet the contributors and buy some of our work.