DATE: Wednesday 21st January
TIME: 7pm - 9pm
LOCATION: East Quay Kitchen
This is a FREE event

Get ready for this month's Spoken Word. Our next open mic is Wednesday 21st January at 7pm, in the East Quay Kitchen. This month's guest speaker will be Lily Redwood. The invitational theme is Paradox. 

Each winter, the tree cuts off nourishment to its leaves to conserve its own energy. It is both dying and living at the same time. In the first month of the year, we may be grappling with our own paradoxes or with external paradoxes, be it differing opinions, perspectives or expectations. What is dying, and what is continuing to grow? What would it mean to live or write in a paradox? Come and share your thoughts!

Poetry Prompt: 

Abscission
‍And isn't it sublime
to see leaves furl in towards surrender?

And doesn't it feel holy
to watch death gild them in gold?

And doesn't the tree exhale with relief
to feel weightless each winter?

And isn't each naked limb
a crying proclamation of loss?

And doesn't each root
whisper comfort in the dark?

Introducing Lily:
‍Lily's work has been described as "Scorchingly honest and human" and "electrifying and radical". Her live performance approaches the awkward edges of life with honesty, tenderness and a smattering of playfulness.

Lily has performed across the UK -  including Ledbury Poetry Festival, Cheltenham Poetry Festival, with features at Abergavenny Writing Festival, Chimes, Daylight Collective, Diversion, Jawbone, Satellite of Love, Spork, and The Living Room Sessions at Fitzrovia Chapel.

Lily's debut pamphlet, You Make Me Think of Swifts, published with Collective Press, is a raw, witty and unapologetic voice for early motherhood. Lily is currently working on her new collection, a poetic memoir, which explores the complexity of the mother-daughter bond and gives an unflinching, intimate account of caring for her mother at the end of life.

Lily lives off-grid in South Wales with her beloved and 2 children.

You can find Lily on Instagram: @lilyredwoodpoet. Website: www.lilyredwood.co.uk

How the evening works:
- Open Mic Sign Up opens from 6:45pm for a 7pm start.
- MC Introduction and Guest Set
- Open Mic - 2 poems each (but bring a 3rd in case we have time for more)
- Please give trigger warnings for any topics that listeners may find upsetting.
- Elaoise will close the evening and tell you what’s happening next month!‍