DATE: Wednesday 25th November
TIME: 7 - 9pm
LOCATION: East Quay Kitchen
This is a FREE event!
‍

It's not long until another Spoken Word night. Join me on Wednesday 28th November at 7pm in the East Quay Kitchen. This month's guest speaker is Astrid Solace! The invitational theme is Finding Warmth.

As we move into the colder months, who, what or where are you finding warmth? Perhaps it is your morning cuppa, a thoughtful text message, a joke made by a work colleague to pull you through Friday to the weekend. Perhaps it is wrapping up in your favourite knitted scarf for a long walk on the Quantocks. Perhaps it is staying by the foggy window with a good book and watching the birds. Look out for the warmth, stew on it, write about it and come and share it!

‍

Poetry Prompt:

Cupcakes and Heartaches (Excerpt) by Astrid Solace

Me, a girl in the world, with mismatched pyjamas,
And you, in your captivating high-vis jacket- oh,
Tesco security guard!
You fill up my senses, it's love at first sight to the tune of
An assistant is coming, please continue.

You glance at my choice of medication and 4-pack of energy drinks and I see a
Longing in your eyes.
A desire to know if I'm aware that the products I'm purchasing are
Going to achieve opposite effects.
And just like that it slips away.
Back in the rain. Taking home my haul.

And the pain au chocolat I stole now soaked in my coat pocket

As the leaves begin to brown, I find your face in every corner
Each time buying something you have to verify, just for another moment,
A stolen glance, a stolen baked good
Each encounter, a gentle unravelling,
You follow me through every aisle
Till we reach our lover’s dance in the checkout

And I know you know what I'm doing
Do you turn a blind eye cos you know this stolen apple pie is all. i can afford. to eat today?
Or could it be that love is blinding
That when I walk in, you feel a warmth

Right where your jam tart is?

‍

Introducing Astrid:

Astrid Solace is a multi-slam winning transgender performance poet from Birmingham. Astrid has worked in collaboration with the likes of Verve Poetry Festival, Leeds Literature Festival, I Am Loud Productions, Shindig, and Bath Fringe Fest. She graduated with a Masters in Creative Writing at The University of Birmingham in 2026. Astrid was a grand finalist for the Roundhouse Poetry Slam and the LyraFest Slam, and this year was crowned the Leeds Literature Festival Slam Champion. She was a member of the Apples and Snakes writing residency Words A Stage, and is the producer and host of Pretty Privilege Poetry in Birmingham. Astrid self-published a lyric essay titled 'On Orgasms, Jesters and Autism' as a transgender surgery fundraiser in May 2026, and her debut stage play 'How to Change a Tire' premiers in Los Angeles on December 5th.

You can find Astrid on Instagram at: @astridsolaceoffical

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 or 1 short story, 6 mins each (but bring a 3rd in case we have time for more!)

· Please give trigger warnings for any topics that listeners may find upsetting.

· I shall close the evening and tell you what’s happening next month!

Got an idea for a guest poet you’d love to see perform? I'd love to hear it!

Get in touch via my email or social media channels.

Happy writing, see you soon!

‍