Pop Up Poetry – Meet the Poets!
As you might have already heard, Pop Up Poetry is well underway!
Four poets have taken up residency in two shops and two cafes in Wednesbury Town Centre. They are hanging out in their shops, chatting to the customers and business owners, and writing new poems based on their conversations. The project will end with a day of free poetry performances on Friday 17th December. More information on the project, including times and locations, can be found here.
We hope that you will be able to pop into the shops and meet our poets in person, but meanwhile, have a look below to “meet” our wonderful poets!
Dreadlockalien
Former Birmingham Poet Laureate 2005, Mr Grant aka Dreadlockalien has worked in the realm of spoken word, performance poetry and live literature for over 20 years. Dreadlockalien is currently exploring animated poetry and digital media, making films to accompany poems. Dreadlockalien is in Junction 9 ¾ Café, Spring Head, WS10 9AD.
Adaya Henry
I am a poet, actor and writer. I also work as community lead at an arts house in Ladywood, Birmingham. I live with my two best friends and we have lots of game nights! I love meeting new people and finding common ground as well as hiking, shopping, eating, and drinking coffee. I’ve been in the arts my whole life and I really believe there is no better way to tell a story or to connect different worlds and ideas through art! Adaya is spending time in Boobielous, 23 Market Place, WS10 7AY.
R. M. Francis
R. M. Francis is a lecturer in Creative and Professional Writing at the University of Wolverhampton. He’s the author of five poetry pamphlet collections, two novels and a collection of poems. His academic writing has featured in a number of edited collections and journals. He is currently the Poet in Residence for the Black Country Geological Society. R. M. Francis has been hanging out in Vintage Tea Room & Café, 39 Union Street, WS10 7HB.
Bohdan Piasecki
Bohdan Piasecki is a poet from Poland who’s been based in the Midlands for over 15 years. A Committed performer and experienced facilitator, he has taken his poems from the upstairs room in an Eastbourne pub to the main stage of the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, from underground Tokyo clubs to tramways in Paris, from a bookshop in Beijing to an airfield in Germany, from niche podcasts to BBC Radio. He enjoys the creative chaos of big field festivals just as much as the composed concentration of literary events. Bohdan can be found in Blue Sheep Books, 51 Upper High Street, WS10 7HJ.
Pop Up Poetry is produced by Black Country Touring, commissioned by Multistory through the Wednesbury High Street Heritage Action Zone Cultural Programme, funded by Sandwell Council and Historic England. Clock tower illustration by David Wheately.
