Strands: poetic dialogues of shared histories
Step into an evening of spoken word, storytelling and poetic reflection as a selection of poets respond to the theme of shared history. Inspired by the Whitworth’s ABC Wax Archive this event invites audiences to open themselves up to the possibilities of storytelling and narrative in the construction of truth. Join us as we immerse ourselves in the reimagining of legacy, through the perspective of poetry.
Thursday 20 March, 6.30pm-8pm
Tickets £3/£5, booking is essential
Find out more and book your place via this Shopify booking link
Biographies:
Ajae is a griot often found in liminal spaces. They enjoy the wisdom, possibilities and mischief of interspecies allyship, finding hope in unexpected places. Their voices remind us that our dignity and our divinity can’t and will never be eclipsed. They are currently Commonword’s Green Poet in Residence, and their work has recently been published in Invisible and Visible Disabilities Feature (Ink, Sweat & Tears, 2024), Milk: on Consumption, Materialism and Taste (Carrion Press, 2024), and Solidarity and Spring (No Borders Zine, 2024).
Kamran Sajid is a writer based in Manchester. He is currently writing a poetry pamphlet called 'A Theory Is An Omen', which explores themes such as bad listening, suppression, love and working-class experience. Kamran has read his poetry at Simon Armitage's 'Blossomise' book launch, Manchester International Festival, the Manchester Literature Festival, and Aviva Studios. You can find him on Instagram @kamransajid_ and Substack kamransajid.substack.com.
Teni is a multi-disciplinary spoken word/visual artist. Teni explores the intersection of race, gender, and love in her work through consideration of the themes of cannibalism as a metaphor for love. Teni's work is current and centred on the experience of living or being under Britain's White shadow for her British Nigerian heritage; tracing her dyslexic and autistic thinking represented in dictionary format.
Ruth Awolola is a Nigerian Jamaican poet, theatre-maker and workshop facilitator based in Manchester. She writes and performs for a variety of different audiences including poetry for children and young people. Her poetry first featured in Rising Stars: New Young Voices in Poetry and has gone on to feature in several anthologies. She has performed her work across the country and is currently developing her debut poetry stage show Gardens + Other Such Tree Places.
Shakquille is a spoken word poet who has worked with platforms such as; Hockley Hustle, I Am Loud, We don’t Settle, Sofar Sounds & We Out Here Festival as well as many more. Showcasing his work which has been described as capturing, warm & rhythmical. Instagram @shakquille.sw
Pete Kalu is a multi-award-winning writer who most recently received the Society of Authors Travelling Scholarship Award 2024 for 'impressively experimental, thoughtful and challenging' writing. His poetry can be found in Mongrel Moon and scattered across anthologies. His short stories can be found in Collision (comma press 2023), Glimpse (Peepal Tree 2023), Lancashire Stories (Lancashire Libraries 2023), Closure (Peepal Tree 2015), Seaside Special (Bluemoose 2018) and A Country To Call Home (Unbound 2017). His essays can be found at writersmosaci.com and Encounters with James Baldwin (Supernova 2024). His forthcoming essay-memoir collection is Act Normal (HopeRoad 2025). He was a writer in residence at the University of West Indies (Trinidad campus) in 2020 and was part of an international team that created the story architecture for the RPG Game Simulacrum Funk.
Image: ABC Wax Archive observation, photo: Sarah Randles
