Poet Town – FREE event at the Printworks for Refugee Week

On Thursday 19 June, artists, musicians and poets are raising funds for the Refugee Buddy Project during Refugee Week by holding a FREE Gig/Party and sharing their words and music at the Printworks. The evening has been put together by the team behind Poet Town, a new collection of poetry by the bards of Hastings and thereabouts. Jude Montague tells us more.

Salena Godden is bringing together poets from an upcoming anthology Poet Town: The Poetry of Hastings & Thereabouts (to be launched on 1 September) along with local musicians, for a special event in support of Refugee Week. The fundraiser is for the Refugee Buddy Project – an organisation that welcomes and supports refugees in Hastings and the surrounding area, through buddying, advocacy and financial and emotional support for the most vulnerable in our community. Salena will host the event along with musician, poet and artist, Oli Spleen. The line up includes Henry Normal, just back from a nationwide tour, Penny Pepper, Lucas Howard and many more.

Salena said, “It is an honour and privilege to be invited to curate and co-host this event with Oli Spleen and my fellow Poet Town contributors. The Refugee Buddy Project are doing an incredible job of stepping up to help others and ultimately save life by offering financial and emotional support and advocacy for the most vulnerable in our global family and community. On 19 June we have a beautiful and rich and varied line up of local talent, poets and artists, I am hoping for a packed house, come along, I hope together we can come together and raise the roof for Refugee Week”

Co-organiser Oli said, “I’m so proud to have had a hand in the formation of this Poet Town project, and what an honour it is to be hosting this event with my dear friend and mentor of thirty years Salena Godden. The Refugee Buddy Project is a cause close to my heart. One of the places that I feel most at home is the Dove Cafe in St Leonards. This space is a true community hub of inclusivity that reflects the diversity of our community and shows refugees and those who are new to this area that they are very welcome here.”

As well as words, there will be music from Oli Smith and the Smithmanthers and the duo Coyote Cash (Lily Kim from Message from the Ravens and Tom Fryer, pictured below on the right). DJ James Endeacott will be on the decks.

 

The Poet Town poets include:

Salena Godden FRSL is an award-winning novelist, poet and broadcaster of mixed Jamaican and Irish heritage. Her debut novel Mrs Death Misses Death won the Indie Book Awards for Fiction and the People’s Book Prize, and was shortlisted for the British Book Awards and the Gordon Burn Prize. Her literary childhood memoir Springfield Road – A Poets Childhood Revisited and a new poetry collection With Love, Grief and Fury were published with Canongate in 2024. Rough Trade Books published a hardback edition of Pessimism is for Lightweights – 30 pieces of courage and resistance in 2023 — The title poem is on permanent display at The Peoples History Museum in Manchester. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, a Patron of Hastings Book Festival and an Honorary Fellow of West Dean, Sussex. Her second novel set in the Mrs Death Misses Death universe, The Life Of Life will be published by Canongate in 2026.

Henry Normal is a poet, writer and TV & film producer who has been instrumental in the production of some of the most legendary British comedy shows of the last 30 years. These include The Royle Family (co-writer, first series), Mrs Merton (co-writer), and Gavin and Stacey (Executive Producer). Henry performs at literature festivals and theatres around the UK and has written numerous books of poetry, including recent collections, The Fire Hills (2023) and A Moonless Night (2024), both published by Flapjack Press. These collections include poems inspired by the countryside around Hastings, where he now lives. Henry is a patron of the Hastings Book Festival and an active supporter of the local poetry scene.

Emma Joliffe emerged from the vibrant spoken word scene in London in the early 2010s. In 2016, her first poetry collection Citizen of Nowhere was published by Burning Eye Books. That same year, she moved to Hastings and her focus shifted from performance poetry to the page. She ran the mixed arts night ‘The Whole Shebang’ at the Printworks from 2017 to 2020, and also DJs and runs a cabaret karaoke game show called ‘Wonkyoke’. She has conducted writing workshops and collaborated with musicians and artists, drawing inspiration from Hastings’ rich history, people, politics, and landscape.

Penny Pepper is a poet and award-winning author known for her provocative and humorous exploration of the disability narrative. She has performed widely, including at The London Book Fair and the Royal Albert Hall. Her memoir, First in The World Somewhere (Unbound), was published in 2017 followed by her first collection of poetry, Come Home Alive in 2018 (Burning Eye). Penny has been a guest on BBC News, Newsnight and BBC Radio 4 including Woman’s Hour and Saturday Live and she is also columnist for Byline Times. Penny lives in St Leonards.

Lucas Howard (aka Lucas the Peaceful Poet) is a prominent figure in the UK spoken word scene. He organizes and hosts popular poetry events across Kent and Sussex, emphasizing inclusion and diversity. Lucas’s debut book, Of Few Words (Whisky and Beards Press, 2019), has been praised for its accessibility and seamless integration of visual design and language. His work has garnered admiration from notable poets like John Hegley and Joelle Taylor. Lucas hosts the monthly Flight Feathers event in Hastings, where experienced poets mentor newcomers, and has been a key figure in the promotion of the Poet Town project.

Oli Spleen was born and raised in Hastings. A poet, exhibiting artist, novelist and musician: his most recent albums include Gaslight Illuminations (2019) and Still Life (2022), the latter of which was also released as a poetry booklet. Like his novel Depravikazi, Still Life reflects on his experiences of almost dying from AIDS when he was 20. Oli has performed poetry alongside the likes of Kae Tempest, John Cooper Clarke and Joelle Taylor, as well as with his close friend Salena Godden. He contributed a poem to Disarm Hate, an album created to raise funds and awareness following Florida’s Pulse nightclub massacre.  An active figure in the creative scenes of Hastings and Brighton, Oli often performs with his band ‘The Smithmanthers’.

Merlin Pendragon is, in many ways, not a poet. He began with short stories, with attempts to play a film reel in the mind of readers. The minimalist, or parsimonious, style of Chuck Palahniuk appealed, then Raymond Carver—and always the language of film dialogue: how spaces that don’t look busy can actually be full to bursting. Then came the monk-like Charles Bukowski, and the crowning glory, Dylan Thomas. But Merlin still can’t claim to read or write good.

Reanna Valentine is an award-winning poet and disabled activist, known for their debut solo pamphlet Mad Again (Written Off) and the Saboteur Award-nominated Fragmented Light, co-authored with their grandmother Carolyn Reed. Reanna was shortlisted for the Zealous Amplify prize, longlisted for the Disabled Poets Prize and starred in the award-winning documentary Collections of Queer Poets. Since moving to Hastings in 2023, they have been actively involved in the local poetry scene, performing at various events and festivals.

Tim Barlow is a popular local poet, known for his witty poems and strong stage presence. A regular at local poetry events and festivals, he recently toured East Sussex libraries with Henry Normal, and performed the opening poem for the 2024 Hastings Book Festival, winning the slam competition at the festival the same year. His first collection Poems from the Edge of England takes a sideways look at society in a way that is sometimes serious, often funny and always entertaining.

Chris Anthemum’s poetry blends the personal and political, the mystical and mundane. Born in Epping in 1969 to Sri-Lankan and Austrian parents, and later adopted and raised in London by a Welsh father and Chinese mother, Chris went on to study extensively, achieving a PhD in Applied Mathematics. His diverse heritage and deep knowledge of science and maths inform his writing. His work, including the poems Colours and One Day the Sun were shortlisted in a competition judged by Margaret Atwood. Chris has performed their poetry in Hastings and Brighton, and currently lives near Hastings Castle.

Yellow and Green is an artist, writer, and spoken word poet living in Hastings. Navigating childhood trauma, motherhood and the world around them, their work is a raw, honest exploration of emotions, infused with light and healing. They have performed their poetry at various venues in Hastings, including The Observer Building, Hastings Contemporary, and The De La Warr Pavilion. Yellow and Green won the Hastings Book Festival poetry slam in 2023, gaining the opportunity to perform at the event ‘Salena Godden & Friends’ the same year.

POET TOWN SPECIAL for REFUGEE WEEK
Thursday 19 June – doors 7.30pm
The Printworks, 14 Claremont, Hastings TN34 1HA
It is recommended that you get your tickets in advance – the gig is free but donations for the Refugee Buddy Project are welcome.

Also in: Poetry

Poetry for Palestine open mic fundraiser on Sat 23 Nov »