Out-Spoken
London's premier night of poetry and live music
Out-Spoken is a poetry organisation that celebrates diversity of voice in writing and performance. Through live events, tours and publication it gives a platform to artists whose work is innovative, authentic and plural.
Founded in 2012 by Anthony Anaxagorou, Out-Spoken is run by Anthony, Karim Kamar, Sam ‘Junior’ Bromfield, Joelle Taylor and Tom MacAndrew.
"Out-Spoken is an exhilarating, vibrant, life-affirming and belief-challenging experience.”
- Simon Armitage, Poet Laureate
Credit Pete Woodhead
Out-Spoken Live at Southbank Centre
Out-Spoken Live invites leading UK and international poets, rappers and musicians to share their work at a dynamic monthly Live event. Since May 2019, Out-Spoken has been resident at London’s Southbank Centre, programming some of the world’s leading poets, including: Simon Armitage, Brian Patten, Claudia Rankine, Danez Smith, Ilya Kaminsky, Kae Tempest, Morgan Parker and many more.
Find dates and tickets on the Southbank Centre website.
Credit Pete Woodhead
Masterclasses
Out-Spoken runs monthly masterclasses hosted by Southbank Centre, offering the chance to work with leading poets to develop your writing.
Prize for poetry
Running between 2015-2023, Out-Spoken's prize for poetry recognised excellence in page poetry, poetry performance and poetry film, offering a £700 prize to the overall winner. Former winners include: Fran Lock, Sanah Ahsan, Jolade Olusanya, Colin McGuire and Mukahang Limbu
"Everything you wanted a poetry night to be... so so good"
- BBC Radio London
"Calling Out-Spoken a poetry night is akin to calling The Beatles just a boy band."
- Everything Theatre
Credit Pete Woodhead
Out-Spoken Press
Out-Spoken Press is an independent publisher of poetry and critical writing which aims to challenge a lack of diversity in publishing. The Press has been shortlisted for the British Book Awards’ Small Publisher of the Year in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2024. Press titles have won the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, and been shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio and Forward Prizes.
Out-Spoken Press titles include […] by Fady Joudah, shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best Collection, and Cane, Corn and Gully by Safiya Kamaria Kinshasa, shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best First Collection, the Rathbones Folio Prize.
