Jawdance is London’s biggest poetry night featuring some of the best names on the Spoken Word scene. With a different line up every month each Jawdance is a unique experience and May is no exception! The next event takes place 7pm, Wednesday 15 May at Rich Mix in London!
May sees us welcome a plethora of poetic talent to the Jawdance stage, including Yomi Ṣode as host and a mouth-watering line up of Salena Godden, Jeremiah Brown and Chloë Clarke.
You could also get the chance to perform your poetry through our Open mic opportunity, add you name to the hat at the beginning of the evening and if you’re lucky then your name names could be drawn at random to perform! Everyone is welcome to add their name to the hat.
Jawdance is a supportive environment and welcomes first-timers and those who are well-seasoned.
Host: Yomi sode
Yomi Sode is an award winning Nigerian British writer. His debut collection Manorism, published by Penguin in October 2022 alongside a stage adaptation at the Southbank Centre, was shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize 2023 and the T S Eliot Prize 2022.
He was shortlisted for the Brunel International African Poetry Prize 2021 and received the Jerwood Compton Poetry Fellowship in 2019. Yomi’s acclaimed one-man show COAT toured nationally to sold-out audiences, including at the Brighton Festival, Roundhouse Camden and the Battersea Arts Centre.
In 2020, his libretto Remnants, written in collaboration with award-winning composer James B. Wilson and performed with Chineke! Orchestra premiered on BBC Radio 3. In 2021, his play, and breathe… premiered at the Almeida Theatre to rave reviews. Yomi is a Complete Works alumnus and a member of Malika’s Poetry Kitchen. He is the founder of BoxedIn, First Five, The Daddy Diaries and mentorship programme 12 in 12.
Insta: @yomi_sode Twitter (X): @YomiSode
Salena Godden
Salena Godden FRSL is an award-winning author, poet and broadcaster of Jamaican-mixed heritage.
Her debut novel Mrs Death Misses Death won the Indie Book Award for Fiction and the People’s Book Prize, and was shortlisted for the British Book Awards and the Gordon Burn Prize. Film and TV rights for Mrs Death Misses Death have been optioned by Idris Elba’s production company Green Door Pictures. Her work has been widely anthologised and broadcast on radio, TV and film.
She was inducted as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2022 and in 2023 became a patron of Hastings Book Festival and was awarded Honorary Fellowship at West Dean.
Insta: @salena.godden Twitter (X): @salenagodden
jEREMIAH brown
Jeremiah Brown is a Black British-Jamaican writer and actor based in Croydon. He creates art that explores relationship, mental health, family and faith.
He was one of the faces of Nationwide’s ‘Voices’ ad campaign, and was featured in the Evening Standard for his poem I’m Rooting For Everybody Black. His commissions include St Paul’s Cathedral, Thames Festival Trust, Apples and Snakes, and more.
Jeremiah has written features for Time Out and Wasafiri. He has sat on numerous panels, featured on a number of podcasts and performed at a variety of festivals including Lovebox, Citadel and Brainchild.
Instagram: @sugarjpoet
Chloë Clarke
Chloë Clarke is a queer, disabled poet raised in the midlands, living in London.
They have collaborated with the National Trust, The Turner, MAC Birmingham and the Teen Choice Book Awards. Their work has been featured in Under your Pillow – Victorina Press, Foyles Young Poet Anthology, Simply Love, A Collection of Poetry, and Dear Reader Magazine.
They’re currently exploring work on shame and how disabled bodies interact with the world.
Insta: @chloeclarkepoet Twitter (X): @chloeclarkepoet
Event Dates
Wednesday 15 May, 7pm
Rich Mix London
35-47 Bethnal Green Road, London E1 6LA
Tickets£5/£10