Young Poets Showcase

Join the latest cohort of Young Poets in the Conservatory for an afternoon of poetry workshops, installations, and performances.

Young Poets is an artist development initiative and community for those who wish to explore what’s possible for their poetry and creative expression. Through an 8 month programme, the group generates new writing, experiments with different ways of working, and refines a selection of new work towards a publication, performance, or presentation.

Tagged with: Talks & events Theatre & dance Young Barbican

Please note: Some of the work explores themes and issues pertinent to the group, which may be of a mature/distressing nature and may include strong language. Specific topics include: abortion, alcoholism, blood, chronic pain, domestic violence, gore, grief, hospitalisation, illness, OCD, motherhood, self-harm, sex/sexuality, sexual assault, slavery in the USA, suicide.

For any further information email [email protected]

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Timings

In-person
General Admission tickets grant ticket holders to a full day of in-person poetry workshops (first come, first served), installations, and performances. Doors open at 12pm.

Poetry installations
Conservatory, 12:00-17:15
Experimental poetry installations created by members of the group will be available to view in the Conservatory (both levels) for the duration of the event.

Physics and Poetry with Barbican Young Poet, Alex Chand
Conservatory Terrace, 12:15-13:30
In this writing workshop, participants will consider how to work with physics in their poetry (all levels welcome). Whether you're interested in engaging with scientific concepts in your poems, or a scientist looking for a way into poetry, this workshop is for you. We'll look at poems by both dead and contemporary poets writing about the cosmos and engage with some of the science behind black holes. Attendees will participate in a generative writing exercise. Spaces on a first come, first served basis.

Knotsense with Barbican Young Poet, Marianne Habeshaw, and guest artist, Sarabi Hawke
Conservatory Well, 12:15-13:30
Exploring poetic form and structure inspired by crochet patterns, led by Marianne Habeshaw, with guest crochet artist, Sarabi Hawke. This is a chance to experiment between visual and written forms to develop your own creative skills. We’ll be using a multi-disciplinary approach to look at how Sarabi’s crochet art piece, Enjoy the Power of Unity, can ignite new collaborative ways to knot words together. Spaces on a first come, first served basis.

Barbican Young Poets Performance
14:15-16:40
With live and recorded poetry performances from the 2023 Barbican Young Poets cohort, featuring work created during the programme.

Online
14:15-16:40
A limited number of free tickets are available for live streamed performances only. An email with link for the live stream will be sent to you closer to the time.

Digital Programme