Off The Chest has been creating spaces for poetry since 2019. Formed by poets Iftikhar Latif and Ella Dorman-Gajic, our mission is to give a platform to poets of diverse backgrounds and celebrate original voices in the UK poetry scene. We do this by holding poetry events and workshops across England and online.
We’ve brought our poetry nights to venues like Rich Mix, Omnibus Theatre, Canada Water Theatre and more. This year, we ventured outside of London for the first time, to Hyde Park Book Club in Leeds. Our poetry events offer audience members a chance to perform their own poems as part of our renowned open mic, plus features from at least two highly acclaimed poets.
We are proudly supported by Arts Council England. You can find out more about our upcoming events and workshops here.
Our events showcase top UK poets. Previous features include the T.S. Eliot nominated poet Yomi Sode, Birmingham Poet Laureate Jasmine Gardousi, Forward Prize nominated poets Rachel Long, Cecilia Knapp, internationally acclaimed poet lisa luxx, plus many more.
We host regular workshops online, and sometimes in person. These are completely free, allowing aspiring poets to gain insights first-hand from leading poetry practitioners. Previous workshop facilitators include the award-winning poets Anthony Anaxagorou, Laurie Bolger and Ella Frears.
Want to collaborate with us for an event, workshop or something else? If so, drop us a line via our contact page!