The BIGGEST Off The Chest yet!
We aren’t exaggerating when we say that this may be the biggest, and most important event we’ve held since 2019. As many of you may know, Off The Chest is publishing a debut anthology that features over 30 poetic voices from all across the UK.
‘Spaces of Significance’ is a love-letter to spaces that hold a special place in the hearts of the contributing poets. The inspiration for this theme came from Off The Chest’s own relationships with spaces. Whether that was the HiLand cafe, where we put on our very first event, or the online spaces we inhabited during the COVID lockdown, or to the current day where we are now also in other cities such as Leeds and Brighton.
All these spaces are special as they’ve allowed us to connect the poetry community. It is, after all, our mission to create spaces for poetry. What’s beautiful about poetry events is that they are fairly low maintenance. At minimum, you just need a group of people willing to hear each other read in a space that is safe and easy to hear others in.
The anthology itself pays tribute to spaces where people grow, experience and feel emotion. We’re proud to have such a diverse range of spaces spoken about in these poems: from the UN Buffer Zone in Cyprus, to the girls’ club toilets, to a quaint hotel, to city living. And more.
The process of publishing this anthology was a new experience for us. Without the help of Bad Betty Press and Broken Sleep Books, none of this would have been possible. We are now excited to marry the release of our anthology with our passion on putting on events as we hold a space at Rich Mix on the 15th September to bring the anthology into the world.
The last time we were at Rich Mix was on the 7th September 2023 as part of our ‘A Night of Poetry’ event. It is always a great feeling returning to East London for an event as it was the birthplace of Off The Chest after all. As part of the event, we will have a selection of some of the anthology poets reading their poems from the book, two feature sets from our guests of honour - Anthony Anaxagorou and Kat François, and a chance to buy the book in person.
This is a big milestone in our journey as a poetry organisation, and the fact that we get to share this moment with our community is a huge privilege. If you’re a fan of Off The Chest, or you’ve not been to one of our events and want to see what all the fuss is about then we highly recommend that you come along. It will be all the things we are known for, on a bigger scale, in one amazing day.
Tickets can be purchased via the Rich Mix website. If you are not able to come but would like to order the anthology, check out our shop.
See Kat François and Anthony Anaxagorou perform feature sets on the 15th September, as well as readings from the anthology poets.