The Poetry Spa

01/02/2024

The 2024 Bath Spa Uni Slam team are fundraising towards the costs of competing. Whilst this year the University (Writing, Publishing and the Humanities department) have given us a block of funding to help cover our registration fee, travel, accommodation and coaching for 6 poets and 3 coaches, they asked us to try to fundraise towards those costs.

Donate: https://ko-fi.com/bathspaunislamteam

The hotels alone for this event are £1073, to give some scale of the costs. But the university have only asked us to fundraise £560. We've already raised £90 towards those costs, but we have a long way to go. So if you have a couple quid, please donate, if not, please share and come see them perform on February 20th! The event details for that are here: https://fb.me/e/3dfBG4i8b

17/01/2024

Last night was a blast!! We hope you enjoyed it too, and you go follow our incredible headliner Sam J. Grudgings!

Photo by 📸

We return to the SU next month on February 20th with our Bath Spa Uni Slam special - where your six representatives will perform some of their poems and we will of course have our open mic! We can’t wait to see you and your poems there! 🥰

We will drop a poster and open the open mic list soon so watch this space 😍

15/01/2024

Tomorrow night !

05/01/2024

New year, new event, and we are bringing a literal god to the SU on January 16th!! Sam J. Grudgings!! Check this out and our open mic list is now open! 🥰

https://www.facebook.com/share/jSzkzmGtN2iSMc5U/?mibextid=9l3rBW

23/11/2023

TONIGHT, Hear My Voice returns! Grab your tickets and your open mic slots and come on down for some delicious spoken word!

💜 NOVEMBER 23RD 2023 💜

Hear My Voice, the LGBTQIA+ spoken word poetry night, returns to the incredible in Bath with two dazzling headliners .greifer and and our beloved open mic!

💜 TOM DENBIGH 💜

Tom Denbigh is a Bristol based poet and playwright. Exploring the q***r experience alongside tales of friends and strangers, Tom’s writing toys with myth, devilish humour, and absurdity, to portray the bizarre and brilliant in the everyday. He is a producer at Milk Poetry, a BBC1Xtra Words First winner and has facilitated writing workshops for groups of students from the UK and abroad. Outside of poetry Tom has a PhD on plant roots and soil erosion. His first collection “…and then she ate him” is published with Burning Eye Books.

💜 RAINA GREIFER 💜

Raina Greifer (she/they) is a Bristol-based theatre maker and producer interested in exploring themes around s*x, consent, and grief. Her work uses puppetry, poetry, and comedy, often examining the intersection between pop culture, the personal, and the political. They were shortlisted for the SH24: Sexual Health Awards 2022 as Young Person of the Year and were a BBC Words First Finalist in 2021. Her solo show MANIC won Best Solo Show at Fuse International in 2022 and was shortlisted for the 2023 Sabateour Awards. MANIC has toured across the UK to venues like Theatre Royal Plymouth, Theatre Royal Bath and To***co Factory Theatre. Raina loves talking about being h***y. She loves being dramatic about it.

🎤 The Open Mic ✒️

OPEN NOW! 7 open mic slots available to prebook (just drop a comment, DM, or an email after you have booked and we’ll reserve the first 7 people a spot) or if you miss that there will be 5 open mic slots available on the door on the night!🌟

🎟️ https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/bath/rondo-theatre/hear-my-voice-the-lgbtq-poetry-night/e-xrgvbj

Fb Event Page: https://facebook.com/events/s/hear-my-voice-the-lgbtq-poetry/301800899456283/

🎟️✌️✨💜

13/11/2023

Sign ups continue all the way up til the start of the event tomorrow so come through! https://facebook.com/events/s/the-poetry-spa-unislam-selecti/237565399301586/

03/11/2023

🛁 THE POETRY SPA x UNI SLAM crossover 🫧

This months Poetry Spa is a little different to our other events, as we make room for the Bath Spa UniSlam selection slam!

This event is for current Bath Spa students to compete for a space on the UniSlam team, receive weekly coaching from Kate, Emma and Ellie, and go to the UniSlam event March 15th - 18th and perform. The judges will select a team of 5 poets and 1 reserve, all of whom will do the coaching and go to the competition.

You can sign up on the night, but if you know you wanna slam in advance please let us know because knowing the numbers can help us plan the event better! If you have questions about the slam or UniSlam process just message us!

7pm doors, 7.30pm start (but the SU is open before this if you want to get food or drinks and settle in!). We ask for a suggested donation on the door of around £4, but this is optional (it just helps us keep the event running). Find us on Facebook and twitter too!

INTRODUCING, OUR HEADLINER..

💛 Cal Wensley is a Bristol based poet and event organiser who writes on the death of their father with all of the intensity of someone who doesn’t want to admit that their father is dead (their words!)

They have been a part of the Bristol poetry scene for well over half a decade and have compered numerous events during that time, including Hammer & Tongue Bristol, Craftwords Open Mic, and Bristol Tonic. As well as co-coaching the Bath Spa UniSlam team for the past three years. Cal never ceases to use every waking moment to bring others joy and welcome people in to the world of poetry, and we are so delighted to have them perform as we select our next UniSlam team. 💛

https://facebook.com/events/s/the-poetry-spa-unislam-selecti/237565399301586/ 🎟️

30/10/2023

We just wanted to make a post busting some common UniSlam myths before our selection slam on November 14th!

If you know you want to compete please let us know asap so we can organise the night, but you can show up on the night and put your name down if you need to.

----

Uni Slam is an annual inter-university poetry competition in which Universities are represented by teams made up of 4 or 5 poets who compete! Uni Slam will be March 15th - 17th (although its worth noting that Bath Spa will travel home on March 18th so you need to be available for those dates).

The selection slam is open to ANY current Bath Spa University student who wants a place on the team. The judges will judge each performance only (their decisions will be based solely on your performances in the slam, and not whether you've competed or slammed before for example) and pick 5 poets to form the team, and one reserve who will train alongside the team in case something happens. These six poets plus their coaching team will then attend the UniSlam festival event in Birmingham where they will compete, but also have access to industry titan-lead workshops, showcases and performances.

To enter the selection slam check the following

- Are you a current Bath Spa student? (this includes any course, including postgraduates!)

- Are you up for giving a few hours a week to commit to the coaching process?

- Do you want to improve and network in the world of spoken word?

- Do you have an original poem, that you wrote, that is 3 minutes or less to perform at the selection slam?

- Can you make November 14th at 7pm? (If not, we can take a video submissions BY NOV 12th! but nothing compares to live performance! So if you can make it, please do! It gives you the best chance to impress).

Any other questions? 🥰

28/10/2023

🛁 THE POETRY SPA 🫧
This months Poetry Spa is a little different to our other events, as we make room for the Bath Spa UniSlam selection slam!

This event is for current Bath Spa students to compete for a space on the UniSlam team, receive weekly coaching from Kate, Emma and Ellie, and go to the UniSlam event March 15th - 18th and perform. The judges will select a team of 5 poets and 1 reserve, all of whom will do the coaching and go to the competition.

You can sign up on the night, but if you know you wanna slam in advance please let us know because knowing the numbers can help us plan the event better! If you have questions about the slam or UniSlam process just message us!

7pm doors, 7.30pm start (but the SU is open before this if you want to get food or drinks and settle in!). We ask for a suggested donation on the door of around £4, but this is optional (it just helps us keep the event running). Find us on Facebook and twitter too!

INTRODUCING, OUR HEADLINER..

💛 Cal Wensley is a Bristol based poet and event organiser who writes on the death of their father with all of the intensity of someone who doesn’t want to admit that their father is dead (their words!)

They have been a part of the Bristol poetry scene for well over half a decade and have compered numerous events during that time, including Hammer & Tongue Bristol, Craftwords Open Mic, and Bristol Tonic. As well as co-coaching the Bath Spa UniSlam team for the past three years. Cal never ceases to use every waking moment to bring others joy and welcome people in to the world of poetry, and we are so delighted to have them perform as we select our next UniSlam team. 💛

https://facebook.com/events/s/the-poetry-spa-unislam-selecti/237565399301586/ 🎟️

27/10/2023

Poetry pals! Red Sky Sessions are about to start again! For those of you who don't know what that is, its a FREE online artist development program. You meet every Wednesday evening on Zoom (only the session leader is visible so you can be in your PJs) and you get a guest lecture from an industry leader, and then usually writing exercises related to that weeks ideas.

It is designed for artists of any age, at any stage of their development (but over 18's).

This year the course leader is Laurie Bolger and the guest tutors are Caroline Bird, Inua Ellams, Safiya Kamaria Kinshasa, Hannah Lowe and Toby Campion

You will not get such high quality education anywhere else for free. Its literally a ridiculous programme so if you are free Wednesday evenings, sign up.

More info and registration is here https://applesandsnakes.org/event/red-sky-sessions/

20/10/2023

Bath Spa students!

We are hosting an information session and Q&A on Sunday 22nd at 1pm in Commons (keep an eye on our socials for the room number as we get it confirmed) with the Poetry Society () so feel free to come along, find out more about the process or message us if you have questions!

If you know you want to compete please let us know asap so we can organise the night, but you can show up on the night and put your name down if you need to.

----

Uni Slam is an annual inter-university poetry competition in which Universities are represented by teams made up of 4 or 5 poets who compete! Uni Slam will be March 15th - 17th (although its worth noting that Bath Spa will travel home on March 18th so you need to be available for those dates).

The selection slam is open to ANY current Bath Spa University student who wants a place on the team. The judges will judge each performance only (their decisions will be based solely on your performances in the slam, and not whether you've competed or slammed before for example) and pick 5 poets to form the team, and one reserve who will train alongside the team in case something happens. These six poets plus their coaching team will then attend the UniSlam festival event in Birmingham where they will compete, but also have access to industry titan-lead workshops, showcases and performances.

To enter the selection slam check the following

- Are you a current Bath Spa student? (this includes any course, including postgraduates!)

- Are you up for giving a few hours a week to commit to the coaching process?

- Do you want to improve and network in the world of spoken word?

- Do you have an original poem, that you wrote, that is 3 minutes or less to perform at the selection slam?

- Can you make November 14th at 7pm? (If not, we can take a video submissions BY NOV 12th! but nothing compares to live performance! So if you can make it, please do! It gives you the best chance to impress).

19/10/2023

12/10/2023

One week to go until 🛁 THE POETRY SPA 🫧
A warm, inclusive live event for poetry, spoken word, slam poetry and page poetry. With local headliners and open mic spaces (3 minutes per poet) for YOU to perform!

7pm doors, 7.30pm start (but the SU is open before this if you want to get food or drinks and settle in!). We ask for a suggested donation on the door of around £4, but this is optional (it just helps us keep the event running). Find us on Facebook and twitter too!

There are 7 open mic slots available to pre-reserve (drop a comment to secure one!) and more open mic slots available first-come first-serve on the door at the event!

INTRODUCING, OUR HEADLINERS... &

🖤 Ellie Jenkins is a Bristolian poet who recently graduated from studying Creative Writing at Bath Spa University. Whether it’s a discussion on classism, s*xuality, or the beauty of a ripe red pepper, it is likely that Ellie Jenkins has a poem for it. She hopes you will join her writing journey—though no promises that it will be a sane one!
A Verve Poetry Festival Highly Commended poet, who supported 1990s Chris on his Farewell Old England tour and has previously been published in magazines such as Ink, Sweat and Tears and Anthropocene. 🖤

💛 Emma Taylor is a multi-slam-winning spoken word artist, event organiser, and performer based in Bath. In 2023 she became a Bristol Slam Champion and placed 2nd in the Farrago UK Slam Championship.
Emma is a UniSlam finalist, Oooh Beehive slam winner and proud founder of Hear My Voice: the LGBTQIA+ Poetry Night (next event September 30th at the Rondo Theatre)
Emma has failed her driving test seven times. She maintains that she is simply ‘too bis*xual to drive’. 💛

💛🖤 Emma and Ellie are excited to joined Kathryn O'Driscoll as co-coaches of the 2024 Bath Spa UniSlam team. So if you’re interested in poetry slams, or just want to know more about how they work, come and say hi! Or send us a message for more information. 🖤💛

https://fb.me/e/11LPeqFsS 🎟️

10/10/2023

It’s one week to go before our first Poetry Spa at the bar and YOU could join us on the stage!

🛁 THE POETRY SPA 🫧
A warm, inclusive live event for poetry, spoken word, slam poetry and page poetry. With local headliners and open mic spaces (3 minutes per poet) for YOU to perform!

7pm doors, 7.30pm start (but the SU is open before this if you want to get food or drinks and settle in!). We ask for a suggested donation on the door of around £4, but this is optional (it just helps us keep the event running). Find us on Facebook and twitter too!

We will also be talking about Uni Slam, the inter-University annual slam and how you audition to be considered to join the team (of 5 poets plus one reserve) to go to the competition in Birmingham in March!

INTRODUCING, OUR HEADLINERS... Emma Taylor and Ellie Jenkins!

💛 🖤 Emma and Ellie are excited to joined Kathryn O'Driscoll as co-coaches of the 2024 Bath Spa UniSlam team. So if you’re interested in poetry slams, or just want to know more about how they work, come and say hi! Or send us a message for more information. 🖤 💛

🎟️ https://fb.me/e/11LPeqFsS

Event is held in the Bath Spa University Students Union Bar (Newton Park campus) BA2 9BN. But this event is open to students and the general public.

02/10/2023

🛁 THE POETRY SPA 🫧
A warm, inclusive live event for poetry, spoken word, slam poetry and page poetry. With local headliners and open mic spaces (3 minutes per poet) for YOU to perform!

7pm doors, 7.30pm start (but the SU is open before this if you want to get food or drinks and settle in!). We ask for a suggested donation on the door of around £4, but this is optional (it just helps us keep the event running). Find us on Facebook and twitter too!

There are some open mic slots available to pre-reserve (drop a comment to secure one!) and more open mic slots available first-come first-serve on the door at the event!

INTRODUCING, OUR HEADLINERS... &

🖤 Ellie Jenkins is a Bristolian poet who recently graduated from studying Creative Writing at Bath Spa University. Whether it’s a discussion on classism, s*xuality, or the beauty of a ripe red pepper, it is likely that Ellie Jenkins has a poem for it. She hopes you will join her writing journey—though no promises that it will be a sane one!
A Verve Poetry Festival Highly Commended poet, who supported 1990s Chris on his Farewell Old England tour and has previously been published in magazines such as Ink, Sweat and Tears and Anthropocene. 🖤

💛 Emma Taylor is a multi-slam-winning spoken word artist, event organiser, and performer based in Bath. In 2023 she became a Bristol Slam Champion and placed 2nd in the Farrago UK Slam Championship.
Emma is a UniSlam finalist, Oooh Beehive slam winner and proud founder of Hear My Voice: the LGBTQIA+ Poetry Night (next event September 30th at the Rondo Theatre)
Emma has failed her driving test seven times. She maintains that she is simply ‘too bis*xual to drive’. 💛

💛🖤 Emma and Ellie are excited to joined Kathryn O'Driscoll as co-coaches of the 2024 Bath Spa UniSlam team. So if you’re interested in poetry slams, or just want to know more about how they work, come and say hi! Or send us a message for more information. 🖤💛

https://fb.me/e/11LPeqFsS 🎟️

22/09/2023

We are delighted to announce that our debut event will be on October 17th at the Bath Spa University Students' Union bar and will feature Bath Spa alumni AND two of the three coaches for the 2024 Bath Spa UniSlam team, Emma Taylor and Ellie Jenkins!

Ellie Jenkins is a Bristolian poet who recently graduated from studying Creative Writing at Bath Spa University. Whether it’s a discussion on classism, s*xuality, or the beauty of a ripe red pepper, it is likely that Ellie Jenkins has a poem for it. She hopes you will join her writing journey—though no promises that it will be a sane one!

A Verve Poetry Festival Highly Commended poet, who supported 1990s Chris on his Farewell Old England tour and has previously been published in magazines such as Ink, Sweat and Tears and Anthropocene.

AND

Emma Taylor is a multi-slam-winning spoken word artist, event organiser, and performer based in Bath. In 2023 she became a Bristol Slam Champion and placed 2nd in the Farrago UK Slam Championship.

Emma is a UniSlam finalist, Oooh Beehive slam winner and proud founder of Hear My Voice: the LGBTQIA+ Poetry Night (next event September 30th at the Rondo Theatre)

Emma has failed her driving test seven times. She maintains that she is simply ‘too bis*xual to drive’.

Emma and Ellie are excited to joined Kathryn O'Driscoll as co-coaches of the 2024 Bath Spa UniSlam team. So if you’re interested in poetry slams, or just want to know more about how they work, come and say hi!

FB event page: https://fb.me/e/11LPeqFsS


Limited open mic slots available to pre-reserve (open to students and the general public) and some slots will be available on the door at the event too.

30/08/2023

We will announce details of each event in the month leading up to it, including headliners and taking requests for the open mic slots!

Our events are open to the public so that students can meet and see poetry from local artists, but we do ask for an optional donation towards the costs of the event on the door. 🥰

The Poetry Spa is run by a group of Bath Spa alumni and local event organisers (Kathryn O’Driscoll, Emma Taylor and Ellie Jenkins) combining forces with current students to create this welcoming sharing space.