The Common Press Poetry Nights is quickly becoming a popular night for writers and poets to showcase their work but also to launch poetry collections. We are thrilled to feature Same Story by Kayla Martell Feldman on 21st February from 6:30 pm -9:30 pm. Published by Verve Poetry Press, Same Story is a hopeful meditation on healing, and how we learn to live with trauma through connection and tenderness. The evening will also include readings from Kayla as well as Q&A.
Same Story effortlessly straddles the personal and political, navigating grief, friendship, misogyny, sex and family histories with an impressive deftness.– Rebecca Cooney, author of Where the Lights Come On
We invite all our poetry lovers to attend to listen to talented and powerful queer voices. The evening will be hosted by Livia Kojo Alour - an award-winning poet and writer. As well as hearing from our old favourites we'd love to hear from some new faces too - if you would like to read at the poetry night, drop arrive at 6:30 pm to sign up. There will also be spaces on the night to sign up and hop on stage. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that everyone on the list will get the opportunity to read, but we would like to fit in as many people as possible.
🍷 Please note this invite is BYOB, you are welcome to bring your drinks to enjoy the night. There will be lots of soft drinks and hot drinks available to purchase from our bookshop.
Schedule
6:30 pm - Doors open
7:00 pm - Same Story discussion and reading with Kayla Martell Feldman
7:45 pm - Break
8:00 pm - 9:00 - Open mic slots
9:00 - 9:30 pm - Mingle and socialise until close
About Same Story
Our bodies are described as temples, battlegrounds, playing fields. To be worshipped, weaponised, or toyed with. And yet, we are still telling the same stories over and over again. This raw and vulnerable collection explores the complexities of autonomy and intimacy as experienced in a body assigned female at birth, and the long-lasting effects of early messages about relationships and self-worth.
Kayla makes it impossible for you not to laugh, and/or cry with them. A gripping ode to womanhood; I too wish someone had told me the scented soap thing earlier! – Desree, author of I Find Myself In Simple Things
Author: Kayla Martell Feldman (she/they)
Kayla is a founding member of Sovereign Writers Group, a co-host of the Process spoken word poetry night, and an alum of the NO BORDERS Artists Project at the Royal Court Theatre and the Roundhouse Poetry Weekender. Their work has been published widely in the UK and North America. She has been featured on the Dead Darlings and Artists That Work podcasts, and won second place in the Crossing the Tees short story competition in 2023. They are a two-time Genesis Poetry Slam winner and have had work commissioned by JW3, Canada Water Theatre, Watch Your Mouth, Vashti Media, and The Narcissist Cookbook. Her play Watchdog was a top ten finalist for the Titchfield Festival Theatre Playwriting Award, received an honourable mention from the Jewish Playwriting Project, and was shortlisted for the RSC’s 37 Plays Project.
Host: Livia Kojo Alour
Livia Kojo Alour is an award-winning Nigerian–German–born poet, musician, and theatremaker based in London. Her solo show Black Sheep rose to critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2022. The show was awarded the Birds of Paradise Award for Exceptional Theatre. Livia is the author of Rising of the Black Sheep, a daring memoir-style poetry collection published by Polari Press London. She also has a 10-year touring career as a sword swallower under her belt. During this time she won several awards with different companies and performed a residency in Las Vegas. Her minimalist art piece the Female Sword Swallower’s Moon Calendar has been touring museums in Europe since 2019. In 2017 Livia held an inspirational TEDx talk about her life-threatening sword accident and overcoming fear. As a musician, she combines vocals and spoken word in a unique way to address cultural issues and speak about personal experiences. Livia’s show Black Sheep is scheduled for a second U.K. tour in autumn 2023 followed by a concert Europe tour as the supporting artist to Anne Clark.
Please note that the bar area is fully accessible, and includes disabled toilets.