Poetry Open Mic
Come join us at The Roasting Shed for a night of community and poetic exchange.
Whether you're a seasoned poet or just trying it out for the first time, our Poetry Open Mic is a warm inclusive place to share your creativity. Grab a cup of coffee, or wine, step up to the mic, and let your words flow. Open mic sign ups start at 6:30pm.
This month marks our second birthday and we have a couple of extraordinary headliners celebrating with us: Karen McCarthy Woold and Keith Jarret.
About our featured poets:
Born in London to English and Jamaican parents, Karen, FRSL, PhD, is the author of three poetry collections and editor of seven literary anthologies. Her novel in verse, Top Doll, was shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot Prize and her début, An Aviary of Small Birds was an Observer Book of the Year. Her poems are translated into Croatian, Dutch, Italian, Macedonian, Spanish and Turkish; have been exhibited by Poems on the Underground; produced as animation and dance; and dropped from a helicopter over the Houses of Parliament in a poetry ‘bombing’ by the Chilean collective Casagrande. Her latest collection, Unsafe, came out in February with Bloomsbury.
Keith Jarrett’s work explores Caribbean British identity, religion and sexuality. A multiple poetry slam champion, he was selected for the International Literary Showcase as an outstanding LGBT writer. His poem, ‘From the Logbook’, was projected onto St. Paul’s Cathedral. His play, Safest Spot in Town, was performed at the Old Vic and aired on BBC Four. Keith has judged the Commonwealth Short Story Prize, the Stephen Spender Translation Award and others. He appeared on the BAFTA-winning show Life & Rhymes with Benjamin Zephaniah. Keith holds a PhD from Birkbeck and teaches at New York University in London. Hide Me Under the Blood and I Shall Be Satisfied, his second poetry collection, was published in March 2026; his novel is forthcoming.
Sign ups start at 6:30pm
Poetry kicks off at 7pm
See you there!