Upcoming events
The Big Say Owt Birthday Bash - 18th October 2024
B.Dolan (rapper from Rhode Island, USA) - 5th November 2024
Bad Betty Showcase & open mic - 25th November 2024
Say Owt Slam featuring Maria Ferguson - 21st February 2025
Luke Wight: Joy plus Olivia Mulligan - 19th March 2025
B.Dolan (rapper from Rhode Island, USA) - 5th November 2024
Bad Betty Showcase & open mic - 25th November 2024
Say Owt Slam featuring Maria Ferguson - 21st February 2025
Luke Wight: Joy plus Olivia Mulligan - 19th March 2025
The Big Say Owt 10th Birthday Bash
October 18th 2024
7.30pm
The Crescent
8 The Crescent, York, YO24 1AW
Tickets £8 or £13 available here. Choose whichever tier you want.
All tickets £15 on the door.
Nobody turned away due to lack of funds, email if you'd like to attend but finances are a barrier.
Yes folks! Say Owt’s first ever gig was in October 2014…which means this year we’re celebrating 10 years of sizzling spoken word poetry!
We’re hosting a special showcase of performance poets. Whether you’re a regular attendee, haven’t been for a while or never come before…everyone is welcome to this mega party!
Featuring friends in the scene RUTH AWOLOLA, CHLOE HANKS, CROW RUDD & ELIZABETH CHADWICK-PYWELL and special guest slot from TESTAMENT.
Testament is based in West Yorkshire, and his critically acclaimed work ties together strands of poetry, rap, lyricis. He is a Guinness world record breaking beatboxer. Testament has had numerous TV appearances on BBC, ITV and Sky Arts and is a has appeared on Radio 4 poetry show The Verb, BBC1xtra and Radio 6Music many times. Testament’s work has received praise from voices diverse as Alan Moore, Lauren Laverne, Mark Thomas and the progenitor of Hip-Hop himself, DJ Kool Herc.
We also have a special acoustic set from local legends EVERYTHING AFTER MIDNIGHT and there’ll be some strange surprises along the way, including a unique, unmissable SMALL SAY OWT SLAM hosted by previous Say Owt Champion SOPHIE SHEPHERD, founder of Rhyme Against The Tide down in Weston-Super-Mare.
Say Owt is not-for-profit, all money goes towards paying artists. Tickets are £8 or £13 in advance, choose whichever tier you want to pay. All tickets £15 on the door.
7.30pm
The Crescent
8 The Crescent, York, YO24 1AW
Tickets £8 or £13 available here. Choose whichever tier you want.
All tickets £15 on the door.
Nobody turned away due to lack of funds, email if you'd like to attend but finances are a barrier.
Yes folks! Say Owt’s first ever gig was in October 2014…which means this year we’re celebrating 10 years of sizzling spoken word poetry!
We’re hosting a special showcase of performance poets. Whether you’re a regular attendee, haven’t been for a while or never come before…everyone is welcome to this mega party!
Featuring friends in the scene RUTH AWOLOLA, CHLOE HANKS, CROW RUDD & ELIZABETH CHADWICK-PYWELL and special guest slot from TESTAMENT.
Testament is based in West Yorkshire, and his critically acclaimed work ties together strands of poetry, rap, lyricis. He is a Guinness world record breaking beatboxer. Testament has had numerous TV appearances on BBC, ITV and Sky Arts and is a has appeared on Radio 4 poetry show The Verb, BBC1xtra and Radio 6Music many times. Testament’s work has received praise from voices diverse as Alan Moore, Lauren Laverne, Mark Thomas and the progenitor of Hip-Hop himself, DJ Kool Herc.
We also have a special acoustic set from local legends EVERYTHING AFTER MIDNIGHT and there’ll be some strange surprises along the way, including a unique, unmissable SMALL SAY OWT SLAM hosted by previous Say Owt Champion SOPHIE SHEPHERD, founder of Rhyme Against The Tide down in Weston-Super-Mare.
Say Owt is not-for-profit, all money goes towards paying artists. Tickets are £8 or £13 in advance, choose whichever tier you want to pay. All tickets £15 on the door.
B.DOLAN
5th November 2024
7.30pm
The Fulford Arms, 121 Fulford Rd, York YO10 4EX
Tickets £12 advance, £15 on the door, available here.
Independent from the jump and fueled at times by willpower and community alone, B.DOLAN has expanded his creative influence beyond music into film, poetry, and songwriting over the past fifteen years. Known on stages around the world for his impassioned delivery, dynamic live performances, and dedication to challenging the norm, Dolan engages deeply in his craft while actively fostering a community among his fans and friends. With a crate's worth of LPs, mixtapes, and live projects already in his catalogue, the road-tested hip hop poet continues to navigate life, ageing, liberation, trauma, and post-lockdown culture with vulnerability and curiosity on his latest LP “The Wound is Not The Body”.
In the midst of a difficult upbringing, the Rhode Island native discovered solace and purpose in hip-hop. Scribbling his first rhymes in the early 90s at the age of 12, he found healing and political awareness in music, and an outlet to guide and make sense of his inner and outer worlds. He moved to New York, dropped out of school, and began performing at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in NYC in 2001, years later he crossed paths with Sage Francis, signed to his indie label Strange Famous, and began touring the world in 2005.
Support from York legend JARMOUSE: disco fiction, rave poetry and grief beats
7.30pm
The Fulford Arms, 121 Fulford Rd, York YO10 4EX
Tickets £12 advance, £15 on the door, available here.
Independent from the jump and fueled at times by willpower and community alone, B.DOLAN has expanded his creative influence beyond music into film, poetry, and songwriting over the past fifteen years. Known on stages around the world for his impassioned delivery, dynamic live performances, and dedication to challenging the norm, Dolan engages deeply in his craft while actively fostering a community among his fans and friends. With a crate's worth of LPs, mixtapes, and live projects already in his catalogue, the road-tested hip hop poet continues to navigate life, ageing, liberation, trauma, and post-lockdown culture with vulnerability and curiosity on his latest LP “The Wound is Not The Body”.
In the midst of a difficult upbringing, the Rhode Island native discovered solace and purpose in hip-hop. Scribbling his first rhymes in the early 90s at the age of 12, he found healing and political awareness in music, and an outlet to guide and make sense of his inner and outer worlds. He moved to New York, dropped out of school, and began performing at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe in NYC in 2001, years later he crossed paths with Sage Francis, signed to his indie label Strange Famous, and began touring the world in 2005.
Support from York legend JARMOUSE: disco fiction, rave poetry and grief beats
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Say Owt / Bad Betty Press Showcase
25th November 2024
7.30pm
Theatre@41
41 Monkgate, York, YO31 7PB, UK
Tickets £5 advance, £8 on the door, available here.
Teaming up for the fifth time, local gobheads Say Owt and award-winning publishers Bad Betty Press are delighted to present a showcase of performance poets delivering sharp sets of superb spoken word.
Expect humour, heart and hope, as Bad Betty Press brings three incredible poets to York in the form of Berlin-based JEMIMA FOXTROT and Essex-based JACKSON PHOENIX NASH, plus JOSHUA IDEHAN
Joshua is a British-born Nigerian based in Sweden. A spoken word artist, musician and facilitator, he has contributed poems to Mercury-nominated albums Channel The Spirits by The Comet Is Coming, Your Queen Is A Reptile and the Mobo-winning Black To The Future, both by Sons of Kemet.
Say Owt will also host a lovely little open mic (sign up on the door).
Joshua Idehen has worked with LA electronic maestro Daedelus on the critically acclaimed mini LP, Holy Water Over Sons. In 2023, he continued his journey as a solo musical artist, collaborating with producer Ludvig Parment (Saturday, Monday) on his mixtape Learn To Swim, released to critical acclaim and support, leading to a performance in front of the King of Sweden and (more importantly) Angelique Kidjo at the 2023 Polar Prize Award show (TV4).
Jemima Foxtrot is a writer, performer and theatre-maker from Yorkshire, living in Berlin. She has written and performed several critically acclaimed works for the stage including Melody, Above the Mealy-mouthed Sea, and Pleasure Incorporated with collaborator Lucy Allan and Rear View with I.O.U Theatre. She has published two collections of poetry All Damn Day (Burning Eye Books 2016) and A New Game (Burning Eye Books 2022).
Jackson Phoenix Nash is a transgender writer from Essex, and Lambda fellow. He has a PhD in Gender Studies with a thesis on trans representation in YA fiction
7.30pm
Theatre@41
41 Monkgate, York, YO31 7PB, UK
Tickets £5 advance, £8 on the door, available here.
Teaming up for the fifth time, local gobheads Say Owt and award-winning publishers Bad Betty Press are delighted to present a showcase of performance poets delivering sharp sets of superb spoken word.
Expect humour, heart and hope, as Bad Betty Press brings three incredible poets to York in the form of Berlin-based JEMIMA FOXTROT and Essex-based JACKSON PHOENIX NASH, plus JOSHUA IDEHAN
Joshua is a British-born Nigerian based in Sweden. A spoken word artist, musician and facilitator, he has contributed poems to Mercury-nominated albums Channel The Spirits by The Comet Is Coming, Your Queen Is A Reptile and the Mobo-winning Black To The Future, both by Sons of Kemet.
Say Owt will also host a lovely little open mic (sign up on the door).
Joshua Idehen has worked with LA electronic maestro Daedelus on the critically acclaimed mini LP, Holy Water Over Sons. In 2023, he continued his journey as a solo musical artist, collaborating with producer Ludvig Parment (Saturday, Monday) on his mixtape Learn To Swim, released to critical acclaim and support, leading to a performance in front of the King of Sweden and (more importantly) Angelique Kidjo at the 2023 Polar Prize Award show (TV4).
Jemima Foxtrot is a writer, performer and theatre-maker from Yorkshire, living in Berlin. She has written and performed several critically acclaimed works for the stage including Melody, Above the Mealy-mouthed Sea, and Pleasure Incorporated with collaborator Lucy Allan and Rear View with I.O.U Theatre. She has published two collections of poetry All Damn Day (Burning Eye Books 2016) and A New Game (Burning Eye Books 2022).
Jackson Phoenix Nash is a transgender writer from Essex, and Lambda fellow. He has a PhD in Gender Studies with a thesis on trans representation in YA fiction
Say owt slam
featuring: Maria ferguson
Feruary 21st 2025
7.30pm
The Crescent
8 The Crescent, York, YO24 1AW
Establsished in 2014, Say Owt Slam is a raucous evening of poet vs poet in a fun night of verse. Poets have three minutes to wow the audience and be crowed a Slam Champion! Expect poetry with humour and heart, comedy and charisma, stories and sizzling spoken word! Hosted by the loveable Say Owt gang.
"What the Say Owt crew have built and cultivated is an event that feels simultaneously welcoming and inclusive, whilst pushing standards to levels of top quality entertainment. Loved it."
- Polarbear, poet & story-teller.
Fancy taking part in the slam? Email [email protected] to get a slot, or find out more information.
We prioritise people living in York and the surrounding villages.
Featuring guest poet Maria Ferguson. Her poetry has been widely anthologised and published in literary magazines such as Magma, The Rialto, The North and The Poetry Review. Her debut collection, Alright, Girl? (Burning Eye, 2020), was Highly Commended in the Forward Prizes. On the stage, her one-woman show Fat Girls Don’t Dance (Oberon, 2017) won the Saboteur Award for Best Spoken Word Show; Essex Girl (Oberon, 2019) was shortlisted for the Tony Craze Award and won Show of the Week at VAULT Festival. She has been commissioned by the Royal Academy of Art, Stylist magazine, The Bronte Parsonage and BBC Radio. She is the Associate Producer of LIVEwire Poetry and teaches creative writing in a variety of settings. Her second poetry collection, Swell, will be published by Penguin in 2025.
7.30pm
The Crescent
8 The Crescent, York, YO24 1AW
Establsished in 2014, Say Owt Slam is a raucous evening of poet vs poet in a fun night of verse. Poets have three minutes to wow the audience and be crowed a Slam Champion! Expect poetry with humour and heart, comedy and charisma, stories and sizzling spoken word! Hosted by the loveable Say Owt gang.
"What the Say Owt crew have built and cultivated is an event that feels simultaneously welcoming and inclusive, whilst pushing standards to levels of top quality entertainment. Loved it."
- Polarbear, poet & story-teller.
Fancy taking part in the slam? Email [email protected] to get a slot, or find out more information.
We prioritise people living in York and the surrounding villages.
Featuring guest poet Maria Ferguson. Her poetry has been widely anthologised and published in literary magazines such as Magma, The Rialto, The North and The Poetry Review. Her debut collection, Alright, Girl? (Burning Eye, 2020), was Highly Commended in the Forward Prizes. On the stage, her one-woman show Fat Girls Don’t Dance (Oberon, 2017) won the Saboteur Award for Best Spoken Word Show; Essex Girl (Oberon, 2019) was shortlisted for the Tony Craze Award and won Show of the Week at VAULT Festival. She has been commissioned by the Royal Academy of Art, Stylist magazine, The Bronte Parsonage and BBC Radio. She is the Associate Producer of LIVEwire Poetry and teaches creative writing in a variety of settings. Her second poetry collection, Swell, will be published by Penguin in 2025.
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luke wright: joy
March 19th 2025
7.30pm
The Crescent
8 The Crescent, York, YO24 1AW
Plus support from BBC Radio York’s Poet Laureate Olivia Mulligan
Following the smash hit success of his Silver Jubilee show (“the best thing he’s done and that’s saying something.” ★★★★★ Telegraph) Luke Wright returns with a new of set poems that get to grips with the idea of JOY. Is it possible, as a 42 year old, to feel pure unbridled happiness, and what does it look like?
The French novelist Henry de Montherlant said that “happiness writes white” but Wright’s not exactly starting with a blank page. With a mix of the of the comic and the wistful, JOY takes in consumerism, boozing, cancer scares, abseiling vicars, and the joy of language itself. We might have to go down to come up, but we’ll get there in the end. Come let a little joy into your life with a raconteur and wordsmith at the top of his game.
“Breathtaking … with a sharpness and wisdom that lifts the soul, and soothes the battered heart.” ★★★★ The Scotsman
“A winning combination of honesty, humour, ire and wonder. He is at the peak of his powers.” ★★★★★ The Stage
“Britain’s finest performance poet.” ★★★★★ Life As Theatre
Supported by Colchester Arts Centre
Performing a support slot before Luke's show is Olivia Mulligan, a poet and children's author. Passionate about sharing uplifting material with others, Olivia performs her poems at gigs and festivals, she runs poetry workshops for both children and adults and at the start of 2021, she was appointed BBC Radio York’s Poet Laureate.
7.30pm
The Crescent
8 The Crescent, York, YO24 1AW
Plus support from BBC Radio York’s Poet Laureate Olivia Mulligan
Following the smash hit success of his Silver Jubilee show (“the best thing he’s done and that’s saying something.” ★★★★★ Telegraph) Luke Wright returns with a new of set poems that get to grips with the idea of JOY. Is it possible, as a 42 year old, to feel pure unbridled happiness, and what does it look like?
The French novelist Henry de Montherlant said that “happiness writes white” but Wright’s not exactly starting with a blank page. With a mix of the of the comic and the wistful, JOY takes in consumerism, boozing, cancer scares, abseiling vicars, and the joy of language itself. We might have to go down to come up, but we’ll get there in the end. Come let a little joy into your life with a raconteur and wordsmith at the top of his game.
“Breathtaking … with a sharpness and wisdom that lifts the soul, and soothes the battered heart.” ★★★★ The Scotsman
“A winning combination of honesty, humour, ire and wonder. He is at the peak of his powers.” ★★★★★ The Stage
“Britain’s finest performance poet.” ★★★★★ Life As Theatre
Supported by Colchester Arts Centre
Performing a support slot before Luke's show is Olivia Mulligan, a poet and children's author. Passionate about sharing uplifting material with others, Olivia performs her poems at gigs and festivals, she runs poetry workshops for both children and adults and at the start of 2021, she was appointed BBC Radio York’s Poet Laureate.
