That's What She Said

Are you ready for For Books’ Sake’s night of spoken word all written and performed by women? It's our last one before the summer (and our Edinburgh Fringe run, meep) so we're here to welcome a wide range of speakers. From slam poetry to storytelling, contemporary political thought to comedy - That's What She Said brings women’s voices to the forefront, while at the same time giving a platform to writers and performers we love.

Speaking on the night:

Joelle Taylor (@jtaylortrash) is an award winning poet, playwright, performer, critic and author with over 16 years’ experience of facilitating masterclasses in schools, colleges and universities across the country. A former UK slam champion, she founded the national youth slam championships SLAMbassadors in 2001 (making it the longest running youth slam in Europe) and remains the Artistic Director and National Coach. She has performed her poetry nationally and internationally (Greece, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Brazil, Finland, Indonesia) in venues ranging from the 100 Club to Buckingham Palace, and is the host Out-Spoken poetry and music club at The Forge in Camden. She was a featured poet in the film Page Fright, alongside Benjamin Zephaniah, Hollie McNish and Dizraeli. She also featured in the BBC documentary about spoken word in post Brexit Britain We Belong Here, alongside Lemn Sissay and Sabrina Mahfouz and recently appeared on Educating the East End and The One Show. Her novel The Woman Who Looked Through Walls is undergoing edits for publication in 2018.

Bridget Minamore (@bridgetminamore) has worked with the National Theatre and the Royal Opera House, and read her poems at places including the Roundhouse, Latitude Festival, the Bristol Old Vic and the Southbank Centre. She has spoken on panels and at events including #IRLpanel at Twitter UK and the London Festival of Education, and been a repeat guest on BBC Radio 4’s Women’s Hour and BBC Radio 5 live’s Good Week Bad Week. In 2011 she represented the UK at the International Biennale in Rome with Point Blank Poets, and in 2013 was shortlisted to be London’s first Young Poet Laureate. Bridget was chosen as one of The Hospital Club’s Emerging Creatives in 2015, and more recently, as one of Speaking Volumes’ ‘40 Stars of Black British Literature’. As a journalist, Bridget has written for publications like the Guardian, Pitchfork, The Pool, and The Debrief. She mostly writes about London, pop culture, race, and feminism, as well as the intersections between them. Her first pamphlet Titanic (Out-Spoken Press) came out in May 2016.

Otegha Uwagba (@OteghaUwagba) is the founder of Women Who, a platform she created to connect and support creative working women worldwide, and an endeavour inspired by her time working at some of London’s top ad agencies and cult youth brand Vice Media. Besides running Women Who, she is also a freelance writer and brand consultant. Otegha was born in Lagos, Nigeria and grew up in South London, where she lives still.

Bity Booker (@bitybooker) is a quirky folk singer, she performs with classical guitar and voice. With stories about a mouse, a sparrow, stars, trees and birds, each song is a character with a timeless personality and melody. Bity performs her own songs as well as songs from the Australian, English and American folk tradition. Bity grew up in Italy and lived her musical life between Australia and the UK. She is now based in SE London and performs her songs around the city’s folk clubs and venues.

Emily Morris (@myshitty20s) has an MA in Writing Studies from Edge Hill University. She is the author of My Shitty Twenties (published in July by Salt), based on the award-winning blog of the same name and is currently writing a sitcom and a YA novel. Emily teaches writing workshops to both adults and teenagers. She lives in Manchester with her son and is no longer in her twenties.

Margot Noel (@margotnoelsays) is a writer with experience working for advertising agencies, blogs and online magazines in Paris, Sydney, London, Amsterdam, Barcelona and Singapore. For the past six months, she has been writing a play. On post-its, and notebooks, and books, and even on her sheets, in the middle of the night. It will be her first time performing in front of an audience since this chaotic play she starred in at age 13 (also known as the end of her acting career).

Jessa Kazmin (@jessabobessa91) A recent graduate from the University of Warwick, she is an American writer who operates out of a marketing agency in Richmond, Surrey. When she isn’t pandering to geriatrics about luxury cruise-deals, she is writing off-beat “I-do-this, I-do-that” poetry often laced with disdain about the human race (with occasional glimmers of hope). She has been published both online and in print, but this will be her first time performing in London. Be nice and clap loudly – she’s shy (for an American).

Natalie Moores (@macandmoore) is a poet from Manchester currently living in London (soon to be Amsterdam). Balancing poem scribbling with running a business she has been published both in print and online in the UK and North America and is adamant to make the female voice heard across both the poetic and the professional worlds.

Limited open mic spots are available - it might be advisable to email paul@forbookssake.net if you have a burning desire to speak
out and speak up.

Get your tickets for only £7 now while you can, or come along on the night for £10 on the door.

And remember - For Books' Sake is a volunteer led, community organisation so all your pennies will be going back into championing women writers!