The Curzon is once again joining forces with the South West’s leading live poetry night, Raise the Bar! This time headlined by the legendary poet and playwright John Agard. With support from the brightest South West talent to be announced.
Raucous, energetic, poignant, life-affirming, Raise the Bar is a poetry night like you’ve never seen before. Expect poets, storytellers, lyricists, and wordsmiths of all kinds. Previous headliners have included Hollie McNish, Shane Koyczan, Benjamin Zephaniah and many more.
‘Out-loud reactions are encouraged…shaking off traditional theatre etiquette’–Bristol 24/7
‘One of the best poetry nights in the country’–Rafeef Ziadah
Presented in partnership with Renaissance One.
John Agard is a poet, playwright and short story writer who grew up in Guyana, well-known for his playful style and charismatic performances. Over his long career he has won many prizes, including the Smarties Book Prize, the 2012 Queen’s Gold Medal,the Paul Hamlyn Award, and the prestigious BookTrust Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021 for an outstanding contribution to children’s literature. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. His poems Half Caste and Checking Out Me History have been on the GCSE curriculum since 2002.
In 1993 he was appointed Writer in Residence at the Southbank Centre, London, and became Poet in Residence at the BBC in London, an appointment created as part of a scheme run by the Poetry Society. He also played a key role in the ‘Windrush’ season of programmes in 1998. He won the Paul Hamlyn Award for Poetry in 1997 and has travelled extensively throughout the world performing his poetry. His published poetry includes Man to Pan(1982), Limbo Dancer in Dark Glasses(1983), Mangoes and Bullets: Selected and New Poems 1972-84 (1985) and Weblines (2000). His collections for young readers include Windrush Child, The Young Inferno, a teenage spin on Dante’s Inferno, Einstein, The Girl Who Hated Maths and Hello H20, both illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura.
*there will be an opportunity to buy books and have them signed by John Agard at the end of the event.
Running time:
120 mins