Spork! presents an October spoken-word comedy and poetry special at Exeter Phoenix on Tuesday 25 October with Kevin P. Gilday and multiple slam champion Kathryn O’Driscoll.
A Dead Poets Slam will also see three famous poets rise from the dead for one night, brought to life by contemporary artists.
Kevin P. Gilday. Photo © Rhianonne Stone.
Kevin P. Gilday is an award-winning poet, writer and performer from Glasgow.
He is a National Theatre of Scotland Breakthrough Writer, a BBC Writersroom Scottish Voice, founder of poetry performance collective The Scribbler’s Union and co-founder of spoken word cabaret night Sonnet Youth.
He has published four books of poetry. Sad Songs for White Boys brings together nearly ten years of work and Anxiety Music, his most recent collection, has just been published by Verve.
He has also released two albums as Kevin P. Gilday & The Glasgow Cross in collaboration with multi-instrumentalist Ralph Hector and has twice been shortlisted for the Scottish Short Play of the Year Award for his theatre work.
Kathryn O’Driscoll
Kathryn O’Driscoll is a spoken word poet, writer and activist from Bath who talks openly about disabilities, mental health, gender politics and LGBTQIA+ issues and joys in her wide range of poems.
She is a UK slam champion and world slam finalist, and was longlisted for the Out-Spoken performance poetry prize and the Saboteur Award for best spoken word earlier this year.
She is the founder of the Sword Forge Collective and CandleLit Sessions, for which she produced four episodes of curated poetry on the theme of mental health as part of PBH’s Free Fringe at the Edinburgh Festival.
Her debut collection Cliff Notes was published by Verve in February.
Spork! is a community-led producer of spoken word works. It was founded in 2018 by Exeter poet and artist Chris White.
It holds regular events in Exeter venues that feature local talent with line-ups from across the UK and offers a year-round programme of writing and performance workshops and an artist development programme.
Spork! works with a range of community partners from Newcourt Community Centre to Mothers Who Make. It has programmed drag queens, brass bands and rappers as well as some of the best spoken-word artists in the UK and beyond, including Buddy Wakefield, Vanessa Kissule and John Hegley.
Spork! October special is at 7.30pm on Tuesday 25 October at Exeter Phoenix.
Tickets cost £8, or £5 for students and under-25s, and are available from the Exeter Phoenix website.
