Spork! is holding an afternoon workshop followed by an evening performance showcasing local spoken word talent with Bohdan Piasecki at Exeter Phoenix on Saturday 19 November.
Bohhan will lead a 90 minute afternoon session exploring the creative possibilities of performing poems out loud. Participants will be taught warm-up exercises, explore the work of other poets and learn practical techniques to use on stage.
Bohhan will then headline an evening of poetry, comedy and film in the Exeter Phoenix auditorium featuring performances from this year’s Spork Up! programme artists: Hannah Temme, Ceri Baker, Shaday Barrowes-Bayewunmi and Kate Massey-Chase.
Spork Up! is an ongoing programme that supports spoken word artists in the South West.
The 2022 programme participants each received a £1,000 grant as well as mentoring and tailored support to help them develop their performance practice.
Clockwise from top left: Hannah Temme, Ceri Baker, Shaday Barrowes-Bayewunmi and Kate Massey-Chase
Hannah Temme is a spoken-word performer, dancer and producer based in Newquay whose work explores femininity and the natural world, ecological breakdown and mortality.
Ceri Baker is a Devon based performer and writer. She has performed her work across the South West and is the current WOMAD Festival Slam Champion.
Shaday Barrowes-Bayewunmi is a Plymouth-based spoken word and performance artist exploring how empowerment and vulnerability can co-exist.
Kate Massey-Chase is a community arts facilitator, activist, writer and lecturer at Plymouth Marjon University, where she leads a new MA in Arts, Health and Wellbeing.
Afternoon workshop facilitator and showcase headliner Bohhan Pasecki founded Poland’s first poetry slam before moving to the UK to study for a PhD in translation studies.
He is currently Assistant Professor in Creative Writing at the University of Birmingham.
Bohhan has performed his poetry at venues ranging from the Birmingham Repertory Theatre to underground Tokyo clubs and has appeared on podcasts and BBC Radio.
Bohdan Pasecki
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.
The Spork Up! showcase featuring Bohdan Piasecki is at 8pm on Saturday 19 November at Exeter Phoenix. Tickets cost £6 plus booking fee and are available from the Exeter Phoenix website.
Tickets for the 3pm workshop are £8 plus booking fee and also available at the Exeter Phoenix website.
