Hammer & Tongue Hackney marks its 15th season of live poetry in the borough with a November showcase featuring two prominent voices of the London spoken word scene: Miss Yankey and Mark 'Mr' T Thompson.
Miss Yankey is a British-Ghanaian poet and multidisciplinary artist whose work spans poetry, music, theatre, television and radio. Her practice explores identity, culture and the spaces between disciplines, rooted in storytelling and driven by experimentation. Mark 'Mr' T Thompson, poet, performer and educator of Anglo-Jamaican heritage from South London, released his first collection in 2009 and his second with Burning Eye in 2022. He has featured widely from the London Paralympics to the Criterion Theatre and BBC.
Beyond the headline performances, the evening includes an open mic slam competition open to poets of any style. Participants get 3.5 minutes on stage, judged by randomly selected audience members. The winner secures a 10-minute slot at the next Hammer & Tongue event and a place in the end-of-season slam final.
The night embodies the spirit of slam poetry - entertaining yet substantive, funny yet political, moving yet inspiring - in a welcoming, inclusive atmosphere. Doors and DJ from 7:30pm, show starts 8pm. Pay what you feel from a choice of three price points.
