Spoke is a poetry night showcasing up-and-coming d/Deaf, Disabled and/or Neurodivergent poets and spoken word artists. Headliner Chloë Clarke will be joined Ray VM, Florence Grieve and Georgie Lynch. Applications for Open Mic slots will be announced soon. Chloë Clarke is a queer, disabled writer and former young poet laureate of Worcestershire who has been featured in numerous collections. Their work currently focuses on our bodies, how they can be used to oppress us and all that is considered taboo. Ray VM is an artist and facilitator based in Birmingham exploring themes of identity, discomfort and food as a storyteller. He has performed nationally and internationally (barns, bathrooms, kitchens, cafes, festivals, theatres, indoors, outdoors, warm, cold, etc etc.) He is claiming that these are the years to be a baby at things and thinks that sand is far too small to be good or useful. Florence Grieve is a Bristol based poet and writer. She was longlisted for the 2025 Disabled Poet’s Prize, the 2024 Briefly Write Poetry Prize and the 2024 Heroica Poetry Prize. She was runner up in the 2024 Lyra Poetry Festival and Womad Festival Poetry Slams. Her poem, A Window on Bristol, was commissioned by the Bristol Climate & Nature Partnership for their 2024 Net Zero Gathering. Her poetry has also been published in Mslexia, Acumen and featured on BBC Radio Bristol. Georgie Lynch (they/she/he) is a designer, performer, and writer. Primarily focusing on devised theatre and spoken word, they have worked in London, Dublin, Belfast, New York, and Johannesburg. Her work is honest, effortlessly funny, colourful and new. Georgie’s most recent work can be seen in “Olive Malvery” at Hoxton Hall, and “The Blessing” at Hackney Empire, as well as their work as Artistic Director of Pushback Theatre. Currently they are working on producing a transfemme scratchnight at Riverside Studios Whether you step up to the mic or come to listen, Spoke is set to be a night of laughter, rage and connection. ACCESS This event will be BSL interpreted and captioned. We encourage the use of masks at this event and will run a HEPA air purifier in the studio theatre throughout the event. Please note that the Roundhouse is a busy public building with other events running at the same time as Spoke. There will be members of the general public using the same entrance and foyer on the day. During the event some of the performers and audience members may not be wearing masks. All studio theatre audiences are asked to skip the main queue please head straight to the Box Office for access to the Studio Theatre. If you want to get to Roundhouse early to miss the crowds, Roundhouse Bar and Cafe will be open from 5:00pm and the studio theatre will be open from 6:30pm. If you have any questions or would like to arrange support for your visit please email: access@roundhouse.org.uk For further information about access at the Roundhouse, please visit https://www.roundhouse.org.uk/visit/accessibility/