Spork! and Exeter City of Literature

Exeter UNESCO City of Literature, Spork! Poetry and Taking the Mic are joining forces once again to present the 3rd annual City Slam; an exciting competition to find the best spoken-word artist in Exeter (and across Devon).

12 poets will battle it out across 3 rounds of fierce but friendly competition. With feature slots from previous City Slam winner and stand-up poet Edward Tripp, as well as the brilliant award-winning poet Bryony Littlefair (“Fresh, unexpected, surprising”” – Pascale Petite,) and UK Slam Champion Bradley Taylor.

The winner of the City Slam will be entered into 2025’s Slamovision; an international slam competition featuring poets from UNESCO Cities of Literature all across the world, as well as receiving a cash prize of £150.

About the features:

Bryony Littlefair is a poet, community centre worker and facilitator living in London. Her long-awaited debut poetry collection Escape Room was funded by Arts Council England, and published with Seren in 2022. Her prior pamphlet Giraffe won the Mslexia Pamphlet Prize in 2017. She was shortlisted for the inaugural Rebecca Swift Foundation Women Poets’ Prize in 2018 and 2020 and in 2019 received the Moth Retreat Bursary Award. She is a member of the UniSlam post-emerging cohort for mid-career poets.

“Compellingly outrageous… gloriously bizarre.” – Kim Moore

Bradley Taylor is an award winning poet born and based in Birmingham. The winner of the Roundhouse Poetry Slam 2024, the night of which was the biggest poetry slam in history, and co-host and organiser of The Big Gay Poetry Night. Bradley has appeared at the Hay Festival, Cheltenham Literature Festival, The Inspirational Youth Awards, Verve Poetry Fest, on BBC News and on BBC Radio 6 Music.

In April 2025 he’ll release his debut collection You Missed The Best Part with Verve Poetry Press. His work has appeared in Gutter Magazine, Strix, Shooter and across Birmingham train stations. He writes for, and about, people.

Edward Tripp is last year’s City Slam winner – an Irish award-winning stand-up poet, with a penchant for all things dark and surreal. A frequent performer on comedy and poetry stages alike, he’s taken his work around the UK from The Comedy Museum to Milk Poetry, to WOMAD. Whether screaming about spatulas or soliloquising about Uncle Connor “who isn’t in the IRA,” Ed’s an always hilarious, prop-heavy and provocative performer.

TICKET OFFERS

£8 Early Bird tickets available until Tue 01 Apr

£5 Tickets for Students/Under 25s

VENUE: AUDITORIUM, EXETER PHOENIX

*Subject to a £1.50 ticketing system charge. We don’t charge this to make a profit. Find out more >>