Are you a poet, spoken word artist or writer aged 18-30 and living in South East London? Are you interested in connecting with other young creatives and being part of Spread the Word’s Poetics Lab?
What is Poetics Lab?
Poetics Lab is a poetry programme for young people living in South East London. The programme will work towards an end-of-programme showcase in November 2025 and create work for the 2026 Deptford Literature Festival.
13 sessions with different expert writers will help you develop your poetry writing skills and understand the publishing industry and the career opportunities available to poets.
Some of the writers you’ll be working with are:
- Pascale Petit, an award-winning poet of French, Welsh and Indian heritage. Pascale’s work has been shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best Collection and for Wales Book of the Year, won the inaugural Laurel Prize, Royal Society of Literature’s Ondaatje Prize (for work that evokes a strong sense of place), and been the Poetry Book Society Choice.
- Malika Booker, a poet and multi-disciplinary artist of Guyanese and Grenadian Parentage. Malika is the founder of poetry collective Malika’s Poetry Kitchen. Her work has been shortlisted for the Seamus Heaney Centre Prize and the Forward Prize.
- Victoria Kennefick, an Irish poet, writer and teacher from Shanagarry, Co. Cork. Her work has won the Seamus Heaney Prize for Best First Collection and The Dalkey Literary Festival Emerging Writer of the Year Award, and been shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize, The Derek Walcott Prize for Poetry and more.
- Alycia Pirmohamed, a Canadian-born poet based in Scotland, winner of the Nan Shephard Prize for her nonfiction debut, a member of nature writing project ‘field notes collective’, co-founder of the Scottish BPOC Writers Network, co-organiser of the Ledbury Poetry Critics Programme, and a teacher on the Creative Writing master’s programme at the University of Cambridge.
- Richard Scott, a poet, his debut collection, Soho was shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot Prize, the Forward Prize for Best First Collection and the Polari First Book Prize. He teaches poetry at the Faber Academy and is a lecturer at Goldsmiths, University of London
- Nii Ayikwei Parkes, a Ghanaian-British writer, editor, socio-cultural commentator and performance poet who has won acclaim as a children’s author, poet, broadcaster and novelist. Nii has won Ghana’s national ACRAG award for poetry and literary advocacy. His work has been translated into Italian, French, Chinese, Dutch, German and Arabic.
- Anthony Anaxagorou, a British-born Cypriot poet, fiction writer, essayist, publisher and poetry educator. His work has won the RSL Ondaatje Prize, has been shortlisted for the Anglo-Hellenic League’s Runciman Award, the T.S. Eliot Prize and the Ledbury Munthe Poetry Prize for Second Collections. He is artistic director of Out-Spoken, a monthly poetry and music night held at London’s Southbank Centre, and publisher of Out-Spoken Press.
- Caroline Bird, an English poet and playwright who published her first poetry collection at just 15 years old. Her work has won the Forward Prize for Best Collection and been shortlisted for the Ted Hughes Award, the T.S. Eliot Prize, the Costa Prize and the Polari Prize. Bird’s work is celebrated for its masterful use of imagery, wit, and voice.
- Fiona Benson, an English poet whose three collections have all been shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize. Her work has also won the 2015 Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize, the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry’s Prize for First Full Collection, the Roehampton Poetry Prize and the Forward Prize for Best Collection.
- Ariana Benson is a southern Black poet born in Norfolk, Virginia. They have received the Cave Canem Poetry Prize, the Furious Flower Poetry Prize, the Porter House Review Poetry Prize, the Graybeal-Gowen Prize for Virginia Poets, and the Kate Tufts Discovery Award.
More names will be announced soon.
These award-winning, successful writers will help you to develop your own creative work as well as guide the cohort towards the end of programme showcase in November, and the later presentation at Deptford Literature Festival in March 2026.
Who is Poetics Lab for?
Poetics Lab is open to anyone aged 18-30 living in South East London. As we’re based in Deptford in Lewisham, we’re especially interested in young creatives living in Lewisham, Bromley, Greenwich or Southwark.
It is for you if you…
- Are interested in creating poetry and spoken word or telling stories
- Want to have your voice heard on issues that matter to you
- Are only just starting to write, are thinking about starting, or already have some experience writing and/or performing
Why take part Poetics Lab?
As well as the opportunity to work directly with award-winning poets and writers, if you take part in Poetics Lab you will:
- Meet other young people interested in writing
- Learn new techniques to improve your poetry, writing and performance skills
- Become more confident in your voice as a poet, writer or spoken word artist
- Become part of a supportive creative community
- Get an insight into building a creative career
- Have your voice heard
- Take part in Deptford Literature Festival 2026
- Have fun and make new connections
When and where will Poetics Labs take place?
Poetics Labs sessions will run on Wednesdays from 6pm-8pm, alternating between in-person sessions at the Albany in Deptford, and online sessions. The address for the Albany is: Douglas Way, London, SE8 4AG.
Sessions will start on Wednesday 3 September and run weekly until Wednesday 26 November 2025.
Pizzas and refreshments will be provided at in-person sessions.
The end of programme showcase will take place on Wednesday 3 December. The Deptford Literature Festival event will take place on 28th March at Deptford Lounge.
Sign up to take part
If you’d like to become part of the Poetics Lab, please sign up using this form by 5pm on Tuesday 5 August 2025. We’ll be in touch with you by Friday 15 August 2025 to let you know about your place.
Access
If you need to request any adjustments to the application process or have any access requirements to take part in Poetics Labs, please get in touch with Courtney: [email protected].
A BSL video of this page will be made available shortly. If you’d like us to send it directly to you, please send a note to Courtney: [email protected]
The Albany has fully accessible toilets, a lift, and there is limited disabled parking is available as well. You can find more information about access in the building on their website. If you have any questions about access at the Albany, you can get in touch with their Venue and Events team. Marissa, Chris and Nicole and can be contacted by calling 020 8692 4446 or emailing [email protected].
Costs and travel bursaries
The Poetics Lab programme is free to take part in. If you need any financial support to attend, for example, to cover travel costs, please get in touch with Courtney: [email protected].
Lewisham, Borough of Literature
Poetics Labs is part of Spread the Word’s campaign to make Lewisham the UK’s first Borough of Literature. To find out more about the campaign and how you can take part, please visit the Borough of Literature project page.
Photo: a young writer performing at Deptford Literature Festival 2024, captured by Hayley Madden.