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Off The Chest returns, featuring the multi-award-winning writer Inua Ellams.

After three smash-hit events at Omnibus Theatre, Off The Chest makes their anticipated return this summer.

This explosive event includes a headline feature from internationally acclaimed poet and playwright Inua Ellams. There will also be two more features on the line-up – stay tuned for more.

You can perform your poetry on their acclaimed open mic. This is open to poets of all backgrounds and stages – which means you could perform your writing on the same stage as some of the UK’s most highly celebrated poets. You can sign up to perform as part of the open mic on the night.

As always, the night will be hosted by acclaimed poets and performers Ella Dorman-Gajic and Iftikhar Latif.

Off The Chest has been creating spaces for poetry since 2019. Their mission is to give a platform to poets of diverse backgrounds and celebrate original voices in the UK poetry scene. They’ve sold-out venues like Rich Mix, and brought their events to locations across the UK. They published their inaugural anthology in 2024, which was described as “breathtaking” by Amy Acre.

Inua Ellams is a multi-award-winning poet, playwright & curator. Identity, Displacement & Destiny are recurring themes in his work, in which he mixes the old with the new, traditional with the contemporary. His books are published by Flipped Eye, Akashic, Nine Arches, Penned In The Margins & Bloomsbury. He is the author of critically acclaimed plays, Barbour Shop Chronicles and Three Sisters and he won the Alfred Fagon Award for Once Upon A Time in Sokoto. 

Announcements of feature poets happening soon. Keep an eye on Off The Chest’s Instagram for updates – @offthe_chest.

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‘AT WHAT POINT’ official book launch with Q&A with HOLLIE MCNISH

Last year, Caitlin O’Ryan’s poem about walking home alone, ‘At What Point’, went viral – her poems have since been shared by the likes of Jameela Jamil, Natasha Bedingfield, and Sarah Cox. Now, her new collection of the same title arrives onto the poetry scene, focusing on the female experience and society’s expectations. Join Caitlin as she shares her shattering insights with fellow poet, Hollie McNish, and they both try putting the world to rights.