20 Years of Spoken Word
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Celebrating 20 Years of Spoken Word at Bath Spa University
Monday, 2 June, 2025Bath Spa University is celebrating a major cultural milestone – the 20th anniversary of its pioneering Spoken Word module.
As the first UK university to run a specialist class in Spoken Word, BSU has long been at the forefront of platforming performance poetry. To celebrate two decades of Spoken Word, Professor of Creative Enterprise and the Spoken Word, Lucy English is running an event showcasing the best of BSU’s poets, past and present.
Held at Waterstones in the Bristol Galleries, the event features an exciting lineup of poets. Performers include renowned alumni such as Shagufta Iqbal, Kathryn O'Driscoll, Danny Carlo Pandolfi, Alex Calver, Josie Alford and Rebecca Tantony – many of whom have established prominent careers as published poets, festival performers, educators and event organisers. The evening will also showcase performances from the BSU 2025 UniSlam team and current Creative Writing student, Manganaro.
A central figure in the development of the spoken word scene both at BSU and beyond, Lucy English said:
“I’m so proud of our current and previous Spoken Word students. It's hard to stand up and share your poetry with an audience and these students have battled their nerves and learned how to share what’s important to them.
She continued:
“I’ve seen so many examples of former students who have used the skills they learned to develop their subsequent careers. In the 20-Year Showcase, we will hear from former and current students who are now working as professional spoken word poets, educators, promoters and curators of literature events. It's going to be an exciting evening.”
Over the past two decades, BSU has developed a reputation as a launching pad for spoken word poets. Graduates have gone on to tour nationally, perform at major UK festivals, and establish their own poetry nights.
The roots of performance poetry at BSU trace back to 2003, when Lucy organised an international conference on the practice of performance poetry. The following year she launched the first UK university module dedicated to Performance Poetry and Spoken Word.
This innovative module, still running today, offers second-year Creative Writing students the chance to study the evolution of spoken word and develop their own performance skills whilst engaging with the region’s thriving spoken word scenes in Bath and Bristol.
Creative Writing alumna Kathryn Jeanes chose the Spoken Word module while studying at BSU and described falling instantly in love with the form. After struggling with severe social anxiety that left her housebound for almost a decade, Kathryn found the Creative Writing course a safe space to ‘try something impossible.’
Defying the odds, she went on to compete in spoken word competitions at national level, taking the title of U.K. Slam Champion in 2021 and representing England at the World Cup of Slam.
Now, running a student-centric open mic at BSU’s Newton Park Campus, coaching the Uni Slam team and judging national competitions, Kathryn credits BSU for helping her find her feet in the world of performance poetry. She said:
“I had no idea if I would be able to handle reading my poetry out loud. I fell madly in love with the form. None of my current career would exist if the Performance Poetry module hadn’t changed my life. It was so good that when I went part-time for my 2nd year, I did the module again just to keep myself challenged to keep writing. It’s a life changing module and I’m so grateful I chose BSU and got to experience it.”
The event will take place Friday 6 June 2025, and you can purchase tickets on the Lyra Poetry Festival website.
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