Inkandescent team up with Polari Press to serve upspectacular spoken word with a side of soundscape. Host Nathan Evans is joined by Polari-published poets Livia Kojo Alour, Barney Ashton-Bullock and Adriann Ramirez.
‘powerful, unique, resonant and poignant’—Anne Clark on Livia Kojo Alour
‘vigorous, vivacious, searing and scorching’—Andy Bell on Barney Ashton-Bullock
‘rich, sumptuous, tender and captivating’—Harry Clayton-Wright on Adriann Ramirez
‘poetry which addresses vital issues of our time with biting wit and electrifying passion’
—Matthew Todd on Nathan Evans
Inkandescent were founded by Justin David and Nathan Evans to shine a light on writers underrepresented in mainstream publishing. Recent publications include Address Book by Neil Bartlett and the Mainstream anthology featuring writers including Kit de Waal, Kerry Hudson and Juliet Jacques. They’ve produced events for Stoke Newington Literary Festival, Charleston Small Wonder Festival and Rye Arts Festival.
@InkandescentUK
Polari Press is inspired by the diverse origins of Polari, a slang popular in the UK in the 1900s and predominantly spoken by queer men when homosexuality was criminalised. They publish queer voices—to share our perspectives with each other, and build a collaborative platform for us all. Since 2021, they have published a range of titles including poetry, memoir and art books, and have recently launched a further imprint, Polari Plays.
@polaripress
Nathan Evans is a writer, director and performer whose work has been staged at venues from The Royal Festival Hall to the Royal Vauxhall Tavern. His poetry has been published byRoyal Society of Literature, Manchester Metropolitan University, Fourteen Poems, Muswell Press, Broken Sleep, Impossible Archetype, Queerlings and Dead Ink; he has beenlonglisted for the Live Canon International Poetry Competition and for the Polari First Book Prize.
@nathanevansarts
Livia Kojo Alour is a poet, performer and performance maker. She is one of only four black sword swallowers in the world; her swords have been exhibited in museums across Europe; she’s been voted most influential burlesque performer in Europe; she’s the first sword swallower to be inducted into The Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas; she’s spoken for TEDx; and her award-winning show Black Sheep is currentlyon international tour. Her collection Rising of the Black Sheepis published by Polari Press.
@poetrywithlivia
Barney Ashton-Bullock is the poet in the poetry/pop project Andy Bell is Torsten; he is widely published in journals including Travesties, Queerlings and Ice Floe; he’s featured in the Leonard Cohen tribute anthology Avalanches in Poetry(Fevers of the Mind) and Queer Anthology of Healing (Pilot Press); his pamphlets include Café Kaput! (Broken Sleep, 2020), Bucolicism (Cherry Red, 2021) and Geopoliticus, Pupsy! (Red Ceilings Press, 2022). His collection Cul-de-Sacrilege! is published by Polari Press.
@barneyashtonbullock
Adriann Ramirez grew up in California; they began making short films in 2013 while working as a principal dancer with PUSH Dance Company in San Francisco; their first film, California Dreamin’, premiered at the 2014 FramelineInternational LGBTQ Film Festival and went on to show at film festivals around the USA and UK; in 2016, they moved to London; in 2018, they created a podcast called Lavender Language. Their collection Hot Tears Through Velvet Rage is published by Polari Press.
https://www.adriannramirez.com
@adriann.ramirez