The R.A.P. Party @The London Library (In person)
Back by popular demand, poet Inua Ellams brings his exhilarating live literature phenomenon, the R.A.P. (Rhythm and Poetry) Party, to The London Library for a nostalgic, no-clutter, no-fuss, evening of hip-hop-inspired poems and favourite hip-hop songs.
Ten poets + a DJ = the best night out you’ll ever have in a library – or anywhere, for that matter.
Line up includes: BREIS, Inua Ellams, Sharan Hunjan, Chika Jones, Adam Kammerling, Vanessa Kisuule, Cecilia Knapp, Magero, Laurie Ogden, Sheena Patel and DJ Lily Fileen.
'A truly fluid literary event not just mingling poetry and music together seamlessly, but also bringing different tribes of poets: ages, races, gender, styles together. You will be moved in your heart and in your head.’— Roger Robinson
BREIS (breeze) is a Nigerian-British rap artist, author and Hip Hop educator. Influenced by the likes of A Tribe Called Quest, Felt Kuti and Stevie Wonder, BREIS is an introspective MC with lyrics full of wit and wordplay. His latest music project Arise & Shine is out now on vinyl and he is the author of Diary of a Creative Mind, chronicling the rollercoaster ride of a creative artist.
Inua Ellams is a Nigerian-born, UK-based poet, playwright and performer who has written for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the National Theatre and the BBC. His latest play was an adaptation of Chekhov’s Three Sisters set in Nigeria, staged at the National Theatre. The Actual, his fifth poetry release and first full collection, was published in 2020 by Penned in the Margins.
Sharan Hunjan is a British Indian poet who grew up in Southall and is interested in the poetics of language, post-colonialism and race. Sharan is a member of the writing collective 4 BROWN GIRLS WHO WRITE and author of Hatch, a pamphlet published by Rough Trade in 2020.
Chika Jones is a performance poet endorsed by the Arts Council of England. He is currently working on a theatre production titled SoulFood which will be touring the Medway in October 2022.
Adam Kammerling is an award-winning poet, interdisciplinary artist and educator. His most recent works are: his debut poetry collection Seder, a finalist in the National Jewish Book Awards; Shall We Take This Outside, a three-person spoken-word/dance theatre piece that toured nationally, and Inside!, a piece of poetry/rave theatre commissioned by Centrepoint and the Saatchi Gallery.
Vanessa Kisuule is a writer and performer based in Bristol. She has won over ten major slam titles has published two collections, A Recipe for Sorcery and Joyriding the Storm with Burning Eye, and her show, Sexy, toured theatres nationally in 2017. Bristol City Poet for 2018 – 2020, her poem, 'Hollow', on the toppling of Edward Colston's statue, went viral on Twitter.
Cecilia Knapp is a poet, playwright, novelist and the Young People’s Laureate for London 2020/2021. She was shortlisted for the 2022 Forward Prize for best single poem, the Outspoken poetry prize and won the 2021 Ruth Rendell award. She has published a poetry collection, Peach Pig; a novel, Little Boxes; and curated the anthology Everything is Going to be Alright: Poems for When you Really Need Them.
Magero is an award-nominated spoken word artist, playwright, workshop facilitator and co-founder of The Brotherhood Creative Collective. He has performed at events such as The BBC Children’s Global Summit, Breakin’ Convention Festival, Crxss Platfxrm Festival and The BBC Music Radio Awards. His debut release Climate Change Need Not Become the Legacy We Leave is available to watch via BBC Ideas.
Laurie Ogden is a Northern Creative based in South East London. A Barbican Young Poet alumna and former Roundhouse Resident Artist, she was the winner of the Ambit 2021 Poetry Prize and her debut pamphlet, Humaning, was published by flipped eye in 2021. As a playwright, she was a North Wall Playwright 2022 (Oxford), Traverse First Stages writer 2021-22 (Edinburgh) and a former Jerwood/Arvon playwriting mentee.
Sheena Patel is a writer and assistant director for film and TV who was born and raised in North West London. She is part of the 4 BROWN GIRLS WHO WRITE collective and has been published in a pamphlet collection (Rough Trade) and a poetry collection (FEM Press) of the same name. Her debut novel is I’m a Fan and, in 2022, she was chosen as one of the Observer's Top 10 best debut novelists.
Books by the artists will be available to purchase at the event and online through our partner bookshop Hatchards.
N.B. This event will take place in person at The London Library in alignment with up-to-date government COVID recommendations. Please see our Event Access and COVID Guidelines before you arrive. Doors (and the bar) open at 6.30pm for a 7.00pm start.
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