Centuries have passed since the great mystical poets like Rumi, Kabir, and Blake created works that allowed readers glimpses into higher, transcendent worlds, and yet their tradition continues with a new generation of writers who elevate their words through spirituality.

Join us for a special evening of modern devotional poetry hosted by Muneera Pilgrim and with verse from Clare Shaw, Tommy Evans, Aviva Dautch, Sukina Pilgrim and Shazea Quraishi, a group of contemporary poets whose work uplifts, inspires, and awakens readers to a divine sense of openness.

Explore the true power of poetry with this evening of modern-day artists connecting deeply with an ancient, soul-awakening art form that is greatly needed in today’s world of uncertainty.

This event is supported by Amal (a Saïd Foundation programme).

About The Host

Muneera Pilgrim

Muneera Pilgrim is an international Poet, Cultural Producer, Broadcaster and co-founder of Poetic Pilgrimage. Muneera conducts workshops, shares art, guest lectures, and finds alternative ways to educate and exchange ideas. She contributes to BBC’s Pause for Thought and is an artist associate with The English Touring Theatre.

 

About The Poets

Aviva Dautch

Aviva Dautch is a poet, academic and curator who won the Primers prize for emerging voices in 2017. She has a PhD in contemporary poetry and her poems, reviews and literary essays have been published widely, receiving an Authors’ Foundation Award from The Society of Authors in 2018.

 

Tommy Evans

Tommy Evans is a multidisciplinary creative based in London whose critically acclaimed body of work encompasses music, poetry, film and design.

 

 

Sukina Pilgrim

Sukina Pilgrim is a Spoken-Word and Hip Hop artist, Workshop Facilitator and Event Organiser. She makes up one half of the Muslim female Hip Hop duo, ‪Poetic Pilgrimage and has performed across the UK, Europe, the USA, North and South Africa with her group sharing their unique blend of conscious Hip Hop and impactful poetry to engage communities.

Shazea Quraishi

Shazea Quraishi is a Pakistani-born Canadian poet and translator. Her poems have appeared in publications including The Financial Times, The Guardian, Modern Poetry in Translation and Poetry Review.  Her latest collection is The Art of Scratching (Bloodaxe Books, 2015) and she is adapting her chapbook The Courtesan’s Reply (flipped eye publishing, 2012) as a play.   

Clare Shaw

Clare Shaw was born in Burnley. She has three poetry collections from ‘Bloodaxe: Straight Ahead’, which attracted a Forward Prize Highly Commended for Best Single Poem; ‘Head On’ and ‘Flood’. She is a Royal Literary Fellow, and regular tutor for the Poetry School, the Wordsworth Trust and the Arvon Foundation.