Poetry with a Punch

Maxine Meixner is a spoken word poet and writer based in London. Her performances have amassed more than 16 million views across all platforms and been shared by the likes of Viola Davis, Patsy Palmer, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and US Senator Cory Booker. Maxine has featured at poetry events across the UK, such as Spit Nights, Piece of Work Poetry, Brighton Fringe, Poet’s Palace, Reigning Women, Storytime, and Lost Village Festival. Her work is known for its heart, relatability, and warmth.

Carys Clempner is a London-based spoken word artist, actor and storyteller from the West Midlands. Her work explores queerness, identity and belonging through sharp observation, warmth and unflinching honesty.

Inspired by poets such as Rudy Francisco, Carys first developed her voice performing with Beatfreeks in Birmingham. Her poem “When You Ask Me What Queerness Feels Like” resonated with thousands online and was performed at Poets with Pride with Culture Canvas London.

A recent graduate of Rose Bruford College’s BA Acting course, Carys combines the emotional depth of an actor with the intimacy of spoken word, creating performances that are both deeply personal and widely relatable. Whether exploring queer joy, human connection or the stories we tell about ourselves, her work invites audiences into conversations that linger long after the final line.

Kinan Salaam is British born Muslim Poet, who speaks without dilution or apology.
Poetry forged from belief, not borrowed trends.
No filters. No concessions. No need for approval.
His words confront power, expose hypocrisy, and refuse the comfort of silence.

It’s poetry to be felt, questioned, and answered.
Poetic. Unfiltered. Unapologetic.

This is Kinan Salaam.

Tariq is a London-based spoken word artist, creative educator, and Co-Founder of House of VOX, dedicated to championing marginalised voices through poetry and creative expression. His performance credits include the London Literature Festival (Southbank Centre), The Strong Language Festival (Bradford), and the 2025 BBC Words First finals, alongside international appearances at Mardi Gras 2026 in New Orleans.

A committed youth advocate, Tariq leads nationwide projects and workshops in collaboration with Young Minds, Poetic Unity, The National Literacy Trust, and environmental youth charity, Bertha Earth, reaching over 2,000 students through culturally responsive creative practice.

Thea is a Romanian emerging artist currently based in London, driven by an innate craving for nonconformity, child-like wonder sprinkled with a bit of Balkan humour, and a strong sense of justice. Her favourite word in English is “silly” because it sounds… well, silly. Having a background in journalism and hard sciences, her work engages with complex stories involving multilingualism, cultural trauma and explores identity on a linguistic level. As part of their Roundhouse Artist Residency 2025/26 they developed their first solo show “If I were to say it in English”, which was nominated for an OFFFEST award and have represented Romania at the European Slam Championship in 2025.

A Palestinian poet and performer, Farah is known for her spoken-word performances, in which she combines orality, acting, and live music. She’s participated in many different events and festivals around the world including: Palestine en Campagne (France), Wilde Möhre (Germany), Bradford Literature Festival (UK), Karama Film Festival (Jordan), Faladura (Portugal), Requiem for Justice (Mexico), Le Guess Who? (Holland) and many more. In February 2021, she and Brazilian music producer Liev launched chamæleon, a poetry and electronic music duo. Besides her native Arabic, she also writes and performs in English and French. She holds a master’s degree in Performance and Culture from Goldsmiths, University of London and a BA in Philosophy and Sociology from the Sorbonne in Paris. She is currently an actress in training at Sharjah Performing Arts Academy.