Our annual explosion of political poetry and unflinching wordplay is back. Exploring social issues through high-octane performances from some of the greatest wordsmiths of our time. This year’s Poetry with a Punch will take place in the incredible St George’s Hall, a venue famed for hosting radical social activists, from the suffragettes to the abolitionists, and the perfect setting for an evening of passionate poetry.

Opening their souls to us this year are multifaceted spoken word artist George The Poet, with punk-poet Atilla the Stockbroker, award-winning writer Anthony Anaxagorou, musical artist Caleb Femi, Palestinian poet Farah Chamma, and writer and actress Rosie Fleeshman.

About The Poets

George The Poet

George The Poet is a multifaceted artist, championing a new brand of poetry, that has been critically acclaimed. From his poetry collection Search Party to his striking and thought-provoking podcast Have You Heard George’s Podcast, George unearths and addresses a vast array of political, cultural and social matters.

Atilla the Stockbroker

John Baine, better known by his stage name Attila the Stockbroker, is a punk poet, multi instrumentalist musician and songwriter. He performs solo and as the leader of the band Barnstormer 1649, who combine early music and punk.

Anthony Anaxagorou headshot

Anthony Anaxagorou

Anthony Anaxagorou is a British-born Cypriot poet, fiction writer, essayist, publisher and poetry educator. His poetry has been published in POETRY, The Poetry Review, Poetry London, New Statesman, Granta, and elsewhere. His work has also appeared on BBC Newsnight, BBC Radio 4, ITV, Vice UK, Channel 4 and Sky Arts.  

His second collection After the Formalities published with Penned in the Margins is a Poetry Book Society Recommendation and was shortlisted for the 2019 T.S Eliot Prize along with the 2021 Ledbury Munthe Poetry Prize for Second Collections. It was also a Telegraph and Guardian poetry book of the year.  

In 2020 he published How To Write It with Merky Books; a practical guide fused with tips and memoir looking at the politics of writing as well as the craft of poetry and fiction along with the wider publishing industry. 

He was awarded the 2019 H-100 Award for writing and publishing, and the 2015 Groucho Maverick Award for his poetry and fiction. In 2019 he was made an honorary fellow of the University of Roehampton. Anthony is artistic director of Out-Spoken, a monthly poetry and music night held at London’s Southbank Centre, and publisher of Out-Spoken Press.

His forthcoming poetry collection Heritage Aesthetics will be published by Granta in 2022. 

Caleb Femi

Poet and director featured in the Dazed 100 list of the next generation shaping youth culture. Using film, photography and music Caleb pushes the boundaries of poetry both on the page, in performance and on digital mediums. Between 2016-2018, Caleb was the Young People’s Laureate for London working with young people on a city, national and global level. Caleb performs and speaks internationally gracing major stages, institutions and festivals.

About The Host

Testament

Testament is a writer, rapper and world record breaking human beatboxer. His play Black Men Walking was nominated at the UK Theatre Awards and the Writer Guild Awards. Testament’s work includes the celebrated Hip-Hop album Homecut: No Freedom Without Sacrifice and play Blake Remixed.