In what we hope will become a regular Barn event, please join us in the bar (which will indeed be open) for the Barn’s first poetry night. Our two featured poets will each be doing a forty minute set.
Ian (aka Iffy) is a stand-up poet and storyteller who brings the raw energy of Essex streets to the stage, blending sharp wit with poetic punch in performances that leave audiences caught between light and shade, laughing one moment and contemplating the next.
Iffy left his native Essex at eighteen but retains his local dialect and working-class observations in verse that captures the comedy and complexity of British life through the lens of someone who’s never afraid to speak truth with a grin. He has mastered the art of making audiences both think and laugh, shifting seamlessly from observational humor to profound emotional depths.
Iffy is active on the UK spoken word circuit and is always ready to take his words on the road and to challenge expectations about what poetry can be and who gets to claim the microphone.
His poetry collections include “Cruella” and “Lockdown Lullabies,” both published by independent presses. His forthcoming publication entitled “When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth” is due for release in autumn 2025.
Glyn Maxwell. Glyn has won several awards for his many poetry collections, including the Somerset Maugham Prize, the E. M. Forster Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize. His work has been shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot Prize (three times), Forward and Whitbread Prizes. His collections include How the hell are you (2020); Pluto (2013); One Thousand Nights and Counting: Selected Poems (2011); Hide Now (2008); and The Nerve (2002). Many of his plays have been staged in the UK and USA and even at the Barn itself. He published On Poetry, a general reader’s guide to the craft, in 2020.
There will be an open mic slot at the start of the evening for anyone who wants to read one of their own poems to the assembled throng. All you need to do is let Danny Swanson know in advance and I will reserve you a slot. danny.swanson@barntheatre.co.uk
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At the Barn we are committed to promoting equality and challenging discrimination in all its forms. We strive to create a safe and inclusive environment for all members of the cast and creative team, regardless of their race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity and will work to prevent any form of discrimination or harassment within our organisation.
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