Milk Poetry

07/06/2026

06/06/2026

24/05/2026

OPEN MIC CALL FOR RAINBOW MILK X THE BIG GAY POETRY NIGHT!
Our events just wouldn’t be the same without an open stage - so we’re looking for poets, performers, screamers, romantics, heartbreak specialists and glorious weirdos.
Let’s fill our open mic with tenderness, chaos, camp nonsense and beautiful mess!
Link in our bio to sign up, and make sure you check out our guidance document for performing at Milk Poetry to ensure we all have a lush time together.


RainbowMilk BristolOpenMic

21/05/2026

We are wildly excited to announce that CAROLINE BIRD will be headlining Rainbow Milk x The Big Gay Poetry Night on 6 June.

Caroline Bird is an English poet and playwright born in Leeds, 1986. She published her debut poetry collection at just 15, and has since built a body of work celebrated for its wit, imagery, and voice.

Her collection The Air Year won the Forward Prize for Best Collection; her latest, Ambush at Still Lake, was published in 2024. Caroline is also an accomplished playwright, has been shortlisted for the George Devine Award and created work for a variety of stages Simon Armitage calls her poetry "spring-loaded, funny, sad, and deadly.", we call it bloody incredible, mate. Absolute ledge.

Expect q***r joy, high-octane performance, glorious filth and a room full of beautiful weirdos at on the 8th June.

Tickets available via the link in our bio
PoetryEvent

29/03/2026

We're so excited to have spoken word legend Jenny Foulds joining us on Monday!

Jenny Foulds (she/her) is a q***r performance poet, writer and actress from Scotland. She is the owner of ADHD and Dyslexia. Jenny was the 2021 Scottish Poetry Slam Champion and was a finalist in the World Slam Championships in 2022, as well as being host and curator of the Brighton based Spoken Word night Rebel Soapbox. She has had feature and headline gigs at nights across the UK including Hammer & Tongue, Loud Poets, Grooveverse, Stanza Poetry festival, and Edinburgh Fringe. As an actress she was a series regular in Two Thousand Acres of Sky (BBC) and appeared in various TV and film roles including Rebus, Mandancin’, Taggart and The Debt Collector. She founded the street art blog Happy Graffiti, which later became a book published by Octopus Books (a Hachette imprint) in 2013. Life Learnings of a Nonsensical Human is her first solo show.

Come along - https://thewardrobetheatre.com/shows/milk-poetry-presents-jenny-foulds-life-learnings-of-a-nonsensical-human/

25/03/2026

Last month, Owen Collins smashed it in our slam and will be joining us for a full set next week.

Owen Collins is a performance poet who believes in socialism, love at first sight, and not having to pay to use the toilet at major railway termini. He runs Do You Remember The Verse Time, Witney’s best/only live poetry night, and has previously been support act for both Madness and a member of the House of Lords (one of the good ones).

The soul of Milk Poetry is our open stage, where emerging voices stand alongside stalwart poetry pros. As well as our iconic poetry slam (the only regular slam in Bristol!), we like to open our mic every now and then in a non-competitive environment. Check out the list of voices joining us on the 30th March.

Come join us - https://thewardrobetheatre.com/shows/milk-poetry-presents-jenny-foulds-life-learnings-of-a-nonsensical-human/

18/03/2026

It just wouldn't be Milk Poetry without an open stage for the diverse voices of our South West poetry scene.

The Milk Poetry mic has been a launch pad for an incredible array of poets over the years. Previous winners of the Milk Poetry slam have gone on to win literary awards, have plays commissioned by major UK theatres, and have performed on stages across the world.

Here's our brilliant open mic list for the 30th March who will be performing before Jenny Foulds' show Life Learnings of a Nonsensical Human.

https://thewardrobetheatre.com/shows/milk-poetry-presents-jenny-foulds-life-learnings-of-a-nonsensical-human/

13/03/2026

Not long now until the next Milk Poetry!

Featuring Jenny Foulds brilliant spoken word theatre show Life Learnings of a Nonsensical Human. Jumping gleefully between subjects with an ADHD sparkle, Jenny offers poetical windows into growing up in the 90s, coming out, sticky dancefloors, heartbreak, loss and the kindness of strangers.

plus a support set from last month's slam winner Owen Collins.

Owen Collins is a performance poet who believes in socialism, love at first sight, and not having to pay to use the toilet at major railway termini. He runs Do You Remember The Verse Time, Witney’s best/only live poetry night, and has previously been support act for both Madness and a member of the House of Lords (one of the good ones).

And a good ol' open mic.

Join us on the 30th March - https://thewardrobetheatre.com/shows/milk-poetry-presents-jenny-foulds-life-learnings-of-a-nonsensical-human/