WORD Poetry

18/06/2026

🎤 Join us for our final WORD! of the season! 🎤

We’re delighted to welcome acclaimed director, dramaturg, producer, actor and public speaker Anthony Ekundayo Lennon as our headline artist for a special evening celebrating creativity, storytelling and community.

Alongside an open mic featuring some of the region’s finest spoken word talent, we’ll also be sharing 'We All Come From Somewhere', a collaboration between WORD! and DMU’s BA (Hons) Fashion Styling and Communication programme, combining fashion, storytelling and lived experience to explore and celebrate cultural diversity.

With over 40 years of artistic experience spanning community theatre, hip hop, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the West End, Anthony has built an extraordinary career as a performer, director, mentor and dramaturg, working with some of the UK’s most respected theatre companies and artists.

📅 Thursday 25 June 2026
⏰ 7–9pm
📍 Attenborough Arts Centre, Leicester
🎟️ Pay What You Can (Recommended £10)

Fancy sharing your work on the open mic? We’d love to hear from you! Email [email protected] to book a slot.

Let’s close the season with an unforgettable night of poetry, performance and connection.

AnthonyEkundayoLennon

06/06/2026

It’s Riverside! Here’s a quick thing from day one, down at Castle Park with our friends in their specially curated Bloom Creative Health Area! Thanks to BSL interpreters, all at Brightsparks, and so many more, including Rodrigo, Jerein, Jay - from the Heritage Hub for spray painting bog roll flowers (made from the inside bits!) and for helping with the decoration our various partnered spaces.

Join us tomorrow (Sunday 7 June) for the launch of WORD!s recently published cookbook (1-2pm) then again from 3-4pm for our WORD! show - headlined by Leicester Poet Laureate .

Drop-in for a workshop with Mr Shay - and/or in between our staged things. Check ours or channels for the very full ‘Bloom’ programme - 👀🌸 and drop a line to [email protected] if you’d like to share something on one of our open mics 🥰🌈💚

06/06/2026

Are you ready, Leicester?

Tomorrow we’ll be at Riverside Festival as part of the Brightsparks Bloom Creative Health Area, bringing poetry, creativity, and community to Castle Park.

Join Leicester’s first Poet Laureate, Mr Shay, for a free poetry workshop from 1.30–2.30pm, then stick around for an uplifting hour of spoken word and poetry from 3–4pm.

Whether you’re performing, writing, listening, or simply curious, we’d love to see you there.

📍 Castle Park
📅 Tomorrow
🎟 Free to attend

Who’s joining us?

LeicesterPoetry CreativeHealth WORDPoetry

04/06/2026

Here at WORD! We are really, really, REALLY, proud and excited about what we’ve been up to - and what we’ve got coming up.

Here’s a sneak peak at a rehearsal session with and dancer/choreographer from earlier this week.

Zuber was recently awarded a prestigious Nudge Fund bursary - to kick start some really exciting collaboration with us and partners - thanks and congratulations to him, Louise and We Are Epic.

Join us at Riverside Festival with Zuber & from 1-2pm in Castle Park this Sunday. He’ll be headlining the book launch of our WORD! published BSA recipe book. It’s 🔥

Would you like to share something on the open mic for it? If so, drop a line to [email protected]

Massive thanks to for making this wonderful collaboration happen. AND a great big thanks to for generous sharing of rehearsal space 🙏🙏🥹❤️

04/06/2026

Join us with our partners at BrightSparks Arts this weekend, down at Riverside Festival. We’ll be staging a couple of events - with open mics and headlines including, Leicester Poet Laureate, Akshay Sharma. Find WORD! in Castle Park all day on Sunday. We’ll also be sharing work in the Brightsparks Bloom Cinema Tent all weekend. Check our mail-outs (if on our mailing list!) and/or our social media for the full programme and drop a line to get involved! 🙌🌈 ⛵️👌

At this weekend's Leicester Riverside Festival on Castle Gardens enjoy a family-friendly accessible space with free live performances, exhibitions and workshops led by BrightSparks Arts. As part of and, hosted by The Riverside Collective performers will entertain and share their talents. Look out for the The Beatbox Jukebox with bringing an interactive experience where audiences choose a style and watch beatbox loops created in real time. visitleicester.info/riverside-festival/

04/06/2026

Got thoughts? Got stories? Got that one line that’s been living rent-free in your head?

Bring it to Mr Shay’s free poetry workshop at Riverside Festival!

Whether you’re a seasoned poet, a secret scribbler, or someone who just likes playing with words, this is your chance to get creative with Leicester’s first Poet Laureate.

📍 Brightsparks Bloom Creative Health Area, Castle Park
🕜 1.30–2.30pm
🎟 Free to attend

Come for the poetry. Stay for the good vibes.

To book a place, email [email protected].

RiversideFestival LeicesterEvents WORDPoetry

03/06/2026

Meet Mr Shay!

Akshay Sharma, better known as Mr Shay, is a Leicester-based poet and Leicester’s first Poet Laureate, appointed in 2025. Influenced by themes of culture, heritage and identity, his work blends intricate rap flows with South Asian influences to create a unique spoken word style.

Join Mr Shay at the Riverside Festival for a free poetry workshop in the Brightsparks Bloom Creative Health Area at Castle Park.

📅 Saturday 6 September
🕜 1.30–2.30pm
📍 Castle Park, Leicester
🎟 Free to attend

Alongside performing across the UK, Shay works as a community arts practitioner, delivering poetry, rap and music workshops with young people. Whether you’re new to poetry or looking to develop your craft, this workshop is a great opportunity to learn from one of Leicester’s leading spoken word artists.

To reserve a place, email [email protected].

Instagram & X:
Facebook: Mr Shay

LeicesterEvents RiversideFestival LeicesterArts

02/06/2026

Ever wanted to sharpen your poetry and performance skills?

Join Leicester’s first Poet Laureate, Akshay Sharma (Mr Shay), for a free spoken word workshop at the Riverside Festival. Whether you’re new to poetry or already writing, this welcoming session will help you explore creativity, build confidence, and develop your voice alongside fellow writers and performers.

📍 Brightsparks Bloom Creative Health Area, Castle Park
🕜 1.30–2.30pm
🎟 Free to attend

Spaces are limited. To reserve your place, email [email protected]

WORDPoetry LeicesterEvents

01/06/2026

Join WORD! at the Riverside Festival in the Brightsparks Bloom Creative Health Area at Castle Gardens.

📖 1–2pm: Celebrate the launch of the Green Room Gardeners Bumper Cookbook, featured online by the Great Food Club and Good Food Guide 2026.

🎤 3–4pm: Enjoy an uplifting hour of poetry and spoken word, headlined by Leicester’s first Poet Laureate, Akshay Sharma (Mr Shay).

🎨 Explore the wider Bloom Area, featuring performances, workshops, exhibitions, stalls and creative activities celebrating wellbeing, connection and creativity.

✍️ Interested in performing during the WORD! hour or joining a free workshop with Mr Shay from 1.30–2.30pm? Drop a line to [email protected].

LeicesterEvents CreativeHealth CommunityArts PoetryCommunity LeicesterArts

27/05/2026

Our final open micers!