Farrago Poetry

02/03/2026

I've been working for Farrago Poetry on the England SLAM! Championships all weekend. Fantastic poetry with the champions of the Cheltenham Literature Festival, Ledbury Festival, Brighton H&T, Genesis, Slamchester, Dreading, Huddersfield Lit Fest, Geet Muckle Newcastle & Glastonbury Poetry slams.

Congratulations to all the poets, Bix Bond, Jo Eades, Charlotte Faulconbridge, Paul Holroyd, Henry Maddicott, Chikomberero Manoah, Sarthak Mukheji, Loll the Poet and especially to Georgia Griffiths, The new England SLAM! Champion! Who will be going to compete in the World Cup of Slam in Paris!

Thanks to the brilliant judging panel Kofi Achina., Anna Chen, Dee Dickens, Marva Jackson Lord & Gill Passman.

Videos of Georgia's winning poems https://youtube.com/shorts/91iVmDkabFs?si=2UEIS4_JevEZL3r-
https://youtube.com/shorts/fFspJjYfTJE?si=U0wQFOdSRvJaP5b2

All the other poems are up on the youtube channel.

Photo of Georgia https://www.instagram.com/lunatidesproductions?igsh=MWprZnExNGtmbmxpYw==

John Paul O'Neill

19/05/2023

This Sunday I’m hosting a SLAM! and running an Art of SLAM! masterclass for Griots Arts at the Globe Theatre in Hay on Wye. SLAM! slots still available for the 1st qualifier for the 2024 UK SLAM! Championships. Info: [email protected] . I’m really looking forward to it!

John Paul

25/02/2023

The final round of the 2023 UK SLAM! Championships is being judged at the moment by a superb panel chaired by Fay Roberts Allographic founder, with Kathryn Kathryn O'Driscoll, former UK SLAM! Champion, Rick Dove, Hammer & Tongue National Slam Champion, Marva Jackson Lord, director of Griots Arts, Katie Haworth, poet, children’s author & publisher and Anna Chen, journalist & Madam Miaow blogger. Thanks very much to them for scoring the first round of 29 poets and now the final of 11.

Special thanks to Fay for not only doing the chairing but project management and tech expertise and support and to Kathryn for doing so much brilliant work on this year's virtual contest, including getting the biggest and and most diverse field of slammers together we've ever had in the contest.

The new UK SLAM! Champion will be announced at 10pm! Next year, our 30th since running the UK's first ever poetry slam, we will definitely be back live and celebrating!

John Paul

03/03/2022

UK SLAM! Championships. Videos online Friday 4th March and Saturday, 5th March on the Farrago Poetry Youtube Channel.
I was hoping that this year's UK SLAM! Championships would be the start of Farrago Poetry's 30th Year celebrations, but sadly I've had to keep them virtual for 2022. Again there will videos from some of best poets around the country posted on the Farrago Youtube channel for judging by a panel chaired by Fay Roberts and including the current UK SLAM! Champion Kathryn O'Driscoll. The winner will also represent the UK in the World Cup of Slam in Paris in May.

Past UK SLAM! Champions include McGonagall, Harry Baker, Hollie McNish poetry, Kat Francois, Tyrone Lewis - Spoken Word, Robin Lamboll & Toby Campion and I we may now be the longest running continuous National poetry slam in the World now.
If there are UK based slam winners who'd like to take part and can get nominated by the organiser of the slam they won there are still a few last minute slots available. DM me or e-mail at [email protected].

I'm really looking forward to the event, the poetry videos I have had in already are brilliant, and then working live with poets again later in the year!

John Paul

25/12/2021

This is my only Christmas poem, dedicated to my Uncle Richard, much missed, especially today. I'm really hoping to be performing it again at the Farrago Seasonal SLAM! 2022!

Thanks to the Journal of Wild Culture for publishing this and leaving up on their website for so many years.

John Paul O'Neill

Christmas dinner that was duck

Where might they be tonight if we hadn't invited them? By John Paul O'Neill.

08/03/2021

Congratulations to all of the brilliant poets who took part in this year's UK SLAM! Championships, running since 1994 but our first virtual competition, and especially to Kathryn O'Driscoll the new UK SLAM! Champion, who will also be representing the UK in the World Cup of SLAM! Second Sadie Davidson. Join third: Dami The-Gannette & Yanni Vdp. Full scores under the youtube videos by midnight.

Thanks to the brilliant fantastic, Robin Lamboll, chair, Fay Roberts, inventor of slam scoring software, Tyrone Lewis, retiring UK SLAM! Champion, Marva Jackson Lord Griot Arts supremo & John Wheeler, multi SLAM! winning poet. Also to all of the poets and organisers/activists who helped the event happen.

I'm looking forward to having a live UK SLAM! Championships in 2022, when we will also be celebrating 30 years of Farrago Poetry!

John Paul

07/03/2021

This year's UK SLAM! Championships is dedicated to the memory of John Cleary, a wonderful poet who took part in last year's event, who I found out recently, sadly passed away around Christmas.
John turned up at Farrago after I'd handed him a flyer at another Poetry Cafe, Covent Garden, London event at the end of 2019 genuinely curious about what a poetry slam was. He went on to win the Farrago Seasonal SLAM! to debut feature and did really well in the UK event.

John was brilliant company and never let his disability get in the way of enjoying his poetry. His partner Ann and daughter Mellissa regularly came out to support him and then into the pub afterwards, my deepest and most heartfelt condolences to both of them and all of John's family and friends.

John Paul

https://www.facebook.com/events/468874864183352

25/12/2020

Season's Greetings! Here is my one and only Yuletide poem, as always dedicated to my Uncle Richard, who was a precious part of my childhood Christmas. I'm looking forward to 2021, to getting Farrago up and running again, to teaching and to be able to meet up with and work with the brilliant and talented people I've been missing so much.

Best wishes to you and yours.

Where might they be tonight if we hadn't invited them? By John Paul O'Neill.