A Sold‑Out Night of Urgent Voices and Radical Poetics at Theatre Deli
The International Poetry Festival, curated by the Institute for Experimental Arts and supported by Southwest Youth Arts and FilmPoetry.org, unfolded this year in London with a sold‑out evening that transformed Theatre Deli into a vibrant crossroads of global poetic expression. The atmosphere was charged from the first moment — a room filled with anticipation, curiosity, and the energy of a community ready to listen deeply. What emerged was not simply a programme of performances, but a living, breathing encounter with the emotional, political, and imaginative landscapes of contemporary poetry.
The evening opened with the Emerging Artists from Southwest Youth Arts in Portugal: Sarah Jente Huizinga, Harvey David Mitchell, and Ashton Sol Williams. Their performances carried a raw existential intensity, confronting identity, social pressure, and the contradictions of modern life with a sincerity that immediately grounded the audience. Their voices, unfiltered and unafraid, set the tone for a night where truth would be spoken without hesitation.
Tasos Sagris introduced the anthology and digital platform Poetry from the 21st Century, presenting it as a landmark initiative for the documentation and visibility of contemporary Greek poetry. His presentation highlighted the scale and ambition of the project — featuring 220 poets who debuted after 2000, representing 98 publishing houses across Greece — offering one of the most comprehensive surveys of Greek poetic production in the new century. He emphasized the platform’s scholarly dimension as well, which includes critical essays by distinguished academics, positioning the archive as both a cultural record and a living resource for readers, researchers, and future poets.
As the spoken‑word performances progressed, the festival shifted into a multimedia environment. Projections washed across the space, expanding poetry into a visual and sonic dimension. A striking moment came from Ernesto Sarezale with Error / Eros, created by Sarah Tremlett. His performance navigated hierarchy, patriarchy, and the quiet violence of economic systems — the unhappiness, the δυστυχία that money can impose on human lives. With a blend of humour and critique, Sarezale delivered one of the evening’s most intellectually charged interventions.
Miss Yankey offered one of the festival’s great moments. Her poem, delivered with emotional precision and political clarity, held the room in absolute silence. Every listener leaned in; every word landed with weight. Her presence was magnetic, her voice unwavering, and her performance stood as a highlight of the night.
Rakaya Fetuga was amazing with luminous strength, weaving heritage, identity, and contemporary London rhythms into a performance that felt both intimate and expansive. Her voice moved with a musicality that carried the audience effortlessly through her narrative world.
Sami Rhymes electrified the room with her piece My Idol, a powerful spoken‑word track delivered with rhythmic mastery and emotional force. Her performance was bold, confident, and deeply felt — another of the night’s unforgettable peaks.
Baby O brought tenderness and fire in equal measure, weaving identity, memory, and vulnerability into a performance that felt both fragile and fierce. His voice carried a musical sensitivity that enriched every moment.
Redeeming Features delivered a unique fast spoken‑word punk performance, blending humour, social critique, and rapid‑fire poetic energy. His presence was explosive, unpredictable, and utterly original — a refreshing rupture in the evening’s rhythm.
Woodzy lit up the stage with charisma and lyrical agility. His performance was energetic, witty, and rhythmically precise, engaging the audience with a natural ease that made him one of the standout performers of the festival.
Tasneim Zyada offered a deeply moving performance rooted in personal memory and political reality. Her voice carried the weight of lived experience, weaving together themes of displacement, identity, and resilience with emotional honesty.
Hlín Leifsdóttir and Morton created a haunting cross‑cultural duet, blending Icelandic atmosphere with Greek intensity. Their performance felt like a ritual — slow, atmospheric, and deeply poetic — holding the audience in a state of contemplative stillness.
Dinan Alasad brought emotional depth and clarity, exploring themes of displacement, identity, and survival with a grounded, powerful voice. Her presence was quiet yet commanding, leaving a strong emotional imprint.
Annotate delivered a brilliant performance full of rhythm, intelligence, and lyrical precision. His mastery of spoken‑word craft was evident in every line, creating a performance that was both energetic and thoughtful.
Natalie Katsou offered a reading from The Desert Behind, her collaborative book with photographer Yiannis Katsaris. The work, born from their shared journey to Morocco, brought an atmospheric blend of image and text to the stage, expanding the festival’s poetic landscape.
Princess Latifah delivered an unapologetically fierce performance, full of lyrical sharpness and emotional fire. Her presence was bold and commanding, marking another of the festival’s strongest moments.
Han Newton delivered a striking performance centred on a powerful declaration of poetic resilience — a reminder that the night, its stories, and its artistic space will not be taken away from English poets. Her voice carried clarity and conviction, unfolding as a statement of presence, autonomy, and cultural endurance.
Sissy Doutsiou brought a performance rooted in political consciousness, feminist energy, and poetic clarity. Her voice carried intensity and precision, commanding the room with a presence that was both intellectual and visceral.
BROKENPEN delivered a high‑energy, brilliant performance full of rhythm, flow, and emotional truth. His presence was dynamic and captivating, marking one of the evening’s standout moments.
Eljae offered a performance of emotional depth, lyrical strength, and musical sensitivity. Speaking about the civil war in Sudan, she brought to the stage a narrative shaped by diaspora, loss, and resilience — a voice carrying the weight of lived history with remarkable grace. Her presence resonated profoundly with the audience, creating one of the evening’s most human and affecting moments.
Tasos Sagris and Whodoes delivered a deeply atmospheric performance that channelled social and existential unrest through a fusion of spoken word and a dark, pulsating electronic soundscape. Sagris’ delivery carried a sharp, urgent intensity, giving voice to the pressures and fractures of contemporary life, while Whodoes’ sonic textures amplified the sense of protest embedded in the text. Together, they created a moment where poetry became a force of resistance and emotional clarity, resonating powerfully with the audience.
The International Poetry Festival at Theatre Deli was more than an event. It was a living organism of contemporary poetics, a gathering of voices that confronted the world with honesty, imagination, and courage. In a sold‑out room filled with artists and audiences from across the globe, poetry proved once again its power to connect, to challenge, and to transform.
