Join us on Wednesday 19 March for Jawdance. This month sees us celebrating International Women’s Day 2025 and we’ve got a superb line up to enjoy. Kat François will be on hosting duties for the evening and we’ll welcome performances from Ayan Aden, Sally Pomme Clayton and Desree.
You’ll also have the opportunity to perform with our open mic, just ask for you name to be added to the hat as you arrive. As always, Jawdance is a friendly, welcoming environment and we encourage a safe space to share your poetry.
Your Host:
Kat Francois
Kat François is a Performance and Movement based Artist, Writer and Educator, Writing and Performance Coach and BBC TV and World Poetry Slam Champion.
Kat François has written and performed two solo plays and three solo comedy shows. She recently won a short story competition, and her piece, INDIGO WATERS, is featured in HIDDEN REALMS, SHORT STORIES, published by Flame Tree Publishing.
RAISING LAZARUS, her play about Caribbean soldiers in the First World War, has also just been published (TSL Publications.)
jawdance Performers:
Desree
Desree is an award-winning writer, spoken word artist, educator and producer based in London and Slough. An alumna of Born: Free Writers Collective, Jerwood Arts and the Obsidian Foundation, Desree was Poet in Residence at Glastonbury Festival 2022 and Slough’s EMPOWORD.
A familiar voice on BBC Radio Berkshire, her work has been broadcast on Sky Arts, The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah; and published in JOY//US Poems of Queer Joy, Ink Sweat & Tears, Spoken Word London’s Anti-Hate Anthology and more. Desree’s debut poetry collection, Altar, with Bad Betty Press, arrives in Spring 2025.
Follow Desree’s work: Insta I Website
Photo credit: George Lawrence
Sally Pomme clayton
Sally Pomme Clayton (do call her Pomme!) is a pioneering storyteller and writer who creates magical stories for theatres and museums, gardens and galleries, festivals and broadcast across the UK and beyond. She has been telling stories with Appels and Snakes for 30 years! Recently appearing at: Kings Place; Festivals in Sweden, Leipzig and Dresden; Cheltenham Literature Festival; The Story Museum; The Royal Opera House; Chelsea Physic Garden; Cambridge Junction; Exeter Northcott; The British Museum.
Her stories focus on powerful female protagonists, and she will tell a saucy x-rated goddess myth from latest book ‘The Mighty Goddess’ (The History Press 2023) a collection of little known goddess myths from around the world it is her first book for adults. She is also author of 16 books for children.
Ayan Aden
Ayan is a poet, a spoken word artist and community activist. In 2024 she received the title of Birmingham Poet Laureate, the first Somali Muslim poet to hold the accolade. As the city’s 24th Poet Laureate, she will hold the honour for two years, 2024-2026, while raising the profile of poetry across Birmingham. She is also a dynamic professional with five years of experience in creative and community consultancy, working with many institutions in the UK. An International Award-winning Performance Poet, Writer, and Facilitator, Ayan captivates audiences with empowering spoken word art. She has performed at many festivals, Parliament, and TedxTalks, winning the EU Silisiladda Nabadda 2019, Run Your Mouth Slam ’23, and being a Unislam ’24 Finalist. Her work has been published in esteemed publications. Ayan sits on the Strategic Advisory Board for Birmingham Arts School.
Alongside this Ayan is a Gemologist focused on ethical mining, blending cultural enrichment with sustainability in all her endeavours with the intention to create a better society. Ayan’s work exists to create spaces of conversation, in order to change the world for the better.