fourteen poems x Stanley Arts: Queer Poetry Reading

Stanley Arts is partnering with queer poetry publishers fourteen poems to host a special night of queer poetry, featuring readings from four of the most exciting contemporary poets around. Helen Bowell, Peter Scalpello, Sanah Ahsan and Troy Cabida will each read their poems and talk about their work. These poems touch on gender, race, love, sex, pop culture and more. Come spend a night celebrating queer poetry with us!

 

fourteen poems is a independent press focussing on queer poetry. They publish an anthology featuring 14 contemporary poets 3 times a year and have featured both up and coming writers alongside established names such as Andrew McMillan, Seán Hewitt, Niven Govinden, Derrick Austin and Randall Mann. In 2022, fourteen poems published their first batch of pamphlets from solo poets. fourteenpoems.com

Helen Bowell is a bisexual poet based in London. Her debut pamphlet The Barman was published by Bad Betty Press in January 2022 and was selected by the Poetry Book Society as their Summer 2022 Pamphlet Choice. Helen is a Ledbury Poetry Critic and an alumna of The Writing Squad, Roundhouse Poetry Collective and the London Library Emerging Writers programme.

 

Peter Scalpello is a queer poet originally from Glasgow and now based in London. They have published two books, the double pamphlet Acting Out/chem & other poems (Broken Sleep Books, 2021) and the critically acclaimed collection Limbic (Cipher, 2022). Their poems have been published widely, including in fourteen poems, Harana and elsewhere.

 

Sanah Ahsan is a poet, liberation psychologist, presenter and educator. Sanah won the Outspoken Performance Poetry Prize 2019 and has been shortlisted for 2021 White Review Poet’s Prize and Bridport Prize. Her poetry has been published in Wasafiri, The White Review, Ink Sweat & Tears, as well as several other anthologies, and featured on Channel 4 and BBC 2. Sanah is currently writing her debut poetry collection with support from Arts Council England. Her debut is a meditation on queerness, Islam, whiteness and intergenerational trauma. Refusing the binaries of gender or religious doctrine, Sanah reveres the grey space between as sacred and liberating.

 

Troy Cabida is a Filipino poet, producer and librarian from Earls Court, London. His recent poems appear in bath magg, TLDTD Journal and Orion Books. His debut pamphlet “War Dove” was published by Bad Betty Press. He also serves as producer for London open mic night Poetry and Shaah.