We speak with Lisa Mead from Apples and Snakes on NYLON
Being Performed as Part of Southbank Centre's London Literature Festival!
Tell us what NYLON is about.
NYLON is not what you might expect a poetry gig to be, it will have the energy of a music gig, make you think and probably get your head bopping!
It’s an amazing line-up of legendary poets from both the US & UK – Jive Poetic, Ugochi Nwaogwugwu & Kwame Dawes (US) and Salena Godden & Lemn Sissay (UK), some fresh new poets who’ve created new tracks for the event, hosted by the hip-hop master BREIS with an awesome house band under the musical direction of Renato Paris. NYLON will celebrate artistic collaboration, explore identity and social justice and everything in between.
What is one key takeaway you hope ticket holders will gain from the event at LLF?
Poets make us realise what it is to be human….oh and that a ‘poetry’ event can be really fun!!
It's Apples and Snakes' 40th anniversary this year, what have been your highlights?
It’s been an epic year with some amazing projects and events; our special edition of The Verb with the BBC to launch the year was great, the event at Roundhouse where we were able to bring together an amazing line-up of poet’s we’ve supported over the years was pretty awesome, but our project WORDCUP which worked with young poets aged 13 – 16 from across the country and brought them together for a residential weekend to showcase their work was honestly one of those projects that make you remember what it’s all about and feel hopeful for the future. It was an experience that the young people will never forget and showed how important it is that young people have a space to be heard, that their words are respected and they feel listened to…their work was brave, honest and raw. WORDCUP really created something special.
What are you most looking forward to about the Southbank Centre’s London Literature Festival.
I’m really excited for this event, especially the younger poets commissioned pieces. Across the festival there are some amazing events: I always love Outspoken, I’m interested to see what the New Poets Collective have been up to, and the events as part of Black British Books Festival look great.
What’s next for Apples and Snakes?
We’ve just launched our Future Voices programme which is commissioning 40 poets from across the country and supporting them to make 1 minute poetry films to be shared in the new year. Our free online workshop programme Red Sky is about to launch and our podcast celebrating Black British poets just started season 3… We’re very lucky to work with amazing artists so there’s always something new bubbling away.
Sun 22 Oct, 7.30pm
Part of London Literature Festival
Queen Elizabeth Hall
Literature & poetry
£12
