NOLS AND STEVIE GET FILTHY

Two vile queers putting the world to weird and talking all things poetry, open mic and the decent into puritanism.

Stevie is raising money for Hackney Night Shelter where he volunteers.

Fundraise | Hackney Night Shelter

The Poetry Jam will be at Stokey Books on the 4th September 2025.

www.tickettailor.com/events/hackneynightshelter1/1810955

If you cant make it donate here.

Stevie shouts out

the LGBTQI Open Mic at Morocco Bound Books

Stevie will be performing and getting kinky at LEATHERBOUND community showcase on Saturday 20th September 2025.

Nols makes poems with Jean Akintoye. Hailing from Dalston, Hackney, Jean Akintoye is a London-based performance poet.

He studied the International Baccalaureate at UWC Atlantic College, and has seen print in The Looking Glass Anthology (ed.13 and 14), The Nouse and The Resonance Anthology (2025). Stylistically, Jean aims to strike a balance between the flourishes one would expect from 20th century Irish poetry, the far more disruptive overtones of modern spoken word and, perhaps, just a dash of comedy. This results in a performance style that is as elegant as it is messy, frenetic yet precise, creating a bridge between the 'old' and the 'new.

Jean talks to the poetics of sci-fi, finding poetry, the small spoken word scene in york and performs poems that cut deep.

Jean and Nols use prompts from the PENANCE workshop.

Jean can be found at the below Open Mics

POW Play On Words

Process

That Goddamn Poetry Jam

Nols makes poems with Avouleance Cook (They/Them) a spoken word artist and playwright based in London. Their work centers on as a process, both how it is created and interpreted by others.

The pair discuss making ethical poems under capitalism, the last decade of open mic and the rise and fall of investor goose.

Spooky prompts provided by the Mad Po3t.

Find Avouleance at the below open mics and on instagram @avouleance

@thesweetsundays

@processproductions

@goddamnpoetryjam

Nols meets London open mic legend Alex Murdock, The Mad Po3t, a writer, poet and creative spirit who has produced 4 books of poetry.

The pair about how the London Open Mic Scene has flourished and speak to poetic flow, what mad really means, self improvement and the poet's journey.

Trigger warning: Shadow Work

They make 3 poems from prompts provided by the girl from 1982.

Follow the Mad Po3t on instagram

@TheMadPo3t

Buy The Mad Po3t's books here.

Dream.Imagine.Express. Network

Listen to his podcast

Change philosophy - MadPo3t Podcast| Art|Life| Creative exploration - Apple Podcasts

Nols sits down with The Girl From 1982, an artist who has been using spoken word as part of her practice since entering the scene in 2023.

The Girl From 1982 talks to neurodivergence, mid 40s invisibility, rave culture and how to speak about periods at an open mic.

We make 3 poems with prompts from Tanyeli Taze that take us on some incredible adventures.

The girl from 1982 currently has a poem in the @vaginamuseum 's current Lip Service zine Issue 2 Menstruation, which can be bought here: https://vaginamuseumshop.co.uk/collections/books/products/lip-service-issue-2-menstruation

Some of the poetry nights that have been part of her open mic journey so far:

@offthechest (various events and locations through the year)

@everythingpoetrynight (First Monday of the month)

@firepit.tales (Last Wednesday of the month)

@riversiderhyme (a few events a year I think)

@adamdesalle and @greenwichlibs for Eltham Poetry Open Mic (starts back in September, next one Friday 26th September)

@billiejeyes (for Billie's Poetry Open Mic Night, every 3rd Thursday of the month)

@poetryisforthepeople (a few events a year)

Www.cleofelstead.com (Host of Poetry Evening on the last Thursday of every month in Beckenham).

Two fab accounts that share when and where various poetry nights are happening:

@where.the.word.things.live

@pulsepoetryofficial

Nols invites his dear friend Dave a fellow neurodivergent queer in recovery, onto the show. They talk open mic, trauma poems, monsters, spoken word friendships and trans poetics.

Dave Jackson-Keen (They/Them) is a spoken word artist and make up genius that creates vast detailed monologues speaking to violent trauma, healing and the non-binary experience.

They can be found at Sober AF, Orbit Brewery Open Mic and Cross-Word Lyric as well lots of other spoken word events around London every month.

They will be performing poetry with Nols at Urban Oasis fundraiser on the 24th August 2025.

Instagram - 2steps4ward1stepback

Thanks for Jon from Testing Ground for the prompts, send us your attempts!

BONUS EPISODE TO KEEP THE SPONSORS HAPPY

TRIGGER WARNING : BODY DYSMORPHIA

Nols Nathankski makes an episode about his recent performance of a cento to his queer hero Quentin Crisp at Hackney Wick Life Drawing.

The episode begins with a recording of the poem being improvised the night before the performance, using only Quentin Crisp quotes as a reference.

Nols talks to his own body dysmorphia and disordered eating, as well as how he has found healing self love and redemption in being a Queerdo at London spoken word nights.

Nols performs two first draft poems from his chapbook and treats listeners to a a couple of poetry prompts. As ever send us your poetic responses to be read on the show!

[email protected]

Heavy themes of self hatred, listener discretion advised.

This was meant to only be on the patreon but nobody has signed up yet!

Instagram:

@makepoetryweirdagain

@nolsnathankski

@hwlifedrawing

patreon.com/makepoetryweirdagain

Nols sits down with Ollie a Poet and Spoken Word artist from East London to talk about the state of the nation, break ups, giving up gardening to make poetry, what queerness means, why everything is fucked and how to make political poems that make people chuckle.

Trigger warning for suicide, substance misuse, british dread.

Ollie's instagram is @olliewordsoneggsontoast

OPEN MIC SPOTLIGHT: TESTING GROUND

@nolsnathankski makes poems with John Nordon an educator and poet from East London. His writing covers the weird and wonderful of the world through many angles. He is a co-founder and co-host of Testing Ground, an open mic based performance evening which takes place on the first Wednesday of each month @wearebardbooks

Nols and John talk about the rising stars of open mic and how open mic makes the world a better place.

SHOUT OUT

@OFFTHE_CHEST

@REPEATBEATPOET

@FXTM

If you want the secret deleted scenes and the prompts for this episode.

SIGN UP TO THE PATREON!

PATREON.COM/MAKEPOETRYWEIRDAGAIN

Bard Books | Independent Book Shop | Bàrd Books, Roman Road, London, UK

@testing.ground.performance

If you want the secret deleted scenes and the prompts for this episode.

SIGN UP TO THE PATREON!

PATREON.COM/MAKEPOETRYWEIRDAGAIN

Bună Ziua!

Nols is joined by Thea, a resident artist at the Roundhouse for 2025, a silly messy artist and the humblest slam poet on the scene. Thea is currently working on a bilingual show called:

IF I WERE TO SAY IT IN ENGLISH

Thea's instagram is @that1thea - FOLLOW NOW

Nols and Thea make poems to the following prompts

Things that hang - 3 mins

Write your horoscope for last year - 3 mins

Tell your father how you are winning - 3 mins

Thea recommends the following poets!

Bogdan Pălici @bogdanpalici

Olga Ștefan @olga.stefan.kantor

Tyrone Lewis @tyronelewis

Cătălin Iovu @iamthepartyinsideyourhead

Kayla Feldman @kaylamtf

Răzvan Omotă @razvan.omota

Bradley Taylor @bradleytaylorpoet

Eva Luca @cerneala.inalta

Bella Cox @Bellacoxpoet

Anastasia Gavrilovici @anastasiagavrilovici

Lola Theresa @theresa_lola

Festival: Transylvania Spoken Word Festival @transylvaniaspokenword

Catch Thea at open mics around London

Team Thea T-Shirts available soon

Patreon.com/makepoetryweirdagain