Shows
MAKE POETRY WEIRD AGAINHOW TO MAKE ANTI-RACIST RANTS WITH A YORKSHIRE ACCENTNols Nathankski sits down for a proper brew with Rick McLean aka @MaccathePoet to talk about anti-racism at the Open Mic and how to piss off flag shaggers on tiktok, a Leeds-born, London-lost ranter who sees the world through a lens of dry wit, frustration, and the occasional moment of nostalgia.If you like a bit of John Cooper Clark, a strong cuppa, shit loads of vinegar on your chippy tea, raw honesty, lots of swearing and complaining about everything, you’ll probably like this too.They make a poem from The Poetry Fruit Machine out now on Rough Trade Books and then do poem swap taking inspiration from Switched Up poetry ...
2025-11-231h 09MAKE POETRY WEIRD AGAINHOW TO GET ELLA FREARS TO YOUR OPEN MICNols Nathankski finds out that Ella Frears HAS NEVER DONE AN OPEN MIC!They also discuss her new brilliant collaborative collection of prompts POETRY FRUIT MACHINE, the power of prompts and why no poems will be read the poets office Christmas party on the 1st December 2025 at the Social.Ella Frears is a poet based in London. She has been shortlisted for The T. S. Eliot Prize, a Sky Arts Award, and The Forward Prize twice. Her books Shine, Darling, and Goodlord are out with Corsair and her collaborative poetry card game The Poetry Fruit Machin...
2025-11-1952 minMAKE POETRY WEIRD AGAINHOW TO SPEAK TO GOD AT THE OPEN MICNols Nathankski speaks with Elijah a Canadian/Scottish neurodivergent poet who travels the world making art with people and talking with them about Jesus.Nols and Elijah met @versespoetrynight at @Bardonalondon at the start of Nol's open mic pilgrimage in February.Elijah brings a hardcore punk energy to the open mic that must be heard to be believed.Nols and Elijah make poems with prompts from Tyreece Asamoah.Elijah shouts out his sister Acacia Mitchell's debut poetry collection Waiting Spaces out now.Elijah shouts out @wordspacepoems and @spitnights as...
2025-11-1657 minMAKE POETRY WEIRD AGAINHOW TO SPLIT THE VEIL AND SPHINCTER AT THE OPEN MICNols Nathankski sits down for a smoke with Tyreece Asamoah a Ghanaian visionary poet from Peckham, who William Blake's angel would be proud of.About Tyreece Asamoah (from the poet):Smog Smut, Gutta GeechiGully El-GhizaliFeni El-SalahiOkomfo AlhajiAlhaji, AlhajiSon Of LatonaSpitting out-daGlen w/ Gall.Nols and Tyreece speak to the sublime and splitting the veil at open mics. Whether there is a difference between pa...
2025-11-101h 12MAKE POETRY WEIRD AGAINHOW TO MAKE POETRY OUT OF YOUR REJECTION SENSITIVITY DYSPHORIANols Nathankski examines his recent poems around the theme of Rejection Sensitivity DysphoriaRejection Sensitivity Dysphoria, or RSD, is an intense emotional reaction to real or perceived rejection or criticism. It’s often linked to ADHD, but it affects many highly sensitive, creative people.Nols uses his symptoms and intrusive thoughts to make poems and discusses how RSD effects daily life and relationships.If you have RSD or love someone who has it, consider therapeutic intervention as well as writing poems about it. Go see your doctor, free yourself.Acceptance and Co...
2025-11-0543 minMAKE POETRY WEIRD AGAINHOW TO MAKE POEMS ALONE ON HALLOWEENNols Nathankski presents a Halloween Spooktacular!Across Halloween we have been putting out prompts on @makepoetryweirdagain on Instagram and apart from @richbliss the entire open mic poetry scene has ghosted them!The sponsors are getting thirsty for Nol's Blood and so in a desperate attempt to hold a séance for the ratings this show has been hastily put together on too much sugar and a great deal of fear.All the prompts can be found on @makepoetryweirdagain but see what Nols used below!Write a Poem about how you would most h...
2025-10-3123 minMAKE POETRY WEIRD AGAINHOW TO FIND A HOME IN THE LONDON OPEN MIC SCENENols Nathankski and Eliza Vezen bridge the gap from London to Berlin in this special international episode.Eliza is a poet and multidisciplinary artist, from everywhere and nowhere, currently living in Berlin.Eliza is so dedicated to open mic poetry she regularly travels from Berlin to London to perform for 5 minutes at open mics!Nols and Eliza make poems from @ellarfrears wonderful poetry fruit machine game released on @roughtradebooksEliza shouts out the following open mics@versesverses@lostsouls@outcastsonthemicSubscribe to the patreon...
2025-10-261h 12MAKE POETRY WEIRD AGAINHOW TO PERFORM UNMASKED AT THE OPEN MICNols sits down with Kristal Sisodia (They/Them), performer, actor and poet extraordinaire to discuss making and performing poetry pre-and post diagnosis, the way pain can make your world small, the life of a disabled performance artist and all the magic they bring to Open Mic.Nols and Kristal make poems from prompts provided by Deptford DoggerelsKristal shouts out the following poetsThe MetaphorestJoshua HallamMilli RoseCasey ArturoAyo FawoleA the poetEl crisisShore...
2025-10-221h 16MAKE POETRY WEIRD AGAINHOW TO MAKE KINKY DEATH POETRYNols and Alexia Chrysostomou sit down to contemplate death, kink and poetry. They make poems with prompts provided by the filthy Stevie Grant. @steviepoemsAlexia Chrysostomou is a North London writer, performer and pioneer of Kinky Death Poetry. Always queer, sometimes uncomfortable, never a fan of general statements. Available for weddings and funerals. Alexia has been programmed and is due to perform at Ghosted ink's Horror Slam for the chance to win Best Scare on the 11th October.Click here for tickets before it's too late!: https://www.eventbrite.c...
2025-10-061h 03MAKE POETRY WEIRD AGAINHOW TO MAKE FIFTY GRAND A YEAR FROM OPEN MIC POETRYNols goes deep on the business of poetry and open mic and how you could potentially make £50k a year off poetry* in 1-3 years. This is a silly episode and shouldn't be seen as a get rich quick scheme ;)Nols Year 1 Step-by-Step PlanMonths 1–3: Foundation & VisibilityMonths 4–6: Credibility & First EarningsMonths 7–9: Professionalisation & DiversificationMonths 10–12: Scaling & Touring PrepExample Weekly Routine (from Month 4 onward)Long-Term Trajectory Beyond Year 1THIS IS NOT FINANCIAL ADVICEFor the full episode join the PATREON and make Nols RICH!www.patreon.com/makepoetryweirdagain
2025-09-3011 minMAKE POETRY WEIRD AGAINHOW TO MAKE FRIENDS IN DEPTFORD WITH POETRYNols sits down with Alannah and Pádraic the owners of Deptford Doggerells a night of poetry and revelry in the AAJA basement in Deptford, Southeast London.The 3 discuss open mic from Dublin to Deptford. What makes an inclusive night and how to be both a community and an experience. Nols learns he has been writing Doggerels all year.We make poems with prompts from Word Space's Josh Hallam.The next Deptford Doggerels is on the 2nd October 2025 at the AAJA Basement in Deptford Southeast London.The Gang shout out...
2025-09-251h 08MAKE POETRY WEIRD AGAINHOW TO MAKE POETRY FROM YOUR SITUATIONSHIPS FOR THE OPEN MICHOW TO MAKE POETRY FROM YOUR SITUATIONSHIPS FOR THE OPEN MICNols takes on the cursed role of master of ceremonies to present a selection of this season's poets and some special guests talking all things situationships.Back in the olden days you wouldn't see your crush for years, now we take anti-anxiety meds because they didn't heart emoji the song we sent them at 2am.Situationships aint going anywhere so we may as well make poems out of them.LISTEN AND WEEP.POETS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE
2025-09-2231 minMAKE POETRY WEIRD AGAINHOW TO MAKE A WORD SPACE AND OBSESS ABOUT COMMASNols Nathankski meets Josh Hallam from Word Space to obsess about Open Mic and Poetry.Joshua Hallam is a poet and facilitator from Derby. His work has been longlisted in the National Poetry Competition and Live Canon International Prize, highly commended in the Shelley Memorial Prize, Runner up of the Wirral Festival Prize, and been a winner of the Hot Poets Climate Poetry Prize. He is the founder of Word Space – hosting community poetry events and poetry education in London since 2022. He is a graduate of the Poetry School MA Writing Poetry programme and a tutor with Th...
2025-09-181h 04MAKE POETRY WEIRD AGAINHOW TO FUCK UP YOUR WHOLE LIFE WITH POETRYNols Nathankski talks to neurodivergent burnout, quiet self neglect and how you lose your mind after too many open mics.Nols speaks to turning to poetry for recovery how you can also end up making things much more chaotic and strange.This is a bonus episode to keep the sponsors happy, but drifts off into some dark poetic territories.Nols performs 3 new poems and provides 3 prompts at the end of the episode.Trigger warnings: Self Harm, Burn Out, Eating Disorders, Body DysmorphiaGet 8 hours sleep, cultivate healthy relationships, exercise...
2025-09-0826 minMAKE POETRY WEIRD AGAINHOW TO MAKE POEMS IN SOLIDARITYNols continues his open mic Journey at the Bosla Arts solidarity workshop at the Jago in Dalston facilitated by Fedzilla. Nols talks to musician and activist Tanyeli Taze who he met at the workshop about their experiences and how to write poems of solidarity.Tanyeli and Nols made poems with prompts from Dave Jackson-Keen.Tanyeli recommendsKeiran GoddardOrchestrated DiscontentElla FrearsNoah ValeCity LitFREE PALESTINEFREE PALESTINEFREE PALESTINEAll Patreon Subs this week...
2025-09-0739 minMAKE POETRY WEIRD AGAINHOW TO PERFORM QUEER FILTH AT THE OPEN MICNOLS AND STEVIE GET FILTHYTwo 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 ShelterThe Poetry Jam will be at Stokey Books on the 4th September 2025.www.tickettailor.com/events/hackneynightshelter1/1810955If you cant make it donate here.Stevie shouts outthe LGBTQI Open Mic at Morocco Bound BooksStevie will be performing...
2025-09-0349 minMAKE POETRY WEIRD AGAINHOW TO MAKE POEMS TO DISFIGURENols 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...
2025-09-0246 minMAKE POETRY WEIRD AGAINHOW TO PERFORM SCHEMES AS A BAD FAITH ACTOR IN A POSSIBILITY SPACENols 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
2025-08-311h 07MAKE POETRY WEIRD AGAINHOW TO MAKE MAD PO3TRYNols 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 WorkThey make 3 poems from prompts provided by the girl from 1982.Follow the Mad Po3t on instagram @TheMadPo3tBuy The Mad Po3t's books here.Dream.Imagine.Express. Network
2025-08-281h 08MAKE POETRY WEIRD AGAINHOW TO MAKE POEMS ABOUT YOUR PERIODNols 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
2025-08-261h 08MAKE POETRY WEIRD AGAINHOW TO MAKE POEMS FOR YOUR MONSTERNols 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...
2025-08-2154 minMAKE POETRY WEIRD AGAINHOW TO PERFORM YOUR POEMS NAKEDBONUS EPISODE TO KEEP THE SPONSORS HAPPYTRIGGER 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....
2025-08-2027 minMAKE POETRY WEIRD AGAINHOW TO MIND YOUR OWN POETRYNols 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
2025-08-171h 06MAKE POETRY WEIRD AGAINHOW TO GET TESTED AT BÀRD BOOKSOPEN 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 @wearebardbooksNols 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@FXTMIf y...
2025-08-1200 minMAKE POETRY WEIRD AGAINHOW TO UPSET STRAIGHT MEN WITH POETRY 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 ENGLISHThea's instagram is @that1thea - FOLLOW NOWNols and Thea make poems to the following promptsThings that hang - 3 minsWrite your horoscope for last year - 3 minsTell your father how you are winning - 3 mins
2025-08-101h 02MAKE POETRY WEIRD AGAINHOW TO ECHOLALIA AT THE AFTERS WITH ELIZA FIVERELIZA FIVER is a poet and spoken word artist from North London that survived art school to write poems as she speaks to rooms full of people.Nols and Eliza make some automatic poems, get very off track and put the London spoken word scene to rights.Eliza's first poetry showcase is at TRADE STARS in Islington on the 14th August 2025.Give Eliza a follow @elizafiver on instagramSign up to the patreon.com/makepoetryweirdgain to access the bonus episode where we read Eliza's tarot.
2025-08-031h 01MAKE POETRY WEIRD AGAINHOW TO MAKE POEMS IN A SAUNASPOTLIGHT EPISODE: Sweet Sundays at the Bath House Hackney WickFollowing long drawn out negotiations Nols Nathankski's sponsors have allowed them to continue hosting the show.No poets have agreed to appear however so instead Nols discusses a re-entry to the London Open Mic Scene in March 2025 and the beginnings of an open mic addiction.SAVE THE BATH HOUSE — The Bath HouseTrigger warning - Queer Tragedy
2025-07-3128 minMAKE POETRY WEIRD AGAINTHE PILOT-- I GUESS?This is the pilot episode of MAKE POETRY WEIRD AGAIN- to make sure our sponsors know I didn't spend their money on personal demons and got the equipment. Beginnings always hurt.Patreon.com/makepoetryweirdagainnols@makepoetryweirdagain.com
2025-07-2908 min