Apples and Snakes Launch FUTURE VOICES Program

To celebrate their 40th anniversary, Apples and Snakes are offering 40 poets the opportunity to learn about creating visuals to accompany their poetry, an increasingly necessary skill in the digital era. The emerging poets have been selected via an application process, and will take part in a jam-packed masterclass programme delivered by leading spoken word artists and filmmakers. The aim of the programme is for participants to produce a short poetic film (one minute long) to accompany a new poem about their ‘world’ – their life, local environment or city. At the end of the project, these films will be shared and celebrated at small live events and an online showcase. Each poet will receive a £500 commission for taking part and producing their film.

Future Voices is part of Apples and Snakes’ ongoing commitment to supporting emerging artists through recognition, development and financial commissions.

The 40 selected poets all demonstrated a strong talent and desire to step up their work and add filmmaking to their toolkit. They are: Milga Abraham, Triumph Arach, Seun Matiluko, Jay Sandhu, Polis Louizou, Ingrid McLaren, Aliyah Begum, Zakariye Abdillahi, Isaac Izekor, Sofe Barker, Gafar Fashola, Jasmin Thien, Blaize Alexis-Anglin, Obinna Iwuji, Mariah Wilde, Binta Yade, Princess Arinola Adegbite, Amy Langdown, Jay Mitra, Dan Loops, Toreh O'Garro, Louis Registe, Lauren Temple, Ella Otomewo, Bhumika Billa, Matt Alton, Charlotte Johnson, Francis, Xavier Mukiibi, Amy Brangwyn, Holly D M Oluwo, Tanya Loretta Dee, Gaëtan Gauthier, Jonah Corren, Lesley Hayes, Eryn McDonald, Kane John Mills, Jaidah Spence, Jo Eades, Elena Chamberlain and Valentina Paz Huxley.

Apples and Snakes are collaborating with five partner organisations to deliver the programme, and each poet assigned to a group of eight based on their location. The partners are Young Identity (North), Gallery 37 (Midlands), Poetic Unity (Lonodn) People Dem Collective (South East) and Milk Poetry (South West).

More can be found about the partners and poets here applesandsnakes.org/project/future-voices/

Future Voices producer Grace Atlee said, “Over the past 40 years, Apples have been trailblazers in the spoken word scene, nurturing and developing artists who have gone on to become bestselling writers, perform on global stages and bring the underground art-form to the mainstream. We're excited to be working with a talented cohort of 40 poets who are committed to developing their craft to create poetic visual films about their relationship to different areas of England. Along with brand new pieces of writing, these films will be snapshots of the nation, and again show how poets are social commentators and truth-tellers with a vital role to play in our society." 

Apples and Snakes is England’s leading spoken word poetry organisation and exists to support poets at all stages of their careers. An Arts Council funded National Portoflio Organisation based at the Albany Centre in Deptford, it has been a registered charity since 1986 after being started by a group of poets in 1982 in a room above a pub. Since then it has worked with Lemn Sissay, Polarbear, Kae Tempest, Benjamin Zephaniah, Michael Rosen, Jackie Kay, Caleb Femi and Hollie McNish, to name just a few. It is proud to have worked in partnership with a number of organisations, including BAC, Southbank Centre, Rich Mix, Tate, Nuffield Southampton Theatres, Penguin Random House, Barbican Theatre Plymouth, Hull City of Culture, Roundhouse, Birmingham Hippodrome, Birmingham Repertory Theatre, RSC, Arc Stockton, The Royal Court, #Merkybooks, Sky Arts and the BBC.