The Common Press Poetry Nights are quickly becoming popular evenings for writers and poets to showcase their work, as well as to launch poetry collections. We are thrilled to feature 'To the Homes that We Are' by Shivani Sen on 22nd May from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm. 'To the Homes that We Are' was developed as a recognition of and homage to the love and life that we all hold inside us. With freestyle poetry and prose covering different concepts and ideas spanning joy, nostalgia, longing, and growth, the book aims to transport the reader out of the everyday routines of life into a world that resides within all of us, opening the reader's eyes to the love in the ordinary and in one another. The evening will also include readings from Shivani as well as a Q&A session
We invite all our poetry lovers to attend to listen to talented and powerful queer voices. The evening will be hosted by Livia Kojo Alour - an award-winning poet and writer. As well as hearing from our old favourites we'd love to hear from some new faces too - if you would like to read at the poetry night, drop arrive at 6:30 pm to sign up. There will also be spaces on the night to sign up and hop on stage. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that everyone on the list will get the opportunity to read, but we would like to fit in as many people as possible.
🍷 Please note this invite is BYOB, you are welcome to bring your drinks to enjoy the night. There will be lots of soft drinks and hot drinks available to purchase from our bookshop.
Schedule
6:30 pm - Doors open
6:45 pm - Poetry collection reading & discussion with Shivani Sen.
7:30 pm - Break
7:45 pm - 8:45 pm - Open mic slots
About Shivani Sen
Shivani Sen is a poet and writer from New Delhi, India with To the Homes That We Are as her debut poetry collection. She has trained in Hindustani classical vocals and dance since the age of 5 which have served as her creative outlet and channel for inspiration. Having trained for nearly two decades in the classical arts, her debut collection draws heavily from these creative forms as Shivani tries to capture the essence of the ‘unsaid’ through her poetry. Adding to her creative pursuits, Shivani is also an illustrator and a pianist. She currently resides in London, after graduating from the London School of Economics and Political Science and is working on launching her debut EP, set to be released this year. Through her poetry and music, Shivani aims to merge her training in India with the cosmopolitan and diverse tonalities of the London music and poetry circuit, bringing a contemporary Indian sound to the Western listener. Having formerly worked closely with Members of Parliament in Westminster, Shivani is currently working in the charity sector to help influence government policy on dementia in the United Kingdom.
Host: Livia Kojo Alour
Livia Kojo Alour is an award-winning Nigerian–German–born poet, musician, and theatremaker based in London. Her solo show Black Sheep rose to critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2022. The show was awarded the Birds of Paradise Award for Exceptional Theatre. Livia is the author of Rising of the Black Sheep, a daring memoir-style poetry collection published by Polari Press London. She also has a 10-year touring career as a sword swallower under her belt. During this time she won several awards with different companies and performed a residency in Las Vegas. Her minimalist art piece the Female Sword Swallower’s Moon Calendar has been touring museums in Europe since 2019. In 2017 Livia held an inspirational TEDx talk about her life-threatening sword accident and overcoming fear. As a musician, she combines vocals and spoken word in a unique way to address cultural issues and speak about personal experiences. Livia’s show Black Sheep is scheduled for a second U.K. tour in autumn 2023 followed by a concert Europe tour as the supporting artist to Anne Clark.
Please note that the bar area is fully accessible, and includes disabled toilets.