Raise The Bar: Raymond Antrobus + Guests
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Raise the Bar is back at St. George’s Bristol with its biggest live event in 2 years, headlined by UK and international poetry sensation Raymond Antrobus.
The second half of this show, from 8:30pm – 9:30pm, will be BSL interpreted. This includes the performances from Raymond Antrobus and Kerensa.
This special 7th birthday lineup features poetry from Raymond Antrobus, Jasmine Gardosi and Adam Kammerling, as well as music from the stunning vocals of Kerensa. + Great tunes all night from DJ Ngaio of Booty Bass.
Join the South West’s leading spoken word events organisation to celebrate 7 years of live poetry and music events in Bristol.
Raise the Bar (@rtbspokenword)
“Out-loud reactions are encouraged…shaking off traditional theatre etiquette” – Bristol 24/7
‘From top to bottom, one of my all time favourite shows’ – Shane Koyczan
“One of the best poetry nights in the country” – Rafeef Ziadah
Raymond Antrobus MBE FRSL was born in London, Hackney to an English mother and Jamaican father.
In 2019 he became the first ever poet to be awarded the Rathbone Folio Prize for best work of literature in any genre.
Other accolades include the Ted Hughes award, PBS Winter Choice, A Sunday Times Young Writer of the year award, Somerset Maugham award and The Guardian Poetry Book Of The Year 2018, as well as a shortlist for the Griffin Prize and Forward Prize. In 2018 he was awarded ‘The Geoffrey Dearmer Prize’, (Judged by Ocean Vuong), for his poem ‘Sound Machine’. Also in 2019, his poem ‘Jamaican British’ was added to the UK’s GCSE syllabus. He has won multiple major slams, and been lauded for his live readings and performances.
He is the recipient of fellowships from Cave Canem, Complete Works 3, Jerwood Compton and the Royal Society of Literature. He is also one of the world’s first recipients of an MA in Spoken Word education from Goldsmiths University.
His poetry has appeared on BBC 2, BBC Radio 4, The Big Issue, The Jamaica Gleaner, The Guardian and at TedxEastEnd.
He is the author of ‘Shapes & Disfigurements’ (Burning Eye, 2012) ‘To Sweeten Bitter’ (Out-Spoken Press, 2017), ‘The Perseverance’ (Penned In The Margins / Tin House, 2018) and ‘All The Names Given’ (Picador / Tin House, 2021)
“His monologues are stunning studies of voice and substance, and his lyric poems are graceful and finely crafted” – Kwame Dawes
“Raymond uses nostalgia for a place and a time, but resists sentimentality completely. He makes the reader/listener experience the moment with all the senses and very skilfully sets that up against a harsher reality” – Imtiaz Dharker
Pre-event Food & Drink
Enjoy delicious drinks and light bites from our Café Bar ahead of the event.
Available to pre-order when booking your tickets, you can choose from a selection of house drinks on arrival, accompanied by a board of bread, olives and dips (all Vegetarian). Just select which option – for one or two people – you would like, before checkout.
Your pre-ordered food and drink will be available to collect from the Café Bar from 60 minutes before the event. It’s the perfect way to begin your event experience at St George’s!