Awards & Performances

My poetry and spoken-word work draw upon lived experience, exploring disability, access, identity, grief, relationships and the realities that often remain unseen.

This page brings together the recognition my writing has received and the different ways I have shared my work with audiences. These include poetry awards, theatre performances, open-mic events, readings and contributions to creative arts projects.

From receiving recognition in the Rotary Poet of the Year competition to performing and sharing my writing through Cosi & Scratch, VoiceBox Wrexham, AccessAbility Arts and Write4Words, each opportunity has helped me develop my voice and connect with new audiences.

I will continue to update this page as my writing reaches new spaces — whether that is at an open mic, as part of an arts project or on another theatre stage.

Awards and Recognition

Rotary Poet of the Year 2026/27 — Runner-up
Peace & Unity

Rotary Poet of the Year 2025/26 — Commendation

Performances

Sharing my poetry aloud has allowed work that began privately on the page to connect with audiences in very different settings.

My performance experience has grown through local open-mic nights, accessible online events and, most recently, the opportunity to develop a connected piece of work for a theatre stage. Each experience has helped me build confidence, discover how my poems change when spoken aloud and explore new ways of sharing the experiences behind them.

Cosi & Scratch — Pontio, Bangor

23 July 2026

In 2026, I was selected to take part in Cosi & Scratch at Pontio in Bangor.

For Cosi & Scratch, I am developing The World Through My Words, a 15-minute spoken-word performance bringing together several of my poems about disability, access, judgement and the realities that often remain unseen.

The piece includes From the Box to the Web, Life Sentence, the What You Don’t See sequence and Manners: Out of Stock. Rather than presenting the poems as separate open-mic performances, I have shaped them into one connected piece, supported by projected images, lighting and accessible performance elements.

Cosi & Scratch represents an important next step for me. It is an opportunity to take the confidence and experience I have gained through spoken-word events and use them to develop my first dedicated theatre performance.

Performing at Pontio also has a personal significance. Bangor is where my life began, so bringing The World Through My Words to the stage there feels particularly special.

VoiceBox Wrexham

VoiceBox Wrexham is a grassroots spoken-word and performing arts community whose regular open-mic night takes place on the second Monday of each month.

I first attended VoiceBox with my Gig Buddy, Alan. What began as a new evening out became an important part of my development as a poet and performer.

I have since returned to share poems exploring disability, identity, grief, injustice and everyday life. VoiceBox has given me a welcoming place to try new work, hear the work of other performers and become more comfortable describing myself not only as someone who writes poetry, but as a poet.

The supportive atmosphere has also shown me how a poem can develop through performance. The response of an audience, the rhythm of reading aloud and conversations afterwards can all reveal something new within a piece.

The confidence I gained through VoiceBox played an important part in encouraging me to apply for Cosi & Scratch and take my work from individual open-mic performances towards a connected theatre piece.

AccessAbility Arts

AccessAbility Arts offers inclusive creative opportunities, including online spoken-word open mics as well as in-person and hybrid activities. Its online events provide a space where poets can perform and connect without geography or travel becoming a barrier to taking part.

I attended my first AccessAbility Arts online spoken-word open mic in 2026, performing from home and sharing my work with a new audience.

Although I have so far attended only one of its events, it gave me another opportunity to build my performance experience in an accessible and supportive setting. It also demonstrated the value of online arts events for disabled performers and audience members who may find travelling to venues difficult.

I had hoped to attend further events, but preparations for Cosi & Scratch soon took over much of my available creative time.

Write4Words

Write4Words runs spoken-word events that bring writers and performers together both in person and online, including regular gatherings that can be joined virtually.

I attended one of its online spoken-word open mics in 2026. Like AccessAbility Arts, it allowed me to perform for an audience beyond North Wales without the practical barriers involved in travelling to an event.

It was another valuable opportunity to share my writing in a new space and hear work from poets I might not otherwise have encountered.

I have attended only one Write4Words event so far, as the development and rehearsal of The World Through My Words for Cosi & Scratch quickly became my main creative focus. I hope to return to its online events once the performance is complete.