Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
In 2024-25 we're holding our third annual Loud Poets Slam Series, a nation-wide tournament across Scotland and England culminating in a Grand Slam Final with a £3,000 prize! Sign up for our Regional Heats, book tickets, and learn more here: iamloud.co/slam
On 1st July 2025, we held our Bradford Heat in partnership with Bradford Literature Festival! Kevin Mclean hosted the event and our Sacrificial Poet was local legend Maria Ferguson!
From Maria Ferguson, a hilarious and poignant piece about post-partum anxiety - and Harry Styles!
This poem is featured in Maria Ferguson's new book 'Swell' (Penguin, 2025). Order it here: penguin.co.uk/books/459719/swell-by-ferguson-maria/9781802064353
Our Sacrificial Poet Maria Ferguson is a writer and performer. Her poetry has been widely anthologised and published in literary magazines such as Magma, The Rialto, The North and The Poetry Review. She was a finalist of the Montreal International Poetry Prize 2024 and her debut collection, Alright, Girl? (Burning Eye, 2020), was Highly Commended in the Forward Prizes. On the stage, her one-woman show Fat Girls Don’t Dance (Oberon, 2017) won the Saboteur Award for Best Spoken Word Show; Essex Girl (Oberon, 2019) was shortlisted for the Tony Craze Award and won Show of the Week at VAULT Festival. She has been commissioned by the Royal Academy of Arts, Stylist magazine, The Bronte Parsonage and BBC Radio. Her work has been featured in The Guardian and on Radio 4’s The Verb and Woman’s Hour. She is the Associate Producer of LIVEwire Poetry and teaches creative writing in a variety of settings. Her second poetry collection, Swell was published in 2025 by Penguin Random House. Learn more about Maria's work via mariaferg.com
We're so grateful to Bradford Literature Festival for partnering with us on this event! BLF is one of the top three largest literature festivals in the UK and Europe’s most eclectic and diverse literature festival. Renowned globally as an innovator within the culture sector, BLF forges international partnerships, curating diverse, innovative, and inclusive programmes. Learn more via bradfordlitfest.co.uk
Thank you to Creative Scotland and the National Lottery for supporting the Loud Poets 2024-25 Season.
Thanks for watching! If you want to see more from us, please Like this video, Subscribe to our channel, and ring the Bell Icon to be notified when we release new videos.
For access to full-length Loud Poets shows, including over 50 shows in our back catalogue, and other exclusive digital content, consider joining our YouTube channel as a Member for just £4.99/month! Sign up here: youtube.com/channel/UCjsTBHEZdBYPXPdLwtCAJcw/join
You can also join our Patreon at £5/month for access to our full-length Loud Poets shows and other exclusive digital content, or £10/month for that access plus entry into our Loud Poets Writing Club, an online creative community of writers and performers with monthly workshops, feedback sessions, and tailored support. Sign up: patreon.com/c/iamloud
Learn more about our live events, workshops, and digital programming via our website iamloud.co and our Linktree https://linktr.ee/IAmLoudPro
Sign up to our newsletter: eepurl.com/dxzKIL
Follow us on social media:
Facebook: facebook.com/IAmLoudPro
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/iamloudpro.bsky.social
Instagram: instagram.com/IAmLoudPro
#PerformancePoetry #SpokenWord #ScottishPoetry
In 2024-25 we're holding our third annual Loud Poets Slam Series, a nation-wide tournament across Scotland and England culminating in a Grand Slam Final with a £3,000 prize! Sign up for our Regional Heats, book tickets, and learn more here: iamloud.co/slam
On 1st July 2025, we held our Bradford Heat in partnership with Bradford Literature Festival! Kevin Mclean hosted the event and our Sacrificial Poet was local legend Maria Ferguson!
From Maria Ferguson, a hilarious and poignant piece about post-partum anxiety - and Harry Styles!
This poem is featured in Maria Ferguson's new book 'Swell' (Penguin, 2025). Order it here: penguin.co.uk/books/459719/swell-by-ferguson-maria/9781802064353
Our Sacrificial Poet Maria Ferguson is a writer and performer. Her poetry has been widely anthologised and published in literary magazines such as Magma, The Rialto, The North and The Poetry Review. She was a finalist of the Montreal International Poetry Prize 2024 and her debut collection, Alright, Girl? (Burning Eye, 2020), was Highly Commended in the Forward Prizes. On the stage, her one-woman show Fat Girls Don’t Dance (Oberon, 2017) won the Saboteur Award for Best Spoken Word Show; Essex Girl (Oberon, 2019) was shortlisted for the Tony Craze Award and won Show of the Week at VAULT Festival. She has been commissioned by the Royal Academy of Arts, Stylist magazine, The Bronte Parsonage and BBC Radio. Her work has been featured in The Guardian and on Radio 4’s The Verb and Woman’s Hour. She is the Associate Producer of LIVEwire Poetry and teaches creative writing in a variety of settings. Her second poetry collection, Swell was published in 2025 by Penguin Random House. Learn more about Maria's work via mariaferg.com
We're so grateful to Bradford Literature Festival for partnering with us on this event! BLF is one of the top three largest literature festivals in the UK and Europe’s most eclectic and diverse literature festival. Renowned globally as an innovator within the culture sector, BLF forges international partnerships, curating diverse, innovative, and inclusive programmes. Learn more via bradfordlitfest.co.uk
Thank you to Creative Scotland and the National Lottery for supporting the Loud Poets 2024-25 Season.
Thanks for watching! If you want to see more from us, please Like this video, Subscribe to our channel, and ring the Bell Icon to be notified when we release new videos.
For access to full-length Loud Poets shows, including over 50 shows in our back catalogue, and other exclusive digital content, consider joining our YouTube channel as a Member for just £4.99/month! Sign up here: youtube.com/channel/UCjsTBHEZdBYPXPdLwtCAJcw/join
You can also join our Patreon at £5/month for access to our full-length Loud Poets shows and other exclusive digital content, or £10/month for that access plus entry into our Loud Poets Writing Club, an online creative community of writers and performers with monthly workshops, feedback sessions, and tailored support. Sign up: patreon.com/c/iamloud
Learn more about our live events, workshops, and digital programming via our website iamloud.co and our Linktree https://linktr.ee/IAmLoudPro
Sign up to our newsletter: eepurl.com/dxzKIL
Follow us on social media:
Facebook: facebook.com/IAmLoudPro
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/iamloudpro.bsky.social
Instagram: instagram.com/IAmLoudPro
#PerformancePoetry #SpokenWord #ScottishPoetry
