AFLO, the poet, hosts an uplifting night of spoken word where artists challenge the status quo with rhythm and flow. At each event, fresh local talent and special guests from across the UK are invited to pick up the mic.
Our 'powerful, emotive and urgent' evening returns for an International Women’s Day Special. Ayan Aden, Birmingham’s 24th Poet Laureate (2024–26), joins us as the featured artist, weaving Somali oral tradition into contemporary poetics to explore heritage and belonging. Joining us as our local act is Naomi Wood, a spoken word performer and theatre maker whose bold, rebellious work fuses rage and humour.
Book a 4 Show Saver Ticket - 4 shows for £10 each
‘I was captivated from start to finish and left feeling inspired’ Audience Member
'Powerful, emotive and urgent' Audience Member
'A brilliantly curated night with exceptional artists' Audience Member
Meet your host AFLO. the poet
Award-winning Brighton-based spoken word artist, AFLO. the poet, presents an uplifting night of spoken word featuring fresh local talent and special guests from across the UK.
AFLO. the poet is an activist and academic who embraces creative expression to disrupt the status quo and inspire social change, using poetry as a vehicle to address hard-hitting topics, particularly racism and mental health, primarily speaking from her lived experiences. Previously an in-house artist for Brighton Dome, she is a significant force directing change in Brighton's creative scenes and continues to sow seeds across the country
Ayan Aden
Ayan Aden is Birmingham’s 24th Poet Laureate (2024–26), a performance poet, cultural strategist and founder whose work bridges heritage, community and creative infrastructure. Rooted in Somali-British identity, she merges Somali oral tradition with contemporary poetics to advance cultural equity and shape narratives of belonging.
As founder of Somalinimo UK and the Birmingham Poetry Network, she creates impact through community-led programming, strategic consultancy and educational outreach. Her work spans art, policy and storytelling- building frameworks that honour the past while imagining what is yet to come.'
Naomi Wood
Naomi is a spoken word performer and theatre maker, celebrating rebellion and revelling in rage whilst maintaining a healthy preoccupation with the eroticism of bird feeders.
Her solo spoken word show Gobbess - which has toured the UK and internationally, with shows at Edinburgh Fringe, Glastonbury Festival and in Oslo, has been described as 'Laugh-out-loud funny...pure magic...unmissable'. (Discover Brighton) and 'An act of creative mastery' (UCLAN)
Naomi has been published by Backlash Press and Ink, Sweat and Tears and was recently shortlisted for The Bournemouth Writing Prize as well as longlisted by Black Cat Poetry Press this year.
