STATUS FLO

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

"Desree is a London and Slough-based award-winning spoken word artist, writer, facilitator, and producer. Known for her powerful storytelling and advocacy through the arts, she has performed at major events and venues such as Glastonbury Festival, Bowery Poetry Club in New York, and the Royal Albert Hall. As Poet in Residence for Glastonbury 2022, and EMPOWORD Slough, Desree explored the power of poetry in large cultural spaces.

Her debut poetry collection, Altar, (2025, Bad Betty Press) is shortlisted for the Forward Poetry Prize, Best First Collection Award. The work examines sacrifice and its complex intersections with Black British identity, belonging, and resilience, challenging mainstream narratives of heroism. Desree’s previous projects include co-writing the award-winning spoken word play CROWDED and producing Slough's EPF Poetry Fest and curating anthologies Words On Windrush and Poetry In The Pandemic. She has collaborated widely, working with organisations such as the National Literacy Trust, Synergy Theatre Project and Apples & Snakes. A TEDx speaker and a regular voice on BBC Radio Berkshire, Desree continues to foster creativity and community engagement through both live and digital platforms."

"mithago (it/its) is a mad cripple tranny writer, educator and facilitator. its writing, a blend of lived experience and traumagenic auto-fiction, explores identity, location, body and the interplay between them. how we shape and are shaped by the realities we inhabit and those around us. the ways in which those realities intersect. the friction at those intersections. the impact that has on both our bodies and our memories. mithago has competed in and judged poetry slams, both nationally and internationally, representing england at the european and world slam championships in 2023. it has facilitated workshops and performed at spoken word festivals and events across europe and throughout the UK, and in 2024 released a video poem directed by Scroobius Pip in response to growing rates of transphobic hate crimes across the country. in addition to performance, its poems have been published by Butch-Femme Press, Ink, Sweat & Tears, and Aghhh! Zine among others."