Cinema / Film

Piece of Work - National Poetry Day Special

Chamberlain Square, Birmingham

Thu 1 Oct · 18:00

Film

About this event

Poetry and spoken word arrives at the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery in the form of Piece of Work: Birmingham's premiere poetry night, featuring acclaimed, world-renowned poets, as well as an open mic at one of Birmingham’s most beautiful and unique venues: the historic Tearoom at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery.Enjoy a pre-show museum wander through our Level 2 galleries and grab a drink before settling in to enjoy the show.Each Piece of Work will feature two headline acts: a ‘local legend’ poet based in the Midlands, alongside an ‘honorary Brummie’ for the evening, from anywhere in the world. Full programme: October - National Poetry Day SpecialLocal Legend: Zakariye Zakariye’s debut pamphlet, Pulling Faces, has been longlisted for the Jhalak Poetry Prize and was published by Bad Betty Press. In 2022 his short poetry film Cages was broadcast on BBC 4 and BBC iPlayer. In 2025 he turned the short film into a play, also titled Cages, which had a 3-show run at the Roundhouse. Honorary Brummie: Georgie JonesA writer and performer known for her humour and heart. She was a Roundhouse Poetry Slam finalist, before joining the Roundhouse Poetry Collective and subsequently spent a year as Roundhouse Resident Artist. Special Guest: Salena Goddens FRSL NovemberHonorary Brummie: Joelle TaylorAuthor of 4 collections of poetry. Her most recent collection C+NTO & Othered Poems won the 2021 T.S Eliot Prize, and the 2022 Polari Book Prize for LGBT authors.Local Legend: Liz BerryAward-winning poet whose collections include Black Country (Chatto, 2014); The Republic of Motherhood (Chatto, 2018); and The Home Child (Chatto, 2023), a novel in verse. Liz’s work, described as “a sooty soaring hymn to her native West Midlands” (Guardian), celebrates the landscape, history and dialect of the region. Sign-ups for the open mic will be taken at the door, and are only valid with a ticket to the event.Doors open at 6 pm, close at 6:45 pm, and the show starts at 7 pm.