Passionate about young people's mental health and poetry? 'Rights Advocates' on the national Make Our Rights Reality project are hosting their very own poetry event to raise awareness of our #OurMindsOurFuture campaign.

Join us for a cosy and intimate evening of poetry tackling the theme of young people's mental health. As well as an open-mic session, we have an impressive list of headline poets (see below!) who will be sharing their words throughout the evening.

It's going to be a warm and inclusive space, and supportive atmosphere - so please don't shy away if you have something to say! Come down and have your voice heard, we can't wait to welcome you 😊

HEADLINERS: (details on our other acts to follow)

Gregory Poet: Greg is a Leeds-based poet who also works in education. He is passionate about topics such as race, colonialism, and toxic masculinity.

Find Greg at https://www.instagram.com/gregorypoet1/ and http://picdeer.com/gregorypoet1

Mike Southwell: Mike is a Leeds-based spoken word artist. His work is inspired by hip hop and explores themes such as masculinity, mental health, addiction, politics, relationships and fatherhood.

Ògún: Taiwo ‘Ògún’ Ogunyinka is a Leeds-based narrator. He tells the stories of his life and those he observes in a general rhyming pattern. His work explores concepts of race and masculinity in Britain and beyond, the trials and tribulations of 20-somethings, and autobiographies of young men who are more sensitive than they would admit.

Find Ògún on Instagram, Facebook and Soundcloud at @ogunpoeticking

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SCmh5wyy_k&t=108s

Sharena Lee: Author of Testing Times, Broken Chains and Unapologetic, Sharena is also a very passionate poet and uprising voice in Braford - spreading her empathy and love of poetry in her local community. She writes poetry about her own personal life, current environmental issues, social stigmas, homelessness, poverty and discrimination.

Enas Saeed: Enas started writing at 13 years old and joined Leeds Young Authors (LYA) as a means to express her self. Her poetry and short stories delves into themes such as womanhood, religion, mental health and identity. Enas’s work was displayed as part of studio 12 manifesto in verse, at Leeds art library for the 100 year anniversary of women rights to vote.

Steve Nash: Steve is a writer, performer, musician, born in Yorkshire and raised on Army Barracks across the UK and Europe. He is a widely and internationally published poet, and he also won the Saboteur Award for ‘Best Spoken Word Performer’. His first collection was released by York’s own Stairwell Books, and his latest collection ‘Myth Gatherers’ is due for release in the next couple of weeks.

You can find out more about him at www.stevenashwrites.com

For more information on the poets and their full bios: http://makeourrightsreality.org.uk/omof-open-mic-and-poetry-event/