Sam And Hanan's Salon Behind The Bins

An Evening of Poetry, Songs, Stories and Discussion from long time friends and first time collaborators Hanan Issa and Sam Hickman.

"A salon is a gathering of people held by a host. These gatherings often consciously followed Horace's definition of the aims of poetry, "either to please or to educate" (Latin: aut delectare aut prodesse). Salons in the tradition of the French literary and philosophical movements of the 17th and 18th centuries are still being conducted.[1]"

Hanan Issa

Hanan is a Welsh-Iraqi poet and writer based in Cardiff. She has been featured on both ITV

Wales and BBC Wales and worked in partnership with National Museum Wales, Artes Mundi,

Warwick University, Swansea Fringe, StAnza Festival, Wales Arts Review and Seren Books.

Her work has been published in Banat Collective, Hedgehog Press, Wales Arts Review, Sukoon

mag, Lumin Journal, Poetry Wales, Parthian, Y Stamp, sister-hood magazine and

MuslimGirl.com. Her winning monologue was featured at Bush Theatre’s Hijabi Monologues.

She is the co-founder of Wales’ first BAME open mic series 'Where I'm Coming From'. She was

a 2018-2019 Hay Festival Writer at Work. Her debut poetry pamphlet ‘My Body Can House

Two Hearts’ was published by BurningEye Books. She is a recipient of the 2020 Ffolio - Ffilm

Cymru/ BBC Wales short film commission, the 2021 Literature Wales ‘Representing Wales’

bursary, and the 2021 National Theatre Wales Springboard bursary. She is the current National

Poet of Wales.

Slick’, ‘mesmerising’, ‘goddess'

Singing Harpist Sam Hickman is a multi-disciplinary performance artist with a focus of sartorial storytelling and comedic song.

Known to many as ‘that woman who plays harp outside TK Maxx’ she is also a gifted lyricist and composer as well as one of the cities foremost comedic talents.

Currently on tour with ‘Sexy Rude Harp Concert’ her one woman show developed at The Sherman Theatre and Wales Millennium Centre with production support from National Theatre Wales, this transatlantic chanteuse regularly wows fans and audiences a like with her unique, off beat and on point humour, style and talent.

A rising star, a clear blue sky, a delight at parties.