Meet the Poets 

Funmi Says is a 27-year-old data scientist by day and spoken word artist by night from Manchester. She started writing & performing spoken word pieces as a teenager and has performed at a plethora of events over the years with some recent highlights including being featured on BBC Radio Manchester twice, being a finalist at One Mic Stand Manchester, taking the stage at Manchester International Festival, headlining for Mind over Matter Manchester and winning The Poetry Places ‘Cutting Words’ slam competition. Although she is open to writing about various topics, her reoccurring themes tend to centre around black womanhood/sisterhood, self-worth/esteem, love/romantic relationship and her Christian faith.

Ryan Dre Sinclair is a 29-year-old Birmingham-based Poet, Producer, Host, and Self-Published Author. Poetry became his solace during his teenage years, helping him express emotions following a harrowing incident involving his brother. After a break, fueled by his university studies, he self-published 'A Birmingham Story' in 2018—an emotional blend of poetry and animation. Ryan has collaborated with notable names like the Arts Council and Birmingham 2022 Centrica. GQ Magazine even recognized his recent work in the 'Reframe Residency' project. Now, he's busy crafting a Spoken Word Theatre Play Tour and EP, set for late 2023/early 2024, aiming to inspire and move people.

Meet SAF-S2E, a multifaceted artist hailing from Manchester. As a Young Identity poet, his creative journey spans performance art and rap, taking him to stages across the nation and around the world. Notably, he emerged as one of six finalists in BBC 1Xtra, BBC Asian Network, and BBC Contain Strong Language's Words First talent development scheme. His poetic prowess is etched in publications like "No Disclaimers Volume One," "Working From Home," "Ecosystems of Fury," and "Use Words First." SAF-S2E's collaboration with Manchester International Festival (MIF) resulted in the LP "Ink Is Blood," spotlighted at MIF in 2021. His work delves deep into themes of morality, mortality, divinity, and identity.

This Hart Of Mine is an award-winning poet and spoken word artist. Her work explores themes of race, social justice and empowerment. The purpose of her poetry is to empower and teach people about the Black experience and her spoken word performances have been featured on BBC Radio Manchester.