Young Poets Takeovers are a space for up-and-coming young poets and performers to meet one another and share their work on stage. These events are curated specially for young people and tickets are always free. We platform the brilliant young people who are involved in The Poetry Society’s programmes for young people, such as the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award, Young Poets Network and SLAMbassadors, and there’s always an open mic section for anyone aged up to 25 to sign up to perform on the day. Read a review of one Young Poets Takeover here.

Young Poets Takeovers usually take place at The Poetry Café in London and are hosted by The Poetry Society’s Education Co-ordinator Helen Bowell… but if you’d like to set up your own Young Poets Takeover anywhere else in the world, drop us an email on [email protected]. You can watch our latest Young Poets Takeover back on YouTube – it took place over Zoom for the Versopolis Festival of Hope on 22 February 2021.

If you’d like to know when the next Young Poets Takeover is, sign up to the Young Poets Network mailing list for free.

had just a brilliant time @youngpoetsnet's takeover today! we have such a wonderful community and im so happy i could hear amazing poems from amazing people. also thank you @CarolineBirdUK you are incredible ?

— Nadia (she/her) (@NadiallLines) August 17, 2019

Previous performers have included:

• Oluwaseun Matiluko
• Jack Cooper
• Matt Sowerby
• Natalie Linh Bolderston
• Caroline Bird
• Natalie Richardson
• Pat Frazier
• Kara Jackson
• Joshua Eyakware
• Noah Jacob
• Destiny Adeyemi
• Precious Olisaokafor
• Victoria Agyarko
• Victorina Agyarko
• Eden Ehioghae
• Precious Ogunlowo
• Arinola Adegbite
• Nadia Lines
• Judith Howe
• Damayanti Chatterjee
• Sarah Fletcher
• Lucy Thynne
• Cia Mangat
• Mukahang Limbu
• Meredith LeMaître
• Em Power

Here’s a list of all our events to date…

• Young Poets Takeover 20 February 2021 at Versopolis Festival of Hope
• Young Poets Takeover 30 October 2020 at Wakefield LitFest
• Young Poets Takeover 17 August 2019 with Caroline Bird and Foyle Young Poets
• Young Poets Takeover 15 June 2019 with Chicago Youth Poet Laureates
• Young Poets Takeover 12 January 2019 with SLAMbassadors
• Young Poets Takeover 21 August 2018 with Young Poets Networkers
• Young Poets Takeover 2 June 2019 with Foyle Young Poets

Had an great time at the Slambassdor poetry takeover!! https://t.co/OqHYunq3qb

— Destiny Adeyemi (@poetryndestiny) January 12, 2019

Photos by Cesare de Giglio for The Poetry Society. Logo by Yan Yan Candy Ng.