This is a past event and is currently no longer running.

Information

Hit the Ode is a unique performance poetry night bringing world-class spoken word artists to the heart of Birmingham to perform alongside open mic-ers.

This is your chance to take to the stage among some of the brightest talent in the region.

In association with UniSlam, confirmed artists for March include Rishi Dastidar, Yomi Sode and Bridget Hart. The evening is hosted by Bohdan Piasecki.

Price

Tickets £5 in advance £8 on the door

Prices and discounts subject to change

Age guidance

15+

Performances

Performances

Discounts & Concessions

CONCESSIONS FOR PATRONS WITH DISABILITIES

2 for 1 on standard ticket prices for disabled patrons who require the service/support of a companion.

CLICK HERE for more information on our Access Performances

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Discounts and Concessions are offered subject to availability at the discretion of the Information and Sales Manager. Top three price bands only, unless otherwise stated. Restrictions may apply. Only one discount per ticket may apply, unless otherwise stated. Offers are non retrospective and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Valid ID must be presented where applicable. Additional discounts may be offered from time to time.

Food & Drink

The Coffee Bar

Our Coffee Bar is open before the show and during the interval for hot and cold drinks, snacks or a quick and tasty bite to eat.

The Kiosks

You’ll find kiosks in the foyers selling a range of confectionery, Marshfield ice creams (which can also be pre-ordered) and chilled soft drinks as well as the current show programme.

Artist Biographies

Safia Elhillo

Sudanese by way of D.C., Safia Elhillo is the author of Girls That Never Die, The January Children and Home Is Not a Country, and co-editor of the anthology Halal If You Hear Me.

Winner of the Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets, the California Book Award, the Arab American Book Award, and the Brunel International African Poetry Prize, she is also the recipient of a Cave Canem Fellowship, a Wallace Stegner Fellowship from Stanford University, and a Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Fellowship from The Poetry Foundation. Her work has appeared in POETRY magazine, The Atlantic, and The Academy of American Poets’ Poem-a-day series, among others.

Yomi Sode

Yomi Ṣode is an award-winning Nigerian British writer. He is a recipient of the 2019 Jerwood Compton Poetry Fellowship and was shortlisted for The Brunel International African Poetry Prize 2021.

His acclaimed one-man show COAT toured nationally to sold-out audiences, including at the Brighton Festival, Roundhouse Camden and the Battersea Arts Centre. In 2020, his libretto Remnants, written in collaboration with award-winning composer James B. Wilson and performed with Chineke! Orchestra premiered on BBC Radio 3.

In 2021, his play, and breathe… premiered at the Almeida Theatre to rave reviews. Yomi is a Complete Works alumnus and a member of Malika’s Poetry Kitchen. He is the founder of BoxedIn, First Five, The Daddy Diaries, and mentorship programme, 12 in 12. Yomi’s debut collection, Manorism is published by Penguin Press.

Bridget Hart

Bridget Hart (they/them) is a queer, working class writer, performer, creative producer and poetry mentor.

Bridget has performed at a variety of events including Manchester Punk Festival, Shambala, Boomtown Fair, Audacious Women Festival, and probably your back garden circa 2011-16. In 2017, they released the debut pamphlet Better Watch Your Mouth with Burning Eye Books. Their work has also appeared in Paper & Ink Literary Zine, Untitled Writers, Dear Damsels, Ink, Sweat & Tears and Hollow Earth Zine.

Their second collection Chewing Gum is a queer retelling of characters from Grease and Grease 2 and is out now with Small Press Books.

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