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You Are Not Your Illness

Ben is an Artist, Musician and Small Business Owner. He also lives with Clinical Depression. We caught up with him in honour of Mental Health Awareness Week to talk about his own experience with mental health, in the hopes that it will encourage others to open up themselves.  

Talking About Mental Illness Must Be Normalised

Student Ben Lomas, 20, has lived with anxiety and depression since he was a child. We caught up with him in honour of Mental Health Awareness Week to talk about his own experience with mental health, in the hopes that it will encourage others to open up themselves.  

Mental Health Issues Can Affect Anyone

Simon is 37, and works as a Healthcare Professional and a Musician. He also has lived experience of an eating disorder, self harm, depression and anxiety. We caught up with him in honour of Mental Health Awareness Week to talk about his own experience with mental health, in the hopes that it will encourage others to open up themselves.  

It’s Okay Not To Be Okay

Alexander Chalkley is twenty six years old, and works as a Programme Manager. Living with severe anxiety and depression, we caught up with him in honour of Mental Health Awareness Week to talk about his own experience with mental health, in the hopes that it will encourage others to open up themselves.

I Keep My Antidepressants in a Batman-Shaped Pez Dispenser

Abigail Fish reckons comedy and a sense of humour is a pretty good healer. We tend to agree. Here she is to tell us all exactly why laughing matters...

Poets Phlexx Their Muscles at Suede

Phlexx Records put on a hell of a show down at Suede Bar last week: 24 Poets, four heats, one final. With some seriously sick prizes up for grabs.

Callout for Nottingham's Young Poet Laureate

I Got an A at the Nottingham Jewellery School

Or I would have, if they were giving out grades. I did make an awesome ring though...

Nusic Future Session: Issaka

One of Nottingham's finest up-and-comers did a music with the organisation championing the newbies. Here, Issaka performs Cruising and Easy...

An Ode to the Nottingham Poetry Festival

Bringing poetry to the masses, one week at a time...

A Nottingham Football Coach in Micronesia: First Impressions

Nottingham-based football coach, Chris Smith, has landed in Micronesia. But what does he make of the islands?

Music, Madness and Poetry Party-Animals at Mudfest

Notts-based publishers Mud Press launched their latest poetry anthology Woman last week. We rolled up our sleeves and dived into Cobden Chambers for the launch party. 

DJ Format and Abdominal Interview

Fourteen years ago, the rapper and DJ were guilty of Ill Culinary Behaviour on Format's debut album, Music For The Mature B-Boy. After years of featuring on each other's solo albums, they're now back with a full album made together called Still Hungry. Before their gig at Rescue Rooms on 11 May we sat down with Abdominal and Format to chew the fat...

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

In this nostalgic journey back to Egypt, prepare for talking camels, inflatable sheep and bags of cheesy fun!

High Stakes and Sportswear at Poetercize! the Poetry Game Show

Scores were settled and mischief was made at Rough Trade this Saint George's Day, but which of our contestants won the championship title in this zany gameshow? We sent LP Mills to the hottest sporting event in Nottingham to find out. 

Miner David Amos and Linguist Natalie Braber on Poetry in Pit Talk

If you don’t know your ‘elephant’s tab’ from your ‘Monday hammer’, fear not. Seventh generation miner David Amos and linguist Natalie Braber have all the gobbings you need to understand Pit Talk...

Big White Shed's Poetry Publisher Anne Holloway Answers Questions in Photos

Founder of the Big White Shed, a meeting place for creatives to seek advice and trade expertise, Anne Holloway has shown us the inner workings of her mind through the art of photography. This month, she’s rounding up some of her favourite poetic pals to perform as part of the Nottingham Poetry Festival. The likes of Chris McLoughlin, Trevor Wright and Hayley Green will be spraying similes and internal rhymes like nobody’s business over at Debbie Bryan for your viewing pleasure. Word.

Poetercize: The Poetry Game Show at Nottingham Poetry Festival

Stephen Thomas is a locally-based poet and rapper whose show Poetercize: The Poetry Game Show will be performed as part of the Nottingham Poetry Festival. We had a chat with him about his latest projects in preparation for this year’s festival...

Quiet Riot: The Poets Who Do Not Talk, But Have Plenty To Say

Nottingham’s Maresa MacKeith is a poet, educator, and member of the Quiet Riot collective – a group of wordsmiths who are unique in their literary plight, in that each member communicates nonverbally. We visited Maresa to find out more about creating poetry by tapping on a letter board, what it feels like to have it voiced by a personal assistant through facilitated communication, and the Notts launch of the Quiet Riot anthology at Sobar…

10 Events to get to for Nottingham Poetry Festival

After wiggling their toes in the water back in 2015, Nottingham Poetry Festival is back. Mixing it up with over fifty events, there are local poets of all genres, backgrounds and disciplines, as well as workshops to get wordy in, and plenty of chances for you to get on the mic and give it a go yersen. Plus they’ve got some national treasures popping down – in the form of Britain’s Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, the inimitable John Cooper Clarke, and the lyrical John Hegley. If you don’t think poetry is your thing, think again. If you’re already a fan... well, as you were.

Nyasha at Dizzy Ink Risograph Printing Workshop

Nottingham's risograph specialists, Dizzy Ink, spent the day in Primary Studios letting people unleash their creativity on their printing machines. Our vlogger Nyasha went along to have a go...

Notts Coach Takes Over World’s Worst International Football Team

Chris Smith, a Nottingham-based football coach, who has worked previously with the likes of Nottingham Forest and Lincoln City, is picking up his passport this month to head to Micronesia, a country spread over 600 islands off the Western Pacific Ocean, to embark on one spectacular footballing journey...

Nottingham Poetry Festival: Wendy Cope

Known for her dry wit and keen eye for parody, Wendy Cope has been a staple of British poetry since her debut in the eighties. We caught up with Wendy ready for her appearance at this year’s poetry festival.

Rapper Scorzayzee on Gangsta Wraps, New EP Illa Scorz, and Nottingham Hip Hop

Rap’s Robin Hood is back with new EP Illa Scorz, and a ton of new merch designed by his eleven-year-old son to boot. We caught up with Scorzayzee for the lowdown on his latest release, plus the burning question of who’d win in a fight between the most famous fast food mascots…

I'm Not From London On A Decade Of Distortion

It's been two years in the making, but INFL are finally ready to unleash the beast...