How Creativity Can Help to Make a Healthier Manosphere

Each month Keith Fenton, a Leeds-based performance poet, broadcaster and host of Poets Talking Bollocks podcast, explores the events, people and debates shaping literary culture in the North. This month, he reflects on a packed November of poetry events and how they revealed the vital role of vulnerability, awareness around men’s mental health, and connection for creating a healthier Manosphere.

Send your poems / short stories / photos / art on all things urban: towns, cities, buildings, housing. regeneration etc. See how to submit at urbanscrwalmag.c.uk (click the picture) by Friday 16th January 2026.

Ink Spill #40: Poetry Workshop and Open Mic

Join us for an evening filled with creativity and poetry at The Head Of Steam, Huddersfield - with a poetry workshop and open mic event where you can showcase your own poetic talents or simply enjoy the beautiful art of spoken word.

On Fri 16 January 2026, you are invited to a friendly night of poetry. Whether you're an aspiring poet or a seasoned wordsmith, this event is open to all. So grab your pen, bring your thoughts, and let your words spill onto the page.

During the workshop, you'll have the opportunity to write and develop your poetry - inspired by the theme. You'll be introduced to a variety of styles and techniques that will be supported by a variety of activities.

Following the workshop and a short hydration break, the stage is yours! Step up to the mic and share your creations with our supportive and enthusiastic community. Or simply sit back, relax, and enjoy the performances of other talented individuals.

Whether you're seeking inspiration, looking to connect with fellow poets, or simply want to spend an evening surrounded by poetry, Ink Spill is the place to be!

The Head of Steam,
Saint George's Square
Huddersfield
HD1 1JB

Discover the joy of storytelling in our friendly creative writing group Write Now.

No booking is required. Just turn up and start your creative journey with us.

The group meets twice a month to fuel inspiration and nurture your writing skills. With no pressure and all skill levels welcome, you'll find a supportive community where your writing voice can truly shine.

PAYF donations taken on the day.

Northlight Arts Centre
31 Potternewton Lane
Leeds
LS7 3LW

11th to 17th January, 2026

Explore a multidisciplinary exhibition exploring mothers, mother figures and ancestors – curated by Brown Kuri Productions

Letters to Our Mothers gathers the voices of South Asian women, trans women, femmes and queer artists to explore their relationships with mothers, mother figures and ancestors.

Through visual art, film, photography, sound, spoken word, textiles, movement and performance, Letters to Our Mothers is a powerful archive of tenderness, silence, grief, celebration and everything that lives in between.

Each contribution takes the form of a “letter” written, recorded or embodied, offering an intimate response to the women or energies that shaped the artists. These letters may be direct or abstract, ancestral or contemporary, fierce or forgiving. Together, they reveal the emotional landscapes carried across generations and identities within the South Asian diaspora.

(Note the photo dates the launch event, which is sold out)

Aviva Studios
Water Street
Manchester
M3 4JQ

Poetry, shorts stories & prose.
Local writers and .
Bring your own writing and join in or just come along and listen

Craft Bar,
7 Northway
Scarborough
YO11 1JH

Entries must be in by 19 January 2026, at 10am.

Win up to £1,000 and get your work seen! The Roundhouse Poetry Slam 2026 invites UK poets aged 18-25 to perform, get filmed for our 16,000+ subscriber YouTube channel, connect with peers, and receive professional feedback. Free.

Heats are taking place in London, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool and online. (No further details on location of heats, but they take place between 23 February and 4 March, 2026.)

The Slam Final is at the Roundhouse in London on 9 April 2026.

Bring a poem or two - your own or your favourites

Share them with your fellow poets & poetry lovers

We’re looking forward to welcoming you to the Happy House, Masham

If you’d like you can bring something to drink (we’re not licensed)

This is a smallish room which can only hold 10 people so this ticket only admits ONE

There is also an online option.

The Gallery
24 Market Place
Masham
HG4 4EB

Creative Writing Workshops with D3

Join Pen Power for a fun live session where words come alive and creativity flows nonstop!
Get ready for an awesome in-person gathering where creativity flows and ideas take flight. Pen Power is the perfect chance to connect, share stories, and unleash your inner wordsmith. Whether you love writing, doodling, or just expressing yourself, this event is all about celebrating the power of the pen. Don’t miss out on a fun, inspiring evening filled with cool people and great vibes. See you there!

The focus is on self-expression and poetry, but the activities are designed to spark creativity and build confidence for all kinds of writing.

£7.50 first session then £15.

Age 18+

Society
14 Swinegate
Leeds
LS1 4AG

Fun and friendly online creative writing workshops every month in 2026
These workshops are an invitation to pause and make time to play with poetry, write and connect with other writers, and nourish and expand your creative practice.

Join me on the 3rd Tuesday of each month (note the February date is a Wednesday!) for an hour and a half of exploratory writing fun.

Each workshop will be themed and we’ll look at three poems on that theme by poets we love, and have a go at some our own writing in response.

These workshops aren’t sequential, so you can come to as few or as many as you like.

Each one will open with a short freewrite, followed by our first poem, a short discussion, and an associated writing exercise, our second poem, discussion, and writing exercise, and our third poem, discussion, and writing exercise.

I’ll be writing along with you and there’ll be an optional sharing circle at the end for us to read out anything we’ve written, or share any other thoughts.

You’ll finish each workshop with three drafts to take away and work on, and some fresh ideas and inspiration.

Online event

The Wednesday night acoustic night, we keep an open mind so anything goes, music, poetry, comedy.

Open Mind, the longest running acoustic Open Mic in Leeds.

Music, spoken word, dancing, stand up, magicians and even sword swallowers, anything goes, well it is Open Mind. Totally acoustic unplugged, no amps or mics with house guitars and piano.

This is in a separate room from the bar and has a very respectful audience that listens to every word or note. See ya at Canalside every Wednesday, first act at 8pm until around 11.00pm. We are only a 15 minute walk from Leeds Train Station.
There’s no need to book a slot, just turn up!

Canalside Community Music Space
5 Canal Place
Leeds
LS12 2DU

Poetry and spoken word

Crank Studios
1 Beryl Burton Gardens
Morley
LS27 9FN

Join us for an evening of focused writing, experimentation, and play. Aimed at folks who want space to try new things, sow the seeds of some new writing, and develop their creative practice by connecting with queer literary traditions and one another.

All profits will be donated to The Sameer Project, a Palestinian-led mutual aid group supporting people in Gaza.

Date: Thursday 22nd January 2026

Time: 6.30-8.30pm

The Bookish Type
77a Great George Street
Leeds
LS1 3BR

(This appears to be sold out, but I have included it here to raise awareness of possible future events - Bob)

A spoken word event with Clive Oseman (comedy poems), Kevin Walker (comedic monologue) and Jake EB (vocalist) (As seen on Netflix 'The Next Act')

CoffeeWrite
4 Marygate
Wakefield
WF1 1NX

Doors 5pm - Live Music from 5:30pm This event starts at 8:00pm


The Poetic Off-Licence is a Leeds based event that showcases the best of the poetry and music from the city and beyond.
They transform some of the most beloved bars and venues around Leeds into a space where poets and performers gather to share their work.

For their first event of 2026 they’re hosting the first ever open-mic at The Domino Club, with haggis bites and a cocktail menu curated between The Domino Club & Johnnie Walker.


Tonights featured artist is Rhiannon Hope:

Weaving odes to jazz greats into tales of the working class experience and stitching gentle twangs into accordion hums, All Things, Rising and Returning marks the debut release from Leeds-based folk artist Rhiannon Hope. The EP nurtures a unique blend of traditional folk and contemporary influences, with Rhiannon looking to the likes of Ella Fitzgerald and Aldous Harding for sonic guidance. The resulting sound is at once delicate and deliberate, wistful yet soulful, and, perhaps most of all, timeless. ”

Join us for an unforgettable Burns Night experience.

The Domino Club
Unit 7 Grand Arcade
Leeds LS1 6PG

Happy 2026 everyone! We are looking forward to another year of words & community.

We are back on Monday 26th January and excited to introduce our headliners!
Hannah Ledlie
Aminah Zaman

To enter the draw for a 4 minute open mic slot, please email us on verbosemanchester @ gmail.com between 1st and 6th January.

Tickets are pay what you can - link to follow soon in our bio

Verbose is one of Manchester's longest running spoken word events, having been born in the suburbs its current regular venue is Kings Arms, Salford.

The King's Arms
11 Bloom Street
Salford
M3 6AN

Join us for some fun and focused writing before The Space Poetic open mic :)
Space Poetic Writing Club.

Part of The Space Poetic's mission is building community, and what better way to do that amongst poets than spend a fun and relaxed hour writing with friends.

I'll bring some poems I love, and a few prompts you can use if you need something to get you started.

Your welcome to bring something you're already working on, or a fresh page waiting to be filled with new ideas.

There'll be the option to chat, or to just get your head down - the room is big enough that we can split into small groups if chatty/less chatty people want.

Doesn't matter if you've been writing since you could first hold a pen, or never written at all, this is a safe space to come hang out and enjoy being creative together.

And if you're feeling brave you can share your piece (or any piece!) in The Space Poetic open mic afterwards!

Terrace NQ
43 Thomas Street
Manchester M4 1NA

The Space Poetic is a monthly poetry gallery and open mic, held on the last Wednesday of the month at Terrace in Manchester's Northern Quarter.

And there's a Space Poetic writing club that meets for an hour to write together before the event (6-7pm).

Terrace NQ
43 Thomas Street
Manchester M4 1NA

Chemistry returns to the Chemic on Friday 30 January, with another night of poetry and spoken word, two brilliant headliners and our usual amazing open mic. We’re starting off the year with a brilliant pair of headliners in Ralph Dartford and Izzy Brittain.

The events are themed on the elements of the periodic table, so this time it’s element number 23, which is V for Vanadium. The theme is entirely optional, but we hope you might use it as a creative prompt to come up with some new work to reveal on the night.

If you want to sign up for the open mic, just ask host Joe Williams for a slot when you arrive. Open mic readers are drawn in a random order from the Box of Mystery, and we’ll keep going till the box is empty. We welcome everyone from first-timers to veteran performers, so if you want to give it a go, please do. Please stick to the time limit of 3 minutes (which includes any introductions and other waffle).

Entry is on a pay-as-you-feel basis. If you don’t feel able to pay anything, that’s fine. The guest poets will also have books for sale. No need to book a ticket, just turn up.
Doors at 7.15pm for a 7.45pm start. I hope you can join us!

The Chemic Tavern
9 Johnston Street
Leeds
LS6 2NG

A fundraiser for Leeds Lit Fest. It's an open mic MC 'd by Joe Williams.

Tickets are £5 (including if you're putting your name down).

The Lit Fest receives no funding, and everything raised will go towards the basic costs of the festival.

Doors open:18-00 hours

See you there.

Hyde Park Book Club,
27-29 Headingley Lane
Headingley
Leeds
LS6 1BL

WordSpace is a public performance platform and hub, conceived and managed by @DrAlyal of @LTUEnglish. Publishing annual anthology open to all who attend WordSpace open mics, or are connected with Leeds Trinity University, whether as students or staff, or by attending one of our writing events.

Radio, podcasts, writing workshops.

Monthly open mic with guest performer first Wednesday of the month at Horsforth Brewery Tap for 9 months of the year. Online open mic.

THE BREWERY TAP
143 New Side Road
Leeds
LS18 4QD

Take Part in the Timed Poetry Challenge write a poem of 30 seconds or 60 seconds and perform it on the night with a chance to win. This month's theme is ... TELEPHONE

City Library Bradford
9 Aldermanbury
The Broadway
Bradford
BD1 1SD

Bradford’s poetry reading series More Song is back for the first event of a full 2026 programme with readings from Kimberly Campanello, Ilisha Thiru Purcell and Roma Havers! ⛓️⛓️‍💥

Join us for an unforgettable night of poetry, drinks and community on Thursday February 5th 7-9pm at the 1 in 12 Club Library in Bradford City Centre. 🍻📖✨

Expect (re)versions of Dante, poetry of the body, queerness, inheritance, sleep and alternative ways of being. Poetry that lights a fire within you.

The 1 in 12 Club Library
21-23 Albion Street
Bradford
West Yorkshire
BD1 2LY

Poetry Open Mic
With Keith Fenton & Aqeel Parvez

Plus guests and open mic

The Chemic Tavern (Woodhouse)
9 Johnson Street
Leeds,
LS6 2NG

Join us on for an intimate evening of spoken word with Jackanory, a collective known for powerful storytelling, poetry, and raw, thought-provoking performances.

Jackanory brings words to life through stories that are honest, engaging, and often unexpected, creating a welcoming space for both seasoned spoken word fans and first-timers alike.

Set in the laid-back atmosphere of The Head of Steam, this is a relaxed hour of live performance. Grab a drink from the bar, settle in, and enjoy an evening of words, voices, and shared moments.

Whether you’re there to listen, reflect, or be inspired, this is a beautifully crafted night of live spoken word not to be missed.

Head of Steam
Saint George's Square
Huddersfield
HD1 1JB

Poetry Open Mic. Come and join us. 6.30 sign up. 4 mins max per slot.

Guest poet Amanda Crundall

Heart Assembly Bar + Kitchen,
Headingley Arts Centre
9 Bennett Road
Leeds
LS6 3HN

Spoken Word Night. Open Mic.

The Lobby
1867, Westgate
Wakefield

Share Urdu poetry with the aim of improving, vocabulary, reading and writing skills and sharing the love of Urdu poetry. Transliteration in English available for all poems shared.

12th February - Sara Shagufta
26th March - Himanshi Babra

Suitable for all ages - all under 18s require a parent or guardian

Chaiiwala,
854 Leeds Road
Bradford
BD3 9TX

Join us for a evening of open mic poetry hosted by Dominic Berry with a different Guest Poet each month!
Welcome to the Hinterland Poetry Night! Join us for an evening filled with beautiful words, creative minds, and good vibes. Whether you're a seasoned poet or just looking to enjoy some spoken word, this event is for you.

Our poetry nights will take place on the 2nd Thursday of each month. Come early to grab a seat, order a drink, and get ready to be inspired by the talented guest and local poets taking the stage.

Don't miss out on this opportunity to connect with the local poetry community, share your own work, or simply sit back and enjoy the magic of words.

Open Mic will operate on a first come, first signed up basis. Slots will be 3 minutes.

Hinterland Alcohol-Free Bar and Café
16-20 Turner Street
Manchester
M4 1DZ

Open mic spoken word evening. As the Brewery is closed it is taking part on the third Thursday this month.

Doncaster Brewery
7 Young Street
Doncaster
DN1 3EL

In collaboration and hosted by UoS Poetry Society, join us in Raynor Lounge, Bar One on the third Tuesday of every month for Poetry Open Mic Night.

Whether you want to perform, or just enjoy the words, everyone is welcome - students & the public.

Free entry from 7.30pm.

Sign up in advance via Poetry Soc, or sign up on the night.

Bar One
Sheffield Students' Union
Western Bank
Sheffield
S10 2TG

Soul Shed returns with a night of poetry, music and comedy.

Another showcase of a variety of talent, both homegrown and nationally known. From poetry to music to comedy, there's something for everyone.

Hosted by Faye Marshall (Cloth and Coal, Morley) and Tim Brookes (Under the Lobby Lights, Wakefield) this night will have you nodding, swaying, laughing and wondering when you can do it all again.

Stay tuned for information about our February acts!

Wakefield Exchange
Union Street
Wakefield
WF1 3AD

Acoustic Song & Spoken Word OPEN MIC

EVERY THIRD THURSDAY! (not February)19 Mar - 16 Apr - 21 May - 18 June - 16 July

www.york welcomes writers and wordful acoustic musicians who'd like to share their work in a warm and appreciative environment.

We'll invite a writer and a musician to be co-hosts each month, and they'll bring a guest to perform as well.
Then the floor is open to everyone for an open mic session (sign up from 7 pm).

Bring a poem, a song, some jokes, a guitar, a voice. Try out fresh material or revive an old fave (originals preferred) - or just enjoy the others!

All welcome; safe and friendly ethos.

Free entry with a purchase from the bar.

Upstairs at The Artful Dodger
Micklegate
York
YO1 6LJ

Collaboration is a live performance of Poets and Musicians, combined with Stop Motion Animation.

The Collaboration is a live multimedia event that combines stop-motion animation, music, and spoken word. Together with projected animations, six artists share their unique experiences through live performances of their work.

Artists:
Jamie H. Scrutton
Lence
Blaze Hamlet
Tom Priestley
Miles and The Chain Gang
Plus more Artists to be announced

PLUS: 6 Open Mic slots (5 Minutes each.)
Ticket: £6

Hyde Park Book Club,
27-29 Headingley Lane
Headingley
Leeds
LS6 1BL