MAKE POETRY WEIRD AGAIN

Nols Nathankski sits down with Dawn Web (They/Them) to make poems and talk open mic. Dawn is a multi-media artist, award-winning dancer and queer neurodivergent advocate for mental health as well as marginalized individuals and communities. They find comfort in multiple mediums such as playing music, writing, painting, and dancing. Nols and Dawn make poems with prompts from Ivka Fox This led Dawn...

Nols Nathankski sits down with his bestie Ivka Fox for a giggle. Ivka is a Bulgarian popstar, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, writer and actress. They discuss why she is most certainly NOT a poet. Ivka debut's "Shes a Gaslight" one of the new tracks she is working on which can be heard at the start of the episode. Ivka suggested the idea of Nols making a podcast so this is all her fault...

Nols Nathankski & Annika Paniza celebrate William Blake's 268th birthday!  Annika is a writer and poet currently living in Brighton. Annika and Nols discuss Annika's brilliant idea for an open mic centred around navigating queer relationships in a vegan restaurant. They obsess about finding the infinity in the ordinary and why mental health walks always make the best poems. They make Blakean p...

BONUS EPISODE - Nols makes an episode on two of his queer poetry icons William Blake and Oscar Wilde.  The show is a meditation on the two poets as Nols had a birthday party for William Blake on the 28th November 2025 with some incredible poets making poems in his living room.  Oscar Wilde died on the 30th November 1900 an exile in Paris. He was misquoted until the end.  Nols read work from both p...

Nols Nathankski and Redeeming Features come up with a new hardcore open mic! They talk about punk poetry and how open mic can save your life. Redeeming Features is a punk poet: visceral, hyperactive, and absurd. He has opened for a number of UK punk bands and gigs regularly in the UK and abroad. He has a published book called ‘Sniffing Glue and Playing Chicken on the M4.’ All profits from the book...

Nols Nathankski sits down for a proper brew with Rick McLean aka @MaccathePoet to talk about anti-racism at the Open Mic and how to piss off flag shaggers on tiktok, a Leeds-born, London-lost ranter who sees the world through a lens of dry wit, frustration, and the occasional moment of nostalgia. If you like a bit of John Cooper Clark, a strong cuppa, shit loads of vinegar on your chippy tea, raw ...

Nols Nathankski finds out that Ella Frears HAS NEVER DONE AN OPEN MIC! They also discuss her new brilliant collaborative collection of prompts POETRY FRUIT MACHINE, the power of prompts and why no poems will be read the poets office Christmas party on the 1st December 2025 at the Social. Ella Frears is a poet based in London. She has been shortlisted for The T. S. Eliot Prize, a Sky Arts Award, an...

Nols Nathankski speaks with Elijah a Canadian/Scottish neurodivergent poet who travels the world making art with people and talking with them about Jesus. Nols and Elijah met @versespoetrynight at @Bardonalondon at the start of Nol's open mic pilgrimage in February. Elijah brings a hardcore punk energy to the open mic that must be heard to be believed. Nols and Elijah make poems with prompts from...

Nols Nathankski sits down for a smoke with Tyreece Asamoah a Ghanaian visionary poet from Peckham, who William Blake's angel would be proud of. About Tyreece Asamoah (from the poet): Smog Smut, Gutta  Geechi Gully El-Ghizali Feni El-Salahi Okomfo        Alhaji Alhaji, Alhaji Son Of Latona Spitting out-da Glen w/ Gall. Nols and Tyreece speak to the sublime and splitting the veil at open mics. Wheth...

Nols Nathankski examines his recent poems around the theme of Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria, or RSD, is an intense emotional reaction to real or perceived rejection or criticism. It’s often linked to ADHD, but it affects many highly sensitive, creative people. Nols uses his symptoms and intrusive thoughts to make poems and discusses how RSD effects daily life and...

Nols Nathankski presents a Halloween Spooktacular! Across Halloween we have been putting out prompts on @makepoetryweirdagain on Instagram and apart from @richbliss the entire open mic poetry scene has ghosted them! The sponsors are getting thirsty for Nol's Blood and so in a desperate attempt to hold a séance for the ratings this show has been hastily put together on too much sugar and a great de...

Nols Nathankski and Eliza Vezen bridge the gap from London to Berlin in this special international episode. Eliza is a poet and multidisciplinary artist, from everywhere and nowhere, currently living in Berlin. Eliza is so dedicated to open mic poetry she regularly travels from Berlin to London to perform for 5 minutes at open mics! Nols and Eliza make poems from @ellarfrears wonderful poetry frui...

Nols sits down with Kristal Sisodia (They/Them), performer, actor and poet extraordinaire to discuss making and performing poetry pre-and post diagnosis, the way pain can make your world small, the life of a disabled performance artist and all the magic they bring to Open Mic. Nols and Kristal make poems from prompts provided by Deptford Doggerels Kristal shouts out the following poets The Metapho...

Nols goes deep on the business of poetry and open mic and how you could potentially make £50k a year off poetry* in 1-3 years. This is a silly episode and shouldn't be seen as a get rich quick scheme ;) Nols Year 1 Step-by-Step Plan Months 1–3: Foundation & Visibility Months 4–6: Credibility & First Earnings Months 7–9: Professionalisation & Diversification Months 10–12: Scaling &...

Nols sits down with Alannah and Pádraic the owners of Deptford Doggerells a night of poetry and revelry in the AAJA basement in Deptford, Southeast London. The 3 discuss open mic from Dublin to Deptford. What makes an inclusive night and how to be both a community and an experience. Nols learns he has been writing Doggerels all year. We make poems with prompts from Word Space's Josh Hallam. The n...

HOW TO MAKE POETRY FROM YOUR SITUATIONSHIPS FOR THE OPEN MIC Nols takes on the cursed role of master of ceremonies to present a selection of this season's poets and some special guests talking all things situationships. Back in the olden days you wouldn't see your crush for years, now we take anti-anxiety meds because they didn't heart emoji the song we sent them at 2am. Situationships aint going...

Nols Nathankski meets Josh Hallam from Word Space to obsess about Open Mic and Poetry. Joshua Hallam is a poet and facilitator from Derby. His work has been longlisted in the National Poetry Competition and Live Canon International Prize, highly commended in the Shelley Memorial Prize, Runner up of the Wirral Festival Prize, and been a winner of the Hot Poets Climate Poetry Prize. He is the founde...

Nols Nathankski talks to neurodivergent burnout, quiet self neglect and how you lose your mind after too many open mics. Nols speaks to turning to poetry for recovery how you can also end up making things much more chaotic and strange. This is a bonus episode to keep the sponsors happy, but drifts off into some dark poetic territories. Nols performs 3 new poems and provides 3 prompts at the end of...

Nols continues his open mic Journey at the Bosla Arts solidarity workshop at the Jago in Dalston facilitated by Fedzilla. Nols talks to musician and activist Tanyeli Taze who he met at the workshop about their experiences and how to write poems of solidarity. Tanyeli and Nols made poems with prompts from Dave Jackson-Keen. Tanyeli recommends Keiran Goddard Orchestrated Discontent Ella Frears Noah...

NOLS AND STEVIE GET FILTHY Two vile queers putting the world to weird and talking all things poetry, open mic and the decent into puritanism. Stevie is raising money for Hackney Night Shelter where he volunteers. Fundraise | Hackney Night Shelter The Poetry Jam will be at Stokey Books on the 4th September 2025. www.tickettailor.com/events/hackneynightshelter1/1810955 If you cant make it donate her...

Nols makes poems with Jean Akintoye. Hailing from Dalston, Hackney, Jean Akintoye is a London-based performance poet. He studied the International Baccalaureate at UWC Atlantic College, and has seen print in The Looking Glass Anthology (ed.13 and 14), The Nouse and The Resonance Anthology (2025). Stylistically, Jean aims to strike a balance between the flourishes one would expect from 20th century...

Nols makes poems with Avouleance Cook (They/Them) a spoken word artist and playwright based in London. Their work centers on as a process, both how it is created and interpreted by others. The pair discuss making ethical poems under capitalism, the last decade of open mic and the rise and fall of investor goose. Spooky prompts provided by the Mad Po3t. Find Avouleance at the below open mics and on...

Nols meets London open mic legend Alex Murdock, The Mad Po3t, a writer, poet and creative spirit who has produced 4 books of poetry. The pair about how the London Open Mic Scene has flourished and speak to poetic flow, what mad really means, self improvement and the poet's journey. Trigger warning: Shadow Work They make 3 poems from prompts provided by the girl from 1982. Follow the Mad Po3t on in...

Nols sits down with The Girl From 1982, an artist who has been using spoken word as part of her practice since entering the scene in 2023. The Girl From 1982 talks to neurodivergence, mid 40s invisibility, rave culture and how to speak about periods at an open mic. We make 3 poems with prompts from Tanyeli Taze that take us on some incredible adventures. The girl from 1982 currently has a poem in...

Nols invites his dear friend Dave a fellow neurodivergent queer in recovery, onto the show. They talk open mic, trauma poems, monsters, spoken word friendships and trans poetics. Dave Jackson-Keen (They/Them) is a spoken word artist and make up genius that creates vast detailed monologues speaking to violent trauma, healing and the non-binary experience. They can be found at Sober AF, Orbit Brewer...