OmniVerse Showcase | John McCullough, Kathryn O’Driscoll and West Dorset Poets
An extraordinary evening of powerful words and performances reflecting the realities of what it is to be an unheard or marginalised voice, our OmniVerse showcase, headlined by award-winning poet John McCullough alongside Bridport-born spoken word artist and UK Slam Winner Kathryn O’Driscoll. Plus performances from West Dorset poets.
The event will be compered by Bridport-based performance poet, writer and film-maker Peter Roe.
An ‘OmniVerse’ event presented by the Jawbone Collective.
John McCullough
John has been described as a poet with a “reputation for crafting lyric poems of the everyday with a surreal twist” . He’s the winner of the 2020 Hawthornden Prize (one of Britain’s oldest literary awards, awarded annually to a British, Irish or British-based author for a work of “imaginative literature”) and the 2012 Polari Prize (UK and Ireland’s only dedicated LGBTQIA+ book prize), McCullough’s work encompasses everything from “lichen to lava lamps” and navigates “the white space of the page and the distance between people”. His poems explore “personal and cultural anxiety” and are “full of things that shimmer, quiver and fizz”, creating a “psychedelic, parallel world”.
Kathryn O’Driscoll
UK Poetry Slam Champion and World Slam finalist (2021) Kathryn O’Driscoll is a spoken word poet, mentor and event organiser who currently lives in Bath, but grew up here in Bridport. She talks openly about her disabilities, mental health issues, LGBTQIA+ issues, joys and politics in her wide range of poems that often have visual details of the Dorset coast embedded in them.
The Jawbone Collective
The Jawbone Collective is a Bridport based, not for profit arts organisation, independent small press publisher, workshops and events organiser, that embrace and uplift voices from marginalised communities. Our mission is to empower individuals to share their truth, celebrate their identities, and inspire others through the power of words.
OmniVerse
OmniVerse offers a dynamic program designed to engage, educate, and entertain. Whether you’re looking to develop your writing skills, connect with fellow creatives, or simply experience the magic of spoken word, there’s something for everyone.