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Our Performers
Mark Grist
An ex-teacher (see Channel 4’s Mr Drew’s School for Boys), Mark Grist is now a multi-award-winning poet and international battle rapper with over 60 million views for his poetry and rap videos online. Mark is a former Peterborough Poet Laureate, Chief Bard of the Fens, and Edinburgh Fringe Slam Champion. His work has appeared on BBC1, ITV, BBC Teach, Channel 4 and BBC 6 music and he recently starred in Redbull TV’s Mark Grist Battles The World.
As well as writing picture books for Bloomsbury, Mark enjoys working on his hit podcast Mark Can’t Rap, which is backed by Arts Council England & National Centre for Writing.
“A man precision built to reach out to a live audience.” (The Guardian)
“Absolute dynamite!” (Stephen Merchant)
“His writing’s so sharp…absolutely priceless.” (The Scotsman)
“This guy is epic!” (Ice Cube)
“A mesmerising live performer.” (The Financial Times)
James Domestic
With a number of books to his name, plus appearances in several collections, James has been wowing crowds up and down the country for the past few years. He’s appeared on BBC Breakfast television and numerous podcasts and radio shows. His highly memorable poems are performed with a relaxed charm, and are guaranteed to make you think, laugh, or cry (possibly all three). His particular brand of poetry has been compared to Spike Milligan, John Cooper Clarke, Ivor Cutler, and Benjamin Zephaniah, amongst others.
“Through his use of clever wordplay and satire, Domestic effortlessly dissects societal norms, political landscapes, and personal dilemmas.” (Djordje Miladinović, Thoughts Words Action)
“James’ poetry sharply focuses in on the raw ridiculous truth of the world that is right in front of us all.” (Scott Coe, spoken word artist & former Stamford Poet Laureate)
“Essex doesn’t just produce non-entities who act as thick as two short planks in a ‘reality show’ – It also produces people with integrity, compassion and guts. Read these words – some might strike a chord with you. They did with me.” (Steve Ignorant, Crass)
“Relentless” (Attila The Stockbroker, social surrealist songwriter and poet)
Amy Wragg
Amy Wragg is a spoken word poet, zine maker, and Director of SoapBox Spoken Word CIC – the first organisation of its kind in the East. Formed at the end of 2024, SoapBox champions the burgeoning live literature community in the region, using spoken word as a tool to support people and communities. Amy’s work – be it performance poetry, or curation – is preoccupied with gender parity, empowerment, and tackling socio-economic barriers to participation in the arts. Her poetry explores political and social issues with humour and intelligence, and she is a lifelong advocate for the DIY grassroots creative community. Amy is also a proud recipient of the 2025 Norfolk & Norwich Festival bursary scheme, supporting her to deliver spoken word sessions with young people in Ipswich.
Sam Marsh
Having cut his artist and performer teeth in bands such as John Peel favourites, Jacob’s Mouse, and underground punk heroes, Volunteers, Sam is no stranger to the stage. These days you can find him delighting audiences with poetry from his Wisdom of The Punk Buddha book (Earth Island, 2023) and fresh material destined for the follow-up.
Sam may be a Buddhist, but he isn’t interested in mystical gobbledygook. He considers himself a punk and a Buddhist and does not find himself conflicted by this at all. His poetry is sharp, funny, and often pokes fun at aspects of spiritualism and everyday life.
Lorna Mackinnon
Lorna Mackinnon is a poet from Colchester in Essex. Her work has been called everything from “a poor man’s pro” to “annoyingly good, actually” – both of which she’s happy to take as a compliment. Her poetry has been published by Earth Island Books as part of the Ten Poets Volume Two anthology and has seen her appear at literary festivals and headline poetry events. Her work has also been featured on BBC Upload.
AJ Deane
Our compere for the evening is Mr AJ Deane. AJ is an actor, a Pushcart-nominated Sci-Fi and Fantasy poet, and co-founder of QuirkHouse Theatre. Whichever medium he works in, he especially enjoys narrative character pieces which make an audience think.