Out-Spoken: November
Come along to a captivating evening of poetry and music hosted by poet and author Joelle Taylor, featuring emerging and internationally acclaimed artists.
Out-Spoken is the Southbank Centre’s resident poetry and live music night, bringing the hottest UK and international poets to perform alongside world-class musicians every month.
Each monthly gig is hosted by TS Eliot- and Polari Prize-winning poet Taylor, with Sam ‘Junior’ Bromfield spinning the best in reggae, soul and R&B throughout the evening. This month’s edition features poets Dzifa Benson, Luke Kennard and Haia Mohammed, with music from Jared Nandra and Shantéh.
Dzifa Benson is an award-winning artist working in multiple media and whose work intersects literature, science, theatre, art, ritual, performance and immersive technologies. She was shortlisted for the Bridport Poetry Prize 2022 and the inaugural James Berry Poetry Prize in 2021. Her debut poetry collection, Monster, is published by Bloodaxe Books.
Luke Kennard is a poet and writer of fiction. He won an Eric Gregory Award in 2005 and was the youngest writer ever to be shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best Collection, with his second book The Harbour Beyond the Movie. His first novel, The Transition, was a BBC Radio 4 Book at Bedtime and was longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize.
Haia Mohammed is a 22-year-old poet and former computer programming student from Khan Younis in Gaza, where she lived with her sisters and mother. She dreams of travel, of learning and prospering in life so she can support her people and their future. She arrived in London in September 2025 to take up a scholarship in Creative Writing at Goldsmiths, University of London.
Jared Nandra is a self-taught pianist who started off playing on the streets of London in the
lockdown of 2020, showcasing boogie-woogie music to the public. Ever since, has been hooked on boogie-woogie and continues to share the music he loves with the world on social media.
Shantéh is a London-based singer, songwriter and producer known for her innovative use of live looping and her unique approach to creating music based on scripture. Her new album Breath was created solely with her vocal loop pedal, and showcases her talent for blending spirituality with contemporary music.
Presented in association with Out-Spoken
Need to know
Access
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For your visit
This event is held at the Purcell Room Southbank Centre
The Purcell Room is located in the Queen Elizabeth Hall, which is open from 90 minutes before events start until they finish. It’s closed at all other times.
Plan your visit
The Purcell Room is an auditorium located within our Queen Elizabeth Hall.
Getting here
Our address is Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX.
The nearest tube stations to us are Waterloo and Embankment; Waterloo is also the nearest train station. And more than 20 different London bus routes pass within 500 metres of our venues. More information on getting here by rail, road or river is available on our Getting here page.
We’re cash-free
Please note that we’re unable to accept cash payments across our venues.
Access
We’re working hard to remove barriers, so that our facilities and events can be accessible to as many people as possible.
All help points, toilets, performance and exhibition spaces at the Southbank Centre are accessible to all, as are the cafes, bars and restaurants. We also have excellent public transport links with step-free access.
All information about booking wheelchair spaces, step-free access, blue badge parking, access maps and guides and other help available whilst you’re here, including details about our Access Scheme, can be found on our Access page.
Food & drink
From coffee to cocktails, filling favourites to fine dining, plus some of London’s best street food – it’s all here at the Southbank Centre.