Hammer & Tongue End of Year Show! with Theresa Lola and Dylema

Celebrating another year of live poetry and spoken word in East London, Hammer & Tongue Hackney ends our 7th year of shows with another dynamic, creative and vibes-y evening of verbal skill and entertainment. Get involved in the slam and enjoy December's feature artists, who make a double header of British Nigerian female poets:

Theresa Lola: One of the most exciting new poets in the UK scene, Theresa Lola is a British Nigerian Poet, who was shortlisted for the 2016 Bridport Poetry Prize and 2016 London Magazine Poetry Prize. At the Royal Albert Hall last January, she won the 2017 Hammer and Tongue National Slam, the most comprehensive slam poetry competition in the UK. She is part of Octavia Women of Color Poetry collective led by Rachel Long and is also part of SXWKS creative collective.

Dylema: two time UEA award nominated Nigerian born Spoken Word poet and author, raised in East London. Her work is shaped by her experience as a migrant in London born to parents from the Igbo tribe. Her poetry explores areas of race, gender inequality, feminism and some other areas of social injustice. She is lead singer to innovative Spoken Soul Jazz band The Dylema Collective, as seen on BBC, BET and TED;. She has performed live across acclaimed venues in the UK including Ronnie Scotts Jazz club, Oval Space, Birmingham Hippodrome and Hackney Empire. She has been mentioned on BUZZFEED as "one of the most prolific poets of her time".

Paul Sees: Last month's slam winner and favourite of the London scene opens the night with a 10 minute set.

Open Mic Slam: 8 places available, 3.5mins on the mic, sign-up on the door.

Hosted by Richard Purnell, Sam Berkson and Sam Siva

DJ Alex Patten

£5 in advance; £7 on the door.