Wordmakers & Silence Breakers featuring Sam J Grudgings

SAM J. GRUDGINGS

Sam J Grudgings is a poet perpetually on the edge of collapse. Shortlisted for the Outspoken Poetry Prize in performance in 2020 he is renowned for his frenetic delivery & whirlwind stage presence. His work combines visceral, surreal storytelling with frank gutter honesty & dark gallows humour. He yells poems about loss, rehabilitation, fighting god & haunted people because it's cheaper than therapy & less physically taxing than porno. If he invites you to join a cult, it’s because he sees more than just a sacrifice in you.

He has toured the country with Button Poets, supported Dizraeli & Punk bands, delivering his weird explorations into addiction & the complicity of privilege in explosions of flailing arms, off brand hypnotism & cheap magic tricks. A frequent collaborator with artists of all mediums, he has appeared on pop punk albums, alongside dancers, in art galleries & in haunted churches pushing the boundaries of performance & inviting you along for the wild ride. Currently experimenting further with new forms of performance using cinematic projections of strange esoteric footage & weird soundscapes, look at him shimmer...watch him dance. You. Must. Not. Look. Away.

His debut collection “The Bible II” is due out with Verve Poetry Press in 2021, & can be pre-ordered here:

https://vervepoetrypress.com/product/sam-j-grudgings-the-bible-ii-pre-order-free-uk-pp-due-nov-2021-2/?v=79cba1185463

Sam runs workshops on performance as well as campaigning for the recognition of lived experience in professional & academic circles & better understanding of addiction. He endeavours to bring poetry to everyone, by collaboration efforts with musicians, dancers, artists & initiatives in local communities.

LINK UP:

Twitter: @storygiverpoet

Instagram: @Samjgrudgings

Website: samjgrudgings.co.uk