Southbank Centre
I worked at Southbank Centre, London, for nearly 10 years. I programmed writers, poets and comedians as well as live literature throughout the year and during London Literature festival in October, across the 11-acre site from large scale events in the Royal Festival Hall (2700 capacity) to intimate workshops and masterclasses in smaller function rooms (25 capacity).
I programmed events with Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Hannah Gadsby, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton, Candice Carty-Williams, Hilary Mantel, Elif Shafak, Louise Doughty, Isabel Allende and David Wallace Wells. I was also part of the literature team that brought Michelle Obama to Southbank Centre, alongside Penguin Live.
I led the poetry programming for the team, including Poetry International, the UK's longest running poetry festival where I invited poets such as Patricia Smith, Ilya Kaminsky, Raymond Antrobus, Joy Harjo, Carol Ann Duffy, Simon Armitage, Malika Booker, Chen Chen and Kim Hyesoon.
I produced the Wall of Dreams, working with Danish poet and artist Morten Søndergaard, a large-scale visual projection onto Royal Festival Hall, for the launch of Southbank Centre’s Poetry International Festival. I worked with partners at the Danish Embassy as well as a lighting company in Aarhus. The Wall of Dreams is a collective poem showcasing the dreams of refugee communities in London, Greece and France.