HOME OF FEN SPEAK AND THE FENLAND POET LAUREATE AWARDS 2012-2017
Fen Speak is Ely's long-running regular poetry, spoken word and storytelling open mic night where local writers come together to share their work in a friendly environment.
Who: all are welcome - poets, spoken word artists, non-fiction or fiction writers, or those just wanting to listen! The events include first time readers as well as regular contributors.
What: poetry, fiction, non-fiction - each reader gets a slot of around 3 minutes, depending on how busy the night is. It's free to attend, with donations taken to cover running costs. Just turn up and sign up, or email in advance to book your reading slot. There are also often special guest readers, such as local poets who have recently had new work published.
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Why: come to share your work, gain confidence in performing it, hear and meet other fantastic writers, and find out more about writing happening in the fens - the reasons to come are endless!
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Where: We mix online and in-person events. Online on Zoom, and in-person at our new venue: Centre E Community Hub, Barton Rd., Ely CB7 4DE (Map link)
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When: Online - 3rd WEDNESDAY of the month (Feb, April, July, Nov). In person - 3rd THURSDAY of the month (Jan, March, May, June, Sept, Oct, Dec) - - Please note: we take August off! See below for the latest dates. Doors open at 7pm for a 7.30 start, and we usually finish around 9.30pm.
~ ~ BREAKING NEWS ~ ~
Commencing January 2026, ALL of our open-mic nights, whether in-venue at Centre E or on Zoom, will be held on the THIRD WEDNESDAY of the month. No more having to chop and change - hurrah!
Events on Facebook
UPCOMING EVENTS
Thursday 18th December 2025 with KADDY BENYON
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Kaddy Benyon was born in Cambridge and grew up in Suffolk. She began her writing life as a television scriptwriter and wrote over seventy episodes of Hollyoaks and Grange Hill, as well as three tie-in novels. During her MA in Creative Writing, Kaddy was shortlisted for the inaugural Picador Poetry Prize and went on to win the Crashaw Prize with her debut collection, Milk Fever (Salt, 2012).
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Kaddy is a Granta New Poet, and was Invited Poet at The Polar Museum in Cambridge for fifteen months, where she collaborated with costume designer Lindsey Holmes on a text and textiles exhibition - The Snow Queen Retold.
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Kaddy has held a residency with The Bothy Project on the Scottish island of Eigg, where she wrote poems toward her second collection, The Tidal Wife (Salt, 2018). She has also held residencies and made research trips to Denmark, Finland, and Finnish Lapland while researching her third collection, Robbergirls (Salt, 2023), a sapphic retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale, The Snow Queen.
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Kaddy regularly critiques for other writers, and she works as a specialist mentor to students with disabilities at the University of Cambridge.
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Time: 7pm for a 7.30 start
Venue: Centre E, Barton Rd., Ely CB7 4DE - MAP LINK
FREE ENTRY – no tickets needed - just turn up!
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To stay in the loop about what's happening at Fen Speak, please sign up to the newsletter HERE.
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Kaddy Benyon