By Lowri Simmons and Amy Leeks

Manchester Metropolitan University’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence festival hosted a powerful open mic event at the Manchester Poetry Library, offering a space of creativity, solidarity and healing.

Led by Forward Prize-winning poet Dr Kim Moore and final-year creative writing student Katie Davies, the event brought together poets and activists to share their reflections on allyship, community and resistance through the spoken word.

Moore opened the open mic session with her poem, ‘In Another Life’, emphasising the importance of friendship and community in confronting gender-based violence. Reflecting on the collective support that such events cultivate, she said: “The thing that’s getting me through all of this are these moments of friendship and solidarity and community, which is what I think we’re building here.

“I don’t know everyone’s name, but I recognise faces of people who have been attending [the 16 Days of Activism] events and they already feel like allies.”

She added: “Sometimes, when we talk about sexism, what happens is we talk to someone and they deny the reality. They ask: ‘Are you sure that’s happened?’ [It happens with] racism, transphobia, ableism too: ‘Are you sure that’s what you heard?’ But I know the people in this room get it and that makes me feel much better.”

Setting a tone of encouragement, Moore asked the audience to cheer for each performer: “For every open micer, we have to clap from the moment I say their name until they get to the stage and cheer and whoop.”

The first performer, Cherry Eckel, delivered a satirical and fiery poem, ‘The Poem in which I Beat My Stepdad with a Spoon.’

Eckel celebrated the cathartic power of expressing female anger in a space free from disclaimers: “It’s so great to have a space to share your poetry, especially when it’s poetry about being angry. Being angry at men, being an angry woman, who is angry at men.

“Having a space to explore that whilst you don’t feel the need to put a disclaimer on the work to make men in the audience feel comfortable. That’s how you know it’s gonna be good.”

The open mic continued with readings from Joy Wasell-Tims, Rhiannonn Garfield-Lane and Elizabeth Hughes, whose pieces honoured the lives of women who have lost their lives to gender-based violence, and what it means to be a woman.

When asked what sort of environment these events have created and how it feels to actively participate, Elizabeth Hughes said: “I’m generally quite nervous about speaking at events, but I like these ones specifically because I feel so connected to everybody. Everyone is so lovely and nice to each other, it’s just such a really supportive and safe space.”

Hughes then went on to read an emotive poem exploring themes of identity and realisation, touching on the complexities of understanding one’s sexuality and relationships: “It’s about not realising you’re a lesbian and having to deal with the fact that you’ve been with men before and not really realised until that bit too late in the relationship.”

Becky Magalhaes passionately explored themes of allyship, male anger and female fear. Speaking about what it means to be a part of the 16 Days campaign, Magalhaes said: “I’m a big believer in poetry as a community. I think open mics are a great place for people to be open and honest and to share their experiences, and it can be a very healing space.”

She added: “People feel they can be very vulnerable and they are very supported. It’s through the act of writing poetry, as a way of getting your story out there, sharing with other people and seeing if they identify with it. It’s therapeutic as well. It’s not easy to write about these topics, but I think it’s really important to have our voices heard.”

Amanda Brookfield delivered a poem inspired by anger over the normalisation of misogyny and systemic violence. She said: “I think I’m old enough now to be entitled to my disillusionment. I thought when I was younger that it would get better, but sadly it hasn’t. And I’m sort of mindful of the women like Hushitalla, Sarah Everard, Giselle Pelenico and so many others, it’s impossible to name them all. I feel a despair and an anger about the normalisation of misogyny and about the discourse that is used.

Introducing her poem ‘It’s Happening, University of Texas 6th November 2024’ which explores a male’s perspective of female objectification, through the use of accent within poetry, she said: “This particular poem was triggered by a happening at the beginning of November at the University of Texas, shortly after Donald Trump was elected for a second term, where two men held up some quite provocative placards. I want you to imagine that I’m an American man speaking because this is not me, this is a persona.”

Katie Davies shared her journey as a mature student and the struggles of being a young first-time mum in her moving piece, ‘What I Wish I Knew.’ Davies reflected on the universal pressures women face: “Life doesn’t have to be too difficult, we don’t have to conform to every societal expectation of us. Women put too much pressure on ourselves, to look like we have it all together, and in reality none of us do. We’re all in the same boat.”

Davies then handed the mic over to participants: Bridie Breen, Charlotte Evans, Andi Mcfyre, Connie Rigby, Liz Gibson and Katherine Moss to share their poetry exploring topics of FGM, sexual violence, oppositional modes of gender and spiking. The powerful readings were all greeted with cheers from the audience.

Charlotte Evans said: “The theme of the events is something that is really important to me, and a lot of my poetry is written about the topics. This is only my second open mic I have performed at. I thought it was the perfect place and environment to share some of the stuff I’ve written. It feels really energising and empowering to have your voice heard in these environments, where you’re surrounded by people talking about similar stuff. It gives you that sense of community and empowerment.”

Davies then introduced the final open mic participant, poet and theatremaker, Ruth Awolola. Awolola passionately read a poem named ‘The Sum (After Muneera Pilgrim)’, a poem which explores her experiences as a black woman, finishing with the powerful lines: “I believe in aliens, in true love and miracles. Sometimes I don’t believe in myself. I’m a beautiful, beautiful contradiction, and I’m just trying to make it all add up.”

Moore concluded the event by celebrating the collective energy of the room: “Something happens when we walk into this poetry library and we are possessed with the spirit of poetry, I think. And that was fantastic.”

Reflecting after the event, attendee Isobel Payne echoed the importance of creating spaces where survivors feel safe to share their experiences: “With gender based violence and sexual violence, the lasting harm is the shame that exists around it, the hidden nature of it, the act of carrying something that you’re hiding – that’s what eats away and destroys people. Events like this, where people are able to speak it out and share it, and dissipate that shame, is a real positive thing to have.”

The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence Festival runs from 25th November to 10th December, 2024. For more information and tickets, visit mmu.ac.uk/news-and-events.