Open-mic night invites poets from abroad

A new open-Mic Night will take place at Prozak Kafeneio this month with two visiting poets from abroad. Organised by Atlantis Culture, the event on January 24 is another chance for Nicosia’s artists, poets and writers to perform in front of a live audience and get to know fellow creatives.

Five minutes on the stage to perform whatever has been sitting in the notebook, in any language participants wish. The event starts at 8pm sharp and those who want to be guaranteed a place in front of the mic are advised to book a slot by January 23.

Joining the local participants on the evening are writers Dean Atta from London and Kostya Tsolakis from Athens. Dean Atta is a British author, a Malika’s Poetry Kitchen member, a National Poetry Day ambassador and an LGBT+ History Month patron. Dean’s poems have been highly commended by the Forward Prizes for Poetry and shortlisted for the Bridport Poetry Prize and Oxford Brookes International Poetry Competition. Dean’s debut poetry collection was shortlisted for the Polari First Book Prize and his second poetry collection, There is (Still) Love Here, is out now with Nine Arches Press.

Tsolakis was born and raised in Athens and now lives in London. He is the founding editor of harana poetry, the online magazine for poets writing in English as a second or parallel language. His poems have been widely published in magazines, including 14 poems, Magma Poetry, Poetry London, The Poetry Review and Wasafiri and anthologies, such as 100 Queer Poems (Vintage, 2022). In 2019 he won the Oxford Brookes International Poetry Competition (ESL category) and his poetry pamphlet, Ephebos, is out with ignition press, while his debut poetry collection, Greekling, will be published by Nine Arches Press in October.

Open-Mic Night

With guest poets Dean Atta and Kostya Tsolakis. January 24. Prozak Kafeneio, Nicosia. 8pm. Facebook event: OPEN MIC NIGHT w/Dean Atta and Kostya Tsolakis