The Sound of Paradise: Roger Robinson

Due to unforeseen circumstances Raymond Antrobus is unable to participate in this event.

We’re delighted to welcome to the Cúirt centre stage two award-winning poets who have changed the shape of poetry in Britain. Roger Robinson became the first Black British poet to win the 2019 T.S. Eliot prize for his collection A Portable Paradise, and was a co-founder of Malika’s Poetry Kitchen, a hugely influential grassroots poetry collective based in London. 

Raymond Antrobus was the first poet to win the Rathbone Folio Prize, and his stunning combination of skills as a performer and literary craftsman have seen his two most recent collections, The Perseverance  and All The Names Given, win a host of awards. With Antrobus and Robinson’s talents and experiences, this is a scintillating event for seasoned poetry lovers and new readers alike.

Robinson is a writer, poet, educator, workshop leader, and lecturer. He was selected by Decibel as one of 50 writers who have influenced the Black-British writing canon. He lives between Trinidad and London, and his previous collection, The Butterfly Hotel, was published by Peepal Tree in 2013.

Raymond Antrobus was born in London, Hackney to an English mother and Jamaican father. He is the author of Shapes & Disfigurements (Burning Eye, 2012), To Sweeten Bitter (Out-Spoken Press, 2017), The Perseverance (Penned In The Margins / Tin House, 2018) and All The Names Given (Picador / Tin House, 2021). He is the lead vocalist and lyricist for King Midas Sound and has also recorded solo albums with Jahtari Records.

Access Options: This event will have ISL interpretation.

Supported by the International Literature Showcase Collaboration Fund. The International Literature Showcase is a partnership between the National Centre for Writing and the British Council.