CB1 open mic is back on Sunday 1st June at the Town and Gown Pub & Theatre - Cambridge. As with all of our open mics, it will cost £2 Entry on the door. There will be plenty of slots so you can sign up on the night if you would like to read! Bring a poem or just come to listen to some fantastic poets from around Cambridge. Can’t wait to see you there at 18:30!
This month is a little different in that rather that just 1 spotlight reader we have several!
five widely-published poets from the Poetry School Cambridge Seminar, run by writer and editor Stav Poleg, will be reading exciting new work. The poets are: Nashwa Nasreldin, Isobel Jane, Dragana Lazici, Anna Shelton, and Alesha Racine
The Poetry School Seminars run throughout the year, offer intimate workshops which have helped many writers develop their work through long-term guidance and to become part of local poetry communities around the UK.
Readers’ bios:
Nashwa Nasreldin is a writer, editor and literary translator. She's the commissioning editor at the Poetry Translation Centre and her own poems have appeared in a number of publications including Anomaly, Magma, Under the Radar, and The Emma Press Anthology of Love. Her poem, ‘Daybreak’ was a runner up in the 2018 Ambit Poetry competition.
Isobel Jane is a full-time teacher and part-time poet. When not marking, she's meant to be working on a collection. She has been published in Popshot, shortlisted for the Jane Martin Poetry Prize and longlisted for both the Bridport and Mslexia/PBS prizes.
Dragana Lazici was born in Romania to Serbian parents. She grew up in Montreal after her family escaped Communism. She moved to London to do an MA in Applied Translation Studies and has been living in Cambridge for fifteen years. Dragana was published in PopShot Magazine, Ink, Sweat & Tears and in the Duo Anthology 2024 by Linen Press. She was longlisted for the Plaza Prize 2024 and was the third winner of the Plough Prize 2024.
Anna Shelton’s first pamphlet was longlisted for the 2025 Disabled Poets Prize. She was Commended in the 2024 Hippocrates Prize. She has been published in After Poetry, Propel Magazine, Coven, Streetcake and Sidhe press.
Alesha Racine
Alesha is a pianist, artist and poet living in rural Cambridgeshire. Her writing is inspired by art, music and the natural world. She enjoys writing narrative sequences which explore the inner worlds of those living at the edges of society. Her work has been published in magazines such as Poetry Ireland Review, Poetry Wales and The Rialto amongst others. She won first prize in the Edward Thomas Fellowship Competition in both 2024 and 2025 and has enjoyed reading at their yearly poetry festival.
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