3-5 JULY 2026
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POETRY SLAM
Join us this July at Lions Roar for the exciting Haslemere Fringes Poetry Slam and Schools Competition!
We celebrate the power of words and creativity, welcoming talented poets and students from across the region to showcase their spoken word skills. Whether you're a passionate performer or an avid supporter, our poetry slam promises inspiring performances, fierce competition, and a celebration of artistic expression.
Francesca Beard joins us as our Headline Poet and will be performing in the Lion’s Roar on Sunday afternoon alongside Steve Tasane and Geoff Allnutt.
Francesca Beard is an internationally acclaimed poet who has performed in over twenty-three countries, through her work with the British Council. She collaborates with diverse communities to create uplifting public-facing experiences.
Recent commissions include poems for British Geological Survey and Wikimedia and devised plays for Almeida Theatre and Greenwich+Docklands International Festival. She’s been artist in residence with B3 Media at Banff Centre, Canada and Mixed Reality Lab, Nottingham University, researching trans-media storytelling. Her solo shows, ‘Chinese Whispers’, ‘How to Survive a Post-Truth Apocalypse’ and ‘Confabulation’, have toured nationally and internationally. She’s been called 'Brilliant' (Scotsman), ‘witty and whimsical… a quality guarantee’ (London Standard), 'Spine-tingling' (Independent) and 'The Queen of British performance poetry' (London Metro)
She is currently writing her first novel, a work of speculative fiction, thanks to a DYCP grant from Arts Council England.
STEVE TASANE
Steve Tasane is a performance poet and author who has featured at Glastonbury Festival, the 100 Club, Latitude and was writer-in-residence at Battersea Dogs Home.
Steve joins us again this year at the fringe to perform and judge our schools competition. A former maths teacher he now runs poetry/rap workshops in schools around the UK.
GEOFF ALLNUTT
Geoff Allnutt, aka The Speech Painter, who has been a performance poet since 1988, will be joining the Haslemere Fringe Poetry Slam again this year as a performer and judge.
Geoff has performed all over the UK from poetry clubs to music and literature festivals and is the winner of numerous poetry slams including at Glastonbury festival.