7 March 2025
After a stunning performance at the Liverpool heat, Aditya Narayan will advance to the final of the prestigious Roundhouse Poetry Slam, in partnership with Taylor Wessing. On Thursday 17 April he will perform his work in the iconic main space in London’s Roundhouse.
The heat, which is open to UK-based poets aged 18-25, drew eight writers from all over the country to Merseyside to celebrate the power of spoken word and the vibrant Liverpool creative scene.
Edinburgh-based poet Aditya Narayan won over judges Saphena Aziz, Laurie Ogden and Maureen Onwunali, at the Liverpool heat last night, held at the Everyman Theatre. Originally from India, Aditya has been performing in Scottish slam events over the past year, and was delighted to bring his work to Liverpool.
This year marks the 20th edition of the Roundhouse Poetry Slam, one of the most respected poetry slams in the UK. Aditya will join other finalists from upcoming heats in Leeds, London, Bristol and online to perform at the Slam Final as part of Roundhouse Three Sixty, a brand-new festival of music and culture.
The Final will be broadcast live on the Roundhouse YouTube channel by young creatives participating in the Roundhouse Behind the Lens course in live TV broadcast and content creation.
Aditya Narayan, winner of the Liverpool heat of the Roundhouse Poetry Slam, said: “I’m feeling elated, excited and mostly contented. I think what matters to me as much as winning this Slam, is the vibe that this place brought to me. I think everyone was lovely, the judges were amazing, the host was great, and the audience gave me such a warm community to present my work in. I feel very very nourished by all of that. And I’m also really happy to win.
“I’m still relatively new to the UK scene, still trying to find my footing, and I’m really glad that my work is resonating with the people here.”
Joan Cooper Snark, poet and host of the Liverpool heat of the Roundhouse Poetry Slam, said: “The quality of performance at the heat was insane and it was such a pleasure to be a part of it. Everyone was so kind to each other and the energy in the room was lovely. It’s so nice for people to experience my local poetry scene, and they were all from all over the UK – that’s lovely.
“Liverpool has a thriving poetry scene. I think there’s a lot of musical culture here, there’s a lot of creative culture. And I would say that because Liverpool is a city that hasn’t previously always had loads of money, everything is very DIY, it’s very free, it’s very accessible. You get all sorts of people telling their stories at lots of different nights. Students come here and start nights. There’ve been nights like this, run at the theatre. There’s nights in little pubs and bars and it’s just people in the local scene. And it’s lovely, there’s a thriving poetry scene in this tiny city.”