The 12th of our Insta sessions features Mary Dickins. Mary wrote her first poem when she was four and writing poems has been her passion and life support system ever since.

Ten years ago she began sharing her work at poetry events, street parties and slams and became a regular performer at the legendary Bang Said the Gun. She’s been on TV and radio as part of the Nationwide Building Society poetry ad campaign and continues to dish up poems all over the country as part of The Poetry Takeaway team.

In 2017 she set up the “Poems not Pills” project to promote the therapeutic value of poetry for health professionals and their patients. Her poems have been published by Forward Poetry, The Poetry School and various websites. Always witty and insightful, Mary’s writing is a joyful and affectionate exploration of the human condition and what it means to be alive. As she celebrates her 70th year on this perplexing planet, her debut poetry pamphlet “Happiness FM” was published by Burning Eye Books in April.

These sessions welcome guests to join us for relaxed conversations and performances. They’re broadcast live on our Instagram account from 7.30-8pm (BST) on Tuesdays, and then uploaded to Facebook, YouTube and IGTV shortly afterwards.

Find more information and share the event over on Facebook. Our latest session with Victoria McNulty is available to view below.