Open mic nights are a great way to engage people with poetry. People get a chance to read their own work while also getting the experience of hearing a professional author read.

Christina Thatcher is a part-time teacher and PhD student at Cardiff University where she studies how creative writing can impact the lives of people bereaved by addiction. Christina keeps busy off campus too by delivering creative writing workshops across South Wales, running projects for organizations like Making Minds and the Welsh Writers Trust, coordinating literature events for the Made in Roath Festival, editing for The Cardiff Review and more.

 

Her poetry and short stories have featured in a number of publications including The London Magazine, Planet Magazine, Acumen and The Interpreter’s House, among others. Her first collection, More than you were, was shortlisted in Bare Fiction’s 2015 Debut Poetry Collection Competition and will be published by Parthian Books in April 2017. To learn more about Christina’s work please visit her website: https://christinathatcher.com or follow her on Twitter @writetoempower.