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Cave Canem Presents: The Sound of Black British Poetry

Sunday 4th October 2026

Two acclaimed poets come together for a special Black British Book Festival event exploring the sound, direction and future of Black British poetry.

 

Raymond Antrobus and Courtney Conrad will read from their work and reflect on the traditions, influences and lived experiences that continue to shape contemporary Black poetry in Britain.

The discussion is moderated by Rommi Smith, an award-winning poet, playwright and performer whose work has long explored race, identity, history and Black British culture.

Raymond Antrobus is one of the most widely recognised poets of his generation. His writing explores language, identity, race, family and deafness, and has helped open up new conversations about what contemporary British poetry can sound like and whose experiences it represents.

Courtney Conrad is a British-Jamaican poet whose work examines memory, migration, family and the complexities of Caribbean and Black British identity. Her poetry brings together personal experience with wider histories of movement, belonging and cultural inheritance.

Presented by Cave Canem, an organisation dedicated to supporting and developing Black poets, the event places Black writing at the centre of the literary conversation.

The session asks important questions about where Black British poetry is now, how it has changed over recent generations and what new directions are emerging.

For Black History Month audiences, the event offers more than a poetry reading. It creates a space to think about the literary traditions Black poets inherit, the barriers they have challenged and the communities that have supported their work.

The event also highlights the continuing importance of platforms that give Black writers the opportunity to develop, perform and publish work on their own terms.

Cave Canem Presents: The Sound of Black British Poetry takes place at the Barbican Centre on Sunday 4th October 2026 from 7:00pm to 8:00pm as part of the Black British Book Festival.

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