SAD LAUREATE.
Ghosts. Doom. Time Travel. Misery.
Sam J. Grudgings
Sam is a poet perpetually on the edge of collapse, shortlisted for the Outspoken Prize 2020 & longlisted in 2019. Renowned for his off-kilter, frenetic delivery & intense stage dynamic, Sam grew up in the punk scene & it shows.
Injecting gallows humour into fiercely wrought metaphors, Sam subverts the narratives of addiction, bringing a wry touch to devastating subjects whilst still allowing himself the space to be painfully candid & devastatingly vulnerable. He yells stories about recovery, loss, mental health & cities made of teeth because it’s cheaper than therapy & is less physically taxing than porno
Sam runs workshops on performance as well as campaigning for the recognition of lived experience in professional & academic circles. He endeavours to bring poetry to everyone, by collaboration efforts with musicians, dancers, artists & initiatives in local communities. He has written commissions for KWMC, We Can Make Homes, No Bindings Press amongst others & his written work can be found in a variety of journals including Riggwelter, Fly on the Wall, Cipher Press, Clav mag, Under the Radar & Pizza Eaters. His poetry film for W O R K I N G T I T L E with Kyle Hawkes and Jordan Lee was longlisted for the Outspoken Prize in Film 2020.
