Verbose MCR

One of Manchester’s longest running spoken word events, Verbose, returns on Monday 30th June 2025 at the Kings Arms.

Verbose has a proud history of bringing together a vibrant mix of live literature from poetry, prose and everything in between. Verbose welcomes new talent to the open mic alongside established writers and performers wanting to showcase new material, giving audiences the chance to hear work that is on its way to be published or perhaps feature at festivals including Glastonbury, Edinburgh Fringe and many more.

Over the years Verbose has hosted writers who have since gone on to win local, national and international awards for their work or feature on national radio and beyond. A night that offers any audience a chance to see an incredible array of talent month in, month out.

Introducing our headliners for June

Tom Sastry is political, ironic, emotional, morbid and funny in all the wrong places. His new collection Life Expectancy Begins To Fall is book about people whose retirement plan is dying in the climate wars and whose current plan is pretending everything is normal. It was described by Costa Award winning poet Jonathan Edwards as “the most important – and certainly the most entertaining – book about the end of the world I’ve yet found”

Tom’s previous books have been (variously) Poetry School Book of the Year, Poetry Book Society pamphlet choice, highly commended in the Forward Prize and shortlisted for the Seamus Heaney First Collection Prize.

“A magician of deadpan” – Hera Lindsay Bird

“incisive, witty, surreal, truthful” – Amy Acre

“Tom Sastry navigates the mysterious everyday…making friendships and love affairs new and strange” -Carol Ann Duffy

Molly Naylor is an award-winning poet, scriptwriter, and graphic novelist. She is the co-writer and creator of Sky One comedy After Hours. Her plays have been toured nationally and broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Her third poetry collection Whatever You’ve Got is published by Bad Betty Press. She hosts the creativity podcast Making Trouble with Molly Naylor. Her debut novel will be published in 2026.

Photo credit – Dave Guttridge

To enter the draw for an open mic slot, please email us on verbosemanchester@gmail.com between 1stand 5th June

June´s Verbose promises to be a night to remember and we recommend securing your seat whilst you still can!

Tickets are pay what you can from the link

Verbose: Monday 30th June 2025

Kings Arms, Bloom Street Salford 7.30pm to 9.30pm

Find us on Instagram and Facebook at @verbosemcr