THE PRESENT

As Christmas approaches, join local performance artists for an evening of poetry, music, stories and a little festive pondering on the art of being present - whilst buying presents!

Your compere for the evening is poet and storyteller Rachael White, aka The Bendy Witch. She is joined by the heartfelt sounds of singer-songwriter Lootie Johansen-Bibby and special guest poet Abbi Jinks, whom is assured to brighten up a dark winters eve as we celebrate with her the publication of her new poetry collection, The Time Is Now, which can be purchased on the night, so do bring some extra pennies if you'd like one.

What does it really mean to be here, now, in the present moment? And could the greatest gift we give ourselves and one another be our presence, rather than another present?

Expect words that move you, music that touches you, a little laughter and perhaps an invitation to explore the power of now for yourself. You might even discover a Heart Words practice to help you find a little breathing space amid the Christmas chaos, even when the mother-in-law is testing your limits!

Sometimes the most precious gift is simply being here and showing up in loving authenticity.

There'll be a refreshment and toilet break midway through the evening, with a chance to connect and chat with like-minded folk. We close the evening with shared conversation exploring the theme and a song that you are invited to join in.

We look forward to sharing our explorations of The Present with you at Saturday Night @ The OM.

This is an intimate Venue - Only 30 ticket sales in total - 3 admission options available - Please pay what you can genuinely afford 🙏🏼

Admission includes refreshments during the break - There's access to a toilet throughout the night.

Seating is relaxed, cosy and informal with a mixture of chairs, cushions, bolsters and blankets.

*Please note before booking: This is a small venue with access that is NOT suitable for wheelchairs. The toilet is upstairs and not suitable for disabled persons. Due to small numbers we have a no refund policy.

The OM Studio in Northampton has been used for many years for Yoga, Meditation, Song Circles, Workshops, Day Retreats and Community Gatherings. It has a beautiful atmosphere of Peace infused into its walls.

Doors open at 6.45pm, performances start at 7pm prompt, please familiarise yourself with the OM Studio location and allow an extra 10 mins for parking and walking to the studio. Please see this link ref location and parking:

https://www.theomstudio.com/contact-us

THE LINE UP...

Special Guest:  Abbi Jinks - Weaver of words! Poet, MC, and Confidence coach

Abbi began writing poems in her teenage years to express her angst and rage then mostly forgot about poetry for a couple of decades apart from the odd limerick written in works leaving cards. In 2022 she rediscovered her love for it after spontaneously performing with a live band at a festival!

Since then, she's delivered performances and workshops, helping people find their voice. She believes writing and sharing stories can be deeply healing, with self-expression a powerful tool.

Abbi is a spoken word poet of bravery, daring and charm. She writes about some of life’s deepest transformations in a loving, positive and inspiring way. And she rhymes! She sometimes raps and occasionally creates poems on the spot, freestyle!

Abbi finds inspiration in nature, motherhood and the randomness of being human. She speaks from a place of love, healing and courage, to the people who want more out of life. In a world that appears darker than ever offering a ray of sunshine and energy that sparkles.

Twice slam winner at Leicester’s ‘Some-Antics’ spoken word night, Abbi loves to get playful and creative with her writing and performance. She also offers creative workshops, writes commissions and creates bespoke poems as gifts and speeches. Her love for improvisation has led her to create a business as a ‘Live Event Poet' where she attends conferences and gatherings to write bespoke spoken word pieces to close events with a memorable performance.

Outside of the poetry circuit, Abbi is a home-educating mum who loves wild swimming and DANCING!

Her 2nd poetry book ‘The Time is Now’ is out now.

What people are saying about Abbi's poetry book:

“Abbi Jinks’ second collection features driving rhyme and rhythm, mirroring her energetic spoken word performances. These are poems of joy and positivity, finding the small wins in reaching the end of the laundry basket or spending time in nature. These are poems of the everyday but not the mundane; there are celebrations of surviving and thriving and the importance of creativity in making sense of the world. There are poems to make you laugh, to see the beauty in the seasons and to encourage you, the reader, to believe in and love yourself.”

Follow Abbi on instagram www.instagram.com/abbijinkspoet and also www.instagram.com/wordsallowedpoetry/

Music: Lootie Johansen-Bibby – Singer-Songwriter

There is a beautiful, heartfelt and healing resonance to her voice that weaves its way into the hearts of those who listen.

The arts, creativity and healing have always been central to Lootie’s life and work. After a youth in dance, she trained as a movement artist, creative facilitator and expressive arts psychotherapist. For 15 years, she worked with professionals, children and communities, facilitating theatre and performance, before working therapeutically with children in nurseries and schools, and with adults in mental health and community settings.

In 2016, a head injury changed the course of Lootie’s life, opening a journey back to herself, to spirituality and to nature. She continues to deepen her relationship with her embodied Self and the earth through yoga, sound and song, and tending her garden and allotment.

Music has become an increasingly important part of her healing and her way of connecting. Through participating in song circles at The OM Studio, Lootie has grown in confidence and joy. She now facilitates her own song circles at The OM, bringing people together around cacao, medicine songs and mantras in beautiful spaces of shared singing, connection and heartfelt expression.

Lootie's journey with music continues to unfold, and she is delighted to share that journey with others.


Your Compere: Rachael White aka Poet and Storyteller "The Bendy Witch".

Having loved writing as a child, as she struggled to express herself verbally, Rachael randomly started writing Poetry again during an anxiety attack in the London Underground in 2014, whilst mid way through an Authentic Success Coaching program with Dr Robert Holden. She got to read out her poem “Dancing In-Between the I’s” and it was received with a standing ovation! An unexpected success indeed.

In 2015, Rachael found herself in Spain, where she became a monk and spent several years teaching meditation. Meanwhile, the Poetry Pixies had other plans. In 2019, she began performing her poems at Scribal Gathering and went on to become a regular performer at Ode to the Siren as part of the Stony Live festival.

A poet, writer and modern-day mystic, Rachael is fascinated by the Magickal, the Mystical and the Mundane. Her work explores the mysteries of being human, the nature of the Divine, and the extraordinary depths hidden within our ordinary lives. Through poetry, storytelling, meditation and Heart Words, she invites us to look beyond the familiar, listen a little more deeply, and reconnect with the truth of who we are.

In 2022, she founded The Silence Revolution, bringing together her love of meditation and heartfelt connection. Whether through the stillness of meditation or the shared vulnerability of a poem or story, her intention is to create spaces where we can meet ourselves and one another with greater honesty, compassion, curiosity and joy.

Saturday Night @ The OM is one of those spaces, where Rachael weaves a theme together with other artists to create a soul-nourishing evening of poetry, music, storytelling and shared humanity, inviting us to see the world, and perhaps ourselves, a little differently.

Subscribe here to receive Rachael's poetry and blogs and newsletters: www.thebendywitch.com

Follow Rachael on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebendywitch/

Host: Debbie OM

The OM Studio are all about how awareness of the body/mind connection has a profound effect on the quality of our lives. She had her first visions of the OM Studio in 2003 after returning from a Mantra Retreat with one of her Beloved teachers Muz Murray. 

Debbies own Yoga journey started in 1995 through Yoga, the enjoyment of movement, ease and fluidity in her body, which led her to training to become a Yoga teacher. She felt like she was on a mission to finding more meaning through life.

Debbie has a clear vision of continually creating a safe space for bringing souls together to work on letting go. She envisions creating a space for the heart to rest and feel safe for self enquiry into the NOW moment which is currently absorbing her into more study into self enquiry.

In 2006 she found herself at the foot of the Divine Arunarchala mountain in India which re-opened within her the joy of sound, dance and music. Unknown to her it had been buried and forgotten, however the mantra was now fully bringing this remembrance back to life.

Debbie supports Saturday Night @ The OM with her Presence, welcoming all who join us and provides the delicious nibbles and refreshments we have in the break. Sometimes she joins us on the stage to sing.

You can read more about Debbies journey and find out about all the other wonderful things happening with the walls of the OM at: www.theomstudio.com

Follow Debbie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debbie_om/