Online Speakeasy with Laurie Bolger

Join us for an inspiring evening of creativity and connection.

The event will begin with a poetry reading, mini writing workshop, and Q&A with guest writer Laurie Bolger. In the second half of the evening, we’ll open the floor for a relaxed online open mic, where participants are invited to share their own work in a supportive and friendly space.

Everyone is welcome — whether you’d like to read your writing or simply listen and enjoy the creative talent of others.

This is a free online event, but please book a ticket so we know who’s attending.

If you’d like to read at the open mic, please email Lucy at lucy@thewritersblock.org.uk

Free Flow Creative Writing Session with Laurie Bolger

Join poet Laurie Bolger for an energising writing session designed to get you scribbling from the comfort of your own home. Inspired by Laurie’s Creative Writing Breakfast Club, featured in Time Out, this session encourages you to let creativity lead the way and generate fresh ideas in your own unique voice.

During this mini workshop, Laurie will guide you through a series of fast-paced writing prompts designed to spark imagination, playfulness, and mindfulness. There’s no pressure to have any prior experience — simply take some time for yourself, follow the prompts, and see where your imagination takes you.

Expect creative connection, encouragement, and a little well-deserved “you time”.

Poetry Reading: Lady

Lady is Laurie Bolger’s first full collection of poems. The book explores the many roles girls and women are asked to play, and the identities they try on — from housewife to hen, sister to mum, landlady, exercise instructor, or best friend forever.

These gritty and often hilarious poems explore the everyday things that sustain us while navigating an imperfect world obsessed with perfection. Whether dancing in the kitchen, crying in the bath, or eating crisps, Bolger’s work is delicious, joyous, and bittersweet in equal measure.

Join Laurie for a reading from Lady, followed by a short Q&A about her work and the inspirations behind it. The poems celebrate the resilience of working-class women and the solidarity found in friendship, family, and our own bodies. Bold, warm, and imaginative, Laurie’s poetry invites us all to dream a little wilder.

“Dazzling, moving, witty and insightful poems which look at the world with an oft-surreal eye, and show the lives, the truths, the people, who might ordinarily be overlooked.”
— Andrew McMillan

About Laurie Bolger

Laurie Bolger is an acclaimed English poet, performer, and presenter based in London. She was shortlisted for Young Poet Laureate of London, and in 2024 won both the International Book & Pamphlet Competition and the Moth Poetry Prize.

Laurie is currently touring her celebrated debut collection Lady, alongside her pamphlets Makeover, Spin, and Box Rooms. Her work has taken her to iconic stages including the Royal Albert Hall, the Old Vic Theatre, Tate, and St Paul’s Cathedral.

A passionate community builder, Laurie is the founder of The Creative Writing Breakfast Club and Poetry in Pyjamas, projects that bring people together to write, share, and celebrate their creativity.