Full-Day Performance Retreat (All Levels, Emerging + Post-Emerging)
With facilitators Muneera Pilgrim and Chris Redmond.
Chris Redmond is an award-winning poet, performer and facilitator whose practice is firmly rooted in the live moment. He has performed in over 20 countries across five continents, with work featured on BBC Radio 1–6, CBBC, and in The Guardian and The Independent. He is the founder of Tongue Fu, the UK’s longest-running spoken word and music improv show—where performances are created in real time with audiences and world-class artists. Collaborators include Kae Tempest, Akala and Hollie McNish, with shows spanning Glastonbury, Dublin, Rio and Cape Town.
As a facilitator, Chris creates high-energy, supportive spaces for poets, artists, public speakers and academics to sharpen craft, unlock voice and take creative risks. He has worked with organisations including Apples and Snakes, the British Council, BBC and First Story, as well as universities such as Oxford, UCL, Bristol and St Mary’s. He is also co-director of Hot Poets, an award-winning international project exploring climate science, poetry and hope. In 2023 he was shortlisted for the Out-Spoken Prize and served on the Forward Prize judging panel.
Muneera Pilgrim is an international Poet, Cultural Producer, Writer, Broadcaster and TEDx speaker. She co-founded the Muslim Hip-Hop and spoken word duo Poetic Pilgrimage, and she is a co-founder of a new platform, Black Muslim Women Bike. She conducts workshops, shares art, lectures, and finds alternative ways to tell stories, build community and exchange ideas.
She regularly contributes to BBC 2’s Pause for Thought, and is writer-in-residence at Bristol Old Vic until 2030. As a freelance writer, Muneera has written for The Guardian, Amaliah, Huffington Post, The Independent, Al Jazeera Blog, Black Ballard and various other digital and print platforms. She has been featured across the BBC network including BBC News, as well as Sky News, Sky Arts, Al Jazeera, and various other television channels. In 2015 a documentary about her former group Poetic Pilgrimage was commissioned by Al Jazeera, “Hip-Hop Hijabis” has been screened several times since.
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DATE: Saturday 20th June 2026 (10:00 - 16:00)*
LOCATION: Clevedon Curzon (46 Old Church Road, Clevedon, BS21 6NN)
AIMED AT: All levels (Emerging+ and Post-Emerging)
APPLICATIONS CLOSE: Sunday 31st May 2026 (9pm)
*Participants can arrive at Clevedon Curzon between 09:30 and 10:00.
**2x bursary spaces and 1x travel bursary are available for each retreat. See Terms and Conditions & Application Form.
DESCRIPTION:
This day-long performance retreat is a chance for poets at all levels of experience to take their performance and stage craft to the next level.
Led by Muneera Pilgrim (international poet, performer and TedX speaker) and Chris Redmond (Founder/Host of Tongue Fu, Co-Director of Hot Poets), poets will engage in both theory and performance-led activities to rethink and refresh your approach to sharing your poems with a live audience.
With opportunity for feedback on your work, you will deep dive into the big and small details which make a compelling live performance, learning how to channel your unique voice and style and bring the words to life on the stage. Expect exciting conversations, dynamic activities and prompts, and a positive environment to build community and confidence in the presence of other writers.
Raise the Bar’s retreats offer a warm, welcoming and family atmosphere. This retreat will consist of facilitated sessions with both tutors, and a chance to perform your work on the incredible Clevedon Curzon stage, with professional tech and lighting. Participants will be supported by the friendly and experienced Raise the Bar team.
Open to poets at all levels of experience, and of all writing/performance styles. The retreat is not catered - participants can either bring a packed lunch, or order food next door at the Teatro Lounge.
Please note that performing your work in front of others is an integral requirement of this course and your application implies acceptance and a base level of comfort with this.
KEY INFORMATION:
These retreats are open to anyone over the age of 18, with priority given to applicants living in South West England, both at the time of application and throughout the duration of the course/retreat applied for. This area is defined as consisting of the counties of Cornwall (including the Isles of Scilly), Dorset, Devon, Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Candidates living outside this area are very welcome to apply but will initially be added to a reserve list. If we can't fill spaces from eligible candidates in the South West, we will offer spaces to suitable applicants on the reserve list.
These courses are not designed for complete beginners and experience of writing poetry is required for all applications. There is no cast-iron definition of emerging and post-emerging poets, but the following lists may be useful in helping you pick course that most accurately matches your level of experience.
An all levels / emerging poet:
Will have less than 3 years experience as a writer/performer
Will usually be active mainly in their local area, and be seeking to expand their profile
May regularly attend poetry workshops and courses, or perform unpaid at open mics or slam competitions
May have minimal experience of being published in journals/magazines/competition.
May have a pamphlet or debut book of poems published
May have some experience performing paid support slots at poetry events
Will consider poetry to be more than just a hobby, seeking opportunities to develop their creative practice or professional skills
A post-emerging / mid-career poet:
Will have more than 3 years experience as a writer/performer, in a part-time capacity or as part of their profession
Will usually make regular income from poetry-related work
May have significant experience of being published in journals/magazines/competitions
May have at least one full-length poetry collection, album or body of work
May have significant experience headlining events and being paid for their work, including outside of their town/city/region
May have performed, or been published, internationally
May be paid to judge competitions or sit on panels
May be paid to edit or mentor other poets’ work
May have work commissioned by organisations on a semi-regular basis
Will still be seeking to further their professional skills in order to become a more established poet with a full-time, or majority of their, income coming from writing/poetry-related work (including teaching, producing and facilitating)