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For over a decade the spoken-word organisation ‘Young Identity’ has been producing some of the best new performance poets in the country.
Led by the poet Shirley May, who herself found her voice with earlier groups in the city’s vibrant spoken-word scene, the young writers create headline work for top-flight events such as MIF (Manchester International Festival) and Contains Strong Language.
In ‘First Words’ Shirley introduces us to some of the current crop of poets including Isaiah Hull, Scarlett Rose and Jardel Rodriguez - who finally set his mind to becoming a writer while standing in a hole in the ground shovelling human waste.

Producer: Geoff Bird