Poetry and spoken word arrives at the Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery in the form of Piece of Work: Birmingham's premiere poetry night, featuring acclaimed, world-renowned poets, as well as an open mic at one of Birmingham’s most beautiful and unique venues: the historic Tearoom at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery.

Enjoy a pre-show museum wander through our Level 2 galleries and grab a drink before settling in to enjoy the show. 

Each Piece of Work will feature two headline acts: a ‘local legend’ poet based in the Midlands, alongside an ‘honorary Brummie’ for the evening, from anywhere in the world.

Honorary Brummies

Your very first ‘honorary Brummie’ at Piece of Work will be none other than award-winning poet Caleb Femi; author of the Forward prize-winning collection Poor and the Sky Arts Award-winning collection The Wickedest. He has directed TV episodes for HBO, the BBC and Netflix, as well as commercials, high-fashion films and runway shows for brands such as Louis Vuitton, TikTok, Bottega Veneta, Dior, Mulberry and NCS. From 2016 to 2018 he was the Young People’s Laureate for London, working with young people on a city, national and global level. Dazed magazine named Caleb Femi as part of their Dazed 100 list of the next generation shaping youth culture.

Maxine Meixner is a spoken word poet and writer based in London. Her poetry taps into the vulnerability, beauty and truth of the human experience. She has appeared at Spit Nights, Poet’s Palace, Storytime, and Lost Village Festival and was the winner of One Night Slam in November 2025. Her viral poem “I Hope You Make It” has more than 13 million views collectively and has been shared by the likes of actor Patsy Palmer, drag icon Brooklyn Heights, and the legendary Viola Davis

Local Legends 

First ‘local legend’ headliner will be none other than your host for Piece of Work, Bradley Taylor. Bradley is an award-winning poet born and based in Birmingham. In 2024, he won the Roundhouse poetry slam, the night of which was the biggest poetry slam in history. He has appeared at the Hay Festival, Cheltenham Literature Festival, on BBC News and on BBC Radio 6 Music as part of Craig Charles’ class of 2024, in which Craig Charles described him as a ‘brand new voice and a fresh perspective on the art of poetry and performance’. In 2025, he released his debut collection, You Missed The Best Part, before embarking on a nationwide tour. He writes for, and about, people. He can also often be found in the museum with his typewriter, performing Poetry on Demand for strangers!

From the prestigious stages of the Hare & Hounds to supporting the Libertines on tour, Fitzroy Holt will be supplying Piece of Work with some incredible music to really kick things off.

Sign-ups for the open mic will be taken on the door, and are only valid with a ticket to the event.

Doors open at 6 pm, close at 6:45 pm, and the show starts at 7 pm.

This show is part of a brand new poetry night at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery - catch us on the last Thursday of selected months.