One Mic Stand is Young Identity’s flagship slam night that brings together Manchester’s spoken word and music scene for a night of thrilling, competitive performances.

This special edition of One Mic Stand is in partnership with The Forward Prize affiliated Young Poets Summit and will have top performance poets from Barbican Young Poets, New Writing North, Writer’s Squad, Hive South Yorkshire and Young Identity battle it out in front of three industry judges for the prestigious title, a cash prize and ultimate bragging rights.

Headliners

Rumbi Tauro is a boundary-breaking R&B and Soul artist making waves across the North West. Fresh from a 2024 headline tour celebrating their EP Live in Manchester, Rumbi delivered stunning full-band performances at The Yard, Sidney & Matilda and Hyde Park Book Club.

They have shared stages with Sauti Sol, Sammy Rae & The Friends, Say She She and Adi Oasis, as well as festivals like Tramlines and Sounds from the Other City, and featured on BBC, ITV, NME, The Guardian and MTV EMA Push Live 2024.

Leyla Josephine is an award-winning poet, film and theatre maker from Glasgow. A Scottish BAFTA nominee and Forward Prize winner, her poetry collection In Public/In Private features the Best Single Poem Performed – Forward Prize 2024 winner, Dear John Berger. Her theatre work includes the Autopsy Award-winning Daddy Drag and internationally performed Ms Campbell’s Class 4th Period (published by Bloomsbury Press). Leyla has collaborated with major institutions like the Edinburgh International Festival, Women of the World Festival, and The Scottish Government in Ireland. She also founded Throw Enough Mud, an online writing school connecting writers through creative play.