Members — gobscollective.org

Meet the Collective

**Bridie Squires (she/her)**
Hello! I’m the Co-founder and Lead Producer of GOBS Collective. I used to be the Editor of LeftLion Magazine and was Nottingham Trent University’s Writer in Residence in 2019. I’m also a Creative Associate at Nottingham Playhouse and New Perspectives Theatre. My debut poetry collection *Duck on Bike* was published in 2023, and I have a one-woman loop-station play called *Casino Zero*. I’m your go-to for any GOBS-related questions. Get in touch at info@gobscollective.org.

**Bridie’s website**

**Ioney Smallhorne (she/her)**
I’m the Co-founder and previous Lead Writer of GOBS Collective. As a dedicated Spoken Word Educator, I support people to harness the power of poetry to realise their own greatness, working in schools and community groups across the East Midlands. I earned an MA in Creative Writing and Education at Goldsmiths University 2019. As a filmmaker, I enjoy translating my poems to the screen. As a performer, I blend the political with the personal.
**Ioney’s website**

**Cara Thompson (she/her)**
I was Lead Writer for the GOBS Workshop Programme in 2024. I’m a poet, art-ivist, and campaigner. Born into a lively Jamaican-British family, I write to celebrate my heritage and highlight the relationship between mental health and social injustice. In 2021, I represented Nottingham in UNESCO Cities of Literature's international slam poetry competition Slamovision and won with my poem *Island Screams.*
**Cara’s Link Tree**

**Ben Macpherson (he/him)**
Hi, I’m Ben. I’m a writer performer and facilitator. My poetry is characterised by playfulness, whether heavy or light. I’m a playwright and theatre-maker as well as a poet, and also a Director of Nottingham Poetry Festival. Checkout my published writing on my website, or get in touch to say hello!

**Ben’s website**

**Rebecca ‘Bep’ Summerscales (she/they)**
I’m a writer, musician and activist based in Nottingham. I am co-host of Nottingham's longest running spoken word event, Speech Therapy, and my favourite colour is yellow. My work is centred around social justice, exploring gender and sexuality, and inspired heavily by Greek classic literature.
**Bep’s Instagram**

**Leanne Moden (she/her)**
Hey, I’m Leanne. I’m a poet and creative freelancer, based in Nottingham. I’ve performed all across the UK and Europe, and my second pamphlet of poetry *Get Over Yourself* was published with Burning Eye Books in 2020. I love writing poems, eating jaffa cakes, and hanging out with my cat Gracie.

**Leanne’s website**

**Hongwei Bao (he/him)**
Hi, I am Hongwei. I am a Nottingham-based queer Chinese poet. I write poems about queer desire, East Asian identity and migration experience. I like sharing my poems in open mics. My debut poetry collection *The Passion of the Rabbit God* is forthcoming with Valley Press in 2024.
**Hongwei’s Twitter**

**Beth Parker (she/her)**
I'm Beth. I live in Nottingham with my dog, Drake. While Drake and I are out in the fresh air, that's when I get my best ideas. I'm a life writer. I write mostly about depression, menopause and substance use. Sometimes, all three.

**Gail Webb (she/her)**
Social justice, equality and community singing are close to my heart. A Welsh woman living in Nottinghamshire, I run a local writers group, facilitate the Creative Writing Group at Maggies Nottingham and love all things poetic. I am published widely and have performed with Henry Nomal, Yomi Sode, George Szirtes and Casey Bailey. Member of Gobs since 2020.
**Gail’s Instagram**

**Aalia Zorko (she/her)**
I’m a writer, actor and poet born and bred in Nottingham. Coupling the performance techniques I’ve learnt over the years as an actor, alongside different writing methods I’ve gained at GOBS Collective, I channel my own truth through spoken word in the hope that others can connect and find reassurance within it.
**Aalia’s Instagram**

**Sophie Diver (she/her)**
I’m a writer and poet from Nottingham. I was selected to be a BBC New Creative for my audio drama *The Cupboard* which was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra. I enjoy writing about the joy in the everyday and exploring the relationship between storytelling and sound. I have recently collaborated with Nottingham musicians Champyun Clouds.
**Sophie’s Instagram**

**Rachelle Foster (she/they)**
I won my first slam in 2016 and have since performed in London, Brighton and Barcelona, where I won a year-long slam poetry tournament. Now I’m in Nottingham, where I’m an active GOBS member. My vibe is vulnerable and lyrical with central themes of mental health, mortality, lost love, and addiction.
**Rachelle’s website**

**Johnny Hughes (he/him)**
Hello, Johnny here! Poetry was stitched on name tags inside my school clothes, PE kit, cub scout uniform and more recently my string vests and argyle socks. In 2023, after years of keeping this a secret I began wearing poetry outerwear, mentioning poetry out loud and joined GOBS Collective.

**Johnny’s Instagram**

**Francesca ‘Cheska’ Mesce (she/her)**
I’m Cheska, the Northern poetic explorer, pseudo rapper and udon noodle devourer. I’ve been a GOB since 2021 and had the honour of performing my gobby head off in support of Yomi Sodé, Casey Bailey, and at We Out Here Festival. I write about womanhood, the universe, and existential crises (respectively). Friend to all cats.
**Cheska’s Instagram**

**Demi Lloyd (she/her)**
Hello, I am Demi. I live in Nottingham and attended NTU where I earned a Masters degree in creative writing. I love cats. I love poetry and performing my own, which includes themes of mental health, romance, existential dread, surrealism and the joy we find in small details.
**Demi’s Instagram**

Polis Loizou (he/him)

I’m a Cypriot author, playwright, poet, performer and oral storyteller, now living in Nottingham with my husband and cats. My debut novel, Disbanded Kingdom was long-listed for the Polari First Book Prize. A Good Year, set in Cyprus, was published by Fairlight Moderns in 2022. I joined GOBS in 2021.

Polis’ website

**Nipa (she/her)**
Hiya! I'm Nipa! I’m a person-centred psychotherapist and I love all things art and creative! I love to write poetry about difficult topics, experiences and emotions and I love to feel connected to other people through this. I also love creative expressions like journaling, collage, rap and spoken word/poetry!
**Nipa’s Instagram**

**Rehannah Mian (she/her)**
I love medieval history, ghost stories, and writing about historically erased female influencers of the middle ages. I podcast so that kids around the world get to hear forgotten medieval fairy tales and poetry from where they live, hopefully inspiring pride in their literary heritage and ancestry.
**Rehannah’s website**

**Sarah Wheatley (she/her)**
I’m a poet and creative. I began writing stories and poetry aged 4, mainly about jam sandwiches. Now, my writing is more eclectic, and includes relationships, memory and the environment. I performed with the GOBS Collective in their Earth Showcase at Nottingham Playhouse.
**Sarah’s Instagram**

Jennifer Brough (she/they)

I’m a slow writer and workshop facilitator. I write and review texts exploring the body, disability, horror, art, and literature. I am writing my first poetry pamphlet, Occult Pain, and I was shortlisted for the Disabled Poets Prize's Best Single Poem 2023. I was Birmingham's Young Poet Laureate from 2006-2007.

Jennifer’s website

Husna ‘DreaM17’ Khalid (she/they)

Hi, I am Husna. I creatively operate under the name DreaM17 as a Young Developing Multi-Disciplinary Creative from the Global Majority. I aim to be a voice encouraging growth and sharing experiences and trying new things. My poetry inspirations come from everywhere and usually have strong storytelling elements and narrative points of view.

Husna’s Instagram