Apples and Snakes
A British organisation dedicated to performance poetry and spoken-word practice.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Apples and Snakes is a United Kingdom organisation focused on performance poetry and spoken word. Established in 1982 by a group of poets, it developed at a time when poetry was increasingly being presented outside conventional literary venues, including pubs, festivals, theatres, community spaces and public events. Its first recorded performance took place at the Adam's Arms pub on Conway Street in central London. From that starting point, the organisation became a platform for poets and spoken-word artists whose work combined literary writing with live performance, music, political commentary, humour, storytelling and forms of audience participation. The organisation's work has included producing and presenting live events, supporting artists, commissioning or facilitating performances, delivering workshops and creating opportunities for young and emerging poets. It has also worked with cultural, educational and civic partners. Its programmes have reached festival audiences, school and community participants, gallery visitors, public-transport users and people encountering performance poetry outside specialist literary settings. This broad approach has helped make performance poetry more visible as both an artistic discipline and a method of engagement. Apples and Snakes has been associated with the development of numerous high-profile poets and spoken-word performers, including John Agard, Jean “Binta” Breeze, Malika Booker, Charlie Dark, Inua Ellams, Lemn Sissay and Kae Tempest. The organisation has also provided a setting for artists working across poetry, comedy, theatre, music and screen performance. Names associated with its performance history include Billy Bragg, Phill Jupitus, Mike Myers and Toby Jones, although the organisation's role has varied across different artists and projects. Its historical programme demonstrates a willingness to connect poetry with major public and political occasions. In 1984 it presented work at Glastonbury Festival and the Elephant Fayre in Cornwall, and organised a miners' benefit concert at the Purcell Room at the Southbank Centre. The following year it organised an anti-apartheid benefit at the Southbank Centre. Later projects continued to place spoken word in unconventional settings: in 2001 the organisation staged performance poetry events on London buses, while in 2013 it developed events for young poets responding to climate change. In partnership with the National Portrait Gallery and the National Literacy Trust, it also created events connected with the exhibition Picture the Poet, shown at the National Portrait Gallery and later at Sheffield's Graves Art Gallery. Apples and Snakes has also preserved and extended its work through publishing. Its publications have included Apples & Snakes: Raw and Biting Cabaret Poetry, first issued by Pluto Press in 1984 and reissued in a second edition in 1987; The Popular Front of Contemporary Poetry: Anthology, published in 1992 to mark the organisation's tenth anniversary; and Velocity: The Best of Apples & Snakes, published by Black Spring Press in 1993. These books documented a performance-oriented poetry culture that was often underrepresented in traditional literary histories. The organisation has been a registered charity since 1986 and is governed by a board of trustees. It has been based at or associated with a number of London cultural venues, including the Free Word Centre, and is currently based at the Albany Theatre in Deptford, south-east London. Its public role has included national advocacy for performance poetry in England and the wider United Kingdom. Apples and Snakes is supported through public arts funding, including national portfolio organisation funding from Arts Council England. Its continuing purpose is to develop artists, widen access to spoken word and demonstrate how poetry can function as a live, social and publicly engaged art form.
History
Apples and Snakes was launched in 1982 by a group of poets seeking to create a stronger platform for poetry performed in front of live audiences. Its first performance was held at the Adam's Arms pub on Conway Street in central London. The organisation's early activity reflected the expanding performance-poetry scene, in which poets presented work in pubs, clubs, theatres, festivals and politically engaged public events rather than relying solely on conventional literary institutions. The organisation quickly established a programme that linked poetry with popular culture, public campaigning and benefit events. In 1984 it presented performances at Glastonbury Festival and the Elephant Fayre in Cornwall. It also organised a miners' benefit concert at the Purcell Room at the Southbank Centre. In 1985 it organised an anti-apartheid benefit at the Southbank Centre. These projects demonstrated a model in which poetry could contribute to public debate and collective fundraising while remaining an entertainment and performance medium. Apples and Snakes became an important development environment for poets and spoken-word artists. Artists associated with its activities include John Agard, Jean “Binta” Breeze, Malika Booker, Billy Bragg, Charlie Dark, Inua Ellams, Phill Jupitus, Lemn Sissay, Kae Tempest, Mike Myers and Toby Jones. The range of these names reflects the organisation's broad artistic boundary, connecting literary poetry with theatre, music, comedy and screen performance. Its contribution has been less a single house style than an infrastructure for experimentation, presentation and audience-building. The organisation was constituted as a registered charity in 1986. Over time it expanded beyond individual stage events into artist development, workshops, youth work, partnerships and special projects. A notable 2001 initiative brought performance poetry onto London buses, placing the art form in an everyday public environment. In 2013 Apples and Snakes organised events for young poets addressing climate change, combining creative development with a contemporary social and environmental theme. It has also collaborated with major cultural and educational bodies. In conjunction with the National Portrait Gallery and the National Literacy Trust, it organised poetry events associated with Picture the Poet, a photographic exhibition presented at the National Portrait Gallery and later at Sheffield's Graves Art Gallery in autumn 2014. Such collaborations extended spoken word into galleries, literacy work and cross-disciplinary cultural programming. Publishing has been another part of its historical record. Apples & Snakes: Raw and Biting Cabaret Poetry was issued by Pluto Press in 1984, with a second edition following in 1987. The Popular Front of Contemporary Poetry: Anthology was published in 1992 to mark the organisation's tenth anniversary. In 1993, Black Spring Press published Velocity: The Best of Apples & Snakes, an anthology of work by contemporary poets who had performed with the organisation. These publications helped preserve examples of a live poetry culture and provided a record of artists connected with its programmes. Apples and Snakes has been associated with the Free Word Centre and is now based at the Albany Theatre in Deptford, south-east London. It is governed by a board of trustees, chaired by Kerry Featherstone, and operates as a charitable arts organisation. Its public funding has included annual support as an Arts Council England national portfolio organisation. The organisation's continuing work centres on presenting performance poetry, developing artists and using spoken word to connect professional practice with education, communities and wider public audiences.
- 2014
Picture the Poet partnership
[1]In partnership with the National Portrait Gallery and the National Literacy Trust, Apples and Snakes delivered poetry events connected with Picture the Poet, later shown at Sheffield's Graves Art Gallery.
- 2013
Climate-change events for young poets
[1]The organisation created a series of events for young poets focused on climate change.
- 2001
Poetry on London buses
[1]Apples and Snakes organised a performance poetry event on London buses, taking spoken word into an everyday public setting.
- 1992
Tenth-anniversary anthology
[1]The organisation marked its tenth anniversary with The Popular Front of Contemporary Poetry: Anthology.
- 1986
Registered charity status
[1]Apples and Snakes became a registered charity.
- 1985
Anti-apartheid benefit
[1]Apples and Snakes organised an anti-apartheid benefit at the Southbank Centre.
- 1984
Festival and miners' benefit programming
[1]The organisation presented poetry at Glastonbury Festival and the Elephant Fayre, and organised a miners' benefit concert at the Purcell Room at the Southbank Centre.
- 1982
Organisation launched
[1]Apples and Snakes was established by a group of poets, with its first poetry performance held at the Adam's Arms pub on Conway Street in central London.
Products and positioning
Promoting performance poetry and spoken word as accessible, live and socially engaged forms of artistic expression in the United Kingdom.
Cultural programming · 1982
Live performance poetry events
Apples and Snakes produces and presents live poetry and spoken-word events in theatres, festivals, community locations, public spaces and partner venues. Its programming has historically included artistic showcases, benefit performances, themed events and collaborations with cultural institutions.
Training and development
Artist development and workshops
The organisation supports poets and spoken-word artists through workshops, development opportunities and performance platforms. Its work has included activity for young and emerging poets, helping participants develop writing, delivery, stagecraft and audience-facing practice.
Anthology · 1984
Apples & Snakes: Raw and Biting Cabaret Poetry
A collection associated with the organisation's early performance-poetry culture, published by Pluto Press in 1984. A second edition appeared in 1987, documenting poetry created for live presentation and the organisation's cabaret-oriented programming.
Anthology · 1992
The Popular Front of Contemporary Poetry: Anthology
An anthology published in 1992 to celebrate Apples and Snakes' tenth anniversary. It brought together work connected with the organisation and provided a printed record of contemporary performance poetry.
Anthology · 1993
Velocity: The Best of Apples & Snakes
A 1993 anthology published by Black Spring Press, presenting selected work by contemporary poets who had performed for Apples and Snakes.
Marketing campaigns
- 2013Climate-change poetry events
United Kingdom
The organisation ran a series of events for young poets addressing climate change through spoken-word and performance poetry.
- 1985Anti-apartheid benefit
United Kingdom
Apples and Snakes organised a benefit performance at the Southbank Centre in support of the anti-apartheid cause.
Sources2 sources
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