Gallery

MPK co-founder Roger Robinson wins the TS Eliot Prize 13th January 2020

Roger’s acceptance speech, Wallace Collection, London
  • Roger with Judges Nick Makoha, John Burnside, Sarah Howe
  • Malika with one of her heroes, Sharon Olds
  • Roger and Malika
  • Roger with fellow prize shortlistee, Sharon Olds

MPK co-founder Malika Booker wins the Forward Prize for Best SIngle Poem 25th October 2020

Insect Love Songs
As part of In the Company of Insects, poet Fiona Benson ran workshops with 200 people from across the South West and in London, including MPK. Some of the resulting poems were given a soundscape by Eliza Lomas. More about the project and all the poems can all be seen here – or you can watch the ones that include us below.

Jamaica’s Sunsets by Kareem Parkins-Brown
Emperor Trickster by Rishi Dastidar
Nighthawk by Jill Abram
to know you are female does not help by Katie Griffiths

Plague by Michelle Penn

MPK Sessions

  • 16 Mar 18 at Poetry School, Lambeth Walk
  • 22 Jun 18 at Poetry School’s new premises
  • Roger led a session after winning the TSEliot prize!
  • Dean Atta leading a session
  • with guest session leader Shivanee Ramlochan
  • 29 May 2020 on Zoom

Celebrating publications

  • Katie Griffiths in Primers Vol 1 at LRB Bookshop 2016
  • Soul, Seraphima and Kostya were all in Magma’s Loss issue
  • 22 Mar 17 Ticker-tape by Rishi Dastidar
  • 28 Mar 19 London Undercurrents – Joolz Sparkes and Hilaire

Sat 25th July 2020


MPK was invited by Connor Sansby of Whisky & Beards Publishing to be part of the online WinchesterFest, which was broadcast live on Facebook. The poets taking part were Katie Griffiths, Joolz Sparkes, Mehmet Izbudak, Maisie Lawrence, Jill Abram, Michelle Penn, Charlotte Ansell, Janett Plummer and Arji Manuelpillai. You can enjoy the video recording of it below.

Wednesday 27 June 2018
“When I ask you to listen” The Poetry Society presented a special reading celebrating legendary writers’ collective Malika’s Kitchen, featuring founder of MPK’s Chicago branch, Peter Kahn, with Malika Booker and Nick Makoha. MPK founder members Janett Plummer and Patricia Foster McKenley were in the audience too! (Photo by Jill Abram)

7th June 2018

Second Home Poetry Festival wanted to know about the early days of MPK: Jill Abram interviewed Malika Booker and Jacob Sam-La Rose, and there were readings from them as well as several other members of the family.

Soul Patel, Joolz Sparkes, Jacob Sam-La Rose, Rishi Dastidar, Seraphima Kennedy, Maisie Lawrence, Malika Booker, Dean Atta, Jill Abram, Mehmet Izbudak and Katie Griffiths

8th – 9th July 2017

Ledbury Poetry Festival included two MPK events – a Saturday Night reading in the Market Theatre and a Sunday coffee morning at The Muse Cafe on the theme of Fantastic Beasts, where festival goers could come and read poems with us. The MPK family were boosted by Nick Makoha and Roger Robinson who were part of a Peepal Tree Stablemates, presented by Jill Abram on the Sunday afternoon. Listen to the reading with Malika Booker, Jacob Sam La Rose, Jill Abram, Rishi Dastidar, Seraphima Kennedy and Peter Raynard (below).

Listen to MPK at LPF
  • by Eliza Ford
  • Jill, Malika, Seraphima, Jacob, Peter and Rishi on Saturday night
  • Roger, Jill, Jacob, Nick and Malika after Stablemates

29th June 2017
The Golden Shovel anthology was launched at the British Library and included a Sweet 16 for MPK. Peter Kahn invited Roger and Malika to talk about setting up the collective, and asked the audience to stand up if they had felt the impact of Kitchen – very few stayed sitting!

March 2015
MPK took part in the Brixton leg (produced by Barby Asante) of Alina Azadeh’s Burning the Books project, in which Brixtonians were invited to contribute debt stories – financial emotional, social, political, ecological or metaphysical – to be written into a Book of Debts. We ran a writing workshop and participated in the finale in St Matthew’s Peace Gardens, at which the Book, full of stories, comments, reflections, was recited aloud and burned in an imaginary writing off of everything owed. (Photos by Luke Forsyth)

  • Alinah Azadeh
  • Barby Asante
  • Malika Booker
  • Jill Abram
  • Jamila Barrett

6th June 2014
Burn After Reading (aka BAR) was a community of young and emerging poets and writers founded and supported by (MPK alumnus) Jacob Sam-La Rose and Jasmine Cooray. They hosted regular readings and invited MPK to do a joint event with them at the Gallery Café in Bethnal Green. BAR were represented by Carmina Masoliver, Kieran Rennie, Shoshanna Anderson, Cameron Bray, Hibaq Osman, feature poet Will Tyas and hosts Harriet Creelman and Lewis Buxton. MPK co-founder Roger Robinson headlined and other MPK poets included Jill Abram, Sarah Reilly and Michael Scott.

5th March 2013
MPK featured at Beyond Words, hosted by Caroline Vero and Angela Brodie

2nd March 2012

MPK has performed three times at Camden and Lumen Poetry, run by Ruth O’Callaghan to raise money for the Cold Weather Shelters. Here are some pictures from the first occasion, at Trinity United Reform Church in Camden.

  • Malika Booker
  • Jill Abram

Tuesday 8th November 2011

MPK’s 10th anniversary was celebrated with a showcase, in association with Apples and Snakes, at Lost Theatre, produced and hosted by Jill Abram. 10 members performed short sets and the headliners were alumni Aoife Mannix, Inua Ellams and co-founder Malika Booker.

  • Patricia Foster McKenley, Zubaria Lone, Jill Abram, Melanie Mauthner, Heather Taylor, Cath Drake, Malika Booker, Aoife Mannix, Inua Ellams, Jocelyn Page, Janett Plummer
  • Malika Booker
  • Jill Abram

Flyers from the early days