Jessica Clark

‘We Will Not Be Silenced’, my first spoken word track to see the light of the Spotify algorithm, will be released this Remembrance Sunday: 12/11/23. When I met @teo.marangon one sunny Saturday on Shoreditch High Street sporting a mixing deck and a sign saying ‘Can You Rap to This Beat?’, I didn’t anticipate that we would complete a song together so quickly. From many possible poems we could have brought into a musical shape, this one, written during the past few weeks of reading the news in shock and dismay, felt by far the most urgent to communicate and share. The track explores the link between personal response to recent events in Israel and Gaza and a broader framework of collective emotional experiences and action. It is a protest against the systems that demand us to nullify ourselves to the human impact of warfare, terror and state oppression. I am releasing this on Remembrance Sunday, a day when we are encouraged to mourn and pay respect to British soldiers killed in battle. A call I recently heard to “mourn the dead, and fight like hell for the living” springs to mind here — I sincerely wish that this year, the process of looking back is combined with looking honestly at the present, so that we may lessen the colossal damages done by war in this moment and create a more just and less traumatic future for our species. It is easy to feel powerless when watching decimation occurring from afar - yet we do have power, in the sphere of our own communities, to breed empathy and shared humanity in the face of sectarianism and prejudice. Words feel small compared to armies but I hope that they can travel far. 🌞 Social media has been an overwhelming place this past month and my wish is to offer something that speaks to the moment, fostering solidarity and understanding. Thank you for your support 🙏🏼 The pre-save link is in my bio… if you are in activist networks and want to help me spread a message of togetherness and human life over wilful blindness and destruction, please give the tune a listen this Sunday and share it with your friends, loved ones, associates and social media feeds. 💜 #poet #poetry #spokenword #music #newrelease

Thank you @companyjinks for having me last night at Queer Club’s fundraiser for Care 4 Calais, hosting performances on the theme of Spring, change and transformation. As the only poet amongst a lineup of dancers, it was so amazing to watch the incredibly talented dance acts express such clarity of emotion using physicality. It definitely expanded how I view creative expression and relate to my own artistic practice, which is very rooted in words and language. I wrote this piece, called Wildlife, recently, inspired by nature and changes in perspective experienced while growing up. It was inspiring and moving to be in a supportive room of queer creative expression fundraising for refugees and asylum seekers, in a political climate where minority groups and migrants are facing increased hatred and marginalisation. Really grateful for everyone who showed up at today’s protest against the far-right, and to all who continue to carve spaces for creativity, compassion, empathy and grassroots political organising against growing forces of fascism. Going against the grain of mainstream same-old takes energy, resources and determination. I hope that amongst the challenges we are currently facing as a society, performance spaces can offer radical hope and build the loving communities and connections that we all need. ‘Born into a dark night, but together we can make light, make life, fight the forces that just try to take life and break life.’ #poetry #spokenword #creativity #art #queerart

Guess who's back? nanana Back again? nanana It's us, we're back! Tell aaall your friends 🌈💗 Yes my love of rhyming may have started with Eminem when I was 13 but its recent incarnations are far more queer and feminist.... For example, this Sapphic 2-hander exploring new connections in the context of contemporary London's pressures. Did you miss our last sold-out shows? Here's your chance to come down to The Bridge House @pengetheatre at the end of this month and be dazzled by this "highly relatable portrait of modern life" (Seen Anything Lately?). Did you see our last shows? Help us out by giving this post a share to your story, and inviting your pals for their next rendition! Ticket link in bio - get them before they go... So excited to take this story into a new area of London and bring new audiences into the room - can't wait to see you there! #play #theatre #lgbtqia #sapphic #community #literature #writers #poetry #spokenword #rap #rhyming #story #politics #relationships #londonlife #creative #creativelondon #culture #artsandculture #queer #poets

Sun’s out and so is the print copy of East to West! 🌞 Perfect spring time reading about the new connections that become possible when we leave our hibernation lairs 💜 This first edition also includes a bonus selection of poetry from my performance set ‘Modern Love’, which addresses the links between health, technology and intimacy in today’s world. Out now for personal order (plus written dedication from me), DM me if you’d like one! £10 plus P&P 💕 So grateful to everyone who came to our first live shows, creating a truly special atmosphere for this story to be shared. I want to offer this text as a way of bringing Nell and Asha’s story into broader spaces, and making it accessible for those who couldn’t make the IRL performances. If you’re curious to learn more about East to West and why you should buy this book, check out the show’s review on Seen Anything Lately? linked in my bio, which describes the writing “almost too real” and “a highly relatable portrait of modern life”. Get yours today and support female queer new writing while being deliciously entertained 🌈 #author #playwright #newrelease #book #poetry

Some shots from our tech before yesterday’s opening night! An absolute pleasure to see these words brought to life at @playhouseeast as part of Feb Fringe. Massive thank you to everyone involved in the production and everyone who came along to support the show on its premiere night. I’m so impressed by how quickly Morgan (@morgan_chalmers_ ), Lieve and Moesha (tagged in photos) have worked across our limited rehearsal time to make a beautiful, convincing and emotionally compelling show from a script that I’m sure wasn’t the easiest at times 😂 Y’all have found so many levels and different energies to bring out from the words and give them a vibrant life. Big shoutout to Alice (@alicewondersaround ) whose movement contributions have really lifted the show, and to Ella (@zincmanganese ) for your excellent sound design and technical support. Performances really shone and I can’t wait to see the show again at @theglitch_se1 and @etcetera_theatre_camden in March. Come and join! You won’t regret it. Were you at the show?? Let us know what you thought through the Google form linked in our bio! Feedback so valuable and appreciated in this early stage of the show’s life 💕💕 Photography by @jaimeedoyle 😍 #theatre #playwright #actors #newwriting #poetry

Some snaps from our rehearsal yesterday! Sooo excited for our opening night this Sunday at The Playhouse East's Feb Fringe festival. Moesha and Lieve, directed by the wonderful Morgan, are bringing so much joy, life and play into this script and I can't wait to share this work with the world. Amongst the political challenges and threats of today's world, I'm so eager for this show's celebration of connection and love to send far-reaching ripples out to London's diverse communities and beyond! Come and see the show this Sunday - tickets in bio #acting #drama #theatre #queer #lgbtqia #sapphic #poetry #play #writing #rhyming #artivism #community #queerjoy #relationships #love #women #womenintheatre

This Thursday 12th Feb I'll be performing at the Bread and Roses Theatre's V-Day 2026 event using artistic expression to speak out against gender-based violence. All proceeds from the event will be donated to Refuge UK. Really looking forward to sharing my poem 'Dank Green Smoke Screen' amongst a lineup focused on female, nonbinary and genderfluid voices. If you're looking for something meaningful, thought-provoking and creatively stimulating to do in the runup to Valentine's Day, come down to Raise the Vibration on 12th - 13th Feb and support a deeply important cause! ❤️ #performance #poetry #creative #theatre #activism #valentines #antivalentines #galentines #palentines #liveperformance #londoncreatives #writer #poets

Thanks for having me @jot.theatre - performed my new poem Talking to Robots on Saturday in front of a really lovely and supportive crowd 💕 Give this a watch if you too have ever fallen into the Chat GPT rabbit hole…. 🐰 I would love feedback on this poem so do share if you have any x And if you like my poetry come and see @easttowestplay this Spring, where the impact of technology on intimacy is also explored alongside other juicy themes. #poetry #spokenword #performance #ai #chatgpt

Catch us this Spring! So excited to be bringing this play to 3 amazing venues in different parts of London - reflecting perfectly the show's interest in conveying this city's complexities and geographical and cultural diversity. Tickets linked in bio, share with your pals and networks. See you there ❤️ #theatre #london #londoncreatives #playwright #poetry #febfringe #poet #creatives #acting #production #spokenword #poetryplay #playinpoetry #community #rapper #artist #writer

Just launched this account to share news, updates and tickets about my debut play East to West, showing at London theatres this Spring. 🔥The show, which I wrote last year while recovering from a chronic illness, explores the connection between two women living on opposite sides of London who match on a dating app. Told in rhymed poetry, it aims to capture the nerves and hopes of new relationships in the context of a socially and politically complex contemporary London. We've rescheduled our planned performance at @theglitch_se1 from last Dec to March 14th, 2026. And not just that... but we've also been programmed at @playhouseeast 's Feb Fringe, and @etcetera_theatre_camden 's ACE-funded Women Writers' Festival beforehand! It's an exciting time to be writing long, gay tales in rhymed poetry I guess 😍 I can't wait to see what 2026 has to bring for this show, which started out last May as a few scribbled rhymes with a burning passion behind them. Please join me and my talented team on this journey through coming to see a show, and follow this page for more announcements, ticket links, and introductions to the team.🎉 DATES Feb 22nd, Playhouse East, 6:45 pm March 12th, Etcetera Theatre, 9 pm March 14th, The Glitch, 8:30 pm Ticket links in bio x

A few late night thoughts on the new year… Happy 2026!! #poetry #poem #newyear #2026

I’ve loved creative writing for as long as I can remember, and across the past year it’s become even more of a lifeline as I’ve been recovering from ME/CFS and forced to cut back on many aspects of my life. In an era where connection feels increasingly automated, frazzled and atomised, the sheer alive-ness and powerful energetic exchange of performance art (all art tbh) feels more valuable than ever. I’ve now made this account @jessrclark to share updates about my creative work, separating it from my other account @jessrubyc which I’ve used for a blend of creative and personal posting. You can expect to find here snippets of poems, exciting news about upcoming shows, musings on creativity and collabs with other artists. These photos are from Outcasts on the Mic in November 2024 and Cried Wolf Productions’ event Artists for Gaza in November 2025. Photo credit to @balsytedaniele_ #poetrycommunity #writing #performance #creativity