A BAFTA-winning writer swapping scripts for stanzas is teaming up with one of Ireland’s fastest-rising poetic voices for a new tour that promises humour, honesty and sharply observed takes on modern life.
Henry Normal and Jan Brierton are set to perform together for the first time as part of a UK and Ireland tour, bringing their spoken word show to audiences across multiple venues this spring.
The pair will appear at Tavistock Town Hall on Thursday, April 30, offering a double bill that blends Henry’s reflective and often humorous take on everyday life with Jan’s candid and rhythm-driven poetry exploring relationships, family and midlife experience.
Henry’s career spans more than four decades, during which he has written and produced a range of television and film projects in the UK, alongside building a successful reputation as a poet and live performer. His work is known for combining humour with more personal and poignant themes.
Joining him is Dublin-based poet Jan Brierton, whose work has gained widespread attention in recent years. Her debut collection What Day Is It? Who Gives a Fck was published in 2021 after her poetry gained traction online during lockdown. Her follow-up collection, Everybody Is a Poem: Midlife in Rhymes, reached the Irish top ten paperback non-fiction chart following its release.
Jan’s poetry often focuses on everyday experiences, including ageing, relationships and domestic life, delivered in a direct and conversational style. She has performed at venues and festivals across Ireland and the UK, and has previously supported John Cooper Clarke at a number of sold-out shows.
The tour will begin in April, with dates across England before continuing into Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland throughout April and May.
The Tavistock performance will give audiences the opportunity to see both poets share the stage in what organisers describe as an intimate setting, bringing together two distinct voices in contemporary poetry.
