19 March 2025
After a fiercely competitive heat that drew 12 diverse and even international poets to a virtual stage, Nathalia Khawand will advance to the Final of the Roundhouse Poetry Slam, in partnership with Taylor Wessing.
Nathalia, who is from Lebanon but grew up in Dubai, won over the judges Tife Kusoro, Laurie Ogden, Maureen Onwunali, at last night’s online heat. The heat was attended by poets and audience members from across the globe, from the Shetland Islands to Pittsburgh, USA.
Celebrating its monumental 20th edition in 2025, the Roundhouse Poetry Slam stands as a beacon of spoken word artistry in the UK. This year, the stakes are higher than ever as the Final becomes a cornerstone of Roundhouse Three Sixty, a brand-new festival of music and culture.
The Slam Final of the Roundhouse Poetry Slam will be held on Thursday 17 April in the iconic main space in London’s Roundhouse, where Nathalia will join other finalists from heats in Liverpool, Leeds and London, and an upcoming heat in Bristol to perform their work live in person and in front of a global online audience.
The Final will be broadcast live on the Roundhouse YouTube Channel by young creatives participating in the Roundhouse Behind the Lens course in live TV broadcast and content creation.
Nathalia Khawand, winner of the online heat of the Roundhouse Poetry Slam, said: “It’s always a bit odd when you’re not performing in front of a live audience, because you can’t tell what people are thinking. You can’t see people’s reactions to your words, so it can be a bit daunting in that sense. But then in another way, it’s also a bit easier because it’s just you and the camera. And I guess that does get rid of some of the nerves a little bit.
“It’s actually not my first time trying for the Roundhouse Poetry Slam, so it feels insane to have made it through to the final this time. I’m really excited – nervous, excited, bursting.”