HOT BOX, thanks to Ethan & Babalon Anon, has cultivated a banging poetry night. We are delighted to be involved in the Art:Up! project, and will host the next event at HOT BOX. There will be a book of selected works, and the final showcase event will form part of the excellent 2026 Essex Book Festival. The theme for this leg of the tour links in with the Book Festival, and is Radical Islands. You can pen a poem by yourself or collabrate. If you want to collaborate and have a collaborator then great, if you need to find a collaborator then drop [email protected] a line in the first instance and we will get the ball rolling. When thinking about the word Island, it can be one of the 35 islands around the Essex coastline, or maybe Mesopotamia Island in Chelmsford, and I often think of HOT BOX as one of a few creative Islands in Chelmsford, let your minds wander. The Art:Up! project which is is part of “The Being Human Festival, the U.K.’s Festival of the Humanities” was launched at the University’s Art Exchange gallery as part of the 2025 Essex Book Festival. For the first event Essex (and HOT BOX) poets Ethan Stewart and Babalon Anon launched the open mic show and eco-poet Linden K McMahon headlined. Fifteen poets performed and Babalon Anon commented that "there is no diversity without neurodiversity". Art:Up! is a joint initiative between the University, Waxes Lyrical at HotBox in Chelmsford, Poetry Plus in Manningtree and Boho Banter in Clacton-On-Sea. Presented by Dr. Jordan Savage ARU Art:Up! Under 16 to be accompanied by a responsible adult