Keisha Thompson FRSA is a Manchester based writer, performance artist and producer.  She is currently the Programme Manager for Legacies of Enslavement Programme at The Guardian. She is a trustee for the Independent Theatre Council and Olympias Music Foundation. In 2024, she was the recipient of the DARE Art Prize 2024 from Opera North and the University of Leeds in association with National Science and Media Museum and Yorkshire Contemporary.

Laurie is a northern multi-award winning writer and performer. A previous Roundhouse Resident Artist and Barbican Young poet alumna, her debut pamphlet ‘Humaning’ was published by flipped eye. She was recently longlisted for the Bruntwood Playwriting prize and shortlisted for the Women’s prize 2025. Laurie is co-editor of online magazine And Other Poems. 

Mr Shay is a Leicester based Poet & Rapper, titled Leicester’s first Poet Laureate in 2025. Shay is influenced by social topics such as cultural heritage, immigration and identity. His poetry is a melting pot of intricate rap flows fused with South Asian roots. Off the stage, Shay works as a community arts practitioner, leading poetry, rap and music workshops with young people across the UK.

Some stand out poetry commissions include, Future Pathways (Thames Water); From Ratae to Leicester (Jewry Wall Museum) and Golden Mile (BBC Radio Leicester), which was nominated for the Out-Spoken Prize for Poetry 2022. He has performed on stages across the UK including, Soul Revolution Festival (West Midlands); The National Justice Museum (Nottingham); Brighton Fringe (Brighton) and Shambala Festival’s iconic, Phantom Laundry Stage (Northamptonshire).

Instagram and X: @mrshay_artist

Facebook: Mr Shay