Placeholder is home for poetry readings of the avant-garde, challenging, queer and radical. Following the success of this poetry reading series in Brighton, this special format is thriving in Southampton - presented in collaboration with Wire Wool Events.

Rosy Carrick is the author of two poetry collections: Chokey (2018) and I LOVE (2025), both published by Burning Eye.

Her theatre debut Passionate Machine won the Best New Play award at Brighton Fringe and the Infallibles Award for Theatrical Excellence at Edinburgh Fringe in 2018, before touring internationally. Her critically acclaimed second play Musclebound toured from 2024 to 2025.

Rosy has a PhD on the poetry of Vladimir Mayakovsky and has released two collections of his work in translation: Volodya (2015, Enitharmon) and Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (2017, Smokestack). Between 2022 and 2024, she co-wrote ZA/UM Studio's cursed - and subsequently cancelled - spin-off to the explosively successful videogame Disco Elysium.

In 2025, Rosy received an Arts Council DYCP award to explore filmmaking. Her debut short film Annie & Bill won 1st Prize (Jury Award) in the Calderdale Shorts Category at Hebden Bridge Film Festival 2026. Her follow-up, Ici Reste, won 2nd Prize (Jury Award) at Buxton Short Film Festival 2026.

Kat Sinclair is a poet living in Southampton. She is the author of Very Authentic Person (the87press, 2019), PLEASE PRESS (Sad Press, 2022), and The Pharmacy (the87press, 2024). Her work has appeared in Chicago Review, Datableed, and in collections from SPAM Press and Dostoyevsky Wannabe. She holds a PhD from the University of Sussex, researching the political economy of feminised robots.

6.45pm doors for 7pm start. Readings will end at 9pm.

18+
£5 advance
Limited tickets available, please book in advance to avoid disappointment

This event is a toiletries donation point for Basics Bank.
Raffle prizes are books - proceeds go to Yellow Door.