Teesside poet Dominic Nelson-Ashley is bringing poetry and live music together at ARC Stockton this autumn for a show rooted in family, identity, recovery and Middlesbrough.
Poetic Symphony takes place on Friday 9 October at 7pm. Nelson-Ashley will perform with a group of musicians, using poems that move through love, joy, relationships, fatherhood and his recovery from cancer, as well as writing shaped by the Middlesbrough riots.
The subject matter gives the evening a strong local spine. Nelson-Ashley’s work has repeatedly returned to questions of Black British identity, education, community and how people tell the stories of the places they belong to.
His own account of his career spans more than four decades across writing, teaching, mentoring and performance. says his work has been commissioned by the BBC, while ARC notes performances at Durham Cathedral and the Crossing the Tees Literary Festival.
He has also appeared on television discussing the Windrush Generation, Black history and education. More recently, his work has addressed the riots of 2024 and the importance of communities being able to reclaim their own narratives rather than having those stories told only from outside.
The Teesside connection runs through his wider work too. Nelson-Ashley studied for an MA in Creative Writing at Teesside University, has been a guest lecturer there and is the voice of the Middlesbrough Uncovered tours. His writing has also been used in schools and colleges.
For Poetic Symphony, those strands are being brought back to the stage with musicians rather than presented as a conventional poetry reading. ARC describes the show as a celebration of life, where the poems look at where people have come from and where they might go next.
The performance is recommended for ages 14 and over. Under-16s must be accompanied by an adult. Tickets are offered through ARC’s Pay What You Decide , so audiences can reserve in advance and decide what to pay after the show.
Poetic Symphony is at ARC Stockton Arts Centre, Dovecot Street, Stockton-on-Tees, TS18 1LL, on Friday 9 October at 7pm.
: event details and performance information were checked against ARC Stockton. Biographical and career details were cross-checked against Dominic Nelson-Ashley’s official website.