VOICEBOX amplifies young voices, turns up the volume on big issues and creates change.
Back for its fourth year, VOICEBOX brings you the best and brightest talent in a vibrant series of free events.
Featuring short talks, chats and debates, workshops, music and spoken word, VOICEBOX is home to unmissable experiences and one-off moments.
Delight in pop-up performances from the biggest names and rising stars. Get creative with a drop-in workshop and laugh out loud at our comedy night. Share your ideas on big issues and immerse yourself in an intimate music or spoken word set.
Be part of the conversation as we create change from the ground up and amplify the issues you care about. Through VOICEBOX, it’s time for your voice to be heard.
All events are free, no ticket required. We can’t wait to see you. Find out
CREATORS-IN-RESIDENCE
JACK EDWARDS
New for 2024, author, content creator and YouTube’s resident librarian Jack Edwards will be joining VOICEBOX as its first Content Creator-in-Residence.
Look out for Jack’s content on our Instagram and TikTok channels and don’t miss his in-person VOICEBOX event on Sunday 6th October.
Jack Edwards has redefined the publishing industry’s relationship with BookTube, BookTok and Bookstagram. His content helps those who are ‘not made to read’ fall in love with the world of literature. From celebrity book reviews to tier ranking titles, Jack continues to be the UK’s largest BookTuber and the most-followed person on Goodreads [above Barack Obama!] and has been personally credited with selling out a number of backlist titles.
Jack Edwards
EM SHILTON
Our illustrator-in-residence Em Shilton will be live drawing events across the VOICEBOX programme.
Since graduating with a BA in Illustration, UK-based graphic novel illustrator Em has been working freelance, creating stories and illustrating live events, from festivals to weddings. If you spot them working, don’t be afraid to have a look and say hello.
@schielbou schielbou.co.uk
ON THE RISE COLLECTIVE
OnTheRise Collective make their Festival and VOICEBOX debut. Hosting our VB opening night, join them for an evening of creative activities, spoken word and music, along with some new and familiar faces.
Founded in 2024, OnTheRise Collective create, plan and deliver events and activities across Cheltenham Festivals’ projects and Festivals.
FRIDAY
4.10.2024
ON THE RISE COLLECTIVE TAKEOVER
6.30–8PM PLANT
THE SEED
Celebrate the power of small actions with Project Grow and Planet Cheltenham Design your own plant pot before planting vegetable and herb seeds to take home. Hear short talks and performances from changemakers and creatives as part of this fun and relaxing workshop.
8.30–9PM SPOKEN WORD: NAJITÉ PHOENIX
Don’t miss this electrifying set from Najité Phoenix Bridging the gap between self and society, Najité explores topics including the politics of motherhood, neurodivergence, systemic violence, the power of purpose, and the art of protecting peace in challenging times. Recognised by Campaign Magazine as ‘One to Watch’, her work has been featured in publications and platforms including TEDx and the Elephant Journal.
9.15–10PM
THE MUSIC WORKS PRESENTS: MILLIE WHITESTONE
Round off your night with music from Millie Whitestone. Millie brings a refreshing and soulful approach to the UK RnB scene, combining silky vocals with strong ambient back beats. Having already performed at Glastonbury and Love Saves the Day festivals, Millie is one not to miss!
With thanks to our event supporters
music
inspire
Najité Phoenix
Benjy Kusi
Millie Whitestone
Ben Pechey
SATURDAY
5.10.2024
12.30–1.30PM CRAFTIVIST
COLLECTIVE: STITCHABLE CHANGEMAKERS
Craftivism (craft + activism) is the art of strengthening your voice through creativity as protest. Join award-winning activist and author Sarah P Corbett for a fun and relaxing workshop. Stitch-by-stitch, you’ll create a craftivism project to take home, while reflecting on how you can be part of the positive change you wish to see in the world. All materials will be provided –no experience necessary!
2.15–3PM
BEN PECHEY x BENJY KUSI
Join writer, fashion icon and activist Ben Pechey as they chat about their life and journey with Benjy Kusi. Drawing on personal experiences and collective wisdom, they share tips and advice on mental health, pleasure, fashion, allyship, selfexpression and ensuring trans and non-binary people can find joy every day.
3.30–4.15PM POLITICS, POETRY AND POWER
A political tool, a way to subvert power or an act of rebellion, harness the power of poetry in this creative writing workshop with award-winning poet Monika Radojevic. Hear snippets of poetry from around the world and write your own poems inspired by your identities and personal histories. No experience needed.
Monika Radojevic
4.45–5.30PM
WORDS MATTER: PROTECTING WOMEN AND GIRLS
Can better language help prevent male violence against women and girls? The local police force, Gloucestershire Constabulary, Gloucestershire’s Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, and not-for-profit organisation This Ends Now discuss the Words Matter Reporting Guidelines, which aim to improve how police communicators report on instances of male violence. They are joined by MP Jess Phillips to explore how a change in language could reduce victim-blaming and misogyny and create a safer society for victims/survivors.
6–6.45PM
LEN PENNIE: POYUMS
And I have done more than just simply get by So much more than escape or survive Through the galvanisation of love, time and patience I’ll take hold of my story and thrive.
Don’t miss the opportunity to see a live performance from poet, mental health advocate and TikTok sensation Len Pennie. Through conversation and poetry, Len introduces poyums, a bold, funny and fiercely feminist collection that moves deftly between English and Scots.
With thanks to our event supporters
Jess Phillips
SATURDAY CONT.
7.15–8.30PM
5.10.2024
VIDYA DIVAKARAN
Grab a drink and join us for laugh-out-loud stand-up, curated by Cygnet Comedy’s Shirley Halse. Shirley introduces a line-up of spectacular comedians: Vidya Divakaran, Kuan-wen Huang and Lachlan Werner.
Cygnet Comedy is a fun, friendly and female-run monthly comedy night in Cheltenham, jam-packed with new comedy stars.
Vidya Divakaran is an emerging stand-up/musical comedian/clown with a style that’s upbeat, personal and zany. Mainly musing on identity, dating as a brown woman, and internet culture, she is active on the London stand-up circuit whilst developing her debut clown/dance show, ‘Slug in a Club’. Vidya also co-hosts East London alt-night, Soft Play Area.
Kuan-Wen Huang
Lachlan Werner
Vidya Divakaran
KUAN-WEN HUANG
comedy
Leicester Comedy Festival 2023 Best Show nominee Kuan-wen Huang is a London-based comedian originally from Taiwan. He has appeared on multiple series of Comedy Central Live, BBC Radio’s 4 sketch comedy Drop the Dead Panda and Channel 4’s Jokes Only an Immigrant Can Tell digital series. Kuan-wen is a finalist in the inaugural Channel 4 Sean Lock Comedy Award and NATYS (New Acts of the Year) Award.
The ‘funniest new ventriloquist on the block’ (The Telegraph), clown, and live artist, Lachlan was runner-up for LGBTQ+ New Comedian of the Year 2022 and a nominee for BBC New Comedy Award. His debut solo show Voices of Evil was a total sell-out hit at Soho Theatre (2022/23), Edinburgh Fringe 2023, VAULT Festival, Brighton Fringe, and London Clown Festival, and was nominated for a Soho Playhouse New York Award.
SHIRLEY HALSE
9–9.45PM
With thanks to our event supporters
Shirley is a comedian, writer and also someone’s mum?? She runs The Alternative Book Club and Cygnet Comedy. Shirley has performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Green Man Festival and Cheltenham Literature and Science Festivals. Her style is sweet and silly, playing towards the clown side of stand-up, having trained with Luke Rollason, Julia Masli and Viggo Venn.
Lit Crawl, lands at VOICEBOX with Written Off Publishing. They present a night of revolutionary and reflective spoken word performance poetry focusing on the mind, the body and challenges of today’s society. Content warnings: mental health, sex, strong language.
Round off your night at the Lit Crawl after party at Beefy Boys, with spoken word from Raise the Bar and a set from DJ Ngaio
Lit Crawl is supported by Cheltenham BID.
LACHLAN WERNER
SUNDAY
10.15–11.15AM
THE SCRIBBLED SELF: WRITING FOR WELLBEING
6.10.2024
11.30–11.45AM
SPOKEN WORD: MEMOONA AHMED
We celebrate the benefits of writing for our mental health with students from local Gloucestershire secondary schools and young people involved in the creation of our writing for wellbeing resource. Drop in to VOICEBOX to hear from young writers, pick up a copy of creative writing guide The Scribbled Self and try your hand at writing activities designed to boost mental wellbeing.
The Scribbled Self was produced as part of Cheltenham Festivals’ Beyond Words project.
Don’t miss this inspiring performance from British-Pakistani writer, poet and psychology graduate Memoona Ahmed. Her poetry explores themes of adversity, mental illness, identity, and the highs and lows of the human experience.
12.15–1PM
JACK EDWARDS x SINÉAD GLEESON
Author and the internet’s resident librarian Jack Edwards chats to bestselling author of Constellations and Reflections from Life Sinéad Gleeson about one of this year’s most anticipated reads. Strange happenings haunt an Irish island in Hagstone, as the line between reality and myth blurs, and the darker shadows of human nature mingle with the mysteries of faith and the natural world.
word spoken
Memoona Ahmed
1.30–2.30PM
#MERKY BOOKS
PROOF PARTY
Get your hands on some of the hottest books before they’re published at our #Merky Books Proof Party. Join #Merky authors William Rayfet Hunter, Monika Radojevic and Rivers Solomon and receive a goody bag full of merchandise and exclusive proof copies from #Merky authors that are guaranteed to be on everyone’s must-read piles in 2025.
#Merky Books is an award-winning imprint launched in 2018 by Stormzy and Penguin Random House UK with a clear ambition to publish books that will own – and change – the mainstream.
With thanks to our event supporters
William Rayfet Hunter
Sinéad Gleeson
SUNDAY CONT.
4.15–5PM
ELLEN ATLANTA x OENONE FORBAT
From augmented reality face filters to ‘fitness journeys’, in our digitally obsessed world we can craft a version of ourselves that we want everyone to see. But are we really in control? Chatting body image, mental health and everything in between, writer and brand consultant Ellen Atlanta and author and influencer Oenone Forbat explore the good, the bad and the Instagrammable of growing up online.
5.30–6.15PM JESSIE YENDLE: LET’S TALK
Live your best life with empowering advice from Jessie Yendle, the beauty and self-confidence boosting influencer, AKA ‘That Girl with the Stammer’ on TikTok with an online community of three million. Jessie talks about finding her voice in a way she didn’t expect, and shares tips for increasing your positivity, letting go of the things that bother you and supporting your mental health.
WEDNESDAY
9.10.2024
6.30–7.15PM
INSTAGRAM LIVE: SHIT YOU SHOULD CARE ABOUT
Join us for an Instagram Live with Bel Hawkins, who along with Lucy Blakiston is behind the global phenomenon Shit You Should Care About. Bringing the usual mix of hard news, pop culture, Harry Styles (or whoever their latest crush is) and the future, Bel chats about the duo’s debut book MAKE IT MAKE SENSE, a sharp, honest and funny collage of cultural analysis, personal essays, poems and lists.
THURSDAY
6.30–7.30PM
UOG TAKEOVER: READING THE WORLD IN 75 YEARS
10.10.2024
George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four and Cheltenham Literature Festival both appeared in 1949 to challenge and inspire audiences. To tie in with the Festival’s anniversary, we reflect on how the last 75 years of reading has reshaped the world. From emerging genres and new voices to the echoes of lost worlds and broader perspectives discovered through reading in translation, we explore the transformative effects of writing.
7.45–9PM UOG TAKEOVER: UNBREAKABLE
Hear from students and new writers from across Gloucestershire as they introduce the 2024 creative writing anthology, UNBREAKABLE. University of Gloucestershire students and alumni are joined by guest writers from local schools to read their short stories and poems inspired by the theme. Don’t miss your chance to hear from and celebrate these writers of the future.
poetry identity
Jessie Yendle
John Bernard
Charlie Craggs Rivers Solomon
FRIDAY
3.15–4PM
THE STUDENT VOICE: POETRY IS POWER
11.10.2024
4.30–5.15PM
THE STUDENT VOICE: SPILL THE TEA WITH JORDAN STEPHENS
Celebrate the power of poetry to tell your story with CEP’s Young Poets, Coventry Poet Laureate John Bernard and multi-slam-winning spoken word artist Emma Taylor. Featuring live performances and conversation, discover tips and advice for budding performers and hear inspiring insights into how the group’s individual experiences have shaped their creativity.
Your favourite student-led podcast Spill the Tea is back for another live episode. Students from across Cheltenham are joined by special guest, musician, actor and author Jordan Stephens. Jordan chats about friendship, fame and his turbulent journey through young adulthood, his diagnosis of ADHD and what it means to be a man today.
Jordan Stephens
FRIDAY CONT.
6–6.45PM
POLITICS AND MEDIA: HOW DOES IT WORK?
7.15–8PM
WHY SHOULD WE CARE ABOUT INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM?
8.30–9.15PM EMMY LUDA x JAMES TAYLOR
With thanks to our event supporters
11.10.2024
Political stories are often headline news, but how do journalists get their scoops? The Times’ politics newsletter editor Lara Spirit and The Sunday Times’ Whitehall Editor Gabriel Pogrund go behind the scenes to chat about securing the stories that matter, what it’s like to interview a cabinet minister, and the relationship between the media and politics.
Cut through the noise with expert journalism and exclusive content from The Times and Sunday Times. Find out more about our student offer at thetimes.com/student
The Sunday Times’ Rosamund Urwin and The Times’ Paul Morgan-Bentley were two of the journalists behind the investigation into Russell Brand which revealed allegations of rape, sexual assaults and emotional abuse. They take you behind-the-scenes of investigative journalism to share insights into the research and verification process, what happens once a story breaks, and discuss why we should care now more than ever about where we get our news.
Cut through the noise with expert journalism and exclusive content from The Times and Sunday Times. Find out more about our student offer at thetimes.com/student
Don’t miss this jazz-pop set from Emmy Luda and James Taylor. Having first met performing together on Netflix’s Sex Education as part of the A Capella group, grab a drink and hear them collaborate on keys and vocals to share a mix of original music and their favourite covers.
music create
Emmy Luda
Charli Clement
Sophia Kaur Badhan
James Taylor
SATURDAY
12.10.2024
12.30–1.30PM
BRAZEN
PROOF PARTY
Get your hands on some of the hottest books before they’re published at our brazen Proof Party. Join brazen authors Aja Barber, Hope Reese and Hanna Thomas Uose and receive a goody bag full of merchandise and exclusive proof copies from brazen authors that are guaranteed to be on everyone’s must-read piles in 2025.
brazen publishes BOOKS WITH BITE. Since its launch, brazen has been home to a raft of bestsellers and record-breakers, with authors including Fern Brady, Florence Given and Juano Diaz.
2–3.15PM
TAM KAUR:
BUY YOURSELF THE DAMN FLOWERS
Cultivate a deep and lasting love for the person who matters most: you. Self-development queen Tam Kaur is on a mission to help people to become their best selves and create their dream life. Be inspired by Tam as she shares her self-love guide to setting boundaries, breaking free from external validation and building confidence, while you create yourself a mini bouquet of flowers to take away.
All materials provided.
With thanks to our event supporters
Tam Kaur
3.45–4.30PM
A boy meets girl. The past meets the future. A finger meets a trigger. The beginning meets the end. England is forever. England must fall.
We chat to Kaliane Bradley, author of one of this year’s hottest reads. A thrilling time-travelling romance that follows a civil servant and a Victorian polar explorer, don’t miss your chance to hear more about The Ministry of Time, guaranteed to be on your best books list for 2024.
5–6PM
Journalist, broadcaster and podcast host Jack Shute brings together LGBTQ+ voices from across Gloucestershire and beyond to reflect upon the experiences and priorities of our LGBTQ+ community.
Jack is joined by writer and activist Charli Clement and queer, non-binary coach Brinny Does to delve into the discourse surrounding gender identity in the UK. They share diverse experiences and perspectives around the gender spectrum, examine the impact of discriminatory policies and rhetoric, and advocate for the strength in community. Join them as they strive to create a safer and more inclusive world for all gender identities.
Kaliane Bradley
SATURDAY CONT.
12.10.2024
6.30–7.15PM
8–10PM
VOICEBOX
QUIZ NIGHT (TAYLOR’S VERSION)
Join award-winning comedian and writer Daniel Foxx as he presents his bedtime stories, created specially for the little darlings of the fabulously wealthy. Gather round as he shares the everyday adventures of Rupert, Shallotte and Genevievette as they ski, holiday and drift around Selfridges, and other charming tales for tots who were simply born better…
Have The Best Day and Shake It Off at our Taylor Swift quiz night with your host, Shirley Halse Find out if you’re a Taylor Swift Mastermind as we ask you a Question to see if you really know Taylor All Too Well. With prizes for first and second place as well as best dressed, pick your outfit and join us for a night of trivia and music, Era by Era. Are you ...Ready For It?
Shirley Halse
comedy identity
Ben West
Tasha Bailey
Jack Shute
Daniel Foxx
SUNDAY
10.30–11.30AM AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL:
WORDS THAT BURN
13.10.2024
1–1.30PM DEMYSTIFYING MENTAL HEALTH
Breaking down barriers of difference, Amnesty International UK’s human rights poetry project Words That Burn empowers young people to use creativity and language to give a voice to those who are suppressed and marginalised. Get inspired by these performances that fight against injustice and inequality.
Words That Burn was developed in partnership with Cheltenham Festivals.
2–2.45PM THE POWER OF YOU
Local mental health campaigner and student Mackenzie Edmondson chats all things mental wellbeing. Drawing on lived experience, Mackenzie shares insights into their work within the local community and offers tips and advice for how to look after your own mind, as well as supporting others.
Does the way we talk about ourselves influence how we are perceived? Speak up with confidence and unlock the power of your own story with Hannah Walton, who was named as one of The Big Issue’s Top 100 Changemakers in 2024. Hannah is joined by a special guest to chat about how we craft compelling stories and to share practical strategies for advocating for yourself personally and professionally.
3.15–4PM
YOUNG MINDS MATTER
What does mental health mean to you? Get involved or just listen in to this intimate discussion with presenter and mental health campaigner Ben West, award-winning mental health activist Sophia Kaur Badhan and psychotherapist and author Tasha Bailey. They share their hopes for the future of mental health services and policy and engage with your ideas on taking better care of our minds.
4.30–5.15PM SHOULD I STOP TAKING THE PILL?
Which method of contraception is right for you? What really happens to your body when you take the pill? What about male contraceptives? TikTok is full of conflicting information when it comes to sex. Doctor and activist Victoria Kinkaid, campaigner and journalist Kate Muir and contraception and sexual health nurse Simphiwe Sesane are here to help separate fact from fiction and answer your questions.
Victoria Kinkaid
CHECK OUT THE FESTIVAL PROGRAMME
From the best new voices in fiction and poetry to captivating talks and debates, and a range of food traders and free activities across he Festival Village, there’s something for everyone at The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival.
VOICEBOX RECOMMENDS
8.10.2024 3–4PM THESE HEAVY BLACK BONES
9.10.2024 8–9PM POETS AGAINST THE MACHINE
10.10.2024 6.15–7.30PM NEW VOICES SPOTLIGHT 11.10.2024 4.30–5.30PM NEW VOICES: HANAKO FOOTMAN AND RACHEL KHONG
Ignite your curiosity with the FREE Cheltenham Festivals 18-30 MEMBERSHIP
✓ Priority booking to our Jazz, Science, Music and Literature Festivals
✓ 50% discount on walk up tickets one hour before the event cheltenhamfestivals.org/membership
FIND US IN THE FESTIVAL VILLAGE
Montpellier Gardens, Cheltenham, GL50 1UL
Main site open from Friday 4 October, 10am FREE ENTRY
