Meet the team

Nate Henderson

Nat Henderson is an artist and arts administrator.

They currently work for Chronic Insanity theatre, having founded the country’s first digital literary department where they work to facilitate the development of local and national writers alike. Their creative practice includes writing poetry and plays, as well as costume and graphic design. When not doing these things, they can be found hosting Chronic Insanity’s Allsorts at Nonsuch Studies – a monthly night of performances where artists of all kinds can gain feedback from their audiences.

Cara Thompson

Cara is an award winning writer, activist and creative programmer born and raised in Nottingham.

Passionate about sharing the stories that shape our communities, Cara is an active member of Nottingham’s creative quarter, joining the poetry collective GOBS in 2021, and officially joining the Notts Poetry Fest team as Marketing Assistant in 2022. She’s also very hip and cool.

Ben Macpherson

Ben is one of our festival producers and liaises with venues, artists and shapes the creative thinking behind the festival.

He’s a writer, performer and producer. His practice includes Poetry, Theatre, and comedy for a wide range of audiences. His work is characterised by a sense of playfulness that transcends genre. Ben’s credits include BBC Radio2, Radio 4 Extra and with the Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature. His debut poetry collection is being published by Big White Shed later this year.

Tommy Rosley (aka Tommy Farmyard)

Tommy is an experienced festival and event professional who develops, co-ordinates and produces our programme of performance events, liaising with venues, performers and connecting with international organisations and artists.

He is a director of Hockley Hustle, Young Hustlers and Green Hustle festivals and curates events and projects across the country, most recently developing Newark Festival and setting up Lush Life festival alongside MIMM. He has been an integral part of Nottingham Poetry Festival since its inception and is partial to a nice cup of tea.

Jay Sandu

Jay is an international selling author, comedian and poet. Punchy, informative and witty, his poetry and comedy focus on race and culture.

He is also a presenter on BBC radio and runs Nott Another events and projects. Alongside working on projects with Lakeside Arts, New Art Exchange and National Justice Museum, he manages to fit in teaching maths part-time at secondary schools across the city.

Laurie Illingworth

Laurie is an active and involved member of Nottingham’s creative scene

Working primarily within music, he coordinates marketing programmes and manages events for festivals, venues, charities and creative organisations across the city. Laurie is working with the team to build our organisational profile, develop our voice and promote our events. He curates our social media content across all platforms.