BORN::FREE is a literary arts agency founded in 2014 for established, young + emerging writers of all narratives, with a special interest in African/Afro-diasporic + experimental writing. A focus on careful curation, craft, and critique, BORN::FREE’s work spans live and digital events, education work, broadcast radio and print.

Having presented work in the UK and internationally, partnering with organisations including the V&A, the ICA & British Council, as well as festivals like We Out Here and Brainchild, BORN::FREE is a staple in the UK poetry scene. Veranda, BORN::FREE’s live poetry-sound experiment encompassing Afro-diasporic poetry infused with an improvisational house band, feature poets, open mic sections and guest DJs; Veranda has taken place at key London venues including the Albany, Southbank Centre, the Roundhouse and Somerset House, as well as community venues such as Dugdale Arts Centre & Theatre Peckham.

Our education work spans workshops and half-term programmes with organisations like Royal Museums Greenwich, the Migration Museum and Rambert, as well as leading an annual Writers Collective for Black artists playing with text on the page and stage. BORN::FREE FM, broadcast on Threads Radio, features soundscapes, interviews, poetry and music.

Our passion for the latter has seen us recently launch our new club night platforming Afro-diasporic bass and dance music, GET::FREE, which debuted at Venue MOT in autumn 2023.

BORN::FREE was co-founded by writer + filmmaker Chima::Nsoedo and writer + sound artist Belinda::Zhawi in 2014, and is currently co-led by Belinda alongside writer + theatre-maker malakaï::sargeant who joined in 2019. We are powered by a team of freelance artists, volunteers, audiences and community.