Poet Shaun Fallows, who was born with cerebral palsy and is a wheelchair user, will be performing at Write Out Loud Sale on Monday 20 May as part of an Arts Council-funded tour that will also take in dates at Liverpool, Southport, Camden, Durham, Kendal and Derby, and his home town of Wigan.

He’ll be reading from his latest poetry collection, Redundant Butties, which explores the ongoing challenges faced by people with disabilities in terms of access and attitudes in the arts and society. However, the book also aims to show that despite these challenges, people with disabilities continue to live, manage and thrive.

In a recent chat with Write Out Loud about it all, Shaun said of his tour: “It means I can finally shift out of Wigan again and test myself and all the poems so far in new places. Alongside this I’ll be blogging a review of each event for access and accommodation. I’m so chuffed because I was beginning to feel like I had no place in mainstream open mic poetry and wondering what I’d do next.”

Despite those words, Shaun has already appeared at the Edinburgh Fringe festival. He has also read regularly at Write Out Loud nights on Zoom and other online venues in the past.

Reflecting on his disability, he added: “I might not have even got into poetry if I’d been able-bodied. It just struck me as the option, when it wasn’t physicality that mattered. Back in the Tudor early days [Write Out Loud Wigan’s original venue] too much Guinness made me just say, well, they can’t stop me talking!”

There are more details about Shaun’s tour dates here

Background: ‘We ride the electric horse without any reins’