For 30 years The Mamie Martin Fund have been supporting girls to attend and complete secondary school in Malawi, where girls have less access to education than boys and are less likely to finish school.

Happy Birthday to The Mamie Martin Fund!

The latest available Sustainable Development Goal, SDG 5 (Gender Equality) data, shows that the world is not on track to achieve gender equality by 2030.

Nearly halfway to the 2030 endpoint for the SDGs, the time to act and invest in women and girls is now.

You can find out more about The Mamie Martin Fund's work and the brilliant young women they support, here.

Throughout 2023 I'm joining the Mamie Martin Fund's #Birthday30 challenge and taking on 30 Open Mic performances, sharing spoken word poetry and sharing news of the Mamie Martin Fund's brilliant work.

Updates and pictures will be shared on this page!

Here's a wee clip from a fab night with Loud Poets at the start of the year - https://www.facebook.com/reel/713910233620879/?s=single_unit

January dates:

1. Typewronger Book Shop Open Mic, Edinburgh - Mon 16th Jan - https://www.facebook.com/events/736962797480114

2. Aye connect - Burns Supper, August_21 Coffee House - Tues 24th Jan - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/aye-connect-burns-supper-tickets-504774202227

3. Loud Poets Open Mic, KilderKin, Edinburgh - Mon 30th Jan - https://fb.me/e/2G2rd0Tk8

February dates:

4. Tasseomancy: Spoken Word XXII, Tchai-Ovna House of Tea, Glasgow, Wed 1st Feb - https://www.facebook.com/events/545706390948524

5. Sad Song Club Open Mic at Sketchy Beats Cafe, Edinburgh, Wed 15th Feb - https://fb.me/e/36yPcyi5n

6. An Evening of Poetry at Kafe Kweer, Edinburgh, Sat 18th Feb - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/an-evening-of-poetry-kafe-kweer-tickets-510752493457

March dates:

7. Rock the Boat Open Mic, Summerhall, Gallery Bar, Edinburgh, Thursday 2nd March, 7pm - https://www.facebook.com/PTBOpoetry/posts/606790434791649

April dates:

8. World Book Night – Open Mic & Book Giveaway, LGBT Health and Wellbeing, Edinburgh, Sunday 23rd April, 7pm - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/world-book-night-open-mic-book-giveaway-tickets-597705873357

9. Loud Poets Open Mic, Kilderkin, Monday 24th April, 7pm - https://fb.me/e/Q2KajoYB

May dates:

10. Hare of the Dog Open Mic, Edinburgh, Sunday 14th May, 8pm - https://www.facebook.com/hareofthedogedinburgh

11. August 21 Cafe Open Mic, Edinburgh, Wednesday 17th May, 6:30pm - https://www.facebook.com/August21Edi

12. Leith Arches Cafe Open Mic, Edinburgh, Wednesday 24th May, 8pm.

13. Typewronger Book Shop Open Mic, Edinburgh, Sunday 28th May 7pm - https://fb.me/e/2S5w08psq

June dates:

14. Spit it Out's Afternoon Tea Poetry Party, Pipe Factory, Glasgow, Sunday 18th June, 2pm, (Ticketed) - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/spit-it-outs-afternoon-tea-poetry-party-glasgow-tickets-592803068937

July dates:

15. The Strathmore, Open mic night, Edinburgh, Tuesday 18th July, 7pm, https://www.facebook.com/17ionastreet

16. The Caley Sample Room, Open mic night, Edinburgh, Wednesday 26th July, 8pm, https://www.facebook.com/events/294684803066655

17. The Auld Hundred , Edinburgh, Sunday 30th July, 8pm, https://www.facebook.com/auldhundrededinburgh

August dates:

18. Fox and Faun, Open mic night, Edinburgh, Tuesday 29th August, 8:30pm, https://www.facebook.com/thefoxandfaun/posts/768291181969161

September dates:

19. Home Bar, Open mic night, Edinburgh, Thursday 7th September, 9pm, https://www.facebook.com/homeedinburgh/posts/615383864061284?ref=embed_post

20. The Sun Inn, Cottlesmore, Saturday 23rd September, 8pm.

21. The Cannon's Gait, Loud Poets Open Mic night, Edinburgh, Monday 25th September, https://www.facebook.com/events/826174758969181/826174775635846?event_time_id=826174772302513

22. The Waverly Bar, Shore Poets, Thursday 28th September, 7:45pm, https://shorepoets.org.uk/2023/09/11/shore-poets-september-2023-michael-pedersen-taylor-strickland-open-mic-dekoy/

October dates:

23. The Scottish Storytelling Centre, Queer Folks Tales, 7:30, https://scottishstorytellingcentre.online.red61.co.uk/event/913:5010/913:21482/

24. Bee Asha, Shy guy launch party, Lost in Leith, Friday 5th Oct. 7pm, https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/bee-asha-shy-guy-launch-party-tickets-719158009967

25. Poetry and Spoken Word Afternoon, Lost In Leith, Sunday 15th Oct, 4:30pm, https://fb.me/e/2RqziYyQs

26. Spoken Word and Sillyness with Chloé Lamont at Mayvn Cafe, Friday 20th October, 8pm, https://www.instagram.com/p/CyeER5jo_Tx/

November dates:

27. Edinburgh Folk Club, Open Mic night, Wednesday 15th nov, 8pm, https://efc1973.com/

28. Typewronger Book Shop Open Mic, Edinburgh, Sunday 19th Nov, 7pm, https://fb.me/e/2WHcTrDKF

29. Hare of the Dog Open Mic, Edinburgh, Sunday 19th Nov, 9:30 pm, https://www.facebook.com/hareofthedogedinburgh

30!!!

Mamie Martin Fund and Loud Poets collaboration!

Monday the 27th of November, Cannons Gait pub, Edinburgh, 7:30pm, https://www.facebook.com/events/826174758969181/826174778969179