Poetry After Chai

Poetry After Chai returns to The MAC on Sunday 8 November, part of Bangla Month 2026. It's a poetry evening that's been running for two years, and this is its return to the venue as part of the wider celebration of Bangladeshi arts and culture.

The night is hosted by Kohinoor, a Birmingham-based multidisciplinary artist, poet, writer and community organiser. He's been building community infrastructure for over 15 years and founded Kohetry Presents: Shu'ara, which he describes as a third space for poets, musicians and multidisciplinary artists. That background in creating spaces for other artists is a good way to frame the evening — it's a poetry session run by someone who spends a lot of his time thinking about how to get poets and musicians together.

Bangla Month itself is delivered by BADA (Bangladeshi Artist Development Agency), which was conceived in January 2023 as a collaboration between Legacy West Midlands, local Bangladeshi artists and community partners. BADA launched its first Bangla Week in 2024, so this is part of the programme that's grown out of that. Poetry After Chai is one of the events within that larger calendar, which celebrates Bangladeshi arts and culture across the city.

It runs from 17:30 to 21:30 at The MAC, so it's a late-afternoon start that carries through into the evening. If you're heading in from elsewhere in the city, that's a four-hour window to settle in.