Ben Mellor is a poet and performer originally from Hertfordshire, now living in Manchester. Mellor’s degree is in English and Drama, and he currently performs as a solo artist and with the jazz-fusion band Current Affairs. Current Affairs’ recent performances include the Manchester International Festival and Manchester Jazz Festival 2007. Mellor recently toured the UK with I Hear Voices and his time on stage includes appearances at The Royal Exchange, The Royal Shakespeare Theatre, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Contact, and the Latitude Festival, which dubbed him ‘one of the country’s biggest emerging talents’. He won the 2005 Embryo Award for Best Poetry at Studio Salford, and in September 2006 was the joint winner (with Rob Gee) of the Lit Up Festival slam. He has spent a six month residency at Contact Theatre, and also performs hip-hop music with a group called Freestyle Mondays. His current set is inspired by a recent ‘bicycle odyssey’ around Britain, researching social responses to climate change and issues of sustainability.

More information:

Mellor's MySpace page.

Common Word article on Mellor's Slam Poetry success.