Emma Purshouse is a poetry slam champion and performs regularly at spoken word nights and festivals far and wide, sometimes using her native Black Country dialect. She was the first Poet Laureate for the City of Wolverhampton. Her appearances include, The Cheltenham Literature Festival, Ledbury Poetry Festival, Much Wenlock Poetry Festival, the Edinburgh Fringe, Latitude, Womad. Emma is a previous Shambala Slam winner.
In 2017 Emma won the ‘Making Waves’ international spoken word competition which was judged by Luke Wright. Her children’s poetry collection ‘I Once Knew a Poem Who Wore a Hat’ (Fair Acre Press) won the poetry section of the Rubery Book award in 2016. Her poetry publication ‘Close’ (Offa’s Press) was shortlisted for the same award in 2018. Her debut novel ‘Dogged’ is published by Ignite Books. She is one third of the poetry collective ‘Poets, Prattlers, and Pandemonialists’ who run spoken word events, workshops, and poetry projects across the English Midlands. Emma’s poem ‘Catherine Eddowes Tin Box as a Key Witness’ came 3rd in the National Poetry Competition in 2021. “A whirlwind of wit and humour” – Write Out Loud.