Tuesday 10 November 2026
Next Monday, 5×15 brings a special candlelit evening of poetry to The Tabernacle in Notting Hill. Sleep Poetry Live! is curated by bestselling poetry editor Allie Esiri to celebrate her new anthology, and actor Samuel West has just joined a cast that already includes Ruby Wax, Sir Tony Robinson, Lindsay Duncan, Nigel Lindsay, Diana Quick and Paterson Joseph. It takes place on Monday 16 November, from 7pm. Here are five reasons to book.
1. An all-star cast on one stage
It’s rare to see this many well-known names reading poetry together in one room. Samuel West is the latest addition to a line-up that also features Sir Tony Robinson, Lindsay Duncan, Diana Quick, Nigel Lindsay, Paterson Joseph and Ruby Wax. Ruby Wax began her career with the Royal Shakespeare Company before a long career on BBC television as an interviewer and comedian. She later studied psychotherapy and neuroscience, gaining a Masters in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy from Oxford in 2013. She is the author of six bestselling books, including Sane New World, and was awarded an OBE in 2015 for services to mental health.
2. A new anthology from Allie Esiri
The evening celebrates the publication of Allie Esiri’s new anthology, Sleep: A Poem for Every Quiet Hour of the Night. The book is arranged in three chapters, “Sleep”, “Psst Are You Awake” and “Dawn”, following the night from bedtime to first light. Esiri read Modern and Medieval Languages at Cambridge and is an award-winning curator whom The Sunday Times has called a “poetry powerhouse”. She hosts an annual poetry show at the National Theatre and appears at festivals including Hay, Cheltenham and Edinburgh, so you can expect an expertly put-together evening of readings.
3. Poems from Bashō to Charles Bukowski
The readings span centuries and traditions, from the Japanese master Bashō to Charles Bukowski. Together they explore the strange and wonderful world of sleep, from the bliss of drifting off to the restless hours spent wide awake. Part conversation and part reading, the evening also looks at insomnia and at how poetry can keep us company through the night. If you’ve ever lain awake at 3am, there should be something here that speaks to you. With candlelight setting the mood, it promises to be a calm, thoughtful way to spend a Monday evening in November.
4. Familiar faces from screen and stage
Nigel Lindsay recently played Tom Kendricks in seasons one to three of The Capture and has just finished a run of High Society at the Barbican. His film work includes Barry in Chris Morris’s BAFTA-winning Four Lions, a role that earned him a British Comedy Award nomination. Paterson Joseph trained at LAMDA, and his screen credits include Inside No. 9, Peep Show, Green Wing and Grantchester. He is currently filming Tomb Raider for Amazon and is also an author, with work including the play Sancho – An Act of Remembrance and the book Ten: Children Who Changed the World.
5. More 5×15 evenings to come
If you enjoy the format, 5×15 has more events lined up, with another night at The Tabernacle on Monday 23 November. On Monday 30 November at the Emmanuel Centre in Westminster, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe speaks about her experience of imprisonment in Iran and her fight for freedom. She is joined by historian Dan Jones on the castles that shaped history, and Dame Margaret Hodge on a lifetime of political battles. Dr Gus Casely-Hayford OBE, Director of V&A East, talks about everyday objects, while Jamie Bartlett looks at how to talk to artificial intelligence. There’s also an event at the Royal Geographical Society on Wednesday 13 January.
Tickets and info
5×15 Special: Sleep Poetry Live!
Monday 16 November 2026, 7pm to 9pm
The Tabernacle, 34–35 Powis Square, Notting Hill, London W11 2AY
Tickets on Eventbrite (no refunds)