Leyla Josephine

Leyla Josephine (b 1991, Scotland) is a poet, theatre maker and screenwriter residing in Prestwick.

Her solo theatre shows Hopeless and Daddy Drag have taken the UK by storm with sold-out shows across the UK. Hopeless was runner-up for Saboteur’s Best Spoken Word Show 2018, and Daddy Drag won the Autopsy Award 2019 which celebrates artists making ground-breaking work in Scotland. It was also shortlisted for Filipa Braganca Award 2019, which honours solo female artists creating important work at Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In 2014 Josephine won the UK National Spoken Word Slam Championship at Royal Albert Hall. She was named in The List’s Top 100 Artists To Watch in 2019.

Josephine has extensive experience as a facilitator and project leader working in lots of different social contexts creating poetry and theatre with participants. She is currently the Schools Writer in Residence for Edinburgh International Book Festival.