BIO
Bella Cox is a British-Spanish performance poet, writer, and creative practitioner whose work explores identity, intimacy, and the politics of belonging.
Drawing on a multicultural upbringing across Europe and Africa, her poetry moves between personal narrative and collective experience—centering queer identity, relationships, and the body as a site of memory and power.
A three-time Barbican Young Poets alumna, Bella has performed internationally at festivals, institutions, and cultural spaces including TEDx Pretoria, the Barbican Centre, Westminster Abbey (Poet in Residence), and the Malta Mediterranean Literature Festival. Her work has been commissioned by organisations such as HSBC, Time Out London, and Nationwide.
Her performances integrate voice, rhythm, and live soundscapes to create immersive, emotionally resonant experiences.
Her debut collection Sikiliza (Flipped Eye, 2023) invites readers to listen deeply—to language, to the body, and to each other. Bella’s performance of Sikiliza was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best Single Poem Performed in 2025.
Testimonials
“Bella’s ability to capture, then hold, the attention of large classes, whilst encouraging freedom in their writing, shows an innate capacity for connecting with diverse audiences. The children loved and learned from her poetry performances.”
— Christian Foley
Poet, Rapper and Educator
“All poets speak with a very distinctive voice. Particularly impressive is Bella Cox, with her vividly physical accounts of commuting, love, and family relationships.
In her work, poetry truly becomes one with life, and words and gestures fuse into a single means of communication…”
— Anna Zanetti
A Younger Theatre article, May 2018
The full review of the Barbican production of ‘A Change is Gonna Come’ can be read here.
“Bella has all of the desirable traits of a creative practitioner— initiative, integrity, tenacity, attention to detail, care for the work and her collaborators or project participants. And of course, she's an exciting creative talent, both as a writer and performer.
I admire the way she continues to push her grasp of craft and technique in poetry, but is also engaging with truly transformative advocacy through her artistic practice."
— Jacob Sam-La Rose
Artistic Director for Barbican Young Poets
“The poetry night was really magical. I felt so much warmth and you made the room so welcoming and fun!
— Connor Butler
Head of Learning & Public Engagement at Chelsea Physic Garden
It was great to work with you on the Livestream, you were fantastic on set.”
— Fliss Gush
Schools Programme Manager, Eastside Education