BCU Alumnus of the Year Casey Bailey is a Poet, Writer and Educator, and former Birmingham Poet Laureate.
Born and raised in Nechells, Birmingham, Casey was the Birmingham Poet Laureate from 2020 - 2022. His full poetry collection 'Please Do Not Touch' was published in 2021, and was adapted into a play which was on stage at Coventry's Belgrade Theatre in September 2024. His debut play 'GrimeBoy' also enjoyed a sold-out run at The REP, Birmingham, in 2022.
He was commissioned by the BBC to write 'The Ballad of The Peaky Blinders' in 2019, winning a Webby Award. In 2022, Casey won a Royal Television Society award for a film for his poem “Dear Brum”, and he has performed his poetry nationally and internationally. Casey is also an Assistant Head Teacher at Idsall School in Shropshire, and he aims to address barriers for students having access to or engaging with the curriculum. He has worked in several schools supporting their development, school culture and behaviour, as well as working within his own community. The alumnus is also an established musician, and runs his own rap workshops.
In this special live recording of the BCU Alumni Podcast, which will be livestreamed on BCU's YouTube channel, we will discuss Casey's remarkable life so far, and how a boy from Nechells managed to captivate his city through poetry, education and music.
Registration link coming soon