Alright! I’m Maria Ferguson, and I’m a poet and theatre maker from Romford in Essex. My début one-woman show Fat Girls Don’t Dance won the Saboteur Award for Best Spoken Word Show in 2017, and I’m currently touring my new show Essex Girl around the UK.
Essex Girl: a young working-class woman from the Essex area, typically considered as being unintelligent, materialistic, devoid of taste and sexually promiscuous. Collins English Dictionary
After winning Show of the Week at VAULT Festival, I’ve been taking Essex Girl to pubs around the UK with Inn Crowd, as well as festivals including Brainchild and Port Eliot. I then did a UK theatre tour from September to November, and am still taking it around.
Debut poetry collection Alright, Girl? available to buy now
That’s right, babes – my debut poetry collection Alright, Girl? was published by Burning Eye Books on 2 March 2020 and you can order your signed copy here.
I’ll be launching it live on Burning Eye Books’ Instagram page on Wednesday 8 April – join me in your comfies with a couple of drinks!
Flawless. An essential read for the 2020s. Salena Godden
“Alright, Girl? is an extremely personal yet relatable exploration of class, gender and belonging. Full of heart and humour, these poems chart the almost impossible task of surviving in an age of austerity and gentrification. Through the comfort of old man pubs, the heartbreak of loss, the search for love and the wonder of female friendship, Maria Ferguson paints a true picture of what it means to be a woman in modern society.”
Essex Girl wins Show of the Week award at VAULT Festival
I am beyond surprised/excited/jubilated/losing my f**king shit that Essex Girl won Show of the Week for Week 2 at VAULT Festival 2019. I am so proud, so happy, so astounded, so pleased 😄💙💋🙌🏼💪🏼💪🏼🎉🥂🐼
Signed books available in my online shop
You can purchase signed copies of my two play-texts in my online shop! They’re both published by Oberon Books, and are available alongside my debut poetry collection Alright, Girl? (published by Burning Eye Books on 2 March).
