JESS Green, the performance poet who took on Tory Minister Michael Gove, has a confession to make.

She's in love with Jeremy Corbyn, and the Labour leader is flattered, as can be discovered when York spoken-word and poetry promoters Say Owt present Green at The Crescent community venue, off Blossom Street, on May 2.

Green was the special guest at Say Owt's third ever gig in 2015. "Naturally, the event sold out and Jess played to a packed-out crowd," recalls artistic director Henry Raby.

"Now we're bringing Jess back to York, in the show that prompted Jeremy Corbyn to invite the controversial poet out for tea, and this time she'll be accompanied by her full band,The Mischief Thieves."

Green, a former school librarian, became an "overnight internet sensation" in 2014 when her Dear Mr Gove poem hit a nerve, attracting 330,000 views on You Tube. Last year she took Burning Books, her stage play based on her first collection of hard-hitting poetry about education in Britain, on a national tour.

She has performed at Glastonbury, Latitude and Bestival and runs the Leicester poetry night Find The Right Words, shortlisted for Best Regular UK Poetry Event in the 2018 Saboteur Awards.

Now comes A Self Help Guide to being in love with Jeremy Corbyn, a rousing, lyrical and humorous look at modern politics that not only played to sell-out crowds at the 2018 Edinburgh Fringe but also netted Green the title of BBC Poetry Slam Champion.

"When Corbyn heard the noise on social media, he phoned Jess to invite her for a cup of tea, telling her he 'loved the poetry, spirit and creativity' of her work, although Michael Gove remains less of a fan!" says Henry.

When Green joined the Labour Party at university in 2007 she doubled the number of members that met weekly in a Liverpool pub. Since then, she has "stuck by the party through the downfall of Blair, the disappointment of Brown and the monolith of Miliband".

After a decade of keeping her membership card firmly at the back of her wallet, she has fallen head over heels in love with Jeremy Corbyn’s “raw socialist magnetism”. If only everyone else agreed, she says, issuing A Self Help Guide wherein she asks the question of how the Labour Party will ever win another general election when the left is so divided.

"York is a perfect place for Jess to bring the show," says Henry. "Last time Corbyn visited the city on May 10 2017, he held a speaker aloft for [Labour candidate] Rachael Maskell – later re-elected the York Central MP – so she could be heard at the election rally in St Helen's Square. With parties currently canvassing for the council elections on the day of Jess's visit, politics is on York residents' minds again."

Against that backdrop, Henry is excited to be bringing Jess Green's show to York. "Whichever way you vote, or don’t!, the story of Corbyn’s success in the 2017 election and the transformation of the political landscape makes this an engaging and relevant show for our times."

Henry will be supporting Green with his own set of anarchic punk poetry at the 7.30pm event. Look out, too, for a special set by Scarborough troubadour Joe Solo, whose heartfelt political acoustic music has taken him from Labour clubs to Glastonbury Festival.

"We'll also be hosting an open mic, if you fancy reading a poem or two, and in the spirit of the show's themes of the show, we'll be collecting donations for York Food Bank and Food Not Bombs."

Tickets cost £6 from The Crescent or £7 on the door; £5 for students and unwaged.

Charles Hutchinson