Patrick Roche (he/him) is an award-winning poet, performer, mental health advocate, and Carly Rae Jepsen enthusiast. Videos of Patrick’s work have amassed over 9.5 million views on YouTube, making him one of the most popular spoken word poets. Patrick has competed or been featured at multiple national and international competitions and festivals, including placing 3rd in the world at the 2016 Individual World Poetry Slam, 2nd  at the 2017 Capturing Fire international queer slam, 9th at the 2017 National Poetry Slam as part of the Bowery Slam Team, and 3rd at the 2014 College Unions Poetry Slam Invitational (CUPSI, the national collegiate slam) representing Princeton University. Patrick serves nationally as an ambassador for the JED Foundation, promoting mental and emotional health, suicide prevention, and substance abuse awareness.

In recognition of his work as a touring speaker and performer, Patrick was named the 2020 Spoken Word Artist of the Year by APCA (the Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities), and he has featured at numerous conferences and conventions including the national conferences for both APCA and NACA (the National Association for Campus Activities).

His solo stage show debuted in 2020 and was featured on BroadwayWorld. It was then selected for Dixon Place’s HOT! Festival, the longest-running festival of its kind celebrating LGBTQIA+ theater and art.

In 2024, Patrick was a Distinguished Visiting Artist at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, where he taught the Performance Poetry Intensive and led several Master Classes on poetry and spoken word. He worked as an artist-in-residence during Interlochen Arts Camp and presented the keystone reading for the Creative Writing department.

Patrick is the author of the full-length poetry collection, A Socially Acceptable Breakdown (Button Poetry, 2021), which was named a Finalist for the Eric Hoffer Award for Excellence in Independent Publishing. He has also written two chapbooks: Wait 30 Minutes (self-published, 2015) and An Exercise in Necromancy, winner of Bowery Poetry Club’s inaugural chapbook competition (Bowery Poetry/The Operating System, 2017). His work has appeared in or been published by Button Poetry, UpWorthy, Buzzfeed, The Huffington Post, NBC LX, MSN, Beech Street Review, Gal Pals Present, Freezeray Press, Voicemail Poems, and his mom’s fridge. He has shared stages with Darryl “DMC” McDaniels of RUN DMC, Pitch Perfect star Brittany Snow, Everybody Hates Chris and Abbott Elementary star Tyler James Williams, and Olympic Gold Medalist Chamique Holdsclaw, among others. His work explores mental health, grief, sexuality, body image, disordered eating, family, memory, love, joy, pop culture, and everything in between. Patrick is a 2014 graduate of Princeton University, where he studied Classics (specifically Latin and Greek poetry) and Education. Patrick lives in Astoria, NY. He loves his dog very much.

Photo:Jiuxing June Xie