Big Mouth Poetry: Bristol Festival Fringe, 22nd - 23rd July

BIG MOUTH continues its 5-year celebration at Ashton Court Festival with Big Mouth Poetry at the Fringe Marquee on Saturday and Sunday 22nd and 23rd July, here in Bristol, UK.

Headliners for Saturday 4.30 - 6.30pm
Chloe Poems
Adam Horivitz
Sophie Blackwell
plus local poetic support from:
Remi Tawose, Debbie Harris, Dan Butcher, Ross Rossiter, Pat Reid, Ian Sills, Bertram Trotar, Sofia Gradin. Plus Beat The Egg.
Music from: Summerzet zider bonkers combo More Silage!

Sophia Blackwell at this year's Oxford Live Literature Arena, performing as Sappho


ALL Headliners for Sunday 4.30 - 6.00pm
Rachel Pantechnicon
Byron Vincent
Lucy English
dreadlock alien
Mo The People's Nun

Music from Bath-based band with Janis Joplin soundalike singer Hannah Saunders: Cute Loony. MCs for both days Rosemary Dun and Tom Phillips.

Just outside the Fringe Marquee will be sited Big Mouth's original poetry installation - THE POETRY JUKEBOX from 2.30 - 3.30 both days. On Saturday, poetry provided by Ross Rossiter, and Rosemary Dun; and on Sunday by Steve Payne and Carol Pool.

EXTRA !! EXTRA !!

On Sunday 23rd July at 7pm in the Blackout Tent is the World Premiere of vox rock opera HAPPY JACK with spoken word, music and video. Inspired by The Small Faces' Happiness Stan, this specially commissioned spoken word/ vid/ music event is a collaborative original work: words and story provided by Big Mouth local poet and author Rosemary Dun and Bath-based ARCC providing their unique improvised soundtracking and vid mixing. Come and be surprised, stunned and beguiled by this modern day fable of love and redemption from the death of the 60s to terrorist attacks. Expect boats, hippies, sounds, and hope.


www.rosemarydun.co.uk

Over the Edge: Summer Readings in Galway, July 7th

Over The Edge in association with Poetry Ireland presents a reading by Eamonn Wall, Moya Cannon, Michael Heffernan & Catherine Hunter at Sheridan's Wine Bar,
14-16 Church Yard Street, Galway on Friday, July 7th 9pm.

There is no entrance fee. All welcome. For further information contact Kevin Higgins on 087-6431748.

New Poetry from Two Rivers Press: Thursday 29th June

Thursday 29th June – RISC, London Street, Reading. Two Rivers Press – new poetry. 6.30pm – 8pm.

AF HARROLD WRITES:
"The delightful and always exquisite Two Rivers Press, publishers of my first collection Logic And The Heart (which is available from the shop at www.afharrold.co.uk, by the way), are publishing the next two poets in their ongoing series of fine talent. The two in question are Joseph Butler who read at the faux-launch back at December’s Poets’ Café, and Susan Utting who started Poets’ Café several years before I came along, and who’ll be the special guest there in November. They’ll both be reading from their collections – Hearth Stone and Houses Without Walls, respectively, as well as mingling with the free wine which will be available."

Drop - the Beat Cafe: Leith, Wednesday June 26th

Drop - The Beat Cafe:
Bi-monthly Beat Cafe, Night of Poetry, Music, Story-telling and another surprise Art-Form.
The Queen Charlotte Rooms, Queen Charlotte Street, Leith, EH6

Wednesday / 26th/ July
8pm until Midnight

Hazel Morrison, Milton Balgoni, The Shellsuit Massacre, Stephen Barnaby and much, much more! All Original Material. Totally Free Event, No Cover on the door.

Drop-thebeatcafe@hotmail.co.uk
Craig Duffy/ Drop Enterprise
88/4 Duke Street, Leith, EH6 8HL
Craigmduffy@hotmail.com, Craig@leithfestival.com

"Drop - The Beat Cafe returns for its next Bi-monthly outing of Music, Poetry, Storytelling and much more with a new surprise again with another art form in the mix. In this month's event Stephen Barnaby brings his wicked sense of humour, Milton Balgoni bowls for a six, Rodney Relax and Nic. E. Melville team up for the Shellsuit Massacre, Celtic Connections winner Hazel Morrison provides the headline music act. This unique night of eclectic enjoyment is definitely not one to be missed, and is STILL a completely FREE event."

Amused Moose Hot Starlets at SHORTFUSE!

Thursday 29th June

London's only weekly fusion of stand-up poetry, performance comedy and spokenword returns after a mini break with a feature length preview from

Amused Moose Comedy Hot Starlets

...your chance to catch the next big things in an intimate venue featuring:

Holly Walsh, Ginger & Black, Christian Steel, Tom Clutterbuck, Rebecca Smith, Paul Eyres,

compered by Tiernan Douieb

Plus Poetry Idol 1 winner Liz Bentley - morbidly deadpan character comedy.

Deborah Lampitt - intelligent and delicately crafted poetry laced with humour.


With Resident Host: NATHAN PENLINGTON-


Every Thursday @ The Camden Head, Camden Walk, Islington, London, N1
Tube: Angel.

Doors: 8.30pm. Admission: £5 waged / £3 concessions.

Open Mic in Weston-Super-Mare: Thursday 29th June

Date 29/6/2006
Times : 7.30
Price : £ 1.00

Carlton Poets Poetry Night –

The Carlton Centre,
Carlton Street,
Weston-super-Mare

Last Thursday of each month.
All poets and acoustic performers welcome.

For more information, email junebastable @tiscali.co.uk or tel. 07748 974 942

How to Find UK Literary & Poetry Festivals

Here's a link to a brilliant new online resource from the British Council, a list of UK Literary and Poetry Festivals in alphabetical order, with full details of dates, previous activities, contact information, websites:

www.britishcouncil.org/arts-literature-literary-festivals.htm

'The Ship in the City' launch: new poems about Gloucester Cathedral, by Peter Wyton

THE CHAPTER HOUSE,
GLOUCESTER CATHEDRAL

ON SUNDAY, JUNE 25th
AT 11.45 a.m.

BOOK LAUNCH: ‘THE SHIP IN THE CITY’

BY PETER WYTON

A collection of poems about the history of the cathedral and the personalities associated with it, spanning more than 900 years.

Sunday Eucharist starts at 10.15. If you are not attending the service, please come to the South Porch (directly ahead of you as you enter the cathedral close from Westgate Street) at 11.30 a.m. The guides will direct you to the chapter house.

" 'The Ship In The City' is a collection of 34 poems on the subject of Gloucester cathedral, and the people, famous and infamous, connected with it over 900 years. It is written from the historical point of view, rather than the religious, and - being by me - is not entirely devoid of humour!" Peter Wyton

Price £5, or £5.75 inc. P&P from 14, Grisedale Close, Longlevens, Gloucester, GL2 0EG. Cheques should be made out to P.I. Fisher.



Peter Wyton performing at the QI Club, Oxford, earlier this year

Open Mic Poetry & Music, Birmingham: 25th June

Sunday Xpress is at the Market Tavern, Digbeth, Birmingham, this Sunday 25th June from 2pm-6pm, open mic for poetry & music & short stories, brilliant event!

Dreadlockalien says:

This Sunday 25th June, 2pm till 6pm at the Market Tavern, Digbeth, the finest performance poets gather for poetry and roast potatoes. Organised by a new collective called Four Canals, Paul Rafferty, Louis Campbell, Spoz, Big Bren, Jimmy Fantastic, Emma Bryson, Lizzie Smith and more I guess. This is a regular open mic event supported by Four Canals, the old Rainbow crew, New October Poets, C.D.G., Colourfree visions theatre and other organisations perpetuating live literature.


Also the Sunday Xpress crew have started a new night at the Rainbow, Birmingham, 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month, same deal as the Sunday Xpress - open mic poetry, music, comedy, stories, whatever grabs your fancy. 8pm start - next one 4th July.

4th Friday Summer Party TONIGHT!

Friday 23rd June at 8pm, £5/4 entry, 4th Friday Summer Party with Hylda Sims, Liz Simcock and friends.

Hosted by Hylda Sims at the Poetry Cafe, 22 Betterton Street, London (Covent Garden tube).

Bards in the Bar Festival: July 5th (Caerleon)

Wednesday 05/07/06 - Saturday 08/07/06

Caerleon Arts Festival: Bards in the Bar.

A festival of poetry and pints featuring Newport City Poet Goff Morgan, a Poetry Slam and a workshop. Held at The Bell Inn, Caerleon.

For details contact 01633 420613 or visit www.thebellatcaerleon.co.uk

Speakeasy 50 in Nottingham: TONIGHT!

Complex Trout Productions and The Alley Cafe present

speakeasy 50

@ The Alley Cafe, 1a Cannon Court, Nottingham (opposite Angel Row Library)
Wednesday 21st June, 2006
8pm onwards
FREE

with special guest
Rob Gee
Host: Steve Carroll


"Rob Gee isn't just a tall bloke with glasses, he's also a high octane poet with a nice line in rhyming couplets and the like. Even more than that, he's the winner of last month's First Annual Alley Slam, beating off a host of other fantastic acts to deservedly get his biro-stained paws on the Speakeasy crown. So we booked him for this month, thinking that if you missed him you get the chance to sample his stuff, and if you enjoyed him last month you get the chance to see a full set this time round. For free. All this and an open floor? And a raffle? Yes indeedy. Well worth a look tomorrow! Hope to see you there as we hit the half century."

-- Trout Productions.

New Blood at the Poetry Cafe: Wednesday 21st June

Woden's Day 21st June at 7.30pm for £5/3

New Blood (old enough to know better, young enough to care)

Adam O’Riordan, Annie Freud, Inna Ellams & featured floor spots by Catherine Carter, Musa Okwonga, Camelia Stafford

The Poetry Cafe
22 Betterton Street
London
Covent Garden tube

Solstice Love Poetry: Wednesday 21st June

There will be solstice love poetry thanking Creation for being so
at

Rath na Riogh
the hill of Tara
Co Meath
Ireland

@ 04.50 on Wednesday 21 June.

Druids to Appear

Ovid Yeats - Jude the Tattoist - Donal the Bi Polar Plumber

"These three quality acts will be attempting to reconnect with the spirit of Ollamh Fodla, Ireland's premier druidic force circa 1277 BC, who instituted the senatorial Brehon assembly vested with legislative and judicial functions, as recorded in the Psalter of Tara. This text affirms that these laws founded on poetic principles were of a most high civilization and remained intact until renaissance psychopaths like the first generation poet Edmund Spencer came proselytizing a culture of genocide for the most ancient of poetic orders whose philosophy and foundations are so mindbogglingly removed from contemporary poetic thought, most modern versemakers refuse to accept it as truth." - Ovid Yeats

All welcome - Free.

Spring Fever, Monday 19th June

Monday 19th June at 8pm
£5/4
Poetry Cafe, 22 Betterton Street, London (Covent Garden tube)

“Spring Fever” – a flurry bluster of new poetry by Stephanie Gerra & Wendy Shutler, with musings on love, food, sex, God, nature and the seasons. All underpinned by soulful melodies & music ...

QI Club, Oxford: Tuesday 20th June

Poetry London Summer Launch, Wednesday 21st June

Poetry London Summer Launch Reading

The Gallery, 2nd Floor, Foyles, 113-119 Charing Cross Road, London WC2;

Colette Bryce, Christopher Reid, David Constantine, Melissa Range;

21 June 2006 at 7pm

Free entrance
Free wine

Website: www.poetrylondon.co.uk

Troubadour Poetry, London: Monday 19th June

Coffee-House Poets: European Poetry

265 Old Brompton Road LONDON SW5 (no mail to this address) nr. junct. Earls Court Rd & Old Brompton Rd -- nearest Tube station: Earls Court (District & Piccadilly Lines)

MONDAY 19th JUNE at the TROUBADOUR, 7pm (?)

Contact: phone 020-8354 0660, write to Anne-Marie Fyfe at Coffee-House Poetry, PO Box 16210, LONDON, W4 1ZP or e-mail: CoffPoetry@aol.com

The publicity material for this event says:

"Continuing our exciting summer season on European poetry, four contemporary Coffee-House poets reflect on great 20c European poets (see poem below...)

- Martyn Crucefix's most recent collection is An English Nazareth and his translation of Duino Elegies by Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926, b. Prague) is forthcoming from Enitharmon.

- Joy-of-Six member Anne Berkeley's work appeared in Oxford Poets 2002; she talks on poet & screenwriter Jacques Prévert (1900-1977, b. Neuilly-sur-Seine).

- Jamie McKendrick's latest collection is Ink Stone (Faber 2003)-since then he has edited the Faber Book of 20th Century Italian Poems; he reads & discusses Eugenio Montale (1896-1981, b. Genoa).

- Michael Foley has published four novels, four poetry collections and translations of French poets-his Autumn Beguiles the Fatalist (Blackstaff, 2006) includes translations from Francis Ponge (1899-1988, b. Montpellier).

Anne-Marie Fyfe (Organiser)
coffee-house poetry at the troubadou... life, literature and the pursuit of happiness... in the famous Troubadour basement:
London's liveliest & best-loved poetry venue...

Open Mic in Leamington Spa: Monday 19th June

PUREandGOODandRIGHT presents its third Open Mic Night at Toyk in Leamington Spa, Monday 19th June 7.30pm.

Toyk is a very chic bar-restuarant on Warwick Street in the centre of Leamington, see

www.kellywit.com

for details.

"We're expecting some of Birmingham's Best, and guests from further afield include Sheffield's nth** most famous poet, DAVID FINE, editor of Lit-Net, raconteur, dry wit and shameless Coventry City and England fan. So, will there be a football theme? Well that's entirely up to you!"

Getting Spooky down in The Cellar: Saturday 17th June

The Cellar

Every Saturday @ The Poetry Cafe, 22 Betterton St, London
Covent Garden or Holborn tube.

7.30pm

£5/3 (concs, members, floor spots)

Floorspots available on the night, new and infrequent readers will be prioritised
Hosted by Niall O'Sullivan


Saturday 17th June 2006

Wayne Smith- If coming of age means realising that your last chance of being a pro footballer is gone, then meet the finest scribe of the twenty something male lament.

Inua Ellams- Reading from his collection Thirteen Fairy Negro Tales, young fresh verse from an old soul

Fiona Curran - Sharp, sassy wordsmith form Wordsworth country, gritty, cutting poetry that doesn't say much about daffodils.

Apples & Snakes Open Mic in Whitechapel: TONIGHT!

Apples and Snakes

Open Mic, floor spots to all-comers, see sidebar links if you want to visit the highly informative and colourful A&S website

Thursday 15th June 2006 at The Whitechapel (Art Gallery) - 80-82 Whitechapel High St, London, E1 7QX

FREE ENTRY!

Are you the next big thing on the performance-poetry scene? If so, here’s a chance to dazzle the audience with the dexterity of your rhythms and the sheer verve of your verse. Your host for the evening will be the lovely Joseph Coelho, and there will be special guest slots from Justin Rhyme, Katie Southalland Saran Green– so you’ll be in excellent company. And if you don’t fancy performing, just come along and soak up the poetical atmosphere in The Whitechapel’s friendly café-bar.

Go on – you know you want to!

Bookings: 020-7522-7878 / www.whitechapel.org

Eric Gregory Winners 2006: Thursday June 15th, London

Thursday 15th June 2006
8.00pm
Free Entrance!

A Reading by 2006 Eric Gregory Award Winners, hosted by Roddy Lumsden in studio.

The Poetry Cafe
22 Betterton Street
London
(Nearest tube: Covent Garden)

The Eric Gregory Award is administered by the Society of Authors and is awarded to the most promising British poets under thirty each year. I won one myself in the year I turned thirty, and it was a huge boost to my career as a poet. I would rather like to go down and hear this reading on Thursday, for my friend and co-conspirator Jon Morley, he of the Heaventree Press in Coventry, has won a Gregory this year and is, I'm sure, destined for great things. But I don't know that I've got enough money this week for an evening's jaunt down to Londinium to hear poetry, especially as I still haven't paid that vast electricity bill ...

Nice thought, though. And well done, Jon. Get down there and knock their socks off, Tin Angel-style!



JON MORLEY holding the light for Colin Dick at this month's 'Night Blue Fruit' open mic at the Tin Angel. It's a dark and dangerous place for poets, Coventry ...

Big Battle of the Bards: Caernarfon, June 16th.

Caernarfon, 16th of June. Big Battle of Words between poets! Come and hear teams of poets performing their poems through cynganedd, rhyme and alliteration in the Big Battle of Words. Big Battle of Words! Here the young and old, new poets as well as the renowned chaired bards will battle it out with words...watch the sparks fly!

Alun Tan Lan will also be performing this evening.

Evening supported by Academi.

DOC Bar


Galeri Caernarfon
Doc Victoria
Caernarfon
Gwynedd
LL55 1SQ
01286 685252


8pm
Price: £5 / £4
Date: 16 Jun 06

Poet's Letter at the Poetry Cafe, Monday 12th June

PLM Poetry Performance and Live Music

@ the Poetry Cafe (22 Betterton Street, Covent Garden-nearest tube) on Monday 12th June, 7 p.m.

Performing will be: Todd Swift, Munayem Mayenin, Philip Ruthen and Tricia Peak (Poet in Residence, June 2006 @PLM) and Johnny Vallon in Music.

OPEN MIC Session as usual.

Poets Letter

Book Launch at Gloucester Cathedral, June 25th

THE CHAPTER HOUSE,
GLOUCESTER CATHEDRAL

ON SUNDAY, JUNE 25th
AT 11.45 a.m.

BOOK LAUNCH for ‘THE SHIP IN THE CITY’

BY PETER WYTON

A collection of poems about the history of the cathedral
and the personalities associated
with it, spanning more than 900 years.

Sunday Eucharist starts at 10.15. If you are not attending the service, please come to the South Porch (directly ahead of you as you enter the cathedral close from Westgate Street) at 11.30 a.m.
The guides will direct you to the chapter house.

George Roberts & Alan Buckley: Oxford, Tuesday June 20th

SHORTFUSE: Thursday 8th June - THAT'S TONIGHT!

Thursday 8th June: that's TONIGHT!
SHORTFUSE

This week at London's only weekly fusion of stand-up poetry, performance comedy and spokenword we bring you another outstanding line-up of the best in cutting edge poetics...

A very special guest feature length performance from Perrier Award winner Daniel Kitson, reading stories, with guitar.

Wayne Smith: winner of SHORTFUSE Poetry Idol 6. A hip playful take on contemporary culture and poetry. A sharp young talent with a future to watch.

Paul Lyalls: The charismatic host of Express Excess peforms his trademark style lighthearted, warmly comic, stories from North of the border.

With Resident Host: NATHAN PENLINGTON- ‘A natural performer, witty, inventive, stylish and original’ - Rob Newman// ‘Consistently original and accessible’ – Chortle

Every Thursday @ The Camden Head, Camden Walk, Islington, London, N1
Tube: Angel


Doors: 8.30pm. Admission: £5 waged / £3 concessions.

Are you part of the myspace.com revolution? If so, come and make friends:
www.myspace.com/shortfuselondon

BY NATHAN PENLINGTON

Cafe Frug, Penzance: Thursday 15th June

'CAFÉ FRUG'

Music-Jazz, Folk, Blues. Cabaret, Poetry, Theatre with Bob Devereux and special guests.

8.00pm
Every other Thursday (next one: June 15th)
Members £2
Temp. members £4

Poetry Stanza. An evening of poetry run in partnership with the Poetry Society. 8pm

THE PENZANCE ARTS CLUB
Penzance

Thursday 8th and Friday 9th June: two events at the Poetry Cafe, London

8th June 2006
8.00pm
£2/1
Survivors' Poetry: Open Mic night

and
9th June
8.00pm
£5/4
Rhymes with Glory: join Jake Yapp, Joe Yapp & Nick Yapp for a gunboat cruise through the jingo-infested seas of the heyday of empire, when men were men, women were memsahibs, and poems were poems.


Both these live poetry events take place at:
The Poetry Cafe
22 Betterton Street
London
(Nearest tube: Covent Garden)

SHORTFUSE at Stoke Newington Festival: Sunday June 11th

Sunday 11 June 2006 16:00
Stoke Newington High Street, London, N16
Cost: Free

The performance and stand-up poetry event 'Shortfuse' takes to the stage as part of the annual Stoke Newington Festival, featuring performances from Tim Wells, Suzanne Andrade, Rhian Edwards and Shortfuse mastermind Nathan Penlington.


SHORTFUSE is on every Thursday night from 8.30pm approx. at the Camden Head, Camden Walk, Islington (nearest tube: Angel)

Iron Press Anthology reading: Wednesday June 7th

North by North-East

Queen's Hall, Hexham
Wed 7 Jun 2006

A range of poets from the major new anthology from Iron Press, North by
North-East, will be reading at venues across the region over the next few
months. Reading at the Queen's Hall are Peter Bennet, Katrina Porteous,
Gordon Hodgeon, Linda France, Anne Stevenson, Mick Standen and Jackie
Litherland.


No time given, I'm afraid. If you're local, please contact the venue or Iron Press for more details.

Night Blue Fruit at the Tin Angel, this Tuesday

The next epic NIGHT BLUE FRUIT AT THE TIN ANGEL is this very Tuesday evening, at 8.30pm, at the Tin Angel bar in Medieval Spon Street, Coventry (this ancient street is clearly signposted off the ring road if you're coming by car, just keep driving round the city until you spot it!) where beer will flow, poems will dance naked on the tables and someone is bound to get thrown out before the end of the night.

I'll be there, anyway. So definitely worth the trip ...

The Tin Angel bar
Medieval Spon Street
Coventry
8.30pm start (hard to get a seat after 9pm)
June 6th 2006

Organised by: www.heaventreepress.co.uk

SIX OF THE BEST: A REMINDER

Six of the Best at the Birmingham Library Theatre

Wednesday June 7th. Featuring the following Birmingham-based performers: Spoz, Big Bren, Louis Poet, Jimmy Fantastic, Heather Bryson, Paul Rafferty.


Paul Rafferty SAYS:

The evening of Wednesday 7th June sees Six of the Best being given over to the Underground, The Underwriters to be exact, members of the Wrote Under Publishing Co Operative, regular performers and co-organisers of the Sunday X Press, last Sunday of every month at the Market Tavern Digbeth. Performers who don’t mince words, talk in plain English and are not what anyone would term “easy listening”! As far as the rest of the poetry scene is concerned we are the underdogs, the under rated and the under exposed but due to our constant gigging and profile raising activities we just can’t be ignored, hence our appearance at the library theatre on the 7th.

Wed 7th June
Birmingham Library Theatre
Central Birmingham (opposite the Eye wheel & B'ham Rep., good parking)
7.30pm start

WORD in Leicester: Wednesday June 7th

WORD
Wednesday 7th June, 8pm
Bambu Bar, 21 Welford Road, Leicester
FREE

Word is Leicester's premier open floor spoken word event. It runs on the first Wednesday of each month at Bambu café bar, and features a fantastic guest artist as well as open floor spots.

Guest artist - Steve Rooney!
www.applesandsnakes.org
www.complextrout.com
Open floor spots available.

For more info contact Steve Carroll (07870 608875 /
steve@applesandsnakes.org).

Most talented young poets in Wales: Tuesday 6th June

Tuesday 06/06/06

Welsh Assembly: Art @ The Senedd

Readings by six of Wales’ most talented young poets inspired by the Senedd and its functions. A bilingual event organised by Academi to be held in the new Senedd building in Cardiff Bay . 5.30pm, free entry. Sponsored by West Coast Energy.

For more information contact Academi 029 2047 2266 or post@academi.org.

Poetry in the North-East of England ALL THIS MONTH

Do you want to know what's happening in the North-East of England during June, poetry-wise?

Just click on the link below and be whisked away to a magical and enthralling world, closely-related to Poets On Fire, where you can not only read about all the wondrous events in the north-eastern regions of our fair land but ALSO find out what I get up to when I'm NOT posting up details of poetry events on this blog.

So if you're definitely up for that ... ready, steady, GO!