Sunday, October 08, 2006

An evening with Simon Armitage and Paul Batchelor: Monday 9th October

Venue: Durham Town Hall
Organiser: Durham LitFest
Start time: 19:30 Monday 9th October 2006
Website: www.literaturefestival.co.uk


Two poets for the price of one: Simon Armitage and Paul Batchelor will be appearing at Durham Town Hall as part of the Durham LitFest this Monday evening.


Simon Armitage

Simon Armitage was born in West Yorkshire, where he still lives. Until 1994 he worked as probation officer in Greater Manchester. His first collection of poems, Zoom!, was published in 1989 by Bloodaxe Books. He has received numerous awards for his poetry including the Sunday Times Young Author of the Year, one of the first Forward Prizes and a Lannan Award. He writes for radio, television and film, and is the author of four stage plays, including Mister Heracles, a version of the Euripides play The Madness of Heracles.

Simon has written for over a dozen television films, including Drinking for England and Song Birds (screened at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006). He received an Ivor Novello Award for his lyrics in the BAFTA-winning Channel 4 film Feltham Sings. His first novel, Little Green Man, was published in 2001. His second, The White Stuff, appeared in 2004. His new translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight will be published in 2007.

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Northumberland poet Paul Batchelor received an Eric Gregory award in 2003 from the Society of Authors and in 2004 he was given the Andrew Waterhouse Award by New Writing North. He is currently writing a PhD at Newcastle University on the poetry of Barry MacSweeney and edits a website, Acknowledged Land, for writers in Northumberland.

Paul's poems, translations and reviews have appeared in various magazines including Modern Poetry in Translation, The North, Poetry Review, Poetry Wales, Shearsman, Stride and Tower Poetry. A pamphlet, Fighting in the Captain's Tower, written with JP Nosbaum, was published by Hawthorn in 2002. Paul's new pamphlet, To Photograph a Snow Crystal, is published by Smith Doorstop.


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This event is part of the Durham LitFest and is hosted by veteran of the northern poetry scene Mark Robinson, poet and executive director of Arts Council England, North East.

Admission: £8 (£6 concessions)

Durham Town Hall
Market Place
Durham
DH1 3NW
Box office: 0191 332 4041(Monday-Saturday 10am-8.30pm, Sunday 12pm-8.30pm)

Further information is available on literary events in the north-east at WWW.LITERATURENORTHEAST.CO.UK

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