THIS WEEKEND! Poetry at Throckmortons: Three Heaventree Poets

'POETRY ON THE SQUARE'
A night of the best Midlands poetry in a warm and friendly independent bookshop in one of Britain's up and coming book towns!

Brought to you by Throckmorton's bookshop and the Heaventree Press.

Matt Nunn, Simon Turner and Scrubber Jack (aka Jackie Smallridge) will be performing poems from their Heaventree collections on Saturday 1st March, at Throckmorton's bookshop, 16 Market Place, Atherstone, Warks.

Doors open at 6pm and performances at 7pm. Free entrance and refreshments available. Audience participation welcome!

Word at Bambu in Leicester: Benefit Party this Friday

WORD! - Leicester's longest-running spoken word night - is having a benefit party!

Friday 29th February, 9pm - 1am
Bambu Bar, Welford Rd, Leicester
Entrance: £2 - £5

Money raised will help keep entry free each month - and help us to keep programming great main acts for you all. The Benefit will take place this Friday (29th February) starting at 9pm and going till 1am. It will feature an amazing line-up. As well as djing from the likes of Ajay, Disebeats, Carol Leeming and Apocraphe there will be live music from Apocraphe himself - his last gig in the UK for at least a year, so also an opportunity to come say goodbye.

Apoc will be showcasing some exclusive tracks from his and Disebeats'
forthcoming album 'Prison Earth'. There will also be words from UK
hiphop legend Cappo, National Freestyle Champion 2000 - Troy Scalpels,
plus singing from, amongst others, the world-famous diva Carol Leeming.
So, overall expect an incredible night for as much or as
little as you can afford to give! (£2-£5 at the entrants discretion)

Please do come down and support this long running and unique night!
See you there!
WORD!
Word on MySpace
Word on Facebook

TONIGHT: Richard Osmond (Foyle Young Poet of the Year 2005) at CB1 Poetry Cafe

CB1 Open Mic featuring Richard Osmond

New poetry at CB1 cafe, Mill Road, Cambridge
Tuesday, February 26th
7:45pm - 10:00pm

The fourth in our popular open mic series features a guest slot from Cambridge poet Richard Osmond.

Richard was a winner of the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award in 2005, and since then he has performed his poetry at events New Blood and Broadcast at the Poetry Cafe in London. He has also been published in online 'zines 'Don't Panic', and 'Pomegranate'. He is 20 years old and currently reading English at Queens' College.

OPEN MIC:
Open mic starts at 8pm and the most voted for poem on the night wins a prize. Come at 7.45 to sign up, £3 / £2 entry.

TWO APPLES & SNAKES EVENTS THIS WEEK

APPLES & SNAKES IN SOHO
Cult poets and 21st-century ranters
Soho Theatre, 21 Dean St, W1
27 February 2008
8pm
Box office: 0870 429 6883
£8 / £6

An evening of skewed garage-poetry.

Novelist, singer, songwriter, painter and poet Billy Childish is one of those figures forever flitting around the peripheries of the public imagination. Tonight, in the wake of his recent spoken word CD Poems of a Backwater Visionary, he dredges some soulsick verse from the depths of the Medway Delta and demonstrates the power of his gloriously hard-to-pin-down mind.

Husky beat-survivor Fran Landesman and socially-sussed spitter Riz MC get the evening off to a storming start. And with the totally-wired compering of harmonica-toting William Stopha, this promises to be the sort of night that cults are made of.

PLUS!!!

DON'T SHUSH ME; Apples & Snakes in the library
Thurs 28 February @ 7.30pm
Bishopsgate Institute
London
£7 / £5
Box office: 020 7392 9220

They say that you can take the poet out of the library, but you can't take the library out of the poet. Or something. Tonight, though, five of our finest poets will be ricocheting their rhymes and baring their souls between the oak shelves of East London's foremost historical archive.

Featuring Jude Simpson - self-confessed streetwise spinster and perennial favourite
at the Edinburgh Fringe. Talking Tekla the Narrata - verbal tornado with a thousand shaggy-dog tales up his sleeve. Dave Bryant - aspirational Southend lyricist, tough on the outside, soft at the centre. Jasmine Cooray - insightful observer with a thought-provoking, socio-political stance. And with the avuncular compering of Patric Cunnane. We think you'll agree that there something for everyone here. And wine will
be served. If that helps to sway you.

Huddersfield Literature Festival

Huddersfield Literature Festival 2008 7th-16th March 2008

Taking place at venues across Huddersfield. A celebration of the written, spoken, sung and read word. The online brochure is now available to download! Please go to www.litfest.org.uk

This year's authors include Joanne Harris, (festival patron), who'll be discussing her life and work, including her new book The Lollipop Shoes; zany poet Nick Toczek who'll show you how to twist a rhyme and turn rhythm into poems, with a few magic tricks up his sleeve; novelist and broadcaster Stuart Maconie, who'll be reading from and discussing his new book Pies and Prejudice; plus sharp, silver-tongued performance poetry and lyrics from Generation TxT.

Made in Bradford, is a collection of frank interviews with British Pakistani men in Bradford; discussing everything from faith, forced marriages and freedom. Especially for the festival, the book is brought to life through live performance and debate with the book's editor, Yunis Alam.

Speakers include Doreen Lawrence, who recounts the impact of the murder of her son, Stephen, in her stunning and inspiring memoir, And Still I Rise. Caine-Prize nominated Nigerian Writer, Sefi Atta discusses her brand new work and nomination for the 'African Booker Prize'. Louise Page, Royal Literary Fellow, whose play Salonika is at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, leads a creative writing master class to inspire and illuminate.

Catch the world premiere of Beast Market, a powerful new piece of verbatim theatre. Chol Theatre gathers the diverse voices of Huddersfield to take a fresh, funny and forthright look at what’s happening under the surface of this Pennine town. Don't miss The River, a brand new commission from writer David Lawton, performer Eilon Morris, and musician Camilo Tirado and, who fuse music, performance and text in an intimate exploration of freedom.

Poet Jim Greenhalf is praised by writers such as Tony Harrison, Alan Sillitoe, Anne Fine, Jim Burns and Vernon Scannell. Described as "an act of defiance", experience Greenhalf's writing yourself. Sarah Corbett was shortlisted for the Forward and TS Eliot Prizes. Sarah will present brand new poems from her forthcoming collection, Other Beasts, as well as reading from Huddersfield University's recent anthology, The Intelligent Woman's Guide.

The Small is Beautiful Writers' Day and Book Fair features Ian Clayton, James Nash and Gaia Holmes, who'll share their writing secrets and discuss how to get published. Small Presses, Big Voices celebrates what's hot off the press: the new voices and new work emerging from some of the country's best small presses.

“Words are the backbone of my life, as an actor. Therefore it is my absolute pleasure to be asked to be a patron for Huddersfield Literature Festival. It’s fitting that the place described as ‘the poetry capital of the North’, finally has its own literature festival. This emerging and dynamic new festival is dedicated to celebrating the power of words, wherever we may find them. May you enjoy all that the festival has to offer'

Patrick Stewart (Actor and Festival Patron)

“I am very happy to be a patron of Huddersfield Literature Festival, where established authors will be able to give a platform for new writers to launch their work to the public. It is so difficult to be a new writer nowadays and yet there has never been more exciting new talent and more interest in books. I am delighted to be associated with this project.”

Joanne Harris (Author and Festival Patron)

For further information about Huddersfield Literature Festival, please contact:

Rommi Smith
Creative Writing Projects Officer and Festival Co-ordinator
T: +44 (0) 1484 471 895
E: brochure@litfest.org.uk

Shearsman Readings: Tuesday 4th March in London

Shearsman Readings

The fourth in Shearsman's 2008 Reading Series takes place on Tuesday, 4 March at 7:30 pm featuring Anamaría Crowe Serrano & Laurie Duggan.

Anamaría Crowe Serrano's first collection Femispheres is now available from Shearsman. Over the past two to three years her work has been appearing in magazines in Ireland, the UK and the USA, as have her translations from the Spanish and Italian. Biographical details may be found here:www.shearsman.com.

Laurie Duggan's Compared to What – Selected Poems 1971-2003 and The Ash Range were published by Shearsman in 2005, the latter being a second edition of a prize-winning volume that first appeared in Australia in the late 1980s. Biographical details here: www.shearsman.com. Follow the links on that page for further information on the two titles available from Shearsman.

Swedenborg Hall
Swedenborg House
20/21 Bloomsbury Way
London WC1A 2TH
Admission free.

The entrance is around the corner on Barter Street. Closest Tube Stations: Holborn (Central & Piccadilly Lines : 4 minutes' walk), Tottenham Court Road (Central & Northern Lines: 6 minutes), Covent Garden (Piccadilly Line: 10 minutes). Several buses stop a few yards from the Hall. There is an underground carpark close by, underneath Bloomsbury Square. Disabled access is available, but please let us know in advance if it is required. Further details here of the venue: http://www.shearsman.com/pages/editorial/readings.html

Modern Poetry at Borders: this Wednesday February 27th

Modern Poetry at Borders, London

Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Time:
7:00pm - 8:30pm
Borders Bookstore, 203-207 Oxford Street, London

Niall O'Sullivan is back at Borders Oxford street as the second run of his new collection, Ventriloquism for Monkeys, hits the shelves. Joining him is Tall Lighthouse poet Graham Buchan, New York sass from Maria Gregorio and fast and loose lyrics from up and coming young blade Ray Antrobus. Ernie Burns will be your charming and lovable host.

You'll find us at the top floor.

Fiona Sampson in 'Beyond the Lyric' at Warwick University

Beyond the Lyric: Fiona Sampson and The Coull Quartet

An experiment in poetry and music: come and hear Schubert’s great C major String Quintet performed by Warwick’s quartet-in-residence, the Coull Quartet, playing with Lucy Hall and Sophie McKechnie, alongside work-in-progress by poet Fiona Sampson

What do poetry and music have in common? What is the musical element in poetry? Usually, when words and music come together they do so in song. But supposing that, instead of setting words to music, we set music to words? What would that sound like? Our exploration takes on one of the great lyric moments in chamber music – composed by the master of lieder and song-cycle.

Fiona Sampson is a Fellow of Creativity at the CAPITAL Centre exploring these themes. This evening is a chance to hear previews of her new work.

Tickets are free but limited - please book in advance!

Phone: 02476150377
Email: Peter.Kirwan@warwick.ac.uk
Wednesday 27th February 2008, 6pm - 7pm
CAPITAL Centre Studio, Millburn House, Warwick University Campus, Coventry
Fiona Sampson is an award-winning poet and translator and the editor of Poetry Review. Her recent collection Common Prayer was short-listed for this year’s T. S. Eliot prize.

Small Press Launches at the Poetry Cafe this Week

Cinnamon Press and Bluechrome Press Joint Reading

4 poets x 2 presses = 1 good night!

Thursday, February 28, 2008
7:00pm - 10:00pm
The Poetry Cafe, 22 Betterton Street, Covent Garden

From Bluechrome Press: Nigel McLoughlin & Ruth O'Callaghan
From Cinnamon Press: Bill Greenwell & Dana Littlepage-Smith

New Open Mic Night & Poetry Reading in East Sussex

Poetry News: East Sussex 'Eight Pints of Poetry' Night

Live poetry club in East Sussex launched in grand style
East Sussex club Eight Pints of Poetry got off to a cracking start with an hour of poetry by Edinburgh Fringe Slam champion Ash Dickinson (pictured above) and 30 minutes of poems by the host Oliver.

The monthly live poetry club, at the Lewes Arms in Lewes, East Sussex, also featured its first open spot poet, Iona Jette, who, with great gusto, performed a short selection of her poetry. A contest to write a limerick about the Archbishop of Canterbury's current problems was also enthusiastically enjoyed by the audience.

Oliver said: 'It was a cracking night with a great audience who were really up for it. I would, however, like to appeal for more poets for open mic spots for next month's gig.'

The next gig - on Friday, 15 March – will be headlined by the legendary Attila the Stockbroker. Open mic spots should email Oliver (pictured) on oliverspoetry@hotmail.co.uk.


Oliver, host of 'Eight Pints of Poetry'

• Eight Pints of Poetry is held at upstairs at the Lewes Arms, Mount Place, Lewes, East Sussex,. The Attila the Stockbroker gig is on Friday, 15 March, 8pm (doors), 8.30pm (show). Entry: £5. For more details about the club, visit: www.oliverspoetry.com. The Lewes Arms serves excellent food and has a licence till midnight. Lewes is a 10-minute train journey from Brighton and an hour from London Victoria.

Last Monday at Rio: THIS Monday, 25th February

Last Monday At Rio, February 25

The Rio Cafe, Hyndland Street, Glasgow (Kelvinhall Tube)
8pm - Admission Free

Mondays come tumbling and the last one is upon us again. Headline act this month is Graeme Hawley. Guising as a grumpy northerner Graeme`s capricious humour sweetens a steely morality. A slam winner at least once he has a collection of his poems in print and is an all-round act of considerable class.

The first hour of the evening is open mic. Cairns is your compere. Five minute slots are going a-begging. Anyone wishing to read, speak or perform should contact robin.cairns@btconnect.com

See you at Rio
Yours
Robin Cairns

TODAY! Coventry Poetry at Waterstones: 11am - 1pm

Saturday February 23rd 2008 11am - 1pm
Waterstones Bookshop, Broadgate, Coventry.

THE THREE MUSKETEERS
Brought to you by Waterstones Coventry and the
Heaventree Press

Join the three of the West Midland's best poets at a
special instore reading in Coventry, and browse a
range of Heaventree books now in stock!

Simon Turner, Matt Nunn and Milorad Krystanovich
(poetry's very own three musketeers) will be reading
from their Heaventree collections and bringing the
region's innovative poetic voices alive for book
lovers, right in the heart of Coventry city centre.
They will be joined by other Heaventree local poets.

This Week's Biggest Poetry Events ... and some advance notices

NEW BLOOD, Poetry Cafe London, Monday 20th February - see poster for details

***

TRESPASS

Monday 16th February
7.30 - 10.30pm
Oh! Bar
111-113 Camden High Street, London

Phone: 02084005882
Email: admin@trespassmagazine.co.uk

Trespass Magazine, new cutting-edge arts publication, delivers a night of poetry readings and avant-garde electronica. The night will be presenting our Dec/Jan 'Out of Body' issue celebrating artists and poets such as Sascha Aktar, Katherine Gallagher, Todd Swift and Alisdair Gray. The night will be given its very own Trespass soundtrack by experimental electronica act, WE YES YOU NO. myspace.com/weyesyouno

£3 on the door


***

OXFORD POETS

Monday, February 18th
8pm
The Troubadour basement
265 Old Brompton Rd
London SW5P
Nearest Tube: Earls Court (District and Piccadilly)
£6/£5

Oxford Poets 2007: an anthology - introducing Saradha Soobrayen, Olivia McCannon, Kieron Winn, Adam Hansen, Jo Roach, Jemma Borg, Hugh Dunkerley, John White, Anna Robinson and Mary Ingoldby reading Grace Ingoldby.

...introducing a range of poetic discoveries all achieving recognition through magazines, pamphlets and awards: literature facilitator Saradha Soobrayen is poetry editor of Chroma: a LGBT Literary Journal; Kieron Winn is a freelance teacher-his poems have featured in a short BBC1 film about his work; Jo Roach (pamphlet Dancing at the Crossroads, Hearing Eye) has poems in Poetry School & Hearing Eye anthologies; West Sussex Poet Laureate Hugh Dunkerley's pamphlets include Walking to the Fire Tower (Redbeck); another Hearing Eye poet Anna Robinson (Songs From the Flats) was first recipient of the Poetry School Scholarship; special-educational-needs officer John White (b. Co. Londonderry) has recently completed an Oxford Creative-Writing MA; Jemma Borg has degrees in zoology & genetics and has worked as a science editor; Adam Hansen has taught in York, Oxford, Poland, Macedonia and now Belfast where he lectures in Renaissance Literature; Olivia McCannon has lived in Paris for 8 years and is translating Balzac's Pere Goriot for Penguin Classics; novelist Grace Ingoldby, who lived in Northern Ireland in the 1970s wrote for Honest Ulsterman & Fortnight; died in 2005; her poems will be read by Mary Ingoldby.


***

NEW! : RAMSGATE POETRY EVENTS

8pm-9pm, Wednesdays
February 20th, March 19th

Harvey's Crab & Oyster House
Harbour Parade, Ramsgate

'Harbour Lines': Round-table readings of poetry.
This is an on-going event occuring on Wednesdays.

ALSO:

8.30-10.30,
Thursdays; 21st February, 27th March, 25th April, 22nd May, 26th June

Brown Jug Inn
204 Ramsgate Road
Broadstairs

'Poems & Pints': Round-table readings of poetry in a traditional pub.
This is an on-going event occuring each Thursday.


***

EXPRESS EXCESS

John Hegley & Mark Gwynne Jones @ express excess
9pm
20 February 2008
The Enterprise, 2 Haverstock Hill, opposite Chalk Farm Tube NW3

A cracking Wednesday night show, Luton lovable, John Hegley does an extended set, a highest order mix of verse, song, glasses & joining in.
With Special guests Mark Gwynne Jones who ranges from the daftly absurd to the prophetic & Andrew Bailey comedy sounds, words and loops improv genius. Your host for the night is PAUL LYALLS

020 7485 2659

Website: www.expressexcess.co.uk
Ticket res 020 7485 2659

Email: paul_lyalls@hotmail.com
Cost £5/3


***

Ruth O'Callaghan Presents ...

7:30pm
Wednesday, February 20th, 2008

Navasartian Centre
223 Northfields Avenue
West Ealing W13 9QU (tube: Northfileds, Picadilly Line)
£4/£3 wine available
(proceeds go to COLD WEATHER SHELTER)

Readings from Sue Guiney, Agnes Meadows plus guest reader, compered by Ruth O'Callaghan.

OPEN MIC: Poets from the floor very welcome.


***

THE BLUE BUS

Thursday, February 21st
7:30pm
The Lamb (in the upstairs room)
94 Lamb's Conduit Street
London WC1

The Blue Bus is back! With readings from: Linda Black, Sharon Morris and James Harvey.

Future readins will inlude Lee Harwood, Robert Sheppard, Chris McCabe, Vahni Capildeo, Maurice Scully and Lou Rowan.


***

The Farrago Love SLAM! & Love Words Top Ten

Thursday 21st February
7:30pm
The Telegraph, Telegraph Road, Putney Heath, SW15
Multi-map location
Tickets: £6/£5.

Emcee: John Paul O'Neill.

Got a Broken Heart? Need A Spare? Come and win a new one tonight! Open to ANY poet SLAM! read or perform, any style or subject, poems on a love theme will score DOUBLE, anything deeply sickly sweet or sleazy ZERO!

+ Features: Fran Landesman, jazz lyricist & poetry legend, with Miles & band, Dean Atta, a past Farrago SLAM! winner, Sam Cox, a fine new London poet , Saran Green, representing south London & Jamaica, Liz Hayward, Farrago feature debut & Wizard of Skills, top hip hop love bard, Robert Yates + others tbc. + The annual Love Words Top 10. Favourite poems, songs and lyrics.

Words, Open Air Internet Radio Show.
On 31st January I started co presenting an internet show called Words on Open Air Radio with Hollie McNish & Jonnie Beale, blending a mix of hip hop, spoken word and poetry. The first show is available to play now on the OpenAir website, click on to Words from the home page: www.openair.fm

Information: 07905078376. Farragopoetry@yahoo.co.uk
MySpace Farrago
Venue info: http://www.massivepub.com/venue.aspvenueid=75


***

Michael Horovitz: Book Launch

6.30 pm
Friday 22 February 2008
The Nehru Centre
8 South Audley Street, London, W1K 1HF

Introduced and chaired by the spoken word arts impresario Melanie Abrahams

Michael was disappointed that the hopes raised in 1997 by New Labour were so quickly dashed, and even those who never expected much find it hard to believe that it went as badly wrong as it has.

This lavish bran-tub of political deconstructions, cultural restorations and visual delights presents the fruit of ten years gestation by Michael Horovitz. Its publication marks 85 years since T S Eliot first published The Waste Land in 1922. The first 240 pages of A New Waste Land adapt Eliot's poem as a template from which to scrutinise the planet at the turn of the 20th-to-21st Centuries. The second half is made up of detailed analytic notes and polemics which challenge, amid much else, the duplicitous arms and war promotions of Bill Clinton, Tony Blair and G W Bush

www.poetryolympics.com

RSVP : info@nehrucentre.org.uk

Note : All our events are free but an RSVP for each event is required. Seating is on first come first served basis


***

Shoestring Press Poets

7pm, Friday 22nd February 2008
Trinity United Reform Church
1 Buck St, Camden Town (2 minutes Camden Town tube.)
Entry £4/£3 and wine

Ruth O'Callaghan Presents: Shoestring Press Poets

Nadine Brummer
Andrew Sant
Michael Standen

Proceeds to COLD WEATHER SHELTER


***

SALT LAUNCH of the Companion to Peter Robinson - with poetry reading

Friday, February 22, 2008
5:30pm - 8:30pm
Old Combination Room, Trinity College, Cambridge

Email: chris@saltpublishing.com


Launch of the Salt Companion to Peter Robinson featuring a poetry reading by Peter Robinson.

***

StAnza Poetry Reading: Alison Brackenbury & Michael Schmidt

Alison Brackenbury and Michael Schmidt are reading at StAnza, the poetry festival at St Andrews, on Saturday March 15th at 5 p m, in the Parliament Hall.

More details about StAnza can be found at the Festival website:
www.stanzapoetry.org


***

Over the Edge Open Reading: Galway

Thursday, February 28th

The next Over The Edge: Open Reading takes place in Galway City Library, St. Augustine Street, Galway on Thursday, February 28th, 6.30-8pm. The Featured Readers are Michelle O’Sullivan, and five students from this year’s MA in Writing at NUI Galway: Patricia Byrne, Aideen Henry, Cian Macken, Paul McMahon & Moya Roddy

As usual there will be an open-mic when the Featured Readers have finished. This is open to anyone who has a poem or story to share. New readers are always especially welcome. The MC for the evening will be Susan Millar DuMars. For further details contact 087-6431748.

Over The Edge acknowledges the financial support of Galway City Council and The Arts Council: overtheedgeliteraryevents.blogspot.com

New Blood at the Poetry Café: Wednesday 20th February

New Blood at the Poetry Café

New Blood is a monthly poetry event promoting talented young poets alongside more established names. This month’s event is on the 20th February 2008 (7.30pm) at The Poetry Cafe in Covent Garden, and has the following exceptional lineup:

Patrick Brandon: A runner-up of the New Writing Ventures Competition 2006: brilliant poetry; sharp and moving.

Jamal Msebele: His awards include the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award, John Betjemen Young People Poetry Competition and Rise Slam Showcase; the list does go on and he’s still only 14.

Siddhartha Bose; an exceptionally talented poet with work published in various magazines including Fulcrum.

FLOORSPOTS are available on the night, but turn up early to be sure of a spot.

New Blood
20th February 2008, 7.30pm
The Poetry Cafe
22 Betterton Street
Covent Garden
WC2H 9BX
£5/3
info: newbloodpoetry@gmail.com

Over the Edge in Galway: Thursday 28th February

The next Over The Edge: Open Reading takes place in Galway City Library, St. Augustine Street, Galway on Thursday, February 28th, 6.30-8pm.

The Featured Readers are Michelle O’Sullivan, and five students from this year’s MA in Writing at NUI Galway: Patricia Byrne, Aideen Henry, Cian Macken, Paul McMahon & Moya Roddy

As usual there will be an open-mic when the Featured Readers have finished. This is open to anyone who has a poem or story to share. New readers are always especially welcome. The MC for the evening will be Susan Millar DuMars. For further details contact 087-6431748.

Over The Edge acknowledges the financial support of Galway City Council and The Arts Council.

overtheedgeliteraryevents.blogspot.com

The London Word Festival: 20th February - 14th March

LONDON WORD FESTIVAL

"From Blogs to Boggle; from poetic lyricism to lyric poetry; from diaspora to the double-dactyl; from politics to play-texts; from publishing to pop culture, and the plain cult... This is LONDON WORD FESTIVAL - putting words centre-stage."

Click here for event/venue/time details
www.myspace.com/londonwordfestival
Tickets:www.wegottickets.com/f/216

Festival Lineup (as of 21/1/08)
Venues: Bardens Boudoir, Bedroom Bar, Bethnal Green Working Men's Club, Bishopsgate Institute, Cargo, George Tavern, Gramaphone, Hoxton Hall

Feb 20 > Festival Launch + Permanent Tourist
Feb 22 > Josie Long + Frieze (Tim Key & Tom Basden) + Ginger & Black + Jimmy The Homeless
Feb 23 > The School for Gifted Children hosted by Robin Ince with Ben Goldacre, Ben Moor, Rich Sandling, Helen Zaltzman and Martin White
Feb 25 > Saul Williams (spoken word) + dan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip + Polar Bear (MC) + Charlie Dark (DJ) *** SOLD OUT ***
Feb 26 > Richard Herring + Simon Munnery + Matthew Crosby (MC)
Feb 28 > Joshua Ferris + Joe Dunthorne + Richard Milward
Feb 29 > Making Nothing Happen: Mario Petrucci, Melanie Challenger, Caspar Henderson, Neil Astley
Mar 04 > Words in Progress: Lizzie Nunnery, Tim Price, Joel Horwood, Alan McKendrick
Mar 05 > 1927 + Orphans & Vandals + Tim Wells + Hannah Silva
Mar 08 > Edward Larrikin's Camusflage Krokodial + The Pan I Am (acoustic) + Barnaby Tidman
Mar 09 > The Oulipo Poets + Toby Litt
Mar 10 > Storytellers' Club
Mar 11 > Anthony Joseph & The Spasm Band + The Ventriloquist Band + A Poem In Between People
Mar 12 > Ben Borek's Donjong Heights + Stop Sharpening Your Knives (words/music)
Mar 13 > Book Futures: Scott Pack, John Lenehan, Chris Meade, Martyn Daniel, Shirley Dent

Tickets: www.wegottickets.com/f/216

Glasgow Slam: Sunday March 2nd

The Glasgow Slam

Sunday March 2nd
Blackfriars, Bell Street, Glasgow.
Starts 8pm.
Contestants, concessions £3. Audience £5.

It is time once again for the title of Glasgow Slam champion to be squabbled over. 16 poets, waspish and warm, funny and fierce, do battle in Blackfriars basement. £70 green Scots notes for the winner. £20 for second. £10 for third. Anyone wishing to bring their guff and strut their stuff should contact robin.cairns@btconnect.com

Top seven scorers go through to the Scottish Slam Championships on Friday March 7. Serious prize money up for grabs there. £250 for the winner. £100 for second. £50 for third. £20 just for qualifying and turning up!

TONIGHT at the Great Grog Bar, Edinburgh: Sunday, February 10th

Poetry at the Great Grog Bar

Sunday, February 10, 2008
8:00pm - 10:15pm
Great Grog Bar
43 Rose Street, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Four of Scotland's most exciting poets read their work in a great venue.

Cheryl Follon
Hazel Frew
Alexander Hutchison
Christie Williamson

Editor's Note: I knew there was a good poetry event coming up this weekend that I'd forgotten to blog about. Apologies, guys and girls!

Midlands Poets in Coventry: Saturday February 23rd

Saturday February 23rd 2008 11am - 1pm
Waterstones Bookshop, Broadgate, Coventry.

THE THREE MUSKETEERS
Brought to you by Waterstones Coventry and the
Heaventree Press

Join the three of the West Midland's best poets at a
special instore reading in Coventry, and browse a
range of Heaventree books now in stock!

Simon Turner, Matt Nunn and Milorad Krystanovich
(poetry's very own three musketeers) will be reading
from their Heaventree collections and bringing the
region's innovative poetic voices alive for book
lovers, right in the heart of Coventry city centre.
They will be joined by other Heaventree local poets.

Shortfuse Returns: Islington, Thursday 14th February

Return of Shortfuse

At last Shortfuse returns with a night of spokenword and poetry, with a top line up of Katie Southall, Niall O'Sullivan, Rhian Edwards & Tim Wells, topped off with new stand in resident host John Citizen.

Forget Valentine's Day, go to Shortfuse instead!

Thursday, 14th February
Camden Head pub, Camden Walk, Islington
Doors 8.30 pm for 9.00 pm start
Admission charge £ 5.00 / concession £ 3.00
Phone: 02085360652

Shoestring Press Poets: Friday 22nd February

Friday 22nd February 2008 at 7.00

Ruth O’Callaghan Presents
Shoestring Press
Poets
Nadine Brummer
Andrew Sant
Michael Standen

Trinity United Reform Church
1 Buck St, Camden Town
(2 minutes Camden Town tube.)
Entry £4/£3
Wine
Proceeds to COLD WEATHER SHELTER

Poetry on the Square: Saturday 1st March

'POETRY ON THE SQUARE'
A night of the best Midlands poetry in a warm and friendly independent bookshop in one of Britain's up and coming book towns!

Brought to you by Throckmorton's bookshop and the Heaventree Press.

Matt Nunn, Simon Turner and Scrubber Jack (aka Jackie Smallridge) will be performing poems from their Heaventree collections on Saturday 1st March, at Throckmorton's bookshop, 16 Market Place, Atherstone, Warks.

Doors open at 6pm and performances at 7pm. Free entrance and refreshments available. Audience participation welcome!

Night Blue Fruit open mic: important changes

NIGHT BLUE FRUIT moves from Tin Angel venue

Jon Morley of the Heaventree Press in Coventry makes this announcement:

"There's been a CHANGE to the arrangements for our regular poetry open mic nights in Coventry. We're moving to LIQUID CAFE-WINE BAR in the City Arcade, and it will be the first THURSDAY of each month, not Tuesdays as previously.

Liquid has full disabled access, and there's parking round the back (off Greyfriars road). The nearest bus stops are the 12 by the Litten Tree or the 10, 33, etc over the road from Ikea. And, in case you needed any other incentive to the joys of the spoken word to entice you down on Thursday, the management have agreed to reduce the price of beer by 50p for all poetry night attendees! Liquid indeed.

This year's dates are:

Feb 7th
March 6th
April 3rd
May 1st
June 5th
July 3rd
Aug 7th
Sept 4th
Oct 2nd
Nov 6th
Dec 4th

and you may also like to know of our working plans for the Second Coventry International Festival of Literature... "

Wednesday 7th May - Don Barnard, Myra Connell and Barry Patterson, 7pm, The Herbert Gallery. The launch of three new publications by West Midlands poets, hosted by Birmingham's renowned David Hart.

Wednesday 14th May - Gao Xingchian (dissident Chinese writer, won the Nobel Prize in the year 2000), 7pm, Warwick Arts Centre.

Thursday 15th May - Daljit Nagra and Amarjit Chandan, 7pm, The Herbert Gallery. Readings in Punjabi, English and "Punglish" from the UK's two best-known Sikh poets.

Saturday 17th May - Benjamin Zephaniah, in conversation with David Dabydeen to launch "Forbidden Fruit: the literature of interracial love", 7pm, The Belgrade Theatre.

Celebrating Liverpool in Poetry: Monday 11th February

LIVERPOOL: Celebrating the City

7.00 -9.30pm, Monday February 11
Liverpool Poetry Café
(Costa café at the bottom end of Bold Street)
free admission

For the rest of this year the Costa Cafe in Bold Street will, for two evenings each month become Costa Liverpool Poetry Café. The Café will open on the second Monday and fourth Thursday each month. Admission will normally be free, though some special events will be ticketed.

Bring along your favourite Liverpool-focused and/or Liverpool-authored and/or urban poems (already published) to read. Please no more than three poems for 5-10 minutes. If possible, could readers notify Alex in advance (contact details below).

For further details contact Alex Scott-Samuel at 724-2777 or alexss@liv.ac.uk

BroadCast, Donut & Rising: Friday 8th February

Friday Feb 8th - 7.30-late (readings on and off from 8-10)
upstairs at The Betsey Trotwood, 56 Farringdon Road, London
FREE event

BroadCast, Donut Press and Rising magazine present:
12 very different poets reading 5 minute sets:

John Hegley, Emily Berry, Tim Wells, Ashna Sarkar, Roddy Lumsden, Tamsin Kendrick, Ross Sutherland, Imogen Robertson, Matthew Caley, Adam O'Riordan, Susan Grindley, Joe Dunthorne - hosted by John Citizen

CB1 Cafe: Guest Poets & Open Mic in Cambridge

Frances Leviston and Simon Pomery at Michaelhouse, Cambridge

CB1 Poetry presents two exciting new voices on the British poetry scene.

CB1 Poetry
Tuesday, February 12th
7:30pm - 10:30pm
Michaelhouse Cafe
Trinity Street
Cambridge, United Kingdom

Frances Leviston was born in Edinburgh in 1982, and grew up in Sheffield. She read English at St Hilda’s College, Oxford, and has an MA in Writing from Sheffield Hallam University. Her pamphlet Lighter (Mews Press) was the Pamphlet Choice in the PBS Bulletin of Spring 2005, and her poems have appeared in Poetry Review, Poetry London, British Council/Granta’s New Writing 14, and the TLS. She received an Eric Gregory Award from the Society of Authors in 2006, and her first collection, Public Dream (Picador) was recently shortlisted for the 2007 T S Eliot Prize.

Simon Pomery was born in Galway, Ireland, and grew up in the Peak District, Derbyshire. He studied English at the University of Leeds, where he won the Alison Moreland Prize for Poetry, and Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he won a Brewer Hall prize. His poems have been published in various magazines including Agenda, Poetry London, P.N. Review and Tower Poetry.

The event also features short poem floor spots, books for sale and a licensed bar. Doors open at 7:30pm. £5 / £3 entry.

www.cb1poetry.org.uk

Salt Poets at the Troubadour

Salt at the Troubadour

Monday, February 4, 2008
8:00pm - 10:00pm
The Troubadour
265 Old Brompton Road
London, United Kingdom

Phone: 02083540660. Email: CoffPoetry@aol.com

A special Salt reading for Coffee-house poetry at The Troubadour featuring:
Peter Abbs
Sascha Aurora Akhtar
Vincent De Souza
Isobel Dixon
Tim Dooley
Tobias Hill
Luke Kennard
Chris McCabe
Eleanor Rees
Tamar Yoseloff

… life, literature and the pursuit of happiness… in the famous Troubadour basement:
London's liveliest & best-loved poetry venue…

readings MONDAYS from 8 to 10 pm, tickets £6 concessions £5,
season tickets 30% off…
cheques payable to Coffee-House Poetry, no credit cards

Over the Edge Showcase: Friday February 8th in Galway

2008 Over The Edge Poetry Book Showcase Reading

The 2008 Over The Edge Poetry Book Showcase featuring Moya Cannon, Jarlath Fahy, Mark Whelan, John Walsh, Mags Treanor, Sheila Phelan, Elaine Feeney, Stephen Murray & Neil McCarthy will take place at Sheridan's Wine Bar, 14-16 Church Yard Street, Galway on Friday, February, 8th at 8pm.

In this annual retrospective of the year just past, Galway-based poets who published a new collection of poems during 2007 will each read three poems from his or her collection. Limerick-based poet Mark Whelan will also be taking part.

In both 2006 & 2007 the Poetry Book Showcase was a big success and has now become an annual event in the Galway poetry calendar.

All welcome. For further details phone 087-6431748. Over The Edge acknowledges the financial support of The Arts Council and Galway City Council.
Over the Edge blog

Shearsman Readings: this Wednesday 6th February

Shearsman Readings

The third in Shearsman's 2008 Reading Series takes place on Wednesday 6th February at 7:30 pm, featuring Kelvin Corcoran & Peter Hughes.

Corcoran's first collection since his New & Selected Poems in 2004, Backward Turning Sea (i.e. the Mediterranean) shows the author deepening his engagement with Greece, both ancient and modern — but it is a place where contemporary politics can intrude, disturbing the reverie. The collection also includes a number of poems based on the author's fascination with the paintings of the St Ives artist, Roger Hilton.

Peter Hughes' Nistanimera is a site of potent mergers: day and night, Greece and Italy, head and heart, liver and lights, dream and reality, within and without. Ideally it should be imagined as a cantata sung by a lost transvestite Roman Catholic/Marxist nun banged up in a detention centre off the A14. The film rights are currently under negotiation.

Swedenborg Hall
Swedenborg House
20/21 Bloomsbury Way
London WC1A 2TH

Admission free.

The entrance is around the corner on Barter Street. Closest Tube Stations: Holborn (Central & Piccadilly Lines : 4 minutes' walk), Tottenham Court Road (Central & Northern Lines: 6 minutes), Covent Garden (Piccadilly Line: 10 minutes). Several buses stop a few yards from the Hall. There is an underground carpark close by, underneath Bloomsbury Square. Disabled access is available, but please let us know in advance if it is required.

Further details here of the venue:
www.shearsman.com

Poets' Cafe in Reading: Friday 15th February

Poets’ Café in Reading

Friday 15th February
South Street Arts Centre,
South Street,
Reading.
8pm doors.
£6/£4.

AF says: "February’s guest poet is the highly respected poet Michael Laskey (www.michael-laskey.co.uk). Naturally there will be plenty of time for open mic poets to perform their own work as well and at the end everyone will go away happy."