Friday, October 31, 2008

LANCASTER: World Poets' Tour

Saturday, November 1st, 2008, 1pm, £12/£8
The Round,
The Dukes Theatre,
Moor Lane
Lancaster
LA1 1QE

Three readings:
1 – Farzaneh Khojandi and Noshi Gillani, with Jo Shapcott;
2 – Gaarriye and Kajal Ahmad, with W N Herbert;
3 – Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi with Sarah Maguire

The Poetry Translation Centre’s World Poets' Tour introduces leading poets from six countries to new audiences. Lively and entertaining readings reveal the dynamic nature of the poets' cultures and their rich literary traditions in which poetry plays a prominent role.

Tour poets are Maxamed Xaashi Dhamac 'Gaarriye' (from Somaliland) who writes in Somali, and is translated by W N Herbert; Farzaneh Khojandi (from Tajikistan) who writes in Tajik and is translated by Jo Shapcott; Noshi Gillani (from Pakistan) who writes in Urdu and is translated by Lavinia Greenlaw; Kajal Ahmad (from Kurdistan) who writes in Kurdish and is translated by Mimi Khalvati; Corsino Fortes (from Cape Verde) who writes in Portugese and is translated by Sean O'Brien; Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi (from Sudan) who writes in Arabic and is translated by Sarah Maguire.

Tickets £12, £8 concs
Tel: 0845 344 0642
Website: www.litfest.org

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

CAMBRIDGE: CB1 Poetry

Tuesday, November 11th, 2008, 8pm (doors open 7.30pm),

CB1 Poetry @ Michaelhouse

The new series of poetry readings at Michaelhouse in Cambridge continues with the fantastic Patience Agbabi, well known for her electrifying performances of her work. She has won many awards and was amongst the 2004 Next Generation of Poets named by a prestigious group of poets chaired by the poet laureate Andrew Motion. She will be supported by Martin Figura who is fast making a name for himself in the East Anglian and national poetry and live literature scene.
There will be a short open mike after the interval. There is disability access and a hearing loop available.
Come and support Poetry in Cambridge and meet other poetry-minded people. There is a bar and coffee available.
For more information visit www.cb1poetry.org.uk

HULME: Inn Verse Poetry Reading

Thursday, October 30th, 2008, 8pm, FREE
Salutation Inn
12 Higher Chatham St
Hulme (behind Geoffrey Manton)

As always, we encourage people to bring along their favourite poems by great poets and read them out. But we still want to hear your stuff! Readers and listeners welcome - no riff raff!
Free sandwiches and cake!
Contact: Simon Rennie 07956 836 445.

GALWAY: October Over The Edge Open Reading

Thursday, October 30th, 2008, 6.30pm-8pm
Galway City Library,
St Augustine Street,
Galway

Featured readers are:

Noel Harrington, who lives in Tulla, Co Clare. A regular reader at the White House poetry sessions in Limerick, he has been published in The Stinging Fly, Revival, Boyne Berries, Crannóg, Moloch, The Flosca competition winners chapbook and The Stony Thursday Book. Revival Press published a chapbook of his poems in 2007. He is half way through a short story collection and five years into a prose-poem novel with the working title Harrington's Folly.

John Kenny teaches English literature at NUI Galway and is director of the new BA Connect in Creative Writing there. He regularly reviews new fiction for The Irish Times, and his book John Banville will be published in November. He is Academic Director of The John McGahern Seminar & Summer School and also founding editor of The John McGahern Yearbook, the first volume of which was published in July. He is working on a collection of stories to be titled Make it Home. One of his stories recently appeared in The Dublin Review.

Eamonn Harrigan loves to write fiction and has taken creative writing classes with Susan Millar DuMars. His short story “The Death of Foxy” was short-listed for the Over the Edge New Writer of the Year competition 2008 and he has collaborated on writing a play “For Pete’s Sake”. Eamonn’s background is in management and he has had research into Green Business Issues published. He likes to spend his time encouraging paper to refuse ink. He is currently a student on the MA in Screenwriting at the Huston Film School, NUIG.

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. For further details phone 087-6431748.

LONDON: Apples & Snakes and British Council presents SPEECHLESS

Thursday, 30 October
£8.50
Purcell Room, Southbank Centre

How free is free speech? Are there things that just can't be said? Enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the right to freedom of opinion and expression ­ but what does this mean in an age of anxiety and mistrust? Speechless brings together new poetry from five amazing writers from across South East Asia and four brilliant UK-based poets on the theme of freedom of expression in a unique new multi-lingual spoken word show. Incorporating different perspectives and experiences from Vietnam to Ireland and sexuality to slavery, Speechless will be a night that stimulates brain-tingling debate, covering issues that define our existence. The performance features: Priya K (Malaysia), Siege Malvar (Philippines), Liu Liang Yen (Taiwan), Da Thao Phuong (Vietnam) and UK artists Francesca Beard, Aoife Mannix and Jacob Sam-La Rose.
An Apples & Snakes and British Council production in association with English PEN Bookings: 0871 663 2500 / www.southbankcentre.co.uk

GALWAY: Irish Times critic for October Over The Edge: Open Reading

Thursday October 30th
6.30-8pm
Galway City Library
St. Augustine Street
Galway

The Featured Readers are Noel Harrington, John Kenny & Eamonn Harrigan.

Noel Harrington
lives in Tulla, Co Clare. A regular reader at the White House poetry sessions in Limerick, he has been published in The Stinging Fly, Revival, Boyne Berries, Crannóg, Moloch, The Flosca competition winners chapbook and The Stony Thursday Book. Revival Press published a chapbook of his poems in 2007. He is half way through a short story collection and five years into a prose-poem novel with the working title Harrington's Folly.

John Kenny teaches English literature at NUI Galway and is director of the new BA Connect in Creative Writing there. He regularly reviews new fiction for The Irish Times, and his book John Banville will be published in November. He is Academic Director of The John McGahern Seminar & Summer School and also founding editor of The John McGahern Yearbook, the first volume of which was published in July. He is working on a collection of stories to be titled Make it Home. One of his stories recently appeared in The Dublin Review.

Eamonn Harrigan loves to write fiction and has taken creative writing classes with Susan Millar DuMars. His short story “The Death of Foxy” was short-listed for the Over the Edge New Writer of the Year competition 2008 and he has collaborated on writing a play “For Pete’s Sake”. Eamonn’s background is in management and he has had research into Green Business Issues published. He likes to spend his time encouraging paper to refuse ink. He is currently a student on the MA in Screenwriting at the Huston Film School, NUIG.

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. For further details phone 087-6431748.

LONDON: Rhythm & Muse

Thursday, October 30th, 2008, 8.30pm-10.30pm, £5/£4 on the door
Venue: The Lion
27 Wick Road
Teddington TW11

Reading at this lively South West London venue are guest poets Anne-Marie Fyfe and Philip Hancock. With music from the excellent singer-songwriter Liz Simcock. Plus open mic(book in advance). Come and enjoy the R&M experience! Contact Alison Hill for more details -020 8977 4610 or email alison-hill@blueyonder.co.uk

COLCHESTER: Poetry Link Tour with Rhian Edwards

Thursday, October 30th, 2008, 8pm-10pm, £5
Wax Lyrical @ Colchester Arts Centre,
Church Street,
Colchester

The second month of this season’s poetry link tour is headlined by Welsh-born poet Rhian Edwards who is known for her work on BBC Radio 3 show The Verb and has performed at Ruigoord Poetry Festival, Edinburgh and Latitude Festivals. Support from Patrick Lappin, Molly Naylor, Joel Stickley.

EDINBURGH: World Poets' Tour

Thursday, October 30th, 2008, 7.30pm, £5/£3 (please book in advance)
Scottish Poetry Library,
5 Crichton's Close,
Canongate,
Edinburgh
EH8 8DT

Readings by Kajal Ahmad and Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi, with Sarah Maguire.

The Poetry Translation Centre’s World Poets' Tour introduces leading poets from six countries to new audiences. Lively and entertaining readings reveal the dynamic nature of the poets' cultures and their rich literary traditions in which poetry plays a prominent role.

Tour poets are Maxamed Xaashi Dhamac 'Gaarriye' (from Somaliland) who writes in Somali, and is translated by W N Herbert; Farzaneh Khojandi (from Tajikistan) who writes in Tajik and is translated by Jo Shapcott; Noshi Gillani (from Pakistan) who writes in Urdu and is translated by Lavinia Greenlaw; Kajal Ahmad (from Kurdistan) who writes in Kurdish and is translated by Mimi Khalvati; Corsino Fortes (from Cape Verde) who writes in Portugese and is translated by Sean O'Brien; Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi (from Sudan) who writes in Arabic and is translated by Sarah Maguire.

Tel: 0131 557 2876 or email reception@spl.org.uk
www. spl.org.uk
More details: www.poetrytranslation.org

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Hoohah Poetry this Thursday

Over the Edge in Galway: Thursday October 30th

Irish Times critic for October Over The Edge: Open Reading

The October Over The Edge: Open Reading will take place in Galway City Library, St. Augustine Street, Galway on Thursday, October 30th, 6.30-8pm.

The Featured Readers are Noel Harrington, John Kenny & Eamonn Harrigan.

Seam Launch at the Troubadour, this Monday November 3rd

Monday 3rd November, 8pm at the Troubadour
"Seam’s like … anne berkeley, seam poetry magazine editor, with michael laskey, helen ivory, chris beckett, katy evans-bush, john greening, esther morgan, jane holland, peter howard and hisham matar!"

Editor Anne Berkeley has delved deep into a rich seam of Seam-poetry-magazine contributors to create this eclectic evening of poetry gold, featuring:

- Michael Laskey—Aldeburgh Poetry Festival founder & Smiths Knoll co-founder/joint-editor, publications include Permission to Breathe. His latest The Man Alone: New and Selected Poems (Smith/Doorstop, 2008) has just been published (see poem below);

- Helen Ivory—2nd book, The Dog in the Sky (Bloodaxe, 2006), Academic Director for UEA Continuing Education;

- Chris Beckett—grew up in Ethiopia, 1st collection, The Dog Who Thinks He’s A Fish (Smith/Doorstop, 2004);

- Katy Evans-Bush—first publication, Me and the Dead (Salt, 2008), blog-author of Baroque in Hackney;

- former Bridport winner & authority on Hardy, Yeats & Hughes, John Greening—latest collection Iceland Spar (Shoestring, 2008);

- Esther Morgan—works for Norfolk Museum Service, 2nd book, The Silence Living in Houses (Bloodaxe, 2005);

- Warwick Poet Laureate Jane Holland—edits Salt Publishing’s online magazine, 3rd collection, Camper Van Blues (Salt, Oct’ 2008);

- Peter Howard—teaches E-Poetry module at DeMontfort Univ—current book, Weighing the Air (Arrowhead, 2008);

- Hisham Matar—grew up in Libya, 2006-Booker-shortlistee & prizewinning novelist, published in 22 languages.

263-267 Old Brompton Road LONDON SW5
nr. junct. Earls Court Rd & Old Brompton Rd
nearest Tube station: Earls Court (District & Piccadilly Lines)
for information, advance booking, season ticket & mailing list enquiries,
phone 020-8354 0660,

Monday, October 27, 2008

THE FIX - Part II

The Fix - POETRY LIVE - Part 2
The second of a three-night live magazine stand-up poetry show
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
8:30pm - 11:00pm

The Rosemary Branch Theatre
Street:
2 Shepperton Road, N1 3DT
London,

The Fix Poetry Live

28th-30th October 2008
The Poetry Section of The Fix, the UK's only monthly comedy magazine, goes live for a three-night series of performances from John Hegley, Milton Jones, AF Harrold, Guy Jackson, Tim Wells, Tim Key, Pete Firman, Annie Freud and Gwyneth Herbert plus there will be the usual interviews, competitions and the infamous Fix Found Poetry Corner, edited by poet/magician Nathan Penlington.

Wednesday 29th October
Pete Firman – the star of 'Monkey Magic' and 'Dirty Tricks' performs his unique blend of stand-up magic. 'Simply fantastic' - Time Out

Tim Key – has written a book. It is called 25 Poems, 3 Recipes, and 32 Other Suggestions. Tonight he might read out from it.

Annie Freud – playfully beguiling poetry from highly acclaimed author of 'The Best Man That Ever Was' (Picador).

All shows edited by Nathan Penlington, the UK's only poet/magician - "Witty, inventive, stylish and original" - Robert Newman

Doors: 8.30pm, Show: 8.45pm.
All Tickets: £6.50 (£5.00 concessions)
24-hour Box Office: 020 7704 6665
www.rosemarybranch.co.uk

LONDON: Lumen Poetry Series

Tuesday, October 28th, 2008, 7pm (doors open 6.30pm), £4/£3
88 Tavistock Place,
London
WC1
Tubes: Russell Square, Kings Cross, St Pancras.

Ruth O'Callaghan presents Lumen Poetry Series, featuring Derek Adams, Keith Please and Les Robinson. Poets from the floor are very welcome and there will be a few five-minute spots (please bring two copies of the poem if you wish to be considered for the Bluechrome anthology.)

Proceeds to the Cold Weather Shelter.

GALWAY: Poetry Slam

Tuesday, October 28th, 2008, 7pm, FREE
The Ruby Room,
Galway Arts Centre

Includes guest performer Gary King and MC Pete Mullineaux. For further information, call 091 565 886, or e-mail victoria@galwayartscentre.ie

LONDON: The Transgalactic Interwoman Poetic Expressway

Saturday, November 8th, 2008, 7.30pm, £5/£4
The Poetry Cafe
22 Betterton Street,
Covent Garden,
London

THE TRANSGALACTIC INTERWOMAN POETIC EXPRESSWAY, brought to you by La Langoustine Est Morte

Hosts: Anthony Joseph and Sascha Aurora Akhtar.
Representation from all distant and not-so-distant planets:
Jamika Ajalon (U.S.A by way of London by way of France)
Olumide Poopola (Nigeria/Germany)
Valeria Melchioretto (Switzerland)
Shanta Acharya (India)
Frances Kruk (Canada)
Ziba Kirbassi (Persia)
Sophie Robinson (the most exotic of them all – Old Blighty!))
Frances Kruk lives in London in the presence of cats, moss, glue, scissors, oil pastels, and dark chocolate, all of which make for an unspeakable atrocity. She does not write real poetry.
The Nigerian German writer and performer Olumide Popoola has performed her poetry internationally, collaborating with many different artists and musicians. Currently studying for a MA in (creative) writing, she won the May Ayim Award for Poetry in Germany 2004 and has seen her work published in anthologies, journals and newspapers as well as featured on radio and documentaries.

Valeria Melchioretto is a London-based artist and award-winning writer. Her poems have appeared in many prestigious magazines and anthologies. The End of Limbo is her first full collection, for which she received a bursary from the Arts Council. It was published by Salt in 2007. In 2008 she became a Hawthonden Fellow.
Ziba Kirbassi is a rara avis. Seen only sometimes for short periods of time if you are lucky.
Her work is visceral, hallucinatory at times and from the passions and conflicts of being
born into a country where violence has caused her untellable strife. Her work will be read in Persian and translated by Stepehen Watts.
Shanta Acharya was born and educated in Orissa, India. In 1979 she won a scholarship
to Oxford, and completed her doctoral thesis in 1983. Between 1983-85 she was a Visiting Scholar, as well as a Teaching-cum-Research Assistant at Harvard University. She is currently Executive Director, Initiative on Foundation and Endowment Asset Management at London Business School. Her four books of poetry are Shringara (Shoestring Press, UK; 2006), Looking In, Looking Out (Headland Publications, UK; 2005), Numbering Our Days' Illusions (Rockingham Press, UK; 1995) and Not This, Not That (Rupa & Co, India; 1994). For more information, visit her website: www.shantaacharya.com
Sophie Robinson was born in 1985, and lives and works in London. She has an MA in Poetic Practice from Royal Holloway, and is currently working on a practice-based PhD at Royal Holloway. Her first chapbook, Killin' Kittenish!, was published by yt communications in 2006.
Since 2005 she has performed at numerous events in the UK and the US. Her critical and creative work has been featured in Dusie, How2 and Pilot, and her book is forthcoming from Les Figues press in Los Angeles in November 2008.

Jamika Ajalon is a charismatic American poetess, film director and long time Zenzile collaborator based in London. Anyone who has followed her work with Zenzile since the late nineties, will already be familiar with her phenomenal energy and sensual delivery, which has seen her dubbed "the female Tricky" and the "underground Grace Jones" by some reviewers. Born in St Louis Missouri, Jamika has lived in London for ten years.

LONDON: The Poetry Cafe

Wednesday, October 29th, 2008, 8pm, £4/£3
The Poetry Cafe,
22 Betterton Street,
Covent Garden,
LONDON

Lorna Thorpe's debut, Dancing to Motown (pighog) was the PBS pamphlet choice for autumn 2005. Her first full collection, A Ghost in my House, was published earlier this year by Arc and described by the PBS as explicit, full-blooded and buzzing with energy. With her wry candour and no-holds barred approach to love, sex and death, Thorpe’s poems brim with sexuality, conflict and defiance.

Abdul Jamal’s poetry is uncluttered and deceptively simple. His debut pamphlet, Above Zanzibar, was published by tall-lighthouse in 2006. Brought up in Dar-es-Salaam he now lives in London. His voice is clear and resonant, exploring the complexities of conflict, loss and longing.

Kate Noakes' poetry has appeared in small press magazines in the UK, USA, Canada and Europe. She was a prize-winner in the 2006 Poetry London competition, the 2007 Iota competition and she won the Cheshire Poetry Competition in 2007 and the Rhyme & Reason Poetry Competition in 2008. Her first collection, Ocean to Interior, is published by Mighty Erudite Press.

Christopher Horton lives and works in London. His poems have been published (or are forthcoming) in Iota, Dream Catcher, Other Poetry and Ambit. He has written a number of articles and reviews, including for The London Magazine. He currently co-hosts East Words, a new poetry event at the Museum in Docklands.

PLUS open mic...

www.tall-lighthouse.co.uk 020 8297 8279

Sunday, October 26, 2008

NORWICH: Poetry Link Tour with Rhian Edwards

Monday, October 27th, 2008, 8pm-10pm, £4/£5
The Monday Night Alternative @ Norwich Arts Centre,
St Benedicts Street,
Norwich

The second month of this season’s poetry link tour is headlined by Welsh-born poet Rhian Edwards who is known for her work on BBC Radio 3 show The Verb and has performed at Ruigoord Poetry Festival, Edinburgh and Latitude Festivals. Support from Martin Figura, Nathan Hamilton and Hannah Walker.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

CHELTENHAM: Buzzwords

Sunday, November 2nd, 2008, 7pm, £3
Upstairs at The Exmouth Arms,
Bath Road,
Cheltenham

Guest Poet - Judy Kendall
7pm - Workshop led by Judy Kendall.
8pm - open mic and guest poet reading.

SOUTHEND: Poetry Link Tour with Rhian Edwards

Sunday, October 26th, 2008, 6.30pm-10.30pm, £4
Sundown @ The Royal Hotel Ballroom,
1 High Street,
Southend

The second month of this season’s poetry link tour is headlined by Welsh-born poet Rhian Edwards who is known for her work on BBC Radio 3 show The Verb and has performed at Ruigoord Poetry Festival, Edinburgh and Latitude Festivals. Support from Molly Naylor.

Friday, October 24, 2008

MANCHESTER: Poetry Evening

Friday, November 7th, 2008, 6.45-8.15pm. FREE
Manchester Buddhist Centre
16-20 Turner Street
M4 1DZ

Lively modern poets reading their own work plus opportunity for discussion.

Tel: 0161 834 9232

HULME: Inn Verse Poetry Reading

Thursday, October 30th, 2008, 8pm, FREE
Salutation Inn
12 Higher Chatham St
Hulme (behind Geoffrey Manton)

As always, we encourage people to bring along their favourite poems by great poets and read them out. But we still want to hear your stuff! Readers and listeners welcome - no riff raff!
Free sandwiches and cake!
Contact: Simon Rennie 07956 836 445.

GRASMERE: World Poets' Tour

Saturday, October 25th, 2008, 2pm, £4 advance/£5 on door
The Jerwood Centre,
Wordsworth Trust,
Grasmere

A talk by Professor Sabry Hafez on Wordsworth in Arabic Translation, followed by a reading by Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi and Sarah Maguire.

The Poetry Translation Centre’s World Poets' Tour introduces leading poets from six countries to new audiences. Lively and entertaining readings reveal the dynamic nature of the poets' cultures and their rich literary traditions in which poetry plays a prominent role.

Tour poets are Maxamed Xaashi Dhamac 'Gaarriye' (from Somaliland) who writes in Somali, and is translated by W N Herbert; Farzaneh Khojandi (from Tajikistan) who writes in Tajik and is translated by Jo Shapcott; Noshi Gillani (from Pakistan) who writes in Urdu and is translated by Lavinia Greenlaw; Kajal Ahmad (from Kurdistan) who writes in Kurdish and is translated by Mimi Khalvati; Corsino Fortes (from Cape Verde) who writes in Portugese and is translated by Sean O'Brien; Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi (from Sudan) who writes in Arabic and is translated by Sarah Maguire.

Tel: 015394 63523
Website: www.wordsworth.org.uk
More details: www.poetrytranslation.org

Thursday, October 23, 2008

LONDON: Hammer and Tongue

Monday, November 3rd, 2008, 7.30pm-11pm, £5/£4
Green Note Cafe,
Parkway,
London,
NW1 7AN
Tel: 020 7485 9899

Michelle Madsen presents the ‘brilliant, captivating and ever so slightly mad’ Mark Gwynne Jones and Flaming Poet Carol Coiffait, fresh from darkest Hull, at Camden’s warmest den of word-trickery and rhyme, the Green Note Cafe.

Described by The Independent as being to poetry what ‘the League of Gentlemen is to TV scheduling’, Gwynne Jones covers the whole gamut of human experience in his poetry, from lost tortoises to the finer points of fake tanning and everything else in-between. Carol Coiffait brings her unique voice to London, asking political questions through the music of the Beatles and quizzing life, love and happiness.

OPEN SLAM! The audience judge in this warm, friendly and top quality slam. WE WANT YOUR POEMS! The first 8 poets to sign up at the door from 7pm perform and GET IN FOR FREE. And cake.

Sign up from 7pm for the slam or for more details call Michelle on 07809 236 133
www.hammerandtongue.co.uk
www.psychicbread.org

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

LONDON: Todd Swift book launch

Tuesday, November 4th, 2008, FREE
Oxfam Books & Music Shop,
91 Marylebone High Street,
London
W1U 4RB

The launch of Seaway: New & Selected Poems by Todd Swift, and a reading by Salmon Poets Patrick Chapman (Breaking Hearts & Traffic Lights, 2007), Susan Millar Dumars (Big Pink Umbrella, 2008), Kevin Higgins (Time Gentlemen, Please, 2008), Pete Mullineaux (A Father’s Day, 2008) and Salmon editor and poet Jessie Lendennie.

LONDON: Lumen Poetry Series

Tuesday, October 28th, 2008, 7pm (doors open 6.30pm), £4/£3
88 Tavistock Place,
London
WC1
Tubes: Russell Square, Kings Cross, St Pancras.

Ruth O'Callaghan presents Lumen Poetry Series, featuring Derek Adams, Keith Please and Les Robinson. Poets from the floor are very welcome and there will be a few five-minute spots (please bring two copies of the poem if you wish to be considered for the Bluechrome anthology.)

Proceeds to the Cold Weather Shelter.

GALWAY: October Over The Edge Open Reading

Thursday, October 30th, 2008, 6.30pm-8pm
Galway City Library,
St Augustine Street,
Galway

Featured readers are:

Noel Harrington, who lives in Tulla, Co Clare. A regular reader at the White House poetry sessions in Limerick, he has been published in The Stinging Fly, Revival, Boyne Berries, Crannóg, Moloch, The Flosca competition winners chapbook and The Stony Thursday Book. Revival Press published a chapbook of his poems in 2007. He is half way through a short story collection and five years into a prose-poem novel with the working title Harrington's Folly.

John Kenny teaches English literature at NUI Galway and is director of the new BA Connect in Creative Writing there. He regularly reviews new fiction for The Irish Times, and his book John Banville will be published in November. He is Academic Director of The John McGahern Seminar & Summer School and also founding editor of The John McGahern Yearbook, the first volume of which was published in July. He is working on a collection of stories to be titled Make it Home. One of his stories recently appeared in The Dublin Review.

Eamonn Harrigan loves to write fiction and has taken creative writing classes with Susan Millar DuMars. His short story “The Death of Foxy” was short-listed for the Over the Edge New Writer of the Year competition 2008 and he has collaborated on writing a play “For Pete’s Sake”. Eamonn’s background is in management and he has had research into Green Business Issues published. He likes to spend his time encouraging paper to refuse ink. He is currently a student on the MA in Screenwriting at the Huston Film School, NUIG.

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. For further details phone 087-6431748.

GALWAY: Poetry Slam

Tuesday, October 28th, 2008, 7pm, FREE
The Ruby Room,
Galway Arts Centre

Includes guest performer Gary King and MC Pete Mullineaux. For further information, call 091 565 886, or e-mail victoria@galwayartscentre.ie

Saturday, October 18, 2008

LANCASTER: World Poets' Tour

Saturday, November 1st, 2008, 1pm, £12/£8
The Round,
The Dukes Theatre,
Moor Lane
Lancaster
LA1 1QE

Three readings:
1 – Farzaneh Khojandi and Noshi Gillani, with Jo Shapcott;
2 – Gaarriye and Kajal Ahmad, with W N Herbert;
3 – Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi with Sarah Maguire

The Poetry Translation Centre’s World Poets' Tour introduces leading poets from six countries to new audiences. Lively and entertaining readings reveal the dynamic nature of the poets' cultures and their rich literary traditions in which poetry plays a prominent role.

Tour poets are Maxamed Xaashi Dhamac 'Gaarriye' (from Somaliland) who writes in Somali, and is translated by W N Herbert; Farzaneh Khojandi (from Tajikistan) who writes in Tajik and is translated by Jo Shapcott; Noshi Gillani (from Pakistan) who writes in Urdu and is translated by Lavinia Greenlaw; Kajal Ahmad (from Kurdistan) who writes in Kurdish and is translated by Mimi Khalvati; Corsino Fortes (from Cape Verde) who writes in Portugese and is translated by Sean O'Brien; Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi (from Sudan) who writes in Arabic and is translated by Sarah Maguire.

Tickets £12, £8 concs
Tel: 0845 344 0642
Website: www.litfest.org

Friday, October 17, 2008

Apples & Snakes and British Council presents SPEECHLESS

Thursday, 30 October
£8.50
Purcell Room, Southbank Centre

How free is free speech? Are there things that just can't be said? Enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the right to freedom of opinion and expression ­ but what does this mean in an age of anxiety and mistrust? Speechless brings together new poetry from five amazing writers from across South East Asia and four brilliant UK-based poets on the theme of freedom of expression in a unique new multi-lingual spoken word show. Incorporating different perspectives and experiences from Vietnam to Ireland and sexuality to slavery, Speechless will be a night that stimulates brain-tingling debate, covering issues that define our existence. The performance features: Priya K (Malaysia), Siege Malvar (Philippines), Liu Liang Yen (Taiwan), Da Thao Phuong (Vietnam) and UK artists Francesca Beard, Aoife Mannix and Jacob Sam-La Rose.
An Apples & Snakes and British Council production in association with English PEN Bookings: 0871 663 2500 / www.southbankcentre.co.uk

APPLES & SNAKES IN SOHO Featuring Brian Patten

Wednesday 29 October
8pm, £8 / £6
Soho Theatre
21 Dean St, London W1D 3NE

Poetry that speaks to all five senses.

Performance poetry owes an awful lot to Brian Patten: as one of theLiverpool Poets, he captured the zeitgeist of the 1960s and turned poetry into something quirky, invigorating and slightly dangerous. But rather than resting on former glories, he's tackled the subsequent decades head-on, tirelessly producing new material and establishing himself as one of the nation's foremost writers, both on the stage and between the book-covers. Tonight the great craftsman presents a selection of his masterworks.

Also on the bill will be Karen McCarthy , who carries that same flame of quirkiness in her poetry, plays and inspirational blogging. Don't miss your chance to hear the woman who "fizzes with intelligence, energy and linguistic invention" (New Statesman). Plus, kicking off the evening, there's PoetiCat , a forthright new spoken-word sensation, who has already garnered a five-star review at the Edinburgh Fringe and continues to wow allcomers. Jacob Sam-La Rose, a man with a well-chosen word for every occasion, will be your master of ceremonies.

Brought to you by Apples & Snakes - spanning the centuries with poetry www.applesandsnakes.org
Online booking: www.sohotheatre.com/pl1577.html Telephone bookings: 020 74780100

Irish Times critic for October Over The Edge: Open Reading

Thursday October 30th
6.30-8pm
Galway City Library
St. Augustine Street
Galway

The Featured Readers are Noel Harrington, John Kenny & Eamonn Harrigan.

Noel Harrington
lives in Tulla, Co Clare. A regular reader at the White House poetry sessions in Limerick, he has been published in The Stinging Fly, Revival, Boyne Berries, Crannóg, Moloch, The Flosca competition winners chapbook and The Stony Thursday Book. Revival Press published a chapbook of his poems in 2007. He is half way through a short story collection and five years into a prose-poem novel with the working title Harrington's Folly.

John Kenny teaches English literature at NUI Galway and is director of the new BA Connect in Creative Writing there. He regularly reviews new fiction for The Irish Times, and his book John Banville will be published in November. He is Academic Director of The John McGahern Seminar & Summer School and also founding editor of The John McGahern Yearbook, the first volume of which was published in July. He is working on a collection of stories to be titled Make it Home. One of his stories recently appeared in The Dublin Review.

Eamonn Harrigan loves to write fiction and has taken creative writing classes with Susan Millar DuMars. His short story “The Death of Foxy” was short-listed for the Over the Edge New Writer of the Year competition 2008 and he has collaborated on writing a play “For Pete’s Sake”. Eamonn’s background is in management and he has had research into Green Business Issues published. He likes to spend his time encouraging paper to refuse ink. He is currently a student on the MA in Screenwriting at the Huston Film School, NUIG.

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. For further details phone 087-6431748.

Galway: Over The Edge

THIS FRIDAY October 17th, 8pm.
Entrance Free
Sheridan’s Wine Bar
14-16 Church Yard Street
Galway

Poets from Dublin, Limerick, Galway and South Carolina

Over the Edge presents a reading by poets Paul Allen, Enda Coyle Green, Mags Treanor, Tim Cunningham & Mary Dempsey.

Paul Allen teaches poetry and writing song lyrics at The College of Charleston, in Charleston, SC, USA, where he is Professor of English. He has received the South Carolina Arts Commission’s Individual Artist Fellowship in Poetry twice. His CD, The Man with the Hardest Belly: Poems and Songs, has sold out but is available for download through Amazon.com and Napster. Paul recently read at The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. His most recent poetry collection, Ground Forces, is just published by Salmon Poetry.

Enda Coyle Green lives in County Dublin. Widely published in magazines and anthologies, her work has also been broadcast on RTE Radio 1 and Lyric FM. Her prizes for poetry include a Hennessy Award nomination in 2002. Her first collection, Snow Negatives, received the Patrick Kavanagh Award in 2006; the judges citation said that Enda’s work is “strong, sure and totally trustworthy.” Snow Negatives was published by Dedalus Press in 2007.

Mags Treanor is a fiction writer and poet, based in Galway. Her work has been published in numerous anthologies and broadcast on RTE radio. Her first collection of short stories and poetry was published by Maverick Press in 2007. This year Mags was selected for the Poetry Ireland Introduction series and also took second place in the Cúirt Festival Poetry Grand Slam. Mags has performed at the Electric Picnic and read her work at the London Irish Centre. She recently completed an M.A. in Creative Writing & New Media with the deMontfort University of Leicester.

Tim Cunningham was born in Limerick in 1942 and lives in Billericay, Essex. His first collection, ‘Don Marcelino’s Daughter’, was published by Peterloo Poets in 2001. His second collection ‘Unequal Thirds’ was published in 2006, again by Peterloo. His new book, Kyrie, is just published by Revival Press - the imprint of the White House Poets. Kyrie, is firmly rooted in nineteen fifties’ Ireland, a place and time when religion permeated every aspect of life. His is not quite the Limerick of Angela’s Ashes but nevertheless Tim Cunningham has continued on where Frank Mc Court left off but this time in poetry and verse.

Mary Dempsey has been short listed for the Anna Livia Fm Poetry Prize and The Salmon Poetry Prize. Her poems has been published in the Cork Literary Review and received a recommendation in their poetry competition, from judge Bernard O' Donoghue. Her work has appeared widely in magazines such as Ropes, Women Studies Review NUIG Galway & Crannóg. She has given readings and writing workshops in Parma and Lorient. Mary’s audio narrative What Happened was selected for The Arts Council Touring Experiment in 2007. Her film work has been shown at the Galway Fleadh, as well as on TG4 and RTE. Mary has attended Kevin Higgins’ advanced poetry workshop at Galway Arts Centre

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

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

Thursday, October 16, 2008

London: Rhythm & Muse

Thursday 30 October
8.30 - 10.30pm * £5/£4 on the door
Venue: The Lion
27 Wick Road
Teddington TW11

Reading at this lively South West London venue are guest poets Anne-Marie Fyfe and Philip Hancock. With music from the excellent singer-songwriter Liz Simcock. Plus open mic(book in advance). Come and enjoy the R&M experience! Contact Alison Hill for more details -020 8977 4610 or email alison-hill@blueyonder.co.uk

COLCHESTER: Poetry Link Tour with Rhian Edwards

Thursday, October 30th, 2008, 8pm-10pm, £5
Wax Lyrical @ Colchester Arts Centre,
Church Street,
Colchester

The second month of this season’s poetry link tour is headlined by Welsh-born poet Rhian Edwards who is known for her work on BBC Radio 3 show The Verb and has performed at Ruigoord Poetry Festival, Edinburgh and Latitude Festivals. Support from Patrick Lappin, Molly Naylor, Joel Stickley.

EDINBURGH: World Poets' Tour

Thursday, October 30th, 2008, 7.30pm, £5/£3 (please book in advance)
Scottish Poetry Library,
5 Crichton's Close,
Canongate,
Edinburgh
EH8 8DT

Readings by Kajal Ahmad and Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi, with Sarah Maguire.

The Poetry Translation Centre’s World Poets' Tour introduces leading poets from six countries to new audiences. Lively and entertaining readings reveal the dynamic nature of the poets' cultures and their rich literary traditions in which poetry plays a prominent role.

Tour poets are Maxamed Xaashi Dhamac 'Gaarriye' (from Somaliland) who writes in Somali, and is translated by W N Herbert; Farzaneh Khojandi (from Tajikistan) who writes in Tajik and is translated by Jo Shapcott; Noshi Gillani (from Pakistan) who writes in Urdu and is translated by Lavinia Greenlaw; Kajal Ahmad (from Kurdistan) who writes in Kurdish and is translated by Mimi Khalvati; Corsino Fortes (from Cape Verde) who writes in Portugese and is translated by Sean O'Brien; Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi (from Sudan) who writes in Arabic and is translated by Sarah Maguire.

Tel: 0131 557 2876 or email reception@spl.org.uk
www. spl.org.uk
More details: www.poetrytranslation.org

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

ST ALBAN'S: Poetry Link Tour with Rhian Edwards

Wednesday, October 29th, 2008, 8pm-10pm, £5
Oral Cabaret @ The Maltings Arts Theatre

The second month of this season’s poetry link tour is headlined by Welsh-born poet Rhian Edwards who is known for her work on BBC Radio 3 show The Verb and has performed at Ruigoord Poetry Festival, Edinburgh and Latitude Festivals. Support from Amy Staniforth.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

PETERBOROUGH: Poetry Link Tour with Rhian Edwards

Tuesday, October 28th, 2008, 8pm-10pm, £5
Speakeasy @ The Glass Onion,
2 Burghley Road,
Peterborough

The second month of this season’s poetry link tour is headlined by Welsh-born poet Rhian Edwards who is known for her work on BBC Radio 3 show The Verb and has performed at Ruigoord Poetry Festival, Edinburgh and Latitude Festivals. Support from Dead Poets, Alex iAm, Vivien Foster, Pam Kounougakis.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

NORWICH: Poetry Link Tour with Rhian Edwards

Monday, October 27th, 2008, 8pm-10pm, £4/£5
The Monday Night Alternative @ Norwich Arts Centre,
St Benedicts Street,
Norwich

The second month of this season’s poetry link tour is headlined by Welsh-born poet Rhian Edwards who is known for her work on BBC Radio 3 show The Verb and has performed at Ruigoord Poetry Festival, Edinburgh and Latitude Festivals. Support from Martin Figura, Nathan Hamilton and Hannah Walker.

SOUTHEND: Poetry Link Tour with Rhian Edwards

Sunday, October 26th, 2008, 6.30pm-10.30pm, £4
Sundown @ The Royal Hotel Ballroom,
1 High Street,
Southend

The second month of this season’s poetry link tour is headlined by Welsh-born poet Rhian Edwards who is known for her work on BBC Radio 3 show The Verb and has performed at Ruigoord Poetry Festival, Edinburgh and Latitude Festivals. Support from Molly Naylor.

ILKLEY: World Poets' Tour

Sunday, October 12th, 2008, 5pm, £4/£3
Ilkley Playhouse
Weston Road,
Ilkley,
West Yorks
LS29 8DW

Readings by Farzaneh Khojandi, Kajal Ahmad and Noshi Gillai, with Lavinia Greenlaw.

The Poetry Translation Centre’s World Poets' Tour introduces leading poets from six countries to new audiences. Lively and entertaining readings reveal the dynamic nature of the poets' cultures and their rich literary traditions in which poetry plays a prominent role.

Tour poets are Maxamed Xaashi Dhamac 'Gaarriye' (from Somaliland) who writes in Somali, and is translated by W N Herbert; Farzaneh Khojandi (from Tajikistan) who writes in Tajik and is translated by Jo Shapcott; Noshi Gillani (from Pakistan) who writes in Urdu and is translated by Lavinia Greenlaw; Kajal Ahmad (from Kurdistan) who writes in Kurdish and is translated by Mimi Khalvati; Corsino Fortes (from Cape Verde) who writes in Portugese and is translated by Sean O'Brien; Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi (from Sudan) who writes in Arabic and is translated by Sarah Maguire.

Tel: 01943 816714
Website: www.ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk
More details: www.poetrytranslation.org

LONDON: The Wolf Showcase at The Troubadour

Monday, October 20th, 2008, 8pm, £6/£5
The Troubadour,
263-267 Old Brompton Road,
London,
SW5

The Wolf on its travels - editor James Byrne introduces Niall McDevitt, Alfred Corn, Sandeep Parmar, Nina Zivancevic, Ahren Warner, Fiona Curran, Siddhartha Bose and Penelope Shuttle.

Penelope Shuttle lives in Cornwall - her eighth collection, Redgrove’s Wife (Bloodaxe, 2006) was shortlisted for the Forward and TS Eliot prizes;
Sidhartha Bose has lived in London and the USA, and has had poems in international journals including Alhamra Literary Review;
Columnist & sonic artist Fiona Curran's first collection is The Hail Mary Pass (Wrecking Ball);
Ahren Warner recently moved to London, working towards a Donut Press pamphlet, and is a award-winning Serbian-born essayist/translator;
Nina Zivancevic lives in Paris and has published 12 books of poems, two novels and three short-story collections;
Sandeep Parmar has a UEA Creative-Writing MA and a PhD for work on modernist poet, Mina Loy;
Alfred Corn is a Georgia-born art-critic & author of The Metamorphoses of Metaphor - his Contradictions (2002) was an Oklahoma Book Award finalist;
Folk-singer Niall McDevitt leads walks around Yeats’/Rimbaud’s/Dylan-Thomas’s William Blake’s London(s)—he won 2005’s ‘The Verb’ Urban Poetry Competition.

For information, advance booking, season ticket & mailing list enquiries, phone 020 8354 0660.

GRASMERE: World Poets' Tour

Saturday, October 25th, 2008, 2pm, £4 advance/£5 on door
The Jerwood Centre,
Wordsworth Trust,
Grasmere

A talk by Professor Sabry Hafez on Wordsworth in Arabic Translation, followed by a reading by Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi and Sarah Maguire.

The Poetry Translation Centre’s World Poets' Tour introduces leading poets from six countries to new audiences. Lively and entertaining readings reveal the dynamic nature of the poets' cultures and their rich literary traditions in which poetry plays a prominent role.

Tour poets are Maxamed Xaashi Dhamac 'Gaarriye' (from Somaliland) who writes in Somali, and is translated by W N Herbert; Farzaneh Khojandi (from Tajikistan) who writes in Tajik and is translated by Jo Shapcott; Noshi Gillani (from Pakistan) who writes in Urdu and is translated by Lavinia Greenlaw; Kajal Ahmad (from Kurdistan) who writes in Kurdish and is translated by Mimi Khalvati; Corsino Fortes (from Cape Verde) who writes in Portugese and is translated by Sean O'Brien; Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi (from Sudan) who writes in Arabic and is translated by Sarah Maguire.

Tel: 015394 63523
Website: www.wordsworth.org.uk
More details: www.poetrytranslation.org

Thursday, October 09, 2008

DERBY: Adrian Buckner reading

Friday, October 10th, 2008, 7.30pm
Room 3,
Friends Meeting House,
St Helen's Street,
Derby

Poet and Poetry Nottingham editor Adrian Buckner reads from his new collection Contains Mild Peril, at this Derby Season Poetry Reading.

Booking tel no: 01332 553430

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

LONDON: The Corset Club

Saturday, October 22nd, 2008, 8pm (doors open 7pm), £3/£2
The Cavendish Arms,
128 Hartington Road,
London,
SW8 2HJ

Hosting @ The Corset Club
A three-times-a-year event produced by Red on Black Productions and Hothouse - with a mix of poetry, music, comedy, drama, all by women artists. Alongside feature slots there will also be new faces getting a short slot on the night.

Women artists can e-mail their link/ work to corsetclub@redonblackproductions.com

SHEFFIELD: Poetry Business Party

Thursday, October 9th, 2008, 7.30pm, FREE
Bank Street
Sheffield

The National Poetry Day theme this year is work – but we intend to PARTY! Come & celebrate the PB's move to Sheffield. Readings by Geoff Hattersley, John Turner and competition winners Julia Deakin & Padraig O'Morain; plus new North magazine. Bar & Bookstall

Link: http://www.poetrybusiness.co.uk/default.aspx

LONDON: Speechless

Thursday, October 9th, 2008, 8pm, £8/£5
The Albany,
Douglas Way,
Deptford
SE8 4AG

Apples & Snakes and British Council presents: SPEECHLESS - an evening of live new international poetry.

How free is free speech? Are there things that just can't be said? Enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the right to freedom of opinion and expression ­ but what does this mean in an age of anxiety and mistrust? Speechless brings together new poetry by five amazing writers from across South East Asia and four brilliant UK-based poets on the theme of freedom of expression in a unique new multi-lingual spoken word show, incorporating different perspectives and experiences from Vietnam to Ireland and sexuality to slavery, Speechless will be a night that stimulates brain-tingling debate, covering issues that define our existence. Each performance features a selection from: Priya K (Malaysia), Siege Malvar (Philippines), Pooja Nansi (Singapore), Liu Liang Yen (Taiwan), Da ThaoPhuong (Vietnam) and UK artists Francesca Beard, Malika Booker, Aoife Mannix and Jacob Sam-La Rose.

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

LONDON: Norbert Hirschhorn

Wednesday, October 15th, 2008, 7.30pm, FREE
Downstairs wine bar at L’Osteria
57 Grays Inn Road,
London
WC1X 8PP

Poetry @ L’Osteria – BOOK LAUNCH
Exceptional poet Norbert Hirschhorn launches his new collection Mourning in the Presence of a Corpse, published by leading Lebanese publisher Dar al-Jadeed. Norbert now lives part-time in Beirut, Lebanon, and this extraordinary book is inspired by that seductive and dangerous country. This is work that will leave you breathless.

Agnes Meadows will be reading from her latest book, This One Is For You, so it’s effectively a double launch.

You can order good Italian food at a reasonable price while you listen, so come along and share.

LONDON: Angel Poetry

Thursday, October 9th, 2008, 7pm
Borders Bookshop,
The Angel,
N1 Centre,
Parkfield Street,
London
N1

A quadruple bill of feature poets, each with their unique own way of seeing the world and sharing their work. First there's Christopher Horton, bringing finely tuned words from a master of the spoken word. Then we have the multi-talented Sarah Reilly, sharing her highly dramatic and striking poetry. Thirdly we have Nicholas Field featuring at Angel Poetry for the first time with a selection of his well-crafted words. Plus special guest all the way from Reading, Kate Noakes, a poet of exceptional emotional dexterity reading from her extraordinary first collection. There are also floor spots available on the night, so just turn up and let us know if you want to read.

LONDON: Loose Muse

Wednesday, October 8th, 2008, 8pm, £5/£3
The Poetry Café,
22 Betterton Street,
London
WC2

This is London’s only regular event for women writers of all genres, with a warm and wonderful open mic sharing session, plus two featured writers each month. Featured will be the wonderful Susan Utting, a regular hit at the Edinburgh Festival, bringing her unique and finely crafted poetry. Kath Tait contributes words and music that will both touch and amuse to make you look at the world with entirely different eyes. Absolutely not to be missed. And finally we have special guests - Cyndi Dawson winging in from New Jersey to share blistering words with London’s most alluring word-mistress, Anna Savage, with an excerpt of their joint show. And there are plenty of chances for you to come read your own work in the open mic readings.

CARDIFF: The World Poets Tour

Wednesday, October 8th, 2008, 6pm, £4/£3
Kemi's Café,
Craft in the Bay,
The Flourish,
Lloyd George Avenue,
Cardiff
CF10 4QH

Readings by Farzaneh Khojandi, Kajal Ahmad and Noshi Gillai, hosted by Choman Hardi.

The Poetry Translation Centre’s World Poets' Tour introduces leading poets from six countries to new audiences. Lively and entertaining readings reveal the dynamic nature of the poets' cultures and their rich literary traditions in which poetry plays a prominent role.

Tour poets are Maxamed Xaashi Dhamac 'Gaarriye' (from Somaliland) who writes in Somali, and is translated by W N Herbert; Farzaneh Khojandi (from Tajikistan) who writes in Tajik and is translated by Jo Shapcott; Noshi Gillani (from Pakistan) who writes in Urdu and is translated by Lavinia Greenlaw; Kajal Ahmad (from Kurdistan) who writes in Kurdish and is translated by Mimi Khalvati; Corsino Fortes (from Cape Verde) who writes in Portugese and is translated by Sean O'Brien; Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi (from Sudan) who writes in Arabic and is translated by Sarah Maguire.

Tel: 029 2047 2266
Website: www.academi.org
More details: www.poetrytranslation.org

LONDON: World Poets' Tour

Tuesday, October 21st, 2008, 7pm, FREE
Khalili Lecture Theatre,
SOAS,
Thornhaugh Street,
London
WC1H 0XG

A talk by Professor Sabry Hafez on Wordsworth in Arabic Translation, followed by a reading by Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi and Sarah Maguire.

The Poetry Translation Centre’s World Poets' Tour introduces leading poets from six countries to new audiences. Lively and entertaining readings reveal the dynamic nature of the poets' cultures and their rich literary traditions in which poetry plays a prominent role.

Tour poets are Maxamed Xaashi Dhamac 'Gaarriye' (from Somaliland) who writes in Somali, and is translated by W N Herbert; Farzaneh Khojandi (from Tajikistan) who writes in Tajik and is translated by Jo Shapcott; Noshi Gillani (from Pakistan) who writes in Urdu and is translated by Lavinia Greenlaw; Kajal Ahmad (from Kurdistan) who writes in Kurdish and is translated by Mimi Khalvati; Corsino Fortes (from Cape Verde) who writes in Portugese and is translated by Sean O'Brien; Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi (from Sudan) who writes in Arabic and is translated by Sarah Maguire.

Tickets free on the door
Website: www.poetrytranslation.org

Monday, October 06, 2008

LONDON: Camden Poetry

Friday, October 17th, 2008, 7pm (doors open 6.30pm), £4/£3, wine
Trinity United Reform Church,
1 Buck Street,
Camden Town,
London
(1-2 minutes Camden Town tube).

Camden Poetry (proceeds to Cold Weather Shelter)
Poets from the Floor Very Welcome and there will be a few five-minute spots. Please bring two copies of the poem if you wish to be considered for the Bluechrome anthology. There are major poets who will also be contributing to the anthology including UA Fanthorpe, Fiona Sampson, Marilyn Hacker, Penelope Shuttle and Peter Porter, to name but a few.

In the event that there are no floorspots available, please bring a poem that you would have read and it will go in the anthology file.

LONDON: Phil Maillard reading

Tuesday, October 7th, 2008, 7.30pm, FREE
Swedenborg Hall,
Swedenborg House,
20/21 Bloomsbury Way,
London WC1A 2TH
The next in Shearsman's 2008 Reading Series features Phil Maillard, whose Sweet Dust & Growling Lambs has just been published, and a Pessoa event, featuring a reading of one of his major long poems, and (hopefully) a display of some portraits of Pessoa by Aldous Eveleigh, whose images grace the cover and interior of the revised edition of Zbigniew Kotowicz's Fernando Pessoa: Voices of a Nomadic Soul.
http://www.shearsman.com/pages/books/catalog/2008/maillard.html
http://www.shearsman.com/pages/books/catalog/2008/kotowicz.html
http://www.shearsman.com/pages/books/catalog/2008/pessoa_lisbon.html

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 car-park close by, underneath Bloomsbury Square.
Disabled access is available, but please let us know in advance if it is required.

LIVERPOOL: Speechless

Monday, October 13th, 2008, 8pm, £7/£5
Chapter and Verse Literature Festival,
The Bluecoat,
School Lane,
Liverpool
L1 3BX
Tel: 0151 702 5324 / www.thebluecoat.org.uk

Speechless - How free is free speech? Are there things that just can't be said? An evening of live new international poetry

Enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the right to
freedom of opinion and expression , but what does this mean in an age
of anxiety and mistrust? Speechless brings together new poetry from five
amazing writers from across South East Asia and four brilliant UK-based
poets on the theme of freedom of expression in a unique new multilingual
spoken word show. Incorporating different perspectives and experiences
from Vietnam to Ireland and sexuality to slavery, Speechless will be a night
that stimulates brain-tingling debate, covering issues that define our
existence.

Each performance features a selection from: Priya K (Malaysia), Siege Malvar
(Philippines), Pooja Nansi (Singapore), Liu Liang Yen (Taiwan), Da Thao
Phuong (Vietnam) and UK artists Francesca Beard, Malika Booker, Aoife Mannix
and Jacob Sam-La Rose.

MANCHESTER: World Poets' Tour

Monday, October 20th, 2008, 1pm, FREE (but booking advised)
Manchester Central Library,
St Peter's Square
M2 5PD

Readings by Corsino Fortes, Gaarriye and Noshi Gillani, with Sean O'Brien, W N Herbert and Lavinia Greenlaw.

The Poetry Translation Centre’s World Poets' Tour introduces leading poets from six countries to new audiences. Lively and entertaining readings reveal the dynamic nature of the poets' cultures and their rich literary traditions in which poetry plays a prominent role.

Tour poets are Maxamed Xaashi Dhamac 'Gaarriye' (from Somaliland) who writes in Somali, and is translated by W N Herbert; Farzaneh Khojandi (from Tajikistan) who writes in Tajik and is translated by Jo Shapcott; Noshi Gillani (from Pakistan) who writes in Urdu and is translated by Lavinia Greenlaw; Kajal Ahmad (from Kurdistan) who writes in Kurdish and is translated by Mimi Khalvati; Corsino Fortes (from Cape Verde) who writes in Portugese and is translated by Sean O'Brien; Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi (from Sudan) who writes in Arabic and is translated by Sarah Maguire.

Tel: 0870 428 0785
Website: www.manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk
More details: www.poetrytranslation.org

National Poetry Day POETRY BUSINESS PARTY

OCT 9th 2008
at Bank Street
Sheffield 7.30pm – FREE

The NPD theme this year is work – but we intend to PARTY! Come & celebrate the PB's move to Sheffield. Readings by Geoff Hattersley, John Turner and competition winners Julia Deakin & Padraig O'Morain; plus new North magazine. Bar & Bookstall

Link: http://www.poetrybusiness.co.uk/default.aspx

London: COFFEE HOUSE POETRY

6th October 2008
8-10 pm, £6 (concs. £5)
The Troubadour
263-7 Old Brompton Road
London SW5 9JA

Featuring: Yvonne Green, Padraig O'morain, Julia Deakin, River Wolton... Plus Peter Carpenter, Allison Mcvety, Judy Brown, Anthony Wilson, Cherry Smyth & Charles Evans
introduced by Peter & Ann Sansom
Long-awaited Troubadour return of Sheffield-based Smith/Doorstop, with editors Peter & Ann Sansom introducing winning entries in the Poetry Business awards.
Link: http://www.troubadour.co.uk/programme_view.php?view[type]=programme&view[id]=1655

Glasgow, Sammy Dow's

Monday Oct 6, 8pm
Sammy Dow`s
Nithsdale Road
Glasgow

Just a note to let you know that Robin Cairns is the featured writer at Sammy Dow`s long-running spoken word night this month. Robin will be doing a set of new favourites including, "Last Man With Sky", "I'd Rather Be A Nudie Than A Hoodie", "Scots Wha Huvny", and "Elvis Wept". There`s an open mic session too so bring along your stuff and put your name down on the night.

A few places are still available for The Glasgow Slam, Sunday October 12. 8pm at Blackfriars, Bell Street, Glasgow. We already have competitors from Partick, Kilmarnock, Aberdeen, Surrey, Washington DC, Clydebank, etc. No-one from Busby yet. Any poets in Penicuik? Book your place by contactingrobin.cairns@btconnect.com

Galway: Over the Edge

Friday, October 17th 2008, 8pm.
Sheridan’s Wine Bar
14-16 Church Yard Street
Galway

Poets from Dublin, Limerick, Galway and South Carolina

Over The Edge presents a reading by poets Paul Allen, Enda Coyle Green, Mags Treanor, Tim Cunningham & Mary Dempsey.

Paul Allen teaches poetry and writing song lyrics at The College of Charleston, in Charleston, SC, USA, where he is Professor of English. He has received the South Carolina Arts Commission’s Individual Artist Fellowship in Poetry twice. His CD, The Man with the Hardest Belly: Poems and Songs, has sold out but is available for download through Amazon.com and Napster. Paul recently read at The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. His most recent poetry collection, Ground Forces, is just published by Salmon Poetry.

Enda Coyle Green lives in County Dublin. Widely published in magazines and anthologies, her work has also been broadcast on RTE Radio 1 and Lyric FM. Her prizes for poetry include a Hennessy Award nomination in 2002. Her first collection, Snow Negatives, received the Patrick Kavanagh Award in 2006; the judges citation said that Enda’s work is “strong, sure and totally trustworthy.” Snow Negatives was published by Dedalus Press in 2007.

Mags Treanor is a fiction writer and poet, based in Galway. Her work has been published in numerous anthologies and broadcast on RTE radio. Her first collection of short stories and poetry was published by Maverick Press in 2007. This year Mags was selected for the Poetry Ireland Introduction series and also took second place in the Cúirt Festival Poetry Grand Slam. Mags has performed at the Electric Picnic and read her work at the London Irish Centre. She recently completed an M.A. in Creative Writing & New Media with the deMontfort University of Leicester.

Tim Cunningham was born in Limerick in 1942 and lives in Billericay, Essex. His first collection, ‘Don Marcelino’s Daughter’, was published by Peterloo Poets in 2001. His second collection ‘Unequal Thirds’ was published in 2006, again by Peterloo. His new book, Kyrie, is just published by Revival Press - the imprint of the White House Poets. Kyrie, is firmly rooted in nineteen fifties’ Ireland, a place and time when religion permeated every aspect of life. His is not quite the Limerick of Angela’s Ashes but nevertheless Tim Cunningham has continued on where Frank Mc Court left off but this time in poetry and verse.

Mary Dempsey has been short listed for the Anna Livia Fm Poetry Prize and The Salmon Poetry Prize. Her poems has been published in the Cork Literary Review and received a recommendation in their poetry competition, from judge Bernard O' Donoghue. Her work has appeared widely in magazines such as Ropes, Women Studies Review NUIG Galway & Crannóg. She has given readings and writing workshops in Parma and Lorient. Mary’s audio narrative What Happened was selected for The Arts Council Touring Experiment in 2007. Her film work has been shown at the Galway Fleadh, as well as on TG4 and RTE. Mary has attended Kevin Higgins’ advanced poetry workshop at Galway Arts Centre

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

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

http://www.overtheedgeliteraryevents.blogspot.com/

SUNDAYS AT THE OTO

October 19th 2008
Third Sunday of the month 3-5 pm
Café Oto,
18-22 Ashwin Street
Dalston, London E8 3DL
(http://www.cafeoto.co.uk) £4 entry.

"poetry and music with the post avant crowd for your Sunday afternoon pleasure"

October 19: Keith Jebb + The Mind Shop (music: Armorel Weston, John Gibbens and David Miller) + Wanda Phipps + Alyson Torns
Keith Jebb’s Hide White Space (Kater Murr’s Press, 2006) runs it all together, sort of digests it & throws it in our faces; The Mind Shop sing and play pure poetry; Wanda Phipps (http://www.mindhoney.com) out of Brooklyn, NY, sings with her Band and in her poetry; Alyson Torn’s From the Lost Property Office: a quartet for Pessoa (Hearing Eye, 2006) plays a delicate game, but sets out to win

for further information: http://www.myspace.com/sundaysattheoto

Sunday, October 05, 2008

Camden: Ruth O'Callaghan presents .....

Friday 17th October 2008
7.00 (doors open 6.30)
Trinity United Reform Church
1 Buck St, Camden Town.
1-2 minutes Camden Town tube.
Entry £4/£3

Ruth O'Callaghan presents Five Leaves Publications
Adrian Buckner
Penny Feinstein
Naomi Jaffa

Cambridge: CB1 at Michaelhouse

Tuesday 14th October 2008

The new series of poetry readings at Michaelhouse in Cambridge is launched by the award winning poet Hugo Williams.He will be supported by up the poet Rhian Edwards.
Event starts at 8pm, (doors open at 7.30pm). There will be a short open mike before the readings. There is disability access and a hearing loop available.
Come and support Poetry in Cambridge and meet other poetry-minded people. There is a bar and coffee available.
For more information visit www.cb1poetry.org.uk

Derwent Poetry Festival 2008

17th& 19th October 2008
Masson Mills,
Matlock Bath,
Derbyshire.

The festival features the launch of ten new poetry titles from Templar Poetry including the presentation of the 2008 Templar Poetry Pamphlets Prizes. It is accompanied by readings from Paul Farley, Tim Liardet, Jane Weir, Pat Winslow, Rob Hindle, Dawn Wood, Siobhan Campbell, MikeBarlow, Angela Cleland, Pat Borthwick, Katrina Naomi and many others. We commission most of our poets from submissions to our annual open pamphlet and collection competition which attracts submissions from all over the world. This year there are poems from poets in Australia, the United States and the Republic of Ireland in our annual anthology, alongside poetry by British writers. There is a Festival Bookshop, stands from magazines and an exhibition of paintings by Artist in Residence, Karen Isherwood. The full festival programme is listed on www.templarpoetry.co.uk. Box Office Telephone 01629 582500.

DURHAM: Vane Women Press Book Launch

Sunday, October 19th, 2008, 6pm, £4/£3 (tickets from 0191 332 4041)
Almshouse Café,
Palace Green,
Durham

Durham Book Festival - Launch of two new publications

Stripping The Blackthorn - Lindsay Balderson
"This is a remarkable collection as it reminds us that terror and beauty live in the same
world. Stripping the Blackthorn opens our eyes to the shadows in our lives, none darker than
the vaults in the minds of torturers. Love is celebrated as the fruit of the thorn, as it should be."
SJ Litherland

Collecting Stones: an anthology of poems and stories inspired by Harehope Quarry,
by Vane Women and Others with illustrations by John Longstaff
"A disused lime quarry reclaimed by nature and invested with new human activity contains a deep bed of metaphor. These writings and images are the riches won by working it." Steve Dales.

Saturday, October 04, 2008

LONDON: World Poets' Tour

Saturday, October 18th, 2008, 3.45pm onwards, one event £5 (£3 concs), three events £10 ( £6 concs)
The British Library,
96 Euston Road,
London
NW1 2DB

3.45 – 4.45pm - Corsino Fortes & Sean O'Brien, Kajal Ahmad & Mimi Khalvati
5.30 – 6.30pm - Farzaneh Khojandi & Jo Shapcott, Gaarriye & W N Herbert
7pm – 8.00pm - Noshi Gillani & Lavinia Greenlaw, Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi & Sarah Maguire

The Poetry Translation Centre’s World Poets' Tour introduces leading poets from six countries to new audiences. Lively and entertaining readings reveal the dynamic nature of the poets' cultures and their rich literary traditions in which poetry plays a prominent role.

Tour poets are Maxamed Xaashi Dhamac 'Gaarriye' (from Somaliland) who writes in Somali, and is translated by W N Herbert; Farzaneh Khojandi (from Tajikistan) who writes in Tajik and is translated by Jo Shapcott; Noshi Gillani (from Pakistan) who writes in Urdu and is translated by Lavinia Greenlaw; Kajal Ahmad (from Kurdistan) who writes in Kurdish and is translated by Mimi Khalvati; Corsino Fortes (from Cape Verde) who writes in Portugese and is translated by Sean O'Brien; Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi (from Sudan) who writes in Arabic and is translated by Sarah Maguire.

Tel: 01937 546546
Website: www.bl.uk
More details: www.poetrytranslation.org

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

LONDON: Poetry London launch reading

Wednesday, October 15th, 2008, 6.30pm, FREE
Foyles,
Charing Cross Road
London

Poetry London Autumn 2008 Launch, with readings by Kathleen Jamie, AF Harrold and Jack Underwood.

Kathleen Jamie has published several collections of poetry. Her poetry collection, The Tree House (2004), won the 2004 Forward Poetry Prize (Best Poetry Collection of the Year) and the 2005 Scottish Arts Council Book of the Year Award.

A F Harrold’s poetry collections are Logic and the Heart (Two Rivers Press, 2004) and Of Birds and Bees (Quirkstandard’s Alternative, 2008). He works as a performance poet and comedian.

Jack Underwood was born in 1984. He co-edits the anthology series Stop Sharpening Your Knives. He received a Gregory Award in 2007.

Also featuring the winners of Poetry London Competition 2008: Godfrey Hackers, Sam Riviere, Patricia Hann and Keith Francis.

CANTERBURY: World Poets' Tour

Wednesday, October 15th, 2008, 8pm, £7
International Study Centre,
Canterbury Cathedral Precincts
CT1 2EH

Readings by Gaarriye and Kajal Ahmad, with Mimi Khalvati.

The Poetry Translation Centre’s World Poets' Tour introduces leading poets from six countries to new audiences. Lively and entertaining readings reveal the dynamic nature of the poets' cultures and their rich literary traditions in which poetry plays a prominent role.

Tour poets are Maxamed Xaashi Dhamac 'Gaarriye' (from Somaliland) who writes in Somali, and is translated by W N Herbert; Farzaneh Khojandi (from Tajikistan) who writes in Tajik and is translated by Jo Shapcott; Noshi Gillani (from Pakistan) who writes in Urdu and is translated by Lavinia Greenlaw; Kajal Ahmad (from Kurdistan) who writes in Kurdish and is translated by Mimi Khalvati; Corsino Fortes (from Cape Verde) who writes in Portugese and is translated by Sean O'Brien; Al-Saddiq Al-Raddi (from Sudan) who writes in Arabic and is translated by Sarah Maguire.

Tel: 01227 378188
www.canterburyfestival.co.uk

COLCHESTER: Elvis Lives - The Poetry Link Tour

Thursday, October 2nd, 2008, 8pm-10pm, £5
Wax Lyrical @ Colchester Arts Centre,
Church Street,
Colchester,
Essex

Elvis Lives - The Poetry Link Tour

Brilliant stand-up poet, armchair revolutionary and recumbent rocker, Elvis McGonagall, takes to the road. Elvis is the 2006 World Slam Champion, the compere of the notorious Blue Suede Sporran Club and is occasionally in residence on BBC Radio 4’s Saturday Live. The sole resident of The Graceland Caravan Park somewhere in the middle of nowhere, he scribbles verse whilst drinking malt whisky and listening to Johnny Cash.

With support from: John Osborne, Amy Staniforth, Ross Sutherland

www.colchesterartscentre.com