Wednesday, December 31, 2008

LONDON: Lumen Poetry Series

Tuesday, January 13th, 2009, doors open 6.30pm for 7pm, £4/£3, wine
88 Tavistock Place,
London,
WC1
Tubes: Russell Square, Kings Cross, St Pancras.

Ruth O'Callaghan presents Agenda poets Timothy Ades, Patricia McCarthy and Steven O'Brien. Poets from the floor very welcome. Cinnamon Press is our new sponsor. Please bring a copy of the poem if you wish to be considered for the new anthology.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Buzzwords in Cheltenham, with George Szirtes

Buzzwords: Next Sunday, 4th January

Upstairs at The Exmouth Arms, Bath Road , Cheltenham

Guest Poet - George Szirtes
7pm Workshop led by George Szirtes
8pm - open mic and Guest poet reading

We are very grateful to Butlers Hotel for donating bed and breakfast for our guest.

Entrance £3
Hope to see you there!

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Happy Festive Season!

To all the readers of Poets on Fire, and to the hard-working team who run this blog - Matt Merritt, Nina Davies and Charlotte Runcie - I hope you've had a fun and peaceful Christmas holiday so far, and I would like to wish you all an extremely Happy New Year!

Don't forget to keep those listings coming next year and do remember to check the POF blog every few days for our regular updates on what's happening in live poetry around the UK and Ireland.

All the very best for your writing and live poetry events in 2009!

Jane Holland

Friday, December 19, 2008

LONDON: Sundays at the Oto

Sunday, December 21st, 2008, 3pm-5pm, £4
Café Oto,
18-22 Ashwin Street,
Dalston,
London
E8 3DL

Poetry and music with the post-avant crowd for your Sunday afternoon pleasure - with Frances Kruk, Jow Lindsay and Jonathan Styles (music).

Frances Kruk's A Discourse on Vegetation and Motion (Critical Documents, 2008) tells you more than you need, more even than you want, but better; Jow Lindsay's Xena: Warrior Princess: The Seven Curses by Francis Crot (Critical Documents, 2008 - A Xena Fan-Fic with Annotations by Nrou Mrobaak and illustrations by Various Hands), that too tells all and more and stranger; meanwhile Jonathan Styles will bless your poor ears with pure improvised musics (violin & clarinet).

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

Presented by Peter Philpott (peter@greatworks.org.uk)

SHEFFIELD: Ash Dickinson

Saturday, 20th December, 2008, 8pm, £5/£4
The Red Deer,
18 Pitt Street,
Sheffield

Stand-up poetry in quick-fire rhymes and offbeat lines as multiple slam champion Ash Dickinson swaps places with the sea, takes the moon to a children's party and has his fridge fall in love with him.

"Brilliantly surreal invention..fabulous poems" - Edinburgh Evening News.
"Dickinson proves not only to be an incredibly gifted poet, but also a great comedian with a sharp eye for social commentary" - Winnipeg Free Press.
"Impressive wordplay" - The Times.
"Ash Dickinson is a performance poet for the Lost Generation. If you haven't seen him, you haven't seen performance poetry" - Federation of Writers (Scotland)

ashdickinson.com
myspace.com/ashdickinson

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

GALWAY: Over The Edge: Open Reading

Thursday, December 18th, 2008, 6.30pm-8pm
Galway City Library,
St. Augustine Street,
Galway

The final Over The Edge Open Reading of the year will feature Paula Gilbert, Denise Heneghan and Clare Muireann Murphy.

Paula Gilbert is originally from Meath but moved to Claremorris, Co. Mayo when she was young. She has always loved writing and would love to write a book of short stories. She has attended John Corless’s Creative Writing Classes at G.M.I.T-Castlebar. She read her story ‘Mad Mooney’ at this year’s Force 12 Writers’ Weekend in Bellmullet. She is secretary of Mayo Writers Block, who won first prize at this year’s National Writers Group Festival in Longford.

Denise Heneghan is a social entrepreneur with a background in technical management and voluntary leadership. She started writing poetry four years ago, and has attended workshops facilitated by Geraldine Mills and Kevin Higgins. She is currently a member of the advanced poetry class at Galway Arts Centre. She has been a finalist at a number of Cúirt and Baffle Poetry Slams. She won third prize at Baffle 2005, and was shortlisted in the 2008 Over The Edge New Writer of the Year competition.

Clare Muireann Murphy is a professional storyteller. She has performed at festivals such as The Electric Picnic, Vienna Lit, Kilkenny Arts Festival, Baboró Children's Festival with Rab Swannock Fulton and Singapore Out of the Box Puppet Festival. Clare played Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in a solo show as part of the Tales for Winter series in November. Her repertoire includes the Irish myths and legends as well as many more tales from world folklore. She founded Story Night, the monthly story share gathering at the Spirit Centre on Nun’s Island. She is an Arts Foundation Fellowship nominee and a winner of the Social Entrepreneurs Award 2007 for her storytelling work.

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.

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

Monday, December 15, 2008

MILTON KEYNES: Tongue In Chic

LONDON: Lumen Poetry Series

Tuesday, 16th December, 2008, doors open 6.30pm, reading 7pm, £4/£3, wine
88 Tavistock Place,
London,
WC1
Tubes: Russell Square, Kings Cross, St Pancras.

Last chance to read for the Bluechrome anthology and be published alongside at least 10 major poets who will also be contributing, including UA Fanthorpe, Fiona Sampson, Marilyn Hacker , Penelope Shuttle and Peter Porter.

As it is the last session this year there will be extra five-minute spots - in fact, we're throwing the whole evening over to poets from the floor to be considered for the Bluechrome anthology.

Proceeds to COLD WEATHER SHELTER

Friday, December 12, 2008

At the Poetry Cafe Next Week .....

22 Betterton St.
Covent Garden
London WC2H 9BX
Tel: 020 7420 9887

Evening of Tibetan Poetry Readings
15th December
7:30PM - 10:30PM

Readings will be taken from works by Tenzin Tsundue, Lhasang Tsering and Woeser.
Suggested donation on entry £3.

Poetry Unplugged
16th December, 7:30-10:30pm

London's premier open mic night. Come and sign up between 6 and 7pm to be on the line up. Hosted by Niall O'Sullivan. £4/3.

Bloomsbury Voices
18th December, 8:00PM - 10:30PM

With Stephanie Gerra and Wendy Shutler. £6/4

Mother Foucault
20th December,8:00PM - 10:30PM

Burlesque and Spoken Word. Hosted by Joelle Taylor.



Tuesday, December 09, 2008

LONDON: Bingo Master's Breakout

Friday, December 12th, 2008, 7.30pm, FREE
St Aloysious Social Club
20 Phoenix Road
Euston
London
NW1 1TA

Poetry Karaoke
Sign up for a spot - One poem and one karaoke song. We're looking to have to limit this to about 15 spots and on past experience it usually gets full by around 8pm.
A Oner behind the ramp if you're early enough.
Complimentary buffet - which may or may not involve turkey and stuffing.
A cavalry of samosas when my parents turn up around 9-ish.
The Half time album
And the end of night group Karaoke singalong - this one is a cracker, so to speak.
Poetry from Jon 'One more job' Oyster in his Fred Perry Cardigan who'll also be the Bingo caller for the CASH PRIZE BINGO.
Music from Mr Damo Waters aka 'Muddy Suzuki' - doing a Karaoke set of his own songs
http://www.myspace.com/muddysuzuki

Come on down to the Office Party YOU DESERVE and not the one you're likely to get.

Middle Monday at Rio: Open Mic with Headliners

Middle Monday at Rio
December 15, 8pm - ten-thirty-ish
The Rio Cafe
27 Hyndland Street
Glasgow G11

Middle Monday meet this time around, cos you`ll all be round at your Auntie Morag`s eating Meltis Fruits and playing Canasta on the last Monday of the month.

Kevin Cadwallender and Eddie Gibbons are the headline acts. Kevin is the author of Rewiring Houdini, The Complete Baz and numerous other books, Scottish Editor of Red Squirrel press and a consummate balancer on the pin-point of humour and human soul. Eddie too is a much-published poet, a prize-winner in this year`s prestigious Edwin Morgan competition. Expect him to range across subjects from Schrodinger`s catflap to sharing a changing-room with Emily Dickinson.

This is the shout out for as many poets, punters and polemicists as poss to come up and do a three minute spot. Cos it`s Christmas! Contact robin.cairns@btconnect.com and form an orderly rammy. Robin Cairns is your compere.
The mike is open, the minutes are yours, speech is free and so`s admission - at the Rio Cafe, where the only thing square is the sausage!

LONDON: Sundays at the Oto

Sunday, December 21st, 2008, 3pm-5pm, £4
Café Oto,
18-22 Ashwin Street,
Dalston,
London
E8 3DL

Poetry and music with the post-avant crowd for your Sunday afternoon pleasure - with Frances Kruk, Jow Lindsay and Jonathan Styles (music).

Frances Kruk's A Discourse on Vegetation and Motion (Critical Documents, 2008) tells you more than you need, more even than you want, but better; Jow Lindsay's Xena: Warrior Princess: The Seven Curses by Francis Crot (Critical Documents, 2008 - A Xena Fan-Fic with Annotations by Nrou Mrobaak and illustrations by Various Hands), that too tells all and more and stranger; meanwhile Jonathan Styles will bless your poor ears with pure improvised musics (violin & clarinet).

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

Presented by Peter Philpott (peter@greatworks.org.uk)

Monday, December 08, 2008

LONDON: Lumen Poetry Series

Tuesday, 16th December, 2008, doors open 6.30pm, reading 7pm, £4/£3, wine
88 Tavistock Place,
London,
WC1
Tubes: Russell Square, Kings Cross, St Pancras.

Last chance to read for the Bluechrome anthology and be published alongside at least 10 major poets who will also be contributing, including UA Fanthorpe, Fiona Sampson, Marilyn Hacker , Penelope Shuttle and Peter Porter.

As it is the last session this year there will be extra five-minute spots - in fact, we're throwing the whole evening over to poets from the floor to be considered for the Bluechrome anthology.

Proceeds to COLD WEATHER SHELTER

GALWAY: Moya Cannon, Alan McMonagle & John Walsh

Tuesday, December 9th, 2008, 7pm
Galway City Museum

North Beach Poetry in association with Poetry Ireland & Over The Edge presents a reading with Moya Cannon, Alan McMonagle and John Walsh.

Moya Cannon was born in Dunfanaghy, Co. Donegal in 1956 and has lived in Galway for over twenty years. She has published three collections of poems, Oar, The Parchment Boat and Carrying the Songs, New and Selected poems, (Carcanet Press 2007). She has been an editor of Poetry Ireland Review. A recipient of the Brendan Behan Award and of the Lawrence O Shaughnessy Award, she is a member of Aosdána.

Alan McMonagle was born in Longford, grew up in Sligo and now lives in Galway. In 2007 he received his MA in Writing from NUI, Galway. His work has appeared in Southword, Crannog, The Cuirt Annual and The Stinging Fly. He won second prize in the 2006 Sean O'Faolain short story contest and a subsequent invitation to read at the Frank O'Connor short story festival in Cork. His first collection of short stories, Liar Liar, was recently published by Wordsonthestreet.

John Walsh is from Derry. He has published two collections, Johnny Tell Them (Guildhall Press 2006) and Love’s Enterprise Zone (Doire Press 2007). He is the organizer of the North Beach Poetry Nights’ Slam in Galway, Ireland’s longest running Poetry Slam, and Director of the new poetry press, Doire Press. John is an engaging reader and performer of his work. Admission 5 Euro.

LONDON: Kathryn Simmonds

Monday, 8th December, 2008, 7pm, FREE, refreshments
Highgate Library,
1 Shepherds Hill,
N6 5QT.

Tel 020 8489 8773.
Highgate Tube.

Kathryn Simmonds reads from her poetry collection Sunday at the Skin Launderette, shortlisted for the Costa Prize. Phillip Hancock reads poems from his forthcoming collection Hearing Ourselves Think.

LONDON: Utter! Ajar Mic Grand Final 2008

Tuesday, December 9th, 2008, 7.30pm-10.30pm, £3 before 7.30pm, £5 after
Green Note Club,
106 Camden Parkway
NW1 7AN
London

All winners of the Ajar Mic contest in 2008 return. Your votes decide who wins the 2008 championship belt, £100, a paid writing workshop at the Utter! Writing Group and the right to program and compere their own Utter! in 2009.

Finalists confirmed:
James Campbell - High energy comic poet from Essex.
George Chopping - Shelf replenishment technician from Oxford (has done gigs for Apples and Snakes and Sainsburys).
Julia Bird - Debut Hannah and the Monk (Salt) is rightly described by Annie Freud as "brimming with lust for life".
Lucy Leagrave - Headmistress of the Issues and Innuendoes night with her first book forthcoming on Black Box
Duke Hancock - Funny and intense middle class rebel verse.
Leora Ronel - Utter! writing group protege, light-footed rhymes dancing with the devil in suburbia.
Vinnie Gibbons - 'Bastard attack poet' and zookeeper of the year.

SPECIAL GUEST: PolarBear, the ultimate spoken word artist fresh from wowing crowds UK-wide, including sell-out gigs at the Purcell rooms, with his one-man show If I Cover My Eyes You Can't See Me.

Your hosts are Richard Tyrone Jones, David Floyd and Sarah Verrinder. Returning from internal exile, for one night only, to read his unique take on the Night Before Christmas is Utter!s very own Father Christmas, Lee Nelson.

LONDON: The Wolf Issue 19 launch

Monday, December 8th, 2008, 8.30pm, FREE
The Poetry Studio,
22 Betterton Street,
Covent Garden,
WC2
London

The UK's best alternative poetry magazine invites you to the launch of Issue 19, featuring Ruth Padel, Clare Pollard, Michael McKimm plus guests. Hosted by The Wolf's editor, James Byrne. Space is limited, so early arrival is advised.

Saturday, December 06, 2008

SHEFFIELD: Ash Dickinson

Saturday, 20th December, 2008, 8pm, £5/£4
The Red Deer,
18 Pitt Street,
Sheffield

Stand-up poetry in quick-fire rhymes and offbeat lines as multiple slam champion Ash Dickinson swaps places with the sea, takes the moon to a children's party and has his fridge fall in love with him.

"Brilliantly surreal invention..fabulous poems" - Edinburgh Evening News.
"Dickinson proves not only to be an incredibly gifted poet, but also a great comedian with a sharp eye for social commentary" - Winnipeg Free Press.
"Impressive wordplay" - The Times.
"Ash Dickinson is a performance poet for the Lost Generation. If you haven't seen him, you haven't seen performance poetry" - Federation of Writers (Scotland)

ashdickinson.com
myspace.com/ashdickinson

CHELMSFORD: I Scream Sunday

Sunday, December 7th, 2008, 7pm, FREE
The Barhouse,
16 Victoria Road,
Chelmsford,
Essex

I Scream Sunday is, like the dessert, a mixture of all things good. It is a spoken-word open mike event, with music from Astral Circus, and an art-exhibition/auction by APRA-ONE, amongst others, as flavoursome additions.
Art auction at 10-10.30pm.

Friday, December 05, 2008

CHELTENHAM: Buzzwords Poetry Night

Sunday, 7th December, 2008, 7pm, £3
upstairs at The Exmouth Arms, Bath Road , Cheltenham

Guest Poet - Peter Wyton
7pm Workshop led by Peter Wyton
8pm - open mic and Guest poet reading

Please note - as usual for our Christmas event, if you'd like to read a favourite poem of someone else's instead of your own at the open mic, please do!

Hope to see you there!

LONDON: Bluechrome Poets + Larissa Miller

Friday, 5th December, 2008, 7pm (doors 6.30pm), £4/£3, wine
Trinity United Reform Church,
1 Buck St,
Camden Town
London

Poets from the floor welcome - this is the last chance for poets from the floor to read for the Bluechrome anthology at the Camden venue, although there will be a further chance on 16th December at Lumen.

Please bring two copies of the poem if you wish to be considered for the anthology, which will feature at least 10 major poets including UA Fanthorpe, Fiona Sampson, Marilyn Hacker , Penelope Shuttle and Peter Porter.

Thursday, December 04, 2008

GALWAY: Over The Edge: Open Reading

Thursday, December 18th, 2008, 6.30pm-8pm
Galway City Library,
St. Augustine Street,
Galway

The final Over The Edge Open Reading of the year will feature Paula Gilbert, Denise Heneghan and Clare Muireann Murphy.

Paula Gilbert is originally from Meath but moved to Claremorris, Co. Mayo when she was young. She has always loved writing and would love to write a book of short stories. She has attended John Corless’s Creative Writing Classes at G.M.I.T-Castlebar. She read her story ‘Mad Mooney’ at this year’s Force 12 Writers’ Weekend in Bellmullet. She is secretary of Mayo Writers Block, who won first prize at this year’s National Writers Group Festival in Longford.

Denise Heneghan is a social entrepreneur with a background in technical management and voluntary leadership. She started writing poetry four years ago, and has attended workshops facilitated by Geraldine Mills and Kevin Higgins. She is currently a member of the advanced poetry class at Galway Arts Centre. She has been a finalist at a number of Cúirt and Baffle Poetry Slams. She won third prize at Baffle 2005, and was shortlisted in the 2008 Over The Edge New Writer of the Year competition.

Clare Muireann Murphy is a professional storyteller. She has performed at festivals such as The Electric Picnic, Vienna Lit, Kilkenny Arts Festival, Baboró Children's Festival with Rab Swannock Fulton and Singapore Out of the Box Puppet Festival. Clare played Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in a solo show as part of the Tales for Winter series in November. Her repertoire includes the Irish myths and legends as well as many more tales from world folklore. She founded Story Night, the monthly story share gathering at the Spirit Centre on Nun’s Island. She is an Arts Foundation Fellowship nominee and a winner of the Social Entrepreneurs Award 2007 for her storytelling work.

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.

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

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

COVENTRY: Lady Godiva and Me launch night

Wednesday 3rd December, 2008, 7pm, FREE
The Herbert Art Gallery and Museum
Jordan Well,
Coventry

You are invited to join us to celebrate the launch of Lady Godiva & Me by Liam Guilar, the latest Nine Arches pamphlet.

Lady Godiva & Me is a compelling sequence that lifts a city's archive of voices from the pages, vigorously bringing characters both ordinary and extraordinary to life.

Liam Guilar (Coventry-born, but now living in Australia) will give a reading from the poem in a special UK performance - one that definitely shouldn't be missed. He will be supported by Matt Merritt, whose first collection, Troy Town, was published in 2008 by Arrowhead.

MANCHESTER: Free Poetry Event

Wednesday, December 3rd 2008, 7pm, FREE
The Other Room
The Old Abbey Inn,
61 Pencroft Way,
Manchester
http://theotherroom.wordpress.com/

Tony Trehy, Scott Thurston and Carol Watts

Scott Thurston's most recent book is Hold (Shearsman, 2006). He lectures in English Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Salford and has published on Allen Fisher, Adrian Clarke, John Wilkinson, Maggie O’Sullivan, Ulli Freer, Ira Lightman, Geraldine Monk and Tony Lopez. He edits The Radiator, a little magazine of poetry and poetics, and recently edited The Salt Companion to Geraldine Monk. See his pages at Archive of the Now. A new sequence of ninety poems called Momentum, is out now with Shearsman.

Tony Trehy is an international curator and writer and Director of the Text Festival. Publications include Text, Vertigo, 50 Heads and Reykjavik. Ron Silliman writes: "A techno descendant of someone like Prynne, a concept that strikes me as very odd indeed. And a sign that Trehy isn’t really like anyone else at all. Trehy is an eminently readable poet, though you have to pay attention as you proceed through each work."

Carol Watts lives in London. She is the author of Wrack (Reality Street Editions, 2007), brass, running (Equipage, 2006), and alphabetise, a book of prose chronicles exhibited in the Text Festival at the Museum of Art, Bury, Manchester in 2005, now an eBook (Intercapillary Editions). She teaches at Birkbeck, University of London, where she co-directs the Centre for Poetics.

Launch of 'Backra Man', Jon Morley: Coventry, TONIGHT

The Tin Angel
Medieval Spon Street
Coventry
Tuesday 2nd December
8pm

Gregory-winner Jon Morley launches BACKRA MAN, his debut poetry collection, alongside other readers: Myra Connell, Michael Wyndham Thomas and Martin Brown, plus music from Irish fiddler Joe O'Donnell.

Sponsored by the Tin Angel, with refreshments

Monday, December 01, 2008

GALWAY: 2nd Annual North Beach Poetry Nights' Grand Slam

Monday, December 15th, 2008, 9pm, €5
The Crane Bar,
Sea Road,
Galway

North Beach Poetry Nights PROUDLY presents The 2nd Annual North Beach Poetry Nights' Grand Slam, with 15 Poets/Performers!

Special Guest appearances from
Lucy English (Bristol)
Miceál Kearney (2007 Grand Slam Winner)
Little John Nee
The prize for the North Beach Poetry Nights' Grand Slam winner is publication of a collection of her/his work.

The Judges for the 2008 Grand Slam are: Lucy English, Jarlath Fahy and Moya Roddy.

GALWAY: Moya Cannon, Alan McMonagle & John Walsh

Tuesday, December 9th, 2008, 7pm
Galway City Museum

North Beach Poetry in association with Poetry Ireland & Over The Edge presents a reading with Moya Cannon, Alan McMonagle and John Walsh.

Moya Cannon was born in Dunfanaghy, Co. Donegal in 1956 and has lived in Galway for over twenty years. She has published three collections of poems, Oar, The Parchment Boat and Carrying the Songs, New and Selected poems, (Carcanet Press 2007). She has been an editor of Poetry Ireland Review. A recipient of the Brendan Behan Award and of the Lawrence O Shaughnessy Award, she is a member of Aosdána.

Alan McMonagle was born in Longford, grew up in Sligo and now lives in Galway. In 2007 he received his MA in Writing from NUI, Galway. His work has appeared in Southword, Crannog, The Cuirt Annual and The Stinging Fly. He won second prize in the 2006 Sean O'Faolain short story contest and a subsequent invitation to read at the Frank O'Connor short story festival in Cork. His first collection of short stories, Liar Liar, was recently published by Wordsonthestreet.

John Walsh is from Derry. He has published two collections, Johnny Tell Them (Guildhall Press 2006) and Love’s Enterprise Zone (Doire Press 2007). He is the organizer of the North Beach Poetry Nights’ Slam in Galway, Ireland’s longest running Poetry Slam, and Director of the new poetry press, Doire Press. John is an engaging reader and performer of his work. Admission 5 Euro.


LONDON: Mark Goodwin and Martin Harrison

Tuesday, 2nd December, 2008, 7.30pm, FREE
Swedenborg Hall
Swedenborg House
20/21 Bloomsbury Way
Londo
WC1A 2TH

The latest in the Shearsman reading series will feature Mark Goodwin and Martin Harrison, both of whom have recent volumes from Shearsman Books. Details are at:
http://www.shearsman.com/pages/books/catalog/2008/goodwin.html
http://www.shearsman.com/pages/books/catalog/2008/harrison.html

Biographical details are at:
http://www.shearsman.com/pages/books/authors/goodwinA.html
http://www.shearsman.com/pages/books/authors/harrisonA.html

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