Friday, October 30, 2009

MANCHESTER: Beyond Words - New Poetry from South Africa

12th November 2009, 8pm, £10 / £6
Contact,
Oxford Road,
Manchester,
M15 6JA
Box office: 0161 274 0600 / www.contact-theatre.org

Apples & Snakes presents Beyond Words: New Poetry From South Africa Live On Tour

Four incredible South African poets tour the UK together for the first time. Brought together by South African Poet Laureate and renowned exile campaigner Keorapetse Kgositsile, the show premieres specially commissioned new work. This is a blistering introduction to the new South Africa and to the power of live poetry in performance.

Featuring some of the most exciting voices of South Africa in the 21st century - Keorapetse Kgositsile, Lebo Mashile, Don Mattera and Phillippa Yaa de Villiers.

Keorapetse Kgositsile said: "I think an exchange of literature among peoples has better chances of building understanding and friendship than any diplomatic missions could ever achieve."

LEEDS: Grey Hen Press anthology launch

Friday, November 13th, 2009, noon-1.30pm
Leeds Central Library

The launch of the new anthology from Grey Hen Press 'Cracking On - Poems on ageing by older women'. A C Clarke, Pat Borthwick, Ann Drysdale, Kate Foley, Angela Kirby, Christine Webb and others will be reading.

GALWAY: Gary King book launch

Saturday, 31st October, 2009, noon
Galway City Museum

North Beach Publications and Doire Press are pleased to announce the launch of 2008 North Beach Poetry Nights Grand Slam winner Gary King's debut collection Pluto's Noon Sky, which includes his winning poem, After Disco Lights.

Susan DuMars, poet, fiction writer and co-organizer of Over the Edge, will launch Gary's collection. All are welcome.

Gary King won the 2008 North Beach Poetry Nights Grand Slam. He was also the runner-up in the 2007 Cuirt Festival Poetry Grand Slam. He has read his poems at the White House reading series in Limerick, the Over The Edge series in Galway and O’Bhéal in Cork. He was short-listed for the 2006 Cuirt Festival/Over The Edge showcase reading. Gary’s poems have been published widely in magazines such as Poetry Nottingham, Criterion, West 47 and The Burning Bush. A chapbook of his poems, Ambiguous Lights, was published by Over The Edge in 2004.

BIRMINGHAM: Beyond Words - New Poetry From South Africa

Saturday, 31st October, 2009, 7.30pm, £7/£5
The Drum,
144 Potters Lane,
Birmingham,
B6 4UU
Box office: 0121 333 2444
www.the-drum.org.uk

Apples & Snakes presents Beyond Words: New Poetry From South Africa Live On Tour

Four incredible South African poets tour the UK together for the first time. Brought together by South African Poet Laureate and renowned exile campaigner Keorapetse Kgositsile, the show premieres specially commissioned new work. This is a blistering introduction to the new South Africa and to the power of live poetry in performance.

Featuring some of the most exciting voices of South Africa in the 21st century - Keorapetse Kgositsile, Lebo Mashile, Don Mattera and Phillippa Yaa de Villiers.

Keorapetse Kgositsile said: "I think an exchange of literature among peoples has better chances of building understanding and friendship than any diplomatic missions could ever achieve."

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

ORANMORE: Charlie Byrne's Bookshop launch

Thursday, November 5th, 2009, 6pm
Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop,
Oranmore Village (near the filling station!)

Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop, in association with Over The Edge, presents an evening of poetry to celebrate their new shop in Oranmore

Local poets, including John Walsh, Mary Mullen, Jarlath Fahy, Miceal Kearney, Edward Lee, Connie Masterson and Bernie Crawford will read their work. Come along and enjoy refreshments and browse through our selection of new and remaindered books. If you haven't gotten the chance to visit our Oranmore shop yet, this is the perfect opportunity!

http://overtheedgeliteraryevents.blogspot.com/2009/10/evening-of-poetry-to-celebrate-new.html

GALWAY: October Over The Edge Open Reading

Thursday, October 29th, 2009, 6.30pm-8pm
Galway City Library,
St. Augustine Street,
Galway

The featured readers are Connie Masterson, Trevor Conway and Denisa Mirena Piscu.

Connie Masterson is originally from Co. Fermanagh. She moved to Galway 25 years ago. She has been attending workshops with Kevin Higgins at Galway Arts Centre for the last four years. Connie’s poetry has been published in Crannóg and she is currently a member of the Advanced Poetry Workshop at Galway Arts Centre, whose recent publication Lady Gregory's Townhouse has been a rare poetry sell-out. She has read her work at Clifden Arts Week. Connie was long-listed in this year’s Over The Edge New Writer of The Year competition.

Trevor Conway is from Sligo and is studying the MA in Writing at NUI Galway. He writes fiction, poetry and music, dabbling in drama and script-writing. Currently, he is working on his first collection of poetry. His work has been published in magazines such as Poetry Salzburg Review, Flash Magazine, Decanto and Inclement. He has also been included in the anthology Poetic Expressions, published by Forward Press. He has attended classes with Kevin Higgins, Dermot Healy and DBC Pierre. Trevor promises never to write a poem about the recession, unless it refers to his hairline.

Denisa Mirena Piscu hails from Bucharest, Romania. Her debut collection, Fluffy and Mechanical, was published in 2003 by Vinea Publishing House and was awarded the prize for best debut by the Association of Writers in Bucharest. Her poems are included in many anthologies, including Generation 2000 in Romanian Poetry, edited by Stefania Mincu, (Pontica, 2007). During 2007-2008, she was involved in the international project Overcoming Dictatorships – the Encounter of Artists, Poets and Writers, sponsored by the EU, gathering artists and writers from the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Romania and Poland. This tour of Ireland sees Denisa launch her second full collection, Disposable People, published by Galway Print, which will be available at the reading.

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 phone 087-6431748.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

CAMBRIDGE: CB1 Poetry - Roddy Lumsden and Tom Warner

Tuesday, 10th November, 2009, 8pm (doors open 7.30pm)
Michaelhouse,
Trinity Street,
Cambridge

For directions to our venue visit our website at: www.cb1poetry.org.uk

CB1 Poetry @Michaelhouse
This month we present
Roddy Lumsden and Tom Warner

Roddy Lumsden’s first book Yeah Yeah Yeah (1997) was shortlisted for Forward and Saltire prizes. His second collection The Book of Love (2000), a Poetry Book Society Choice, was short-listed for the T.S. Eliot Prize. Mischief Night: New & Selected Poems (Bloodaxe Books, 2004) was a Poetry Book Society Recommendation. Third Wish Wasted (Bloodaxe Books, 2009) is his latest collection. He was a “poet-in-residence” to the music industry when he co-wrote The Message, a book on poetry and pop music (Poetry Society, 1999). His other books include Vitamin Q: a temple of trivia, lists and curious words (Chambers Harrap, 2004). His anthology Identity Parade: New British and Irish poets is due from Bloodaxe Books in 2010. Born in St Andrews, he lived in Edinburgh before moving to London.

Tom Warner is currently the poet in residence for Newark as is busy preparing poems about the River Trent. In 2010 he will be one of the new Faber poets. He won an Eric Gregory Major Award in 2001 and his work has been published in a number of places including The Rialto, Smith's Knoll and Stand. He is 28 and lives in Norfolk.
"This is exquisite work ... Thomas Warner has an exceptional gift as a serious poet", Denise Riley
"Thomas Warner is one of the most interesting poets I've taught...I've no doubt we'll be hearing more of him in the future", Andrew Motion;
"There is a genuine sensibility at work here ... Poetry used as a vehicle of serious investigation", Christopher Reid;
"Tom Warner's poems seem to be carved from firm, natural material. They are austere structures but moving and humane at core, indeed all the more humane for their austerity", George Szirtes.

There will be a short open mike. 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.

LONDON: Shearsman Reading Series

Tuesday, 3rd November, 2009, 7.30pm, FREE
Swedenborg Hall
Swedenborg House
20/21 Bloomsbury Way
London WC1A 2TH

Featuring Giles Goodland and Frances Presley


Details of the new collections that will be launched on the evening:
http://www.shearsman.com/pages/books/catalog/2009/Presley_lines.html
http://www.shearsman.com/pages/books/catalog/2009/goodland.html

Biographical details may be found here:
http://www.shearsman.com/pages/books/authors/presleyA.html
http://www.shearsman.com/pages/books/authors/goodlandA.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 carpark close by, underneath Bloomsbury Square.

Disabled access is available, but please let us know in advance if it is required.

LONDON: Shearsman Reading Series

Wednesday, 28th October, 2009, 7:30pm, FREE
[PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A DIFFERENT DAY OF THE WEEK THAN USUAL!]

featuring W.D. Jackson & Alice Kavounas

Reading held jointly with The Menard Press, publishers of W.D. Jackson's previous collections.

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

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.

LONDON: Beyond Words - New Poetry From South Africa

10th November 2009, 8pm, £8 / £5
The Albany,
Douglas Way,
Deptford,
London
SE8 4AG
Box office: 020 8692 4446 / www.thealbany.org.uk

Apples & Snakes presents Beyond Words: New Poetry From South Africa Live On Tour

Four incredible South African poets tour the UK together for the first time. Brought together by South African Poet Laureate and renowned exile campaigner Keorapetse Kgositsile, the show premieres specially commissioned new work. This is a blistering introduction to the new South Africa and to the power of live poetry in performance.

Featuring some of the most exciting voices of South Africa in the 21st century - Keorapetse Kgositsile, Lebo Mashile, Don Mattera and Phillippa Yaa de Villiers.

Keorapetse Kgositsile said: "I think an exchange of literature among peoples has better chances of building understanding and friendship than any diplomatic missions could ever achieve."

Monday, October 26, 2009

LONDON: wordPLAY

Tuesday, 3rd November, 2009, 7pm for 8pm start, £4.50 / £3.50
The Good Ship,
Kilburn
London

Here's wordPLAY 3rd November illustriousness, back after a long, dark wordPLAYless autumn month to give you your much-needed injection of cultural craic...

Your literary line-up this month:

Tim Key http://www.timkey.co.uk/ - a poet so funny that he won the Edinburgh Comedy Award 2009 for his show The Slutcracker, which "attracted a strong cult following for its whimsically surreal mix of poetry, music and mock-philosopical observations on life" according to The Guardian. Made Hazel actually pee herself with laughter at 'Homework' spoken word night, Bethnal Green Working Men's Club, live on Newsnight...

Bernardine Evaristo http://www.bevaristo.net/ - Bernardine Evaristo's first fully-prose novel Blonde Roots was published by Penguin UK in August 2008. It's a slavery story with a difference: Africans enslave Europeans over a 400 year period. The protagonist is a white woman from Europa who lives out her adult life as a slave in the New World. Her verse novel LARA will be published by Bloodaxe Books, October 2009.

Guest Stars:
Nancy Clarik http://www.facebook.com/people/Nancy-Clarik/509141598 - wordPLAY deputy host spits her lyrical witticisms on popular culture and beyond

Agnes Lehoczky http://www.inpressbooks.co.uk/agnes_lehoczky_f02025.aspx - bilingual poet Agnes reads her beautiful verse, including work from her collection 'Budapest to Babel'

Ola Rhodes http://olarhodes.wordpress.com/about/ - unpredictable stories with bite and sass are this gal's speciality

Jessica Patient http://www.writerslittlehelper.blogspot.com/ - this prose writer has had short stories published in 3:AM, The Beat, Pgymy Giant and Sleepy Orange. She won the Worldskills Gold Award in Creative Writing in 2008.

With music from the beautiful voice and guitar of Hannah Tuson, back by popular demand... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc1BzbFW3_I

plus the random erratic musings and mutterings of your host Rebecca Fenton http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yVAi6Yd_hA

plus - Raffle-Lit...when we find some goddamn prizes...never fear...

Saturday, October 24, 2009

LEAMINGTON SPA: PUREandGOODandRIGHT

Sunday, October 25th, 2009, 7.30pm, £3 (£2 Student/OAP)
The Stables,
Newbold Comyn Arms,
Newbold Terrace East,
Leamington Spa,
CV32 4EU
(please follow directions from the pub’s website as the postcode information is misleading if you are using GPS or multimap).

Our special guest for October is the highly recommended and published poet Emily Wills.

She lives and works in Gloucestershire. She has had two collections published by The Rialto: Diverting the Sea (2000) and Developing the Negative (2008). Emily has read at various festivals including Ledbury and Aldeburgh, and was a semi-finalist in the first (and only) poetry slam in Wotton-under-Edge. She is an enthusiastic, if occasional, poetry tutor and has been poet in residence in a GP surgery.

Her poems have appeared in magazines including Anon, Iota, Magma, Other Poetry, Acumen, Quattrocentro, Seam, Smiths Knoll, Staple, The Frogmore Papers, The Rialto and in the anthologies Reactions 2 and 3, published by UEA.

With open mic support from…….yes……YOU!
Come and share your poems - seasoned poets & first time performers most welcome! We aim for a 7.30pm start, so please arrive a bit earlier to book a slot!!!

If you're planning to come along, or would like to know more about the night, please email pgrpoetryandpints@talktalk.net

NORTH SHIELDS: Beyond Words - New Poetry From South Africa

7th November 2009, 7.30pm, £8/£6
Saville Exchange,
Howard Street,
North Shields
NE30 1SE
Box office 0191 643 7093

Apples & Snakes presents Beyond Words: New Poetry From South Africa Live On Tour

Four incredible South African poets tour the UK together for the first time. Brought together by South African Poet Laureate and renowned exile campaigner Keorapetse Kgositsile, the show premieres specially commissioned new work. This is a blistering introduction to the new South Africa and to the power of live poetry in performance.

Featuring some of the most exciting voices of South Africa in the 21st century - Keorapetse Kgositsile, Lebo Mashile, Don Mattera and Phillippa Yaa de Villiers.

Keorapetse Kgositsile said: "I think an exchange of literature among peoples has better chances of building understanding and friendship than any diplomatic missions could ever achieve."

Friday, October 23, 2009

Last Monday at Rio, Monday October 26th, Glasgow

Monday October 26
8pm- 10pm-ish
FREE
OPEN MIC SLOTS AVAILABLE

The Rio Cafe, 27 Hyndland Street, Glasgow G11

Before the word was broadcast the word was spoken. Before the word was published the word was spoken. Before the word was written the word was spoken. The spoken word is live at the Rio Cafe.

This month we have three fine poets travelling in from other cities. ANNE CONNOLLY from Edinburgh is of course our current Glasgow Slam Champion, proof that poets who stir the spirit can win in the rammy of live competition. IRENE BROWN, originally of Weegie ways now crafts her warm, often humorous verse in Scotland's capital. ANNA S. BJORNSDOTTIR is flying in from Iceland specially to share her work with us at the Rio Cafe. This is a strong line-up - augmented by our praetorian guard of open mic speakers. One or two five minute spots still available. If you want to read, speak or perform contact your compere robin.cairns@btconnect.com.

The Other Room at OXJAM, this Sunday 25th October

THE OTHER ROOM AT OXJAM
25/10/2009, 13:45.
Apotheca, 17 Thomas Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester M4 1FS.

STUART CALTON has published four books of poems: three with Barque Press, and one on his own press, Fenland Hi-Brow. His fifth, Three Reveries, is awaiting publication. He is also a musician who records and performs Free Improvisation and Musique Concrète under the nom de Dictaphone T.H.F. Drenching.

JAMES DAVIES has two short e-collections: The Manual Handling Process (Beard of Bees) and Acronyms (onedit). He has a collection Plants due from Reality Street in 2012. He is one half of the poetry/photography duo Joy as Tiresome Vandalism who have a collection aRb (if p then q) and are currently working on Absolute Elsewhere found in progress at www.joyastiresomevandalism.wordpress.com. In addition he is editor of if p then q and one of the organisers of The Other Room.

Based in Manchester, TONY TREHY is an international art curator, poet, and Director of the Text Festival; Publications include Text, Vertigo, 50 Heads, Reykjavik and The Irony of Flatness. His next book Space: The Soldier Who Died For Perspective will be published by Veer in November 2009. He has exhibited site-specific text installations in various galleries from Reykjavik to Melbourne.

GALWAY: Gary King book launch

Saturday, 31st October, 2009, noon
Galway City Museum

North Beach Publications and Doire Press are pleased to announce the launch of 2008 North Beach Poetry Nights Grand Slam winner Gary King's debut collection Pluto's Noon Sky, which includes his winning poem, After Disco Lights.

Susan DuMars, poet, fiction writer and co-organizer of Over the Edge, will launch Gary's collection. All are welcome.

Gary King won the 2008 North Beach Poetry Nights Grand Slam. He was also the runner-up in the 2007 Cuirt Festival Poetry Grand Slam. He has read his poems at the White House reading series in Limerick, the Over The Edge series in Galway and O’Bhéal in Cork. He was short-listed for the 2006 Cuirt Festival/Over The Edge showcase reading. Gary’s poems have been published widely in magazines such as Poetry Nottingham, Criterion, West 47 and The Burning Bush. A chapbook of his poems, Ambiguous Lights, was published by Over The Edge in 2004.

GALWAY: Great Irish Book Week

Saturday, October 24th, 2009, 6.30pm
Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop,
Middle Street,
Galway

The Great Irish Book Week takes place from October 24th to 31st. Poetry: Reading It, Writing It, Publishing It, edited and compiled by Salmon Poetry managing editor Jessie Lendennie and published by Salmon earlier this year, has been selected as one of the 30 Great Irish Books featured during Great Irish Book Week.

A reading from Poetry: Reading It, Writing It, Publishing It, features readers Susan Millar DuMars, Kevin Higgins, Caroline Lynch, Joan McBreen, James C Harrold, Gerry Hanberry and Celeste Augé, with an introduction by Jessie Lendennie.

http://www.salmonpoetry.com/poetry.html

SHEFFIELD: Off The Shelf Literature Festival

Saturday, October 24th, 2009, £5, 8pm
Cafe Euro

Opus and WordLife presents Featured Poets, at Off The Shelf Literature Festival

A night of celebrated performance poets from across the country; featuring Byron Vincent (regular at Latitude and Glastonbury festival), A F Harrold ('This yak-poet is Spike Milligan and Peter Cook rolled into one.' -Daljit Nagra), Mark Gwynne Jones (‘inspired…one of the most accomplished performance poets in the land’ – The Guardian) and a live acoustic performance from one of Sheffield’s finest singer/songwriters, Louis Romegoux.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

LONDON: Hammer and Tongue

Monday, November 2nd, 2009, 7.30pm, £5/£4
Green Note Cafe
106 Parkway
Camden
London

Call Michelle on 07809 236133 for more details

Remember, remember the SECOND of November! Brrrrr, cold! It's time for toffee apples and sparklers and long dark nights and mulched leaves and frost and dodgy fireworks and fingerless gloves and all that autumn jazz! We are all bonfired up to announce H&T's November line-up with two very, very incredible, chill-blasting poets...

Zena Edwards:
"A poet of consummate skill... truly extraordinary" - The Guardian
“One of the most refreshing, ever-developing voices in the UK”- Pure Poetry
“Internationally acclaimed - creates her own intricate, mesmerising and unforgettable performance”- Apples And Snakes

Paula Varjack:
......who comes from London, Washington and other cities she's forgotten. Last year she was nominated for “Best Performance by an International Poet” in the Farrago London Slam awards. She premiered her first solo show - Kiss and Tell - at Hau Zwei as part of the Berlin 100 grad theatre festival. She has collaborated with music producers, backdraft, Cloudfist Conceptz (aka Jonas McCloud), Filtig and Dj That F**ing Sara, to find beats that go with her words. She has been compared to that lady who found herself in a garden with a pretty but stupid boy, and a sexy but dangerous snake. As far as her performances are concerned, fasten your seatbelts and prepare to be varjacked...

PLUS... special guest poet and the OPEN SLAM- sign up from 7.30pm for a chance to win a place in the Hammer and Tongue London slam final (slammers get in for free).

Hosted with acerbic wit and an erratic blend of spiked heels and dishevelment by Michelle Madsen, Angry Sam and Sophia Blackwells, with music from H&T DJs.

GALWAY: Great Irish Book Week

Saturday, October 24th, 2009, 6.30pm
Charlie Byrne’s Bookshop,
Middle Street,
Galway

The Great Irish Book Week takes place from October 24th to 31st. Poetry: Reading It, Writing It, Publishing It, edited and compiled by Salmon Poetry managing editor Jessie Lendennie and published by Salmon earlier this year, has been selected as one of the 30 Great Irish Books featured during Great Irish Book Week.

A reading from Poetry: Reading It, Writing It, Publishing It, features readers Susan Millar DuMars, Kevin Higgins, Caroline Lynch, Joan McBreen, James C Harrold, Gerry Hanberry and Celeste Augé, with an introduction by Jessie Lendennie.

http://www.salmonpoetry.com/poetry.html

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

LONDON: Beyond Words - New Poetry From South Africa

4th November 2009, 7.45pm, £10
Southbank Centre,
Purcell Room,
Belvedere Road,
London
SE1 8XX
Boxx office: 0871 663 2500 / www.southbankcentre.co.uk

Apples & Snakes presents Beyond Words: New Poetry From South Africa Live On Tour

Four incredible South African poets tour the UK together for the first time. Brought together by South African Poet Laureate and renowned exile campaigner Keorapetse Kgositsile, the show premieres specially commissioned new work. This is a blistering introduction to the new South Africa and to the power of live poetry in performance.

Featuring some of the most exciting voices of South Africa in the 21st century - Keorapetse Kgositsile, Lebo Mashile, Don Mattera and Phillippa Yaa de Villiers.

Keorapetse Kgositsile said: "I think an exchange of literature among peoples has better chances of building understanding and friendship than any diplomatic missions could ever achieve."

BIRMINGHAM: Beyond Words - New Poetry From South Africa

31st October, 2009, 7.30pm, £7/£5
The Drum,
144 Potters Lane,
Birmingham,
B6 4UU
Box office: 0121 333 2444
www.the-drum.org.uk

Apples & Snakes presents Beyond Words: New Poetry From South Africa Live On Tour

Four incredible South African poets tour the UK together for the first time. Brought together by South African Poet Laureate and renowned exile campaigner Keorapetse Kgositsile, the show premieres specially commissioned new work. This is a blistering introduction to the new South Africa and to the power of live poetry in performance.

Featuring some of the most exciting voices of South Africa in the 21st century - Keorapetse Kgositsile, Lebo Mashile, Don Mattera and Phillippa Yaa de Villiers.

Keorapetse Kgositsile said: "I think an exchange of literature among peoples has better chances of building understanding and friendship than any diplomatic missions could ever achieve."

GALWAY: Peripheral Vision: Poetry and writing in the West of Ireland

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009, 7pm
Kirwan Theatre,
Main Concourse,
Arts Concourse,
NUI Galway

The Literary and Debating Society is delighted to host a panel of distinguished poets to discuss the topic of Peripheral Vision: Poetry and writing in the West of Ireland.

The Land of Saints and Scholars, or the tomb of the now-defunct Celtic Tiger? It would be easy to romanticise the life of a west of Ireland poet as being all windswept cottages and tortured silences, but what is the reality of day-to-day life when you are pursuing your passion for verse? This panel discussion will explore how life in modern Ireland constrains and influences the writing that is defining a generation both at home and abroad, through a series of questions put forward by an interviewer alternated with readings of the authors' own work.

Confirmed panellists include Terry McDonagh, Susan Millar DuMars, and Kevin Higgins.

Terry McDonagh is a teacher, poet and dramatist of international acclaim. He has published several collections of poetry, a book of letters, a novel for young people and, in 2006, a collection of poetry for young people, BOXES. He has been writer in residence in Australia, Asia, several European countries and Ireland where he was resident writer in Coole Park, County Galway 2006. His work has been translated into German and Indonesian, grant aided by Ireland Literature Exchange. He was runner-up in the Fish Poetry Prize 2006.

Susan Millar DuMars and Kevin Higgins organise the highly successful Over The Edge: Open Reading series in Galway City Library as well as the popular literary Friday evenings at Sheridan's Wine Bar. They also facilitate a wide range of creative writing workshops, both poetry and fiction. Over The Edge works closely with the Galway Arts Centre and the Galway-based North Beach Poetry Nights. Susan Millar DuMars has published collections of both poetry and fiction, including Big Pink Umbrella (Salmon Poetry, 2008). Poet Kevin Higgins’ best-selling first collection, The Boy With No Face, published by Salmon Poetry, was shortlisted for the 2006 Strong Award for Best First Collection by an Irish poet. Kevin’s third collection of poetry is due to be published next year.

WIVENHOE: Katrina Naomi and Denis Ahern

Thursday, 22nd October, 2009, 8pm, £5 on the door
The Greyhound,
High Street,
Wivenhoe
Essex

Katrina Naomi and Denis Ahern at poetrywivenhoe

Limited floor spots available

Contact Chris Tanner 0784 074 5220 for further information

Essex Poetry Festival - October
www.essex-poetry-festival.co.uk

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Shearsman Readings: Wednesday 28th October

The latest in Shearsman's 2009 Reading Series takes place on Wednesday, 28 October at 7:30 pm, [PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A DIFFERENT DAY OF THE WEEK THAN USUAL!]
featuring W.D. Jackson & Alice Kavounas

Reading held jointly with The Menard Press, publishers of W.D. Jackson's previous collections.

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

Admission is 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.

Monday, October 19, 2009

BIRMINGHAM: Surreal In The City

Tuesday 20th October, 2009, 6.45pm, FREE
Birmingham Conservatoire,
Birmingham.

Part of Birmingham Book Festival, with Salt Publishing and Nine Arches Press...
readings from Tom Chivers, Luke Kennard, Simon Turner and Matt Nunn.

Through their distinctive and bold poetry, these four poets re-imagine and re-interpret the digital age and the urban spaces in which we live. Their frequently surreal and wry poetry challenges language and poetic form to produce work that responds to the peculiarities of contemporary life and the ever-shifting landscapes it inhabits.

Tom Chivers’ first collection, How To Build A City, won the Crashaw Prize. He has also published a pamphlet, The Terrors, and is Associate Editor of literary journal Tears in the Fence.

Matt Nunn is a freelance writer and workshop leader. He is the co-editor of Under The Radar and Nine Arches Press.

Simon Turner’s collections include You Are Here, and Difficult Second Album, due out in 2010. His work has appeared in Tears in the Fence, The Wolf, and The London Magazine.

Luke Kennard is an award-winning poet, critic and dramatist. He won an Eric Gregory Award in 2005. His latest collection, The Migraine Hotel, was published in 2009.

Tickets for this event are FREE but please reserve them in advance with the box office - just call 0121 303 2323.

More details about Birmingham Book Festival here: http://www.birminghambookfestival.org/index.php

GALWAY: October Over The Edge Open Reading

Thursday, October 29th, 2009, 6.30pm-8pm
Galway City Library,
St. Augustine Street,
Galway

The featured readers are Connie Masterson, Trevor Conway and Denisa Mirena Piscu.

Connie Masterson is originally from Co. Fermanagh. She moved to Galway 25 years ago. She has been attending workshops with Kevin Higgins at Galway Arts Centre for the last four years. Connie’s poetry has been published in Crannóg and she is currently a member of the Advanced Poetry Workshop at Galway Arts Centre, whose recent publication Lady Gregory's Townhouse has been a rare poetry sell-out. She has read her work at Clifden Arts Week. Connie was long-listed in this year’s Over The Edge New Writer of The Year competition.

Trevor Conway is from Sligo and is studying the MA in Writing at NUI Galway. He writes fiction, poetry and music, dabbling in drama and script-writing. Currently, he is working on his first collection of poetry. His work has been published in magazines such as Poetry Salzburg Review, Flash Magazine, Decanto and Inclement. He has also been included in the anthology Poetic Expressions, published by Forward Press. He has attended classes with Kevin Higgins, Dermot Healy and DBC Pierre. Trevor promises never to write a poem about the recession, unless it refers to his hairline.

Denisa Mirena Piscu hails from Bucharest, Romania. Her debut collection, Fluffy and Mechanical, was published in 2003 by Vinea Publishing House and was awarded the prize for best debut by the Association of Writers in Bucharest. Her poems are included in many anthologies, including Generation 2000 in Romanian Poetry, edited by Stefania Mincu, (Pontica, 2007). During 2007-2008, she was involved in the international project Overcoming Dictatorships – the Encounter of Artists, Poets and Writers, sponsored by the EU, gathering artists and writers from the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Romania and Poland. This tour of Ireland sees Denisa launch her second full collection, Disposable People, published by Galway Print, which will be available at the reading.

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 phone 087-6431748.

GALWAY: Peripheral Vision: Poetry and writing in the West of Ireland

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009, 7pm
Kirwan Theatre,
Main Concourse,
Arts Concourse,
NUI Galway

The Literary and Debating Society is delighted to host a panel of distinguished poets to discuss the topic of Peripheral Vision: Poetry and writing in the West of Ireland.

The Land of Saints and Scholars, or the tomb of the now-defunct Celtic Tiger? It would be easy to romanticise the life of a west of Ireland poet as being all windswept cottages and tortured silences, but what is the reality of day-to-day life when you are pursuing your passion for verse? This panel discussion will explore how life in modern Ireland constrains and influences the writing that is defining a generation both at home and abroad, through a series of questions put forward by an interviewer alternated with readings of the authors' own work.

Confirmed panellists include Terry McDonagh, Susan Millar DuMars, and Kevin Higgins.

Terry McDonagh is a teacher, poet and dramatist of international acclaim. He has published several collections of poetry, a book of letters, a novel for young people and, in 2006, a collection of poetry for young people, BOXES. He has been writer in residence in Australia, Asia, several European countries and Ireland where he was resident writer in Coole Park, County Galway 2006. His work has been translated into German and Indonesian, grant aided by Ireland Literature Exchange. He was runner-up in the Fish Poetry Prize 2006.

Susan Millar DuMars and Kevin Higgins organise the highly successful Over The Edge: Open Reading series in Galway City Library as well as the popular literary Friday evenings at Sheridan's Wine Bar. They also facilitate a wide range of creative writing workshops, both poetry and fiction. Over The Edge works closely with the Galway Arts Centre and the Galway-based North Beach Poetry Nights. Susan Millar DuMars has published collections of both poetry and fiction, including Big Pink Umbrella (Salmon Poetry, 2008). Poet Kevin Higgins’ best-selling first collection, The Boy With No Face, published by Salmon Poetry, was shortlisted for the 2006 Strong Award for Best First Collection by an Irish poet. Kevin’s third collection of poetry is due to be published next year.

LONDON: The Blue Bus readings

Tuesday 20th October, 7.30pm

* Jeremy Hilton
* Ric Hool
* Maurice Scully

The Lamb, 94 Lamb’s Conduit Street, London WC1 (upstairs room)

Admission £5 / £3 (conc.)

TOTNES: Openned: Tony Lopez/Harriet Tarlo/David Prior

Openned Poetry Website

Poetry events taking place at UCF Dartington Campus, Dartington Hall, Totnes,
Devon TQ9 6EJ:

■Tuesday 20th October, Studio 4, 6pm: Writer’s Talk – Tony Lopez
discusses his recent book Darwin
■Thursday 19th November, Studio 3, 7.30pm: Dartington Campus
Readings 2 – Harriet Tarlo and David Prior

Friday, October 16, 2009

The Blue Bus readings

Tuesday 20th October, 7.30pm

* Jeremy Hilton
* Ric Hool
* Maurice Scully

The Lamb, 94 Lamb’s Conduit Street, London WC1 (upstairs room)

Admission £5 / £3 (conc.)

Openned: Tony Lopez/Harriet Tarlo/David Prior

Openned Poetry Website

Poetry events taking place at UCF Dartington Campus, Dartington Hall, Totnes,
Devon TQ9 6EJ:

■Tuesday 20th October, Studio 4, 6pm: Writer’s Talk – Tony Lopez
discusses his recent book Darwin
■Thursday 19th November, Studio 3, 7.30pm: Dartington Campus
Readings 2 – Harriet Tarlo and David Prior

LONDON: Camden Poetry Series

Friday, 30th October, 2009, 7pm (doors open 6.30pm), £4/£3, wine
Trinity United Reform Church
1 Buck Street,
Camden Town,
London
(2 minutes Camden Town tube.)

Ruth O'Callaghan presents Shoestring poets Mike Bartholomew-Biggs, Mandy Coe and Cathy Grindrod.

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.

Proceeds to the Cold Weather Shelter for the Homeless.

SHEFFIELD: Opus and WordLife present the ‘Best of Shef’

Saturday, October 17th, 2009, 8pm, £5
Cafe Euro

Off The Shelf Literature Festival
Showcasing the best poets writing in Sheffield today; River Wolton (Derbyshire Poet Laureate), Helen Mort (Eric Gregory Award, Manchester Young Writer Award), Matt Clegg (Eric Gregory Award), Matt Black (Arts Council Writers Award), Ben Wilkinson (Tall-Lighthouse) with a live
performance from blues guitarist Andrew Duxfield.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

BIRMINGHAM: 'Rhymes' Halloween special

Thursday, October 29th, 2009, 8pm, £5
Custard Factory Reception

Feel free to dress for the occasion in appropriate ghoulish attire

Poets:
Brendan Higgins is insightful, spiteful, frightful and delightful and full of grit, wit and spit that will educate, suffocate and subjugate.

Marcus Ascotti hails from Campania, Southern Italy. Facially disfigured and tormented by his past, Ascotti roams the free world, casting dark light about him with his verses of division, frustrated love and parricide.

Simon Lee: Solicitor by day and poet by night, Simon likes to think of himself as the poet law-reate... though it's doubtful that anyone else does. Simon is a seasoned poetry slammer, including a win at last year's Cheltenham Science Festival slam.

Nicola Goff-The-Goth, bringer of joy and upliftment to audiences with her observations and inspirational songs about the world, sings to save the planet...although it's probably too late...

Guest MC: This month Rhymes will be resided over by America’s secret weapon of mass depression who's not remotely excited by Halloween, as in Melinda Deathgoth’s world, every day is Halloween, leave your optimism outside, it is futile!

Plus: The Scarily Cheap Rhymes Raffle, The Hideous Wordbag Challenge, and a seriously spine chilling Goth-Off!

LONDON: Mesoteric Poetic Meal

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

LEAMINGTON SPA: PUREandGOODandRIGHT

Sunday, October 25th, 2009, 7.30pm, £3 (£2 Student/OAP)
The Stables,
Newbold Comyn Arms,
Newbold Terrace East,
Leamington Spa,
CV32 4EU
(please follow directions from the pub’s website as the postcode information is misleading if you are using GPS or multimap).

Our special guest for October is the highly recommended and published poet Emily Wills.

She lives and works in Gloucestershire. She has had two collections published by The Rialto: Diverting the Sea (2000) and Developing the Negative (2008). Emily has read at various festivals including Ledbury and Aldeburgh, and was a semi-finalist in the first (and only) poetry slam in Wotton-under-Edge. She is an enthusiastic, if occasional, poetry tutor and has been poet in residence in a GP surgery.

Her poems have appeared in magazines including Anon, Iota, Magma, Other Poetry, Acumen, Quattrocentro, Seam, Smiths Knoll, Staple, The Frogmore Papers, The Rialto and in the anthologies Reactions 2 and 3, published by UEA.

With open mic support from…….yes……YOU!
Come and share your poems - seasoned poets & first time performers most welcome! We aim for a 7.30pm start, so please arrive a bit earlier to book a slot!!!

If you're planning to come along, or would like to know more about the night, please email pgrpoetryandpints@talktalk.net

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

SHEFFIELD: Off The Shelf Literature Festival

Saturday, October 24th, 2009, £5, 8pm
Cafe Euro

Opus and WordLife presents Featured Poets, at Off The Shelf Literature Festival

A night of celebrated performance poets from across the country; featuring Byron Vincent (regular at Latitude and Glastonbury festival), A F Harrold ('This yak-poet is Spike Milligan and Peter Cook rolled into one.' -Daljit Nagra), Mark Gwynne Jones (‘inspired…one of the most accomplished performance poets in the land’ – The Guardian) and a live acoustic performance from one of Sheffield’s finest singer/songwriters, Louis Romegoux.

WIVENHOE: Katrina Naomi and Denis Ahern

Thursday, 22nd October, 2009, 8pm, £5 on the door
The Greyhound,
High Street,
Wivenhoe
Essex

Katrina Naomi and Denis Ahern at poetrywivenhoe

Limited floor spots available

Contact Chris Tanner 0784 074 5220 for further information





Essex Poetry Festival - October
www.essex-poetry-festival.co.uk

CAMBRIDGE: CB1 Poetry presents Ross Sutherland and Tim Wells

Tuesday, 27th October, 2009, 8pm
The Punter Pub,
Pound Hill,
Cambridge (behind Kettles Yard)

Ross Sutherland (listed in the top 10 literary stars of 2008 by The Sunday Times).
Tim Wells ("poet of wit and brilliance" - The Guardian). He is also the Kaiser Chiefs' favourite poet, no less.

There will be a short Open Mic

Visit www.cb1poetry.org.uk for further details

Monday, October 12, 2009

CAMBRIDGE: CB1 Poetry

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009, 8pm (doors open 7.30pm), £5/£3
Michaelhouse,
Trinity Street,
Cambridge

Readers are the 2009 winners of the Faber New Poet Awards - Fiona Benson, Heather Phillipson, Toby Martinez de las Rivas and Jack Underwood.

Matthew Hollis, Faber Poetry Editor, will be introducing them and also reading. There will be a short discussion after the reading, with an opportunity for questions from the floor.

Visit our website at www.cb1poetry.org.uk for further details.

LONDON: Ride The Word XIII

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009, 7pm-9.30pm, FREE
ICA lounge-bar
ICA,
The Mall,
London
SW1Y 5AH

CAST: An all-Salt line-up of Mike Barlow, Vanessa Gebbie, Katy Evans-Bush, Jay Merill and Vincent De Souza

plus

guest Pen Pusher magazine, with editor Anna Goodall, and readers Roddy Lumsden and Sara Freeman

plus limited open mic slots

Hosted by Jay Merill and Vincent De Souza

LONDON: Lumen Poetry Series

Tuesday, 13th October, 2009, 6.30pm for 7pm, £4/£3, wine
LUMEN
88 Tavistock Place
WC1
Tubes: Russell Square, Kings Cross, St Pancras

An invitation to the launch of A Compression of Distances (Daphne Gloag), This Is The Woman Who (Claudia Jessop), plus a reading of Cuba In The Blood (Wendy Klein).

Poets from the floor also welcome. Please bring a copy of your poem if you wish to be considered for the anthology sponsored by Cinnamon Press in aid of the Cold Weather Shelter .

About the poet:
Daphne Gloag’s poetry has an extraordinary range of reference: to books, artists, architecture, place and the physical universe. What is remarkable about her writing is the way in which she investigates these interests and uses them to illuminate human experience, in particular her close relationship with the you the poems often address. Here is a distinctive voice, both enquiring and lyrical, which affirms life and celebrates love.

All proceeds to the Cold Weather Shelter.

LONDON: Cinnamon Press launches



An invitation to the launch of A Compression of Distances (Daphne Gloag), This is the woman who (Claudia Jessop), plus a reading of Cuba in the Blood (Wendy Klein)

Tuesday 13th October.
6.30 for 7.00p.m.



LUMEN 88 Tavistock Place W.C.1 Tubes: Russell Square, Kings Cross, St Pancras. Entry £4/£3 Wine, proceeds to the Cold Weather Shelter.



Poets from the Floor also welcome. Please bring a copy of your poem if you wish to be considered for the anthology sponsored by Cinnamon Press in aid of the Cold Weather Shelter.

LONDON: Hammer and Tongue

Monday, October 12th, 2009, 7.30pm-11pm, £5/£4
Green Note Café
106 Parkway
Camden
London

London’s feistiest and finest slam night presents ‘astounding’ Welsh performer Rhian Edwards, with support from up-and-coming Londoner Alex Gwyther for the second night of our autumn season.

A poet and singer-song writer, Rhian’s poetry reflects her entanglement with musical rhythm and her pamphlet Parade the Fib (tall-lighthouse, 2008) was awarded the Poetry Book Society pamphlet choice for autumn 2008. Having delivered 300 stage, radio and festival performances worldwide since she started writing poetry six years ago, Rhian’s deliciously acid tongue and arresting characterisations leave audiences breathless. Her poems bristle with sensual wit, chronicling relationships young and old, personal portraits and the minutiae of life as we live it.

Winner of the Hammer and Tongue Braindrop slam in August, Alex is a fast ascending light in the UK spoken word scene. Having taken the title of Farrago slam champion earlier this year, Gwyther will be appearing alongside the One Taste collective and in Trafalgar Square as part of London’s Week of Peace in late September.

There are 8 slots up for grabs in the open slam - sign up from 7pm on the door to take a place for your chance to win a place in the H&T London final.

Contact: Michelle Madsen on 07809 236 133

http://twitter.com/hammerandtongue
http://www.myspace.com/hammerandtonguelondon

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

LONDON: Tongue Fu

Thursday, October 8th, 2009, 8pm, £5
Rich Mix
35 - 47 Bethnal Green Road,
London,
E1 6LA
Box Office 020 7613 7498
Online: www.richmix.org.uk/bookings

Tongue Fu
Hosted by Ventriloquist and The Tongue Fu Band. Featuring poetic polemicist in residence Shane Solanki (Last Mango in Paris), with Dizraeli, Inua Ellams, Caroline Bird and Malik Marland.

At Tongue Fu, the finest spoken word artists from the UK and beyond are invited to flex their most potent lyrical moves to an improvised soundtrack of broken jazz from the Tongue Fu Band.
http://www.richmix.org.uk/aandc_whatson.htm

TONBRIDGE: Michael McKimm

Thursday 8th October, 2009, 7.30pm, £6
EM Forster Theatre,
Tonbridge School
Kent
e-mail: boxoffice@tonbridge-school.org
tel: 01732 304 241

Michael McKimm was born in Belfast in 1983 and grew up near the Giant’s Causeway. He graduated from the Warwick Writing Programme in 2004 and won an Eric Gregory Award in 2007. He lives in London, where he works for the Geological Society Library. His poetry is widely published, most recently in Dossier Journal (New York), Horizon Review, Magma, PN Review, The Warwick Review, The Wolf and The Best of Irish Poetry 2010 (edited by Matthew Sweeney). He has read his work throughout the UK and Ireland, including at the Ledbury Poetry Festival, the Stanza Festival and the Solstice Festival in Co. Kerry. Still This Need, his first full-length collection, was published by Heaventree in 2009.

SOUTHEND: Allison McVety and Susan Utting

Wednesday, 7th October, 2009, 8pm, £2
Naval and Military Club,
20 Royal Terrace,
Southend-on-Sea,
Essex
SS1 1DU

Reading at Southend Poetry Group by Allison McVety and Susan Utting, as part of Essex Poetry Festival.

LONDON: Linton Kwesi Johnson

WEDNESDAY 7 OCTOBER
LINTON KWESI JOHNSON HEADLINES TUC's POETRY NIGHT

In a highly innovative move the Trades Union Congress has chosen poetry as a way to celebrate the cause of 'decent work'. Wednesday 7 October sees a superb line up of poets united around the the theme of 'Rhyme, Rhythm & Reason.' Headlining will be the legendary Linton Kwesi Johnson, making a rare London live appearance. Linton will be showcasing his work of dissenting poetry, with fellow dub poet, the incomparable Jean 'Binta' Breeze. The night also features one of the best of a new generation of young spoken word artists, poet Laura Dockrill, see http://www.myspace.com/lauradockrill

And opening the night, Congolese band, The Zong Zing All Stars.

Combining the rhyme and the rhythm with some reason will be TUC Deputy General Secretary Frances O' Grady and Paul Mason author of Meltdown : The End of the Age of Greed.

Rhyme Rhythm & Reason is a TUC night out for the 'World Day for Decent Work'. This global campaign demands that Decent work must be at the centre of government actions to bring back economic growth and build a new global economy that puts people first. The campaign defines 'decent work' as founded on recognition of trade union rights, accountable governance and sustainable, green investment. With activities from Australia to Zanzibar the TUC concert is a major contribution to the day's international impact.

Wednesday 7 October, advance booking is strongly advised. At TUC Congress Centre. 23-28 Great Russell Street, London WC1.

Tickets are just just £9.99. Booking from here

Or call 020 8802 3499

Monday, October 05, 2009

BIRMINGHAM: Sunday Xpress Open Mic

SHEFFIELD: Opus and WordLife present the ‘Best of Shef’

Saturday, October 17th, 2009, 8pm, £5
Cafe Euro

Off The Shelf Literature Festival
Showcasing the best poets writing in Sheffield today; River Wolton (Derbyshire Poet Laureate), Helen Mort (Eric Gregory Award, Manchester Young Writer Award), Matt Clegg (Eric Gregory Award), Matt Black (Arts Council Writers Award), Ben Wilkinson (Tall-Lighthouse) with a live
performance from blues guitarist Andrew Duxfield.

CAMBRIDGE: CB1 Poetry

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009, 8pm (doors open 7.30pm), £5/£3
Michaelhouse,
Trinity Street,
Cambridge

Readers are the 2009 winners of the Faber New Poet Awards - Fiona Benson, Heather Phillipson, Toby Martinez de las Rivas and Jack Underwood.

Matthew Hollis, Faber Poetry Editor, will be introducing them and also reading. There will be a short discussion after the reading, with an opportunity for questions from the floor.

Visit our website at www.cb1poetry.org.uk for further details.

LONDON: Shearsman Reading Series

Tuesday, 6th October, 2009, 7.30pm, FREE
Swedenborg Hall
Swedenborg House
20/21 Bloomsbury Way
London
WC1A 2TH

Entrance is around the corner on Barter Street.

Details of the new collections that will be launched on the evening:
http://www.shearsman.com/pages/books/catalog/2009/gardner.html
http://www.shearsman.com/pages/books/catalog/2009/selerie.html

Biographical details may be found here:
http://www.shearsman.com/pages/books/authors/gardnerA.html
http://www.shearsman.com/pages/books/authors/selerieA.html

Disabled access is available, but please let us know in advance if it is required.

Saturday, October 03, 2009

WARWICK: Peter Carpenter and Matt Nunn

Sunday, October 4th, 2009, 1pm, FREE
Kozi Bar,
Market Square,
Warwick.

A Warwick Words Festival Event

To celebrate the launch of Peter Carpenter's After The Goldrush and Matt Nunn's Sounds In The Grass from Nine Arches Press, the poets discuss their unique perspectives on the English landscape with poet and Director of the Warwick Writing Programme, David Morley.

Whether it is the post-industrial wayside spaces in-between the Midlands' cities and country of Matt Nunn's raw and subversive poems, or Peter Carpenter's subtle yet disarming work that inhabits the hinterlands of the commuter-belt South East, both have plenty to say about the environs in and about which they write.

Discover how poetry today interprets and reinvents the unexpected and often unsung places in which we find ourselves.

About these books:

AFTER THE GOLD RUSH
Peter Carpenter
Peter Carpenter’s poetry is radiant with quiet surprises, important moments captured in the folds of an old document wallet, in back gardens or on winter sea-fronts, buried in the sand or hidden by the noise of a football crowd. Such moments take flight to uncover a distinctive take on both ‘the here and now’ and the echoes of public and private histories. After the Goldrush is thus of its time and about time, in the attentive, skilful hands of a poet truly hitting his stride.

SOUNDS IN THE GRASS
Matt Nunn
Join Matt Nunn as he travels through the spaces that define us, taking in subjects as diverse as Mother Nature, the back catalogues of youth, breaking down at the greasy spoon and hitting the highways, all accompanied by generous and bittersweet helpings of food, sex and music. Matt Nunn’s third collection, following on from Apocalyptic Bubblegum and Happy cos I’m Blue is his most complete yet.

CHELTENHAM: Buzzwords Poetry Night

Sunday, 4th October, upstairs at The Exmouth Arms, Bath Road , Cheltenham

Guest poet - Katrina Porteous
Katrina is coming a long way - from Northumberland, so please come and support her!

7pm Workshop led by Katrina Porteous
8pm - Readings and open mic

Entrance: minimum £3, £5 if you are able

Thursday, October 01, 2009

ROCHFORD: Three Essex Poets

Friday, 2nd October, 2009, 8pm-9.30pm
Rochford Library,
8 Roche Close,
Rochford,
Essex
SS4 1PX

Three Essex poets, Derek Adams, Tim Cunningham and Adrian Green, read as part of Essex Poetry Festival.

Telephone: 01702 546 688 to book.