Monday, November 29, 2010

LEICESTER: Shindig!

Monday 13th December, 2010, 7.30pm, FREE
The Looking Glass,
68-70 Braunstone Gate,
Leicester

The Leicester launch of Matt Merritt's second collection, hydrodaktulopsychicharmonica, with readings from Matt Merritt and special guest poets Alan Baker, Marilyn Ricci and Malcolm Dewhirst.
Matt Merritt’s second collection of poetry, published in November 2010, is hydrodaktulopsychicharmonica. His debut full collection, Troy Town, was published byArrowhead Press in 2008, and a chapbook, Making The Most Of The Light, by HappenStance in 2005. He was born in Leicester and lives nearby, works as a wildlife journalist, is an editor of Poets On Fire, and blogs at http://polyolbion.blogspot.com.

Marilyn Ricci began to write seriously about 15 years ago.  It’s no good asking her to stop now, it’s compulsive.  Her work has appeared in anthologies and many small press magazines.  Her pamphlet: Rebuilding a Number 39 was published by Happenstance Press in 2008.

Alan Baker founded Leafe Press in 2000 and is now co-editor. He's edited Litter magazine since 2005. He has published several short collections, and has a new book forthcoming from Skysill Press: Variations on Painting a Room: Poems 2000-2010.

Malcolm Dewhirst - A poet, writer and filmmaker based in Tamworth who is project director of Polesworth’s Poets Trail. Malcolm’s poetry has been published in magazines and anthologies; he is working on his first collection of poems. His films include Pollysworda and the film poem Yell!

Open mic slots also available, please sign up on the door.

LONDON: Kid, I Wrote Back

Monday, 13th December, 2010, 7pm-10pm, £3 on the door / FREE to perform
Bar Kick Stage,
127 Shoreditch High Street,
London,
E1 6JE
Nearest Tube: Liverpool St/Old St

kidiwroteback@instorage.org.uk
facebook.com/kidiwroteback
myspace.com/kidiwroteback
07793019343

Kid, I Wrote back...Christmas Special!

Purposefully breaking free from promoting any one verse, word, voice or style, KID, I WROTE BACK stamps a defiantly individual mark onto the capital's red-ripe spoken word and poetry scene and invites both established and as yet unheard talent to the stage to perform.

If you would like to perform email kidiwroteback@instorage.org.uk or get there early on the night to sign up.

LONDON: Jazz Verse Jukebox

Sunday, December 12th, 2010, doors open 6.30pm, show 8pm, £7 (tickets only available on door)
Upstairs @ Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club (Aka Ronnie's Bar),
47 Frith Street,
London
W1D 4HT

JAZZ VERSE JUKEBOX
Join us as we celebrate an early Poetic Christmas, featuring Francesca Beard, Jacob Sam-La Rose, Agnes Meadows, West End Gospel Choir plus open mic for poets/singers.
Web :www.jumokefashola.com
Email: JazzVerseJukebox@me.com

FRANCESCA BEARD
London-based Francesca Beard was born in Malaysia. She performs poetry and runs workshops all over the world with the British Council. She’s been called ‘spine-tingling’ (Independent) and ‘The Queen of British Performance Poetry (Metro.) She is currently working on ‘London Tales’, an interactive story-telling platform for live and on-line participants with B3 Media, supported by The Arts Council, England. To find out more, please visit www.francescabeard.com

JACOB SAM-LA ROSE
Jacob Sam-La Rose’s poetry has been described as “fresh, vivid and masterly” (Poetry Book Society), “pensive and carefully structured” (Lauri Ramey, Director of the Center for Contemporary Poetry and Poetics, Los Angeles) and “wonderfully ironic” (Stephen Waling, The State of British Poetry). His poetry is grounded in a belief that poetry can be a powerful force within a community, as well as for individuals, particularly for young people and that it is possible to combine the strong audience connection/ immediacy of performance poetry with the rigor of traditional printed page poetry. His work has been published in ‘Identity Parade: New British & Irish Poets” (Bloodaxe), Penguin’s Poems For Love (Penguin), Red (Peepal Tree Press) and ‘I Have Found A Song’ (Enitharmon Press) among other anthologies and journals. Jacob is a poetry editor for flipped eye press, and is an advocate for positive impacts of web-based technology on literary, artistic and cultural practice and inter-exchange.

AGNES MEADOWS
Agnes Meadows currently lives in London, and has been gypsying around the world since she was 15, making her home in places as diverse as Mexico, the Philippines, Australia and Turkey. Her poetry is a reflection of her urban experience, the things she has seen and felt both at home and overseas, in love and out of it. She has an established reputation on the Performance Poetry scene in the UK, and has toured both nationally and internationally, performing all over the world, most recently in Singapore and Malaysia. Agnes has been an adviser on Poetry for Channel 4 TV. She is also on the Board of Apples & Snakes, the UK’s premier poetry/spoken word organisation, and is now an Advisory Board member of the Austin International Poetry Festival. Agnes has written five books of poetry, entitled “You and Me” , “Quantum Love”, “Woman”, and “At Damascus Gate on Good Friday”, and “This One Is For You”, the latter published by Flipped Eye Publishing in November 2009. Agnes has also produced a CD of her poetry with music, called “Blues Shakin’ My Heels’.

WITH MUSIC FROM
THE WEST END GOSPEL CHOIR a dynamic choir which is made up of performers who have appeared in or are currently appearing in a variety of West End productions including:- WE WILL ROCK YOU, WICKED, DIRTY DANCING, THRILLER, JOSEPH, DANCING IN THE STREETS, JERRY SPRINGER, THE LION KING and LES MISERABLES.

NAILSWORTH: Grey Hen Press reading

Tuesday, November 30th, 2010, 7pm-8.30pm
Friends Meeting House,
Chestnut Hill,
Nailsworth,
Gloucestershire

A reading from the Grey Hen Press anthology Cracking On: poems about ageing by older women. With Ann Drysdale, June Hall, Joy Howard and Pat Simmons. Sponsored by The Yellow-lighted Bookshop.

Saturday, November 27, 2010

MILTON KEYNES: Tongue In Chic

Sunday, 28th November 2010, door open 7pm, £6/£4 in advance or £7/£5 on door
Madcap,
Creed Street,
Wolverton
Milton Keynes

GERRY POTTER HEADLINES
The November show welcomes Liverpool poet Gerry Potter to Milton Keynes. Gerry previously performed in the guise of Chloe Poems but now performs as himself. Gerry’s second collection of biographical poetry, Planet Middle Age, is published by Flapjack Press in 2010 and continues the journey started in Planet Young. Gerry read at the Buxton Fringe for us and he is an energetic and engaging performer and poet I’m sure you’ll enjoy.

OPEN MIC SESSIONS
Open Mic spots are available as ever so you can have your three minutes of fame. I am always pleased to hear comment from guest poets about how strong the local scene is, so please come and continue the tradition.

For more information on the show or Open Mic opportunities, email Mark Niel at markniel@gmail.com or call 01908 691755 to reserve tickets.

LEAMINGTON SPA: PUREandGOODandRIGHT

Sunday, 28th November, 2010, 7.30pm, £3 (£2 Student/OAP)
The Sozzled Sausage,
Leamington Spa
CV32 4NX.

Each month we invite a fabulous guest performance poet. This month we are delighted to have with us the highly amusing and very clever Heather Wastie. She is a wordsmith, humorist and musician with a rich professional life as poet, composer, singer, songwriter, keyboard player and facilitator. She has published three illustrated poetry collections and often uses technology to create innovative pieces including music, spoken word and found sound. She is proud to be winner of the first PureandGoodandRight Poetry Slam in August 2010!

When performing, she can be rather schizophrenic, taking on a range of different characters and moods. People have described her as multi-talented, a polymath, and have said that her work is clever, sophisticated, funny, touching, original, quirky, probing and poignant. On November 28th, at our fantastic new venue, she will attempt to live up to this reputation by performing poems and songs which represent and illuminate the range of her work to date.

If you would like to know more about Heather, see http://tiny.cc/Wasties_Space

DEFINITELY AN EVENING NOT TO BE MISSED!
With open mic support from…….yes……YOU!
Come and share your poems - seasoned poets & first time performers most welcome!

If you're planning to come along, or would like to know more about the night, please email pgrpoetry@gmail.com

Remember to check out our new blog at http://pgrpoetry.blogspot.com !!!

Friday, November 26, 2010

LONDON: Camden Poetry Series

Friday, 3rd December 2010, 7pm (doors open 6.30pm), £5/£4, Wine
Trinity United Reform Church,
1 Buck Street,
Camden Town

Free Raffle (Could you bear to miss this!!!)

Ruth O'Callaghan presents Charles Bennett and Caroline Gilfillan. Poets from the floor very welcome (some longer spots available). Please bring a copy of the poem if you wish to be considered for the new anthology. This year the anthology is edited by Ruth O'Callaghan.

GALWAY: Sarah Clancy launch

Friday, December 10th, 2010, 6pm, FREE
Charlie Byrne's Bookshop,
Galway

Stacey and The Mechanical Bull (Lapwing Press), the debut poetry collection by Sarah Clancy, will be launched by Kevin Higgins. All welcome.

Sarah Clancy is from Salthill. She is a participant in the Galway Arts Centre Poetry Workshops facilitated by Kevin Higgins and has read her poetry at North Beach Poetry Nights, the Over The Edge open-mic and was a Featured Reader at the August Over The Edge: Open Reading. This year, in a display of what she describes as beginners luck, Sarah was shortlisted in both the poetry section of the WOW awards 2010, the Listowel Writers Week Collection of Poetry Competition 2010 and the Over The Edge New Writer of The Year Competition. Her poems have been published in Revival, Dogs Singing (Edited by Jessie Lendennie, Salmon Poetry 2010) and Behind The Masks, the anthology of poems by participants in the advanced poetry workshop at Galway Arts Centre. Stacey and the Mechanical Bull is published by Lapwing Press in Belfast and is Sarah’s debut collection of poetry.

For further details 087-6431748.

LEWES: Needlewriters

Thursday, December 9th, 2010, doors open 7pm, readings 7.45pm, £5/£3 in advance from Skylark (Needlemakers) or at the door on the night.
Needlemakers Café,
West Street,
Lewes

Poetry from Judith Kazantzis and Lee Harwood, and prose from Clare Best.

Clare Best is the author of Treasure Ground (HappenStance, 2009), a collection of poems written during a residency at Woodlands Organic Farm on the Lincolnshire fens. She is completing her first full collection, Spoil. Tonight she will be reading from her prose memoir (work in progress) – reflections on growing up in a family shaped by loss, ghosts and silence.

Judith Kazantzis, an award winning poet and Lewesian, tonight launches the reissue of one of her best praised books, The Odysseus Poems, finely republished by Waterloo Press. Hear Homer’s voices as never before, voices human and inhuman, divine and monstrous, lying, lustful, loving. Here is Skylla of the dog-headed tentacles, and her opposite, Penelope, mistress of the art of flirtatious weaving. And Numero Uno, Odysseus himself:  laddish wanderer or victim of fate? Would Homer have approved? Yours to decide.

Lee Harwood lives by the sea in Brighton. His most recent books were Collected Poems (2004), Selected Poems (2008) and Not the full story - six interviews by Kelvin Corcoran (2008), all published by Shearsman Books.

If you plan to have supper at the Café, it’s probably a good idea to arrive in time to order and eat before the readings start.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

OXFORD: Cabaret Clandestino

Saturday, December 4th, 2010, £6
The East Oxford Community Centre
Oxford
OX4 1DD

A F Harrold
Comic surrealism from one of the country's best loved stand-up poets
Plus music, circus, live visual dance and more.
Hosted by Pete the Temp
Coming from out of town? Contact managementptt@gmail.com for a sofa!
www.myspace.com/cabaretclandestino

Pete Bearder
www.myspace.com/petethetemp
www.hammerandtongue.co.uk
www.myspace.com/cabaretclandestino

BIRMINGHAM: Hit the Ode

Thursday, 25th November, 7.30 pm, £5
The Victoria
48 John Bright Street
Birmingham
B1 1BN

Brought to you by Apples & Snakes, "Hit the Ode" is the newest addition to the brummie spoken word scene. Each night will feature three hand-picked poets: one from the West Midlands, one from elsewhere in the UK, and one international spoken word star. Open mic slots available too!

This inaugural edition brings three amazing poets (and one musician) to the Victoria:

Kim Trusty - a Birmingham-based poet from beyond the Atlantic, Kim entices audiences with her on-stage charisma and masterful wordplay. Kim has toured England with the spoken word shows Word Temple and Temptation, and has appeared as a guest artist at many venues nationwide, including the Southbank Centre, Soho Theatre, Ways with Words Festival, Latitude Festival, and the Big Chill.

Tony Walsh - a true giant of the Manchester scene, Tony Walsh takes audiences on a rock and rollercoaster ride from comedy to tragedy, from the deadly serious to the seriously deadly. Tony has shared a stage with many top UK and international performance poets and has been published in magazines and anthologies alongside works from Simon Armitage, Benjamin Zephaniah, Roger McGough and Adrian Mitchell.

Ian Keteku & Brad Morden - straight from Canada comes poet & MC Ian Keteku, the reigning poetry slam World Champion! Ian uses his voice to speak for the voiceless, and inspire messages of critical thought. He has shared the stage with artists such as Ursula Rucker, members of the Wu Tang Clan, and Saul Williams. Ian is joined on his European tour by his compatriot, Brad Morden, a ukulele-wielding bard whose musical and poetic travels have taken him from Sarajevo to Little Corn Island in the Caribbean.

Note: if you write and perform poetry yourself - there will be a (very) few open mic slots available. Get there early on the day to sign up!

Info: bohdan@applesandsnakes.org / 0121 3332428

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

MILTON KEYNES: Tongue In Chic

Sunday, 28th November 2010, door open 7pm, £6/£4 in advance or £7/£5 on door
Madcap,
Creed Street,
Wolverton
Milton Keynes

GERRY POTTER HEADLINES
The November show welcomes Liverpool poet Gerry Potter to Milton Keynes. Gerry previously performed in the guise of Chloe Poems but now performs as himself. Gerry’s second collection of biographical poetry, Planet Middle Age, is published by Flapjack Press in 2010 and continues the journey started in Planet Young. Gerry read at the Buxton Fringe for us and he is an energetic and engaging performer and poet I’m sure you’ll enjoy.

OPEN MIC SESSIONS
Open Mic spots are available as ever so you can have your three minutes of fame. I am always pleased to hear comment from guest poets about how strong the local scene is, so please come and continue the tradition.

For more information on the show or Open Mic opportunities, email Mark Niel at markniel@gmail.com or call 01908 691755 to reserve tickets.

Monday, November 22, 2010

LEAMINGTON SPA: PUREandGOODandRIGHT

Sunday, 28th November, 2010, 7.30pm, £3 (£2 Student/OAP)
The Sozzled Sausage,
Leamington Spa
CV32 4NX.

Each month we invite a fabulous guest performance poet. This month we are delighted to have with us the highly amusing and very clever Heather Wastie. She is a wordsmith, humorist and musician with a rich professional life as poet, composer, singer, songwriter, keyboard player and facilitator. She has published three illustrated poetry collections and often uses technology to create innovative pieces including music, spoken word and found sound. She is proud to be winner of the first PureandGoodandRight Poetry Slam in August 2010!

When performing, she can be rather schizophrenic, taking on a range of different characters and moods. People have described her as multi-talented, a polymath, and have said that her work is clever, sophisticated, funny, touching, original, quirky, probing and poignant. On November 28th, at our fantastic new venue, she will attempt to live up to this reputation by performing poems and songs which represent and illuminate the range of her work to date.

If you would like to know more about Heather, see http://tiny.cc/Wasties_Space

DEFINITELY AN EVENING NOT TO BE MISSED!
With open mic support from…….yes……YOU!
Come and share your poems - seasoned poets & first time performers most welcome!

If you're planning to come along, or would like to know more about the night, please email pgrpoetry@gmail.com

Remember to check out our new blog at http://pgrpoetry.blogspot.com !!!

LONDON: BEAT

Monday, November 22nd, 2010, 8pm, FREE
Charlie Wright's
45 Pitfield Street,
N1 6DA
London

BEAT

These are delicate times for the spoken word. So called free governments all around us are doing their best to infringe free speach. Some words are nowadays to delicate to utter.

We will deal with this important issue at BEAT, the same way we always do; handled with care.

BEAT presents a veritable smorgasbord of delicate flowers, crystal sharp talent and verbal time bombs, gently wrapped in the warm atmosphere that is Charlie Wright's.

Our firecrackers for tonight are:
Michelle Madsen - Miss Hammer & Tongue London
Dudley Sutton - The King of the Comic Couplette
Mark Walton - Frostbitten Canal Romantic Mark Walton returns to BEAT long overdue!
Captain of the Rant - ensuring the angry level's kept above room
temperature
Graham Buchan - fever inflicted by our favourite cynic laser
Alexander Thanni - you can't get political with diginity without - the Reverend
Andreas Grant - BEAT host/producer who promises to (try to) behave tonight...

plus more to be announced!

LONDON: wordPLAY Cystic Fibrosis Trust fundraiser

Tuesday, 23rd November, 2010, 7pm-11pm, 7pm for 8pm start, £4.50/£3.50
Good Ship,
Kilburn
London

wordPLAY presents Breathe In, Speak, Breathe Out - a fundraiser for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust featuring Indigo Williams, Nick Makoha, The Leano, Shabby Eliot-Katchadourian, Allan Burroughs, Tony White and Susan Gray.

Indigo Williams http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myYUi6rGP_U - in a word, powerful
Nick Makoha http://www.myspace.com/urspirit - Tate gallery collaborator treats us to his accomplished words
The Leano http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBuRbw-lIqI - Spoken word and music collective ask you to 'forget the screwface, here's the new face...smile'
Shabby Eliot-Katchadourian http://bb-http://cache.channel4.com/bigbrother/housemate/shabby/profile/display.c4 - She may have escaped from Big Brother this year but she won't escape the lure of wordPLAY! Mwa ha ha!!
Allan Burroughs - excellent short story writer shares his wonderful words
Tony White - http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/about_us/about_the_museum/art/writer_in_residence.aspx - Prolific writer who is always turning his hand to amazing new projects, doing his bit to 'spread the word'
Susan Gray - http://www.writeoutloud.net/On-Line_Encyclopedia_of_Integer_Sequences/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=10137 - Acclaimed member of The Roundhouse Collective lets rip for your benefit

Love wordPLAY? Join the wordPLAY page here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/London-United-Kingdom/wordPLAY/83838702308?ref=ts

For more info on wordPLAY: http://www.fat-quarter.co.uk/archives/936

For further info/submissions for consideration: wordplaylondon@hotmail.co.uk

Saturday, November 20, 2010

NOTTINGHAM: Shindig!

Sunday, 21st November, 2010, 7pm onwards, FREE
Jam Cafe,
12 Heathcote Street,
Nottingham
NG1 3AA

Nottingham Shindig! and the launch of Matt Merritt's second collection, hydrodaktulopsychicharmonica

Join us for open mic readings (sign up on the door) and special guest poets Robin Vaughan-Williams, Matt Merritt, David Morley and Sarah Jackson.

Matt Merritt's collection hydrodaktulopsycicharmonica follows his debut Troy Town (2008) and HappenStance pamphlet Making The Most Of The Light (2005). He works as a wildlife journalist and blogs at http://polyolbion.blogspot.com/

Robin Vaughan-Williams's sequence The Manager (Happenstance) charts the backwaters of managerial reality. He was commissioned to write Time Is Running Out! for Off the Shelf Festival in 2009, and produced the performance collages Verbiage and Demolition in Sheffield, where he also ran the Spoken Word Antics radio show and event series. He lived in Iceland for a while before moving more recently to Nottingham. www.zeroquality.net.

David Morley is a British poet, critic, anthologist, editor and scientist of partly Romani extraction. He has published 18 books, including nine collections of poetry. His work has been translated into several languages including Arabic. His forthcoming collection from Carcanet will be titled Enchantment.

Sarah Jackson's pamphlet, Milk (Pighog 2008), was shortlisted for the inaugural Michael Marks Award and her work is featured in Voice Recognition: 21 Poets for the 21st Century (Bloodaxe 2009). She is a lecturer in English and Creative Writing at Nottingham Trent University, where she is currently the programme leader for the MA in Creative Writing.

This event is co-hosted by LeftLion Magazine and kindly sponsored by Writing East Midlands.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

BIRMINGHAM: Spoken Word Allstars

Saturday, November 20th, 8pm-10.30pm
MAC Centre,
Birmingham

Poet in the City and Apples & Snakes have taken five poets and one globally-acclaimed musician, and given them free rein to create a spectacular evening of wall-to-wall words with an unflagging backbeat.

The All Star cast...
Kate Tempest - Hellfiery powerhouse of socio-poetry
El Crisis - combines a hypnotic mixture of rap, spoken word, song and chant.
OneNess - Spoken-word Soulsista from Grenada
Kat Francois - Slamtastic, superphysical storyteller
Ventriloquist - Wordsmith wizard from the West
Jason Yarde - the King of improv Sax.

The All Stars national tour launched at Latitude Festival and proceeds hence forth across the country. Catch this great poetry tour at the recently re-opened MAC Centre this autumn.
www.applesandsnakes.org

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

LONDON: Attila The Stockbroker

Wednesday, 1st December, 2010, 8pm, £8 / £6conc / £6 under-26
Soho Theatre,
21 Dean Street,
London
W1D 3NE
Booking: 020 7478 0100 / www.sohotheatre.com
Info: www.applesandsnakes.org

APPLES & SNAKES IN SOHO: FEATURING ATTILA THE STOCKBROKER

A night of socially aware poetry with a comic sting in its tail, Apples & Snakes brings the sharp-tongued, high energy, social surrealist rebel poet and songwriter, Attila the Stockbroker to Soho Theatre plus madcap Niall Spooner-Harvey and multiple slam-winner Hollie McNish.

LONDON: How not to be afraid of the dark

Monday, 29th November, 2010, 7pm
National Maritime Museum,
Greenwich
SE10 9NF

Booking and further details at http://www.nmm.ac.uk/visit/events/how-not-to-be-afraid-of-the-dark

Astrophysicist Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell talks about the way poetry has inspired and influenced her work with readings from some of her favorite poems. Jocelyn discovered pulsars, a new type of super-dense star, in 1967 and recently edited the Gulbenkian Foundation's anthology "Dark Matter: Poems of Space" with Maurice Riordan - a project which included pairing contemporary poets with astronomers to produce new works. Her talk is accompanied by a short play from Honeysuckle Direction.

LEWES: Lewes Poetry

Thursday, November 18th, 2010, 8.15pm (door), 8.45pm (show), £3
Lewes Arms,
Mount Place,
Lewes

The final gig of the current season features Emilia Telese, Vic Elsey, Mark Ellender, Robyn Houghton, Ged Bindon, Elle Osborne, Peter Maguire, Louise Taylor and MC Ollie Gozzard plus the Legendary Prize Limerick Competition.

BRADFORD: Grey Hen Press reading

Thursday, 18th November, 2010, 6pm-7.30pm
Waterstones,
The Wool Exchange,
Bradford,
West Yorkshire

A reading from the Grey Hen Press anthology Cracking On: poems about ageing by older women. With Pat Borthwick, Carole Bromley, Joy Howard and Gina Shaw. Wine and nibbles.

BIRMINGHAM: Rhymes - Meet The Laureates

Thursday, 18th November, 2010, 8pm, £5
Margaret Rose Abri Cafe,
58-59 Cheapside,
Digbeth,
B12 0PG

Meet Birmingham's new Poet Laureates plus three other fantastic poets in the intimate atmosphere of Digbeth's new creative hub.

This months poets:

Roy McFarlane in one of his first outings as Birmingham's new Poet Laureate.
Jordan Westcarr, Birmingham's phenomenally talented new Young Poet Laureate.
Fatima Al Matar, a mesmerising poet with truly beautiful verses on love, motherhood and other matters of the heart.
Sean Colletti, a poet from Southern California, currently earning his second degree at the University of Birmingham, known for his deadpan delivery. Joining him is his good friend Andy Cook, a performer from Sheffield who enjoys silencing crowded rooms. His heartbeat is is 7/12 time and his Mum calls him Sunshine Boy.

There will be tea, coffee, soft drinks, cakes and snacks on sale and you are welcome to bring your own alcohol.

Check out some video clips of past' Rhymes' on www.youtube.com/rogueplaytheatre or listen on www.myspace.com/rhymesnight. Plus the 'Rhymes' group on facebook.

Want more poetry? Then don't miss the Apples and Snakes Tour 'Spoken Word All Stars' on the 20th November, 8pm at the MAC Centre and if your a poet come along at 4pm for a fantastic professional development opportunity at 'Tuned On', a panel discussion with the All Stars plus a chance to network with promoters. For tickets contact MAC on 01214463232

GALWAY: November Over The Edge Open Reading

Thursday, November 18th, 2010, 6.30pm-8pm
Galway City Library,
St. Augustine Street,
Galway

The Featured Readers are James O’Toole, Laura Brennan and Matthew Sweeney. The reading is sponsored by Poetry Ireland.

James O’Toole was born in Galway but caught the travel bug early and spent twenty five years on the road studying life and sports medicine in America, England and Dublin. His poetry has been published in Poetry Ireland Review and also in literary magazines in the United States. James is currently a participant in the advanced poetry workshop at Galway Arts Centre and his work features in the group’s recently launched publication Behind The Masks. He was highly commended in this year’s Over The Edge New Writer of The Year competition.

Born in Dublin, Laura Brennan is a visual artist now living in Galway. Her practice combines painting drawing and writing. She is a member artist of Artspace Studios and has exhibited in Ireland and abroad and recently completed residencies in Reykjavik and Inishturkbeg Island. In the past two years she has participated in Kevin Higgins’s poetry workshops at Galway Arts Centre and was shortlisted in the 2010 Over The Edge New Writer of The Year Competition.

Matthew Sweeney was born in Co Donegal in 1952. He moved to London in 1973 and studied at the Polytechnic of North London and the University of Freiburg. He now lives in Cork City. His poetry collections include A Dream of Maps (Dublin, Raven Arts Press, 1981); Blue Shoes (Secker & Warburg,1989); Cacti (Secker & Warburg 1989); The Bridal Suite (London, Jonathan Cape, 1997); Black Moon (Jonathan Cape, 2007), which was shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Award and The Irish Times /Poetry Now Award; and The Night Post (London, Salt, 2010), which is a Selected Poems.

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 or see our website http://overtheedgeliteraryevents.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

NAILSWORTH: Grey Hen Press reading

Tuesday, November 30th, 2010, 7pm-8.30pm
Friends Meeting House,
Chestnut Hill,
Nailsworth,
Gloucestershire

A reading from the Grey Hen Press anthology Cracking On: poems about ageing by older women. With Ann Drysdale, June Hall, Joy Howard and Pat Simmons. Sponsored by The Yellow-lighted Bookshop.

BRISTOL: Brizzlemania

Wednesday, 17th November, 2010, 8pm, £3
The Old Fire Station,
Bristol

Back in session for more spoken word goodness, featuring:

Slam Sex Goddess: LUCY ENGLISH

Cardiff's verbal pyrotechnician: LIAM JOHNSON

Bristolian bright young thing: SALLY JENKINSON

Plus: the open poetry slam. Any human with a poem may compete, sign up on the night.

LONDON: Jawdance

Wednesday, 17th November, 7.30pm, FREE
Rich Mix,
35–47 Bethnal Green Road,
London,
E1 6LA
www.richmix.org.uk / 020 7613 7498 / www.applesandsnakes.org

Let’s get this straight – there’s no actual dancing at Jawdance. It’s a metaphor – it’s PERFORMANCE POETRY! We have, fresh poets, seasoned poets, poetry books and poetry film-shorts. Come and savour your free sample every third Wednesday. Get there early to grab a sought-after open-mic slot. So get yourself down to the Rich Mix bar, kick back and relax, for your free fix of culture.

DARLINGTON: Vane Women - Glow In The Dark

Wednesday, 17th November, 2010, 7.30 pm, £4/£2
Garden Bar
Darlington Arts Centre
Tickets available from Darlington Arts Box Office on 01325 486 555

Vane Women - Glow in the Dark
Brighten up a dark November evening and join Vane Women as they explore light and dark with their illuminating poetry and prose. They are sending out a searchbeam, too, for anyone willing to step into the spotlight at their open mic (one piece per reader, please).

Saturday, November 13, 2010

LONDON: Jazz Verse Jukebox

Sunday, 14th November, 2010, doors open 6.30pm, show from 8pm, £7 (tickets can only be purchased on door)
Upstairs @ Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club (AKA Ronnie's Bar),
47 Frith Street,
London
W1D 4HT
Tube: Tottenham Court Road
Web :www.jumokefashola.com
Email: JazzVerseJukebox@me.com

JAZZ VERSE JUKEBOX
Join us as we bring together an international cast of poets and singers to celebrate the London Jazz Festival, featuring Tshaka Campbell; D'bi.young (Canada); Hollie McNish; Jennifer Cendaña Armas (USA); Anthony Strong,

plus Open Mic for poets/singers

Friday, November 12, 2010

DARLEY DALE: Psychicbread & Paul Lyalls

Saturday, 13th November, 2010, doors 7.30pm, show 8pm, £8/£7
The Whitworth Centre,
Darley Dale,
Derbyshire
DE4 2EQ
Tel. 01629 733759

Psychicbread play The Ballroom @ The Whitworth Centre, also featuring Paul Lyalls reading from his new collection Catching the Cascade.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

BIRMINGHAM: Hit the Ode

Thursday, 25th November, 7:30 pm, £5
The Victoria
48 John Bright Street
Birmingham
B1 1BN

Brought to you by Apples & Snakes, "Hit the Ode" is the newest addition to the brummie spoken word scene. Each night will feature three hand-picked poets: one from the West Midlands, one from elsewhere in the UK, and one international spoken word star. Open mic slots available too!

This inaugural edition brings three amazing poets (and one musician) to the Victoria:

Kim Trusty - a Birmingham-based poet from beyond the Atlantic, Kim entices audiences with her on-stage charisma and masterful wordplay. Kim has toured England with the spoken word shows Word Temple and Temptation, and has appeared as a guest artist at many venues nationwide, including the Southbank Centre, Soho Theatre, Ways with Words Festival, Latitude Festival, and the Big Chill.

Tony Walsh - a true giant of the Manchester scene, Tony Walsh takes audiences on a rock and rollercoaster ride from comedy to tragedy, from the deadly serious to the seriously deadly. Tony has shared a stage with many top UK and international performance poets and has been published in magazines and anthologies alongside works from Simon Armitage, Benjamin Zephaniah, Roger McGough and Adrian Mitchell.

Ian Keteku & Brad Morden - straight from Canada comes poet & MC Ian Keteku, the reigning poetry slam World Champion! Ian uses his voice to speak for the voiceless, and inspire messages of critical thought. He has shared the stage with artists such as Ursula Rucker, members of the Wu Tang Clan, and Saul Williams. Ian is joined on his European tour by his compatriot, Brad Morden, a ukulele-wielding bard whose musical and poetic travels have taken him from Sarajevo to Little Corn Island in the Caribbean.

Note: if you write and perform poetry yourself - there will be a (very) few open mic slots available. Get there early on the day to sign up!

Info: bohdan@applesandsnakes.org / 0121 3332428

BRISTOL: Brizzlemania

Wednesday, 17th November, 2010, 8pm, £3
The Old Fire Station,
Bristol

Back in session for more spoken word goodness, featuring:

Slam Sex Goddess: LUCY ENGLISH

Cardiff's verbal pyrotechnician: LIAM JOHNSON

Bristolian bright young thing: SALLY JENKINSON

Plus: the open poetry slam. Any human with a poem may compete, sign up on the night.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

LEICESTER: New Walk launch reading

Thursday, 11th November, 2010, 6pm, FREE
New Lecture Theatre (Fielding Johnson South Wing)
University of Leicester

Free launch event for New Walk magazine, with readings from Alice Oswald, Grevel Lindop and Matt Merritt.

More details at http://www.wix.com/newwalkmagazine/new-walk-magazine

Tuesday, November 09, 2010

LONDON: wordPLAY Cystic Fibrosis Trust fundraiser

Tuesday, 23rd November, 2010, 7pm-11pm, 7pm for 8pm start, £4.50/£3.50
Good Ship,
Kilburn
London

wordPLAY presents Breathe In, Speak, Breathe Out - a fundraiser for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust featuring Indigo Williams, Nick Makoha, The Leano, Shabby Eliot-Katchadourian, Allan Burroughs, Tony White and Susan Gray.

Indigo Williams http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myYUi6rGP_U - in a word, powerful
Nick Makoha http://www.myspace.com/urspirit - Tate gallery collaborator treats us to his accomplished words
The Leano http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBuRbw-lIqI - Spoken word and music collective ask you to 'forget the screwface, here's the new face...smile'
Shabby Eliot-Katchadourian http://bb-http://cache.channel4.com/bigbrother/housemate/shabby/profile/display.c4 - She may have escaped from Big Brother this year but she won't escape the lure of wordPLAY! Mwa ha ha!!
Allan Burroughs - excellent short story writer shares his wonderful words
Tony White - http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/about_us/about_the_museum/art/writer_in_residence.aspx - Prolific writer who is always turning his hand to amazing new projects, doing his bit to 'spread the word'
Susan Gray - http://www.writeoutloud.net/On-Line_Encyclopedia_of_Integer_Sequences/public/blogentry.php?blogentryid=10137 - Acclaimed member of The Roundhouse Collective lets rip for your benefit

Love wordPLAY? Join the wordPLAY page here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/London-United-Kingdom/wordPLAY/83838702308?ref=ts

For more info on wordPLAY: http://www.fat-quarter.co.uk/archives/936

For further info/submissions for consideration: wordplaylondon@hotmail.co.uk

Monday, November 08, 2010

LEWES: Lewes Poetry

Thursday, November 18th, 2010, 8.15pm (door), 8.45pm (show), £3
Lewes Arms,
Mount Place,
Lewes

The final gig of the current season features Emilia Telese, Vic Elsey, Mark Ellender, Robyn Houghton, Ged Bindon, Elle Osborne, Peter Maguire, Louise Taylor and MC Ollie Gozzard plus the Legendary Prize Limerick Competition.

LONDON: Lumen Poetry Series

Tuesday, 9th November, 2010, doors open 6.30pm for 7pm, £5/£4, WINE
Lumen
88 Tavistock Place
London
WC1
Tubes: Russell Square , Kings Cross, St Pancras.

Ruth O'Callaghan presents Soaring Penguin poets Jane Elizabeth Martin and Maggie Norton. Poets from the floor very welcome. Some longer spots available. Please bring a copy of your poem if you wish to be considered for the new anthology, which will be edited by Ruth O'Callaghan.

Lumen/Camden Poetry Competition. Poems up to 40 lines £2.50 per poem, 6 poems £10. Deadline: 14th February 2011. Judge: Carol Ann Duffy, Poet Laureate. Please send poems and cheques to Ruth O'Callaghan, 49 Ripley Gardens, Mortlake, London SW14 8HF.

Sunday, November 07, 2010

NOTTINGHAM: Shindig!

Sunday, 21st November, 2010, 7pm onwards, FREE
Jam Cafe,
12 Heathcote Street,
Nottingham
NG1 3AA

Nottingham Shindig! and the launch of Matt Merritt's second collection, hydrodaktulopsychicharmonica

Join us for open mic readings (sign up on the door) and special guest poets Robin Vaughan-Williams, Matt Merritt, David Morley and Sarah Jackson.

Matt Merritt's collection hydrodaktulopsycicharmonica follows his debut Troy Town (2008) and HappenStance pamphlet Making The Most Of The Light (2005). He works as a wildlife journalist and blogs at http://polyolbion.blogspot.com/

Robin Vaughan-Williams's sequence The Manager (Happenstance) charts the backwaters of managerial reality. He was commissioned to write Time Is Running Out! for Off the Shelf Festival in 2009, and produced the performance collages Verbiage and Demolition in Sheffield, where he also ran the Spoken Word Antics radio show and event series. He lived in Iceland for a while before moving more recently to Nottingham. www.zeroquality.net.

David Morley is a British poet, critic, anthologist, editor and scientist of partly Romani extraction. He has published 18 books, including nine collections of poetry. His work has been translated into several languages including Arabic. His forthcoming collection from Carcanet will be titled Enchantment.

Sarah Jackson's pamphlet, Milk (Pighog 2008), was shortlisted for the inaugural Michael Marks Award and her work is featured in Voice Recognition: 21 Poets for the 21st Century (Bloodaxe 2009). She is a lecturer in English and Creative Writing at Nottingham Trent University, where she is currently the programme leader for the MA in Creative Writing.

This event is co-hosted by LeftLion Magazine and kindly sponsored by Writing East Midlands.

Friday, November 05, 2010

BIRMINGHAM: Spoken Word Allstars

Saturday, November 20th, 8pm-10.30pm
MAC Centre,
Birmingham

Poet in the City and Apples & Snakes have taken five poets and one globally-acclaimed musician, and given them free rein to create a spectacular evening of wall-to-wall words with an unflagging backbeat.

The All Star cast...
Kate Tempest - Hellfiery powerhouse of socio-poetry
El Crisis - combines a hypnotic mixture of rap, spoken word, song and chant.
OneNess - Spoken-word Soulsista from Grenada
Kat Francois - Slamtastic, superphysical storyteller
Ventriloquist - Wordsmith wizard from the West
Jason Yarde - the King of improv Sax.

The All Stars national tour launched at Latitude Festival and proceeds hence forth across the country. Catch this great poetry tour at the recently re-opened MAC Centre this autumn.
www.applesandsnakes.org

OXFORD: Cabaret Clandestino

Saturday, November 6th, 2010
The East Oxford Community Centre
Oxford
OX4 1DD

Cabaret Clandestino
Jonny Fluffypunk (www.jonnyfluffypunk.co.uk) - pastoral nihilist stand up poet!
Plus music, circus acts, capoeira and more.

Hosted by Pete the Temp
Coming from out of town? Contact managementptt@gmail.com for a sofa!
www.myspace.com/cabaretclandestino

Pete Bearder
www.myspace.com/petethetemp
www.hammerandtongue.co.uk
www.myspace.com/cabaretclandestino

Thursday, November 04, 2010

BRADFORD: Grey Hen Press reading

Thursday, 18th November, 2010, 6pm-7.30pm
Waterstones,
The Wool Exchange,
Bradford,
West Yorkshire

A reading from the Grey Hen Press anthology Cracking On: poems about ageing by older women. With Pat Borthwick, Carole Bromley, Joy Howard and Gina Shaw. Wine and nibbles.

BIRMINGHAM: Rhymes - Meet The Laureates

Thursday, 18th November, 2010, 8pm, £5
Margaret Rose Abri Cafe,
58-59 Cheapside,
Digbeth,
B12 0PG

Meet Birmingham's new Poet Laureates plus three other fantastic poets in the intimate atmosphere of Digbeth's new creative hub.

This months poets:

Roy McFarlane in one of his first outings as Birmingham's new Poet Laureate.
Jordan Westcarr, Birmingham's phenomenally talented new Young Poet Laureate.
Fatima Al Matar, a mesmerising poet with truly beautiful verses on love, motherhood and other matters of the heart.
Sean Colletti, a poet from Southern California, currently earning his second degree at the University of Birmingham, known for his deadpan delivery. Joining him is his good friend Andy Cook, a performer from Sheffield who enjoys silencing crowded rooms. His heartbeat is is 7/12 time and his Mum calls him Sunshine Boy.

There will be tea, coffee, soft drinks, cakes and snacks on sale and you are welcome to bring your own alcohol.

Check out some video clips of past' Rhymes' on www.youtube.com/rogueplaytheatre or listen on www.myspace.com/rhymesnight. Plus the 'Rhymes' group on facebook.

Want more poetry? Then don't miss the Apples and Snakes Tour 'Spoken Word All Stars' on the 20th November, 8pm at the MAC Centre and if your a poet come along at 4pm for a fantastic professional development opportunity at 'Tuned On', a panel discussion with the All Stars plus a chance to network with promoters. For tickets contact MAC on 01214463232

GALWAY: November Over The Edge Open Reading

Thursday, November 18th, 2010, 6.30pm-8pm
Galway City Library,
St. Augustine Street,
Galway

The Featured Readers are James O’Toole, Laura Brennan and Matthew Sweeney. The reading is sponsored by Poetry Ireland.

James O’Toole was born in Galway but caught the travel bug early and spent twenty five years on the road studying life and sports medicine in America, England and Dublin. His poetry has been published in Poetry Ireland Review and also in literary magazines in the United States. James is currently a participant in the advanced poetry workshop at Galway Arts Centre and his work features in the group’s recently launched publication Behind The Masks. He was highly commended in this year’s Over The Edge New Writer of The Year competition.

Born in Dublin, Laura Brennan is a visual artist now living in Galway. Her practice combines painting drawing and writing. She is a member artist of Artspace Studios and has exhibited in Ireland and abroad and recently completed residencies in Reykjavik and Inishturkbeg Island. In the past two years she has participated in Kevin Higgins’s poetry workshops at Galway Arts Centre and was shortlisted in the 2010 Over The Edge New Writer of The Year Competition.

Matthew Sweeney was born in Co Donegal in 1952. He moved to London in 1973 and studied at the Polytechnic of North London and the University of Freiburg. He now lives in Cork City. His poetry collections include A Dream of Maps (Dublin, Raven Arts Press, 1981); Blue Shoes (Secker & Warburg,1989); Cacti (Secker & Warburg 1989); The Bridal Suite (London, Jonathan Cape, 1997); Black Moon (Jonathan Cape, 2007), which was shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Award and The Irish Times /Poetry Now Award; and The Night Post (London, Salt, 2010), which is a Selected Poems.

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 or see our website http://overtheedgeliteraryevents.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, November 03, 2010

BRISTOL: ShedFest Anthology launch

Wednesday 3rd November, 8pm
The Thunderbolt,
Bath Road,
Arnos Vale

Over a dozen writers will be reading their work. The anthology will be on sale at the special preview price of £6.

ShedFest
Not long ago a group of poets, writers and slammers gathered together in St Andrew’s, Bristol, for ShedFest, probably Europe’s smallest literary festival.

Each writer had five minutes to perform their work. Space and time was limited. The shed was used as a stage while the audience was packed onto the patio. In all fourteen writers performed their work. We laughed, we cried, we were even a little bit scared.

A Shedload of writers…
Writers performing at the launch on the 3rd November will include:

• Children’s author Tracy Alexander • Lizzie Burgess, short story writer, recently escaped...!• Long and short story writer Trevor Coombs • Writer, tutor and poet Rosemary Dun • Franca Davenport writer without a genre • The queen of flash fiction Tania Hershman - author of The White Road and Other Stories (Salt Publishing) • Short story writer Suzie Lockhart-Smith • ‘Hippie lit‘ writer Mike Manson - author of ‘Where’s My Money?’ (Tangent Books) • Jari Moate, Bristol based author of ‘Paradise Now’(Indepenpress) • Bristol based crime writer Gerry O’Donovan - author of The Priest, (Little Brown) • Journalist, travel book editor and fictionista Tom Sykes • Poet and artist Dawn Thomson • PoMo Poet and funk brother Gavin Watkins • Claire Williamson, writer, yogi, traveller and Mamoosh.

This small anthology shows the range of talent that was show-cased on that warm September evening.

All profits from the sale of the ShedFest Anthology will go to the Pakistan Flood Appeal.

RSVP mike.manson@pastandpresentpress.co.uk

LONDON: Jawdance

Wednesday, 17th November, 7.30pm, FREE
Rich Mix,
35–47 Bethnal Green Road,
London,
E1 6LA
www.richmix.org.uk / 020 7613 7498 / www.applesandsnakes.org

Let’s get this straight – there’s no actual dancing at Jawdance. It’s a metaphor – it’s PERFORMANCE POETRY! We have, fresh poets, seasoned poets, poetry books and poetry film-shorts. Come and savour your free sample every third Wednesday. Get there early to grab a sought-after open-mic slot. So get yourself down to the Rich Mix bar, kick back and relax, for your free fix of culture.

DARLINGTON: Vane Women - Glow In The Dark

Wednesday, 17th November, 2010, 7.30 pm, £4/£2
Garden Bar
Darlington Arts Centre
Tickets available from Darlington Arts Box Office on 01325 486 555

Vane Women - Glow in the Dark
Brighten up a dark November evening and join Vane Women as they explore light and dark with their illuminating poetry and prose. They are sending out a searchbeam, too, for anyone willing to step into the spotlight at their open mic (one piece per reader, please).

Monday, November 01, 2010

DARLEY DALE: Psychicbread & Paul Lyalls

Saturday, 13th November, 2010, doors 7.30pm, show 8pm, £8/£7
The Whitworth Centre,
Darley Dale,
Derbyshire
DE4 2EQ
Tel. 01629 733759

Psychicbread play The Ballroom @ The Whitworth Centre, also featuring Paul Lyalls reading from his new collection Catching the Cascade.