GALWAY: North Beach Poetry Nights Special

Monday, 25th October, 2010, 9pm, Door: 5/3€
The Crane Bar,
Sea Road,
Galway

North Beach Poetry Nights' Special, with guest poet Martin Daws (Wales), Farrago Autumn Slam Champion 2010. An electrifying poet whose live sets blend free musicality, innovative rhythm and lyrical dexterity to drive his poetry through journeys into life, nature and who the hell we think we are, anyway!

Also: extra October Poetry Slam - poets wishing to take part in the slam should please bring along 2 max. 3 minute poems.

Info: John@091-593290

LONDON: Crick Crack Club: The Day of the Dead

Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010, 7.30pm, bar, £6 advance, £8 door
Rich Mix,
35-47 Bethnal Green Road,
London, E1 6LA
020 7613 7496
www.richmix.org.uk
Book tickets online or call our Box Office on 020 7613 7498.

Join Ben Haggarty, TUUP, Rachel Rose Reid, Joanne Blake and Mariachi Jalisco in a quirky celebration of the day of the dead. Expect ritual, stories, music and magical mayhem.

Normal service is now resumed

After a few weeks away from the poetry world, Poets On Fire is back and ready to resume normal service. In the next few months, we plan to extend the website to include reviews of live events, additional information, and the like, but for the present, please keep sending details of your events to the usual address, poetsonfire@hotmail.co.uk

We prefer the info to be pasted into the body of an email, or in an attached Microsoft Word file. We try to post events two weeks before they occur, and then again the day before.

LONDON: Hammer & Tongue Open Poetry Slam

Monday, October 11th, 2010, 7.30pm-11pm, £5
Green Note Cafe,
106 Parkway
Camden

The Hammer & Tongue Open Poetry Slam is back! After three months running around the country as an itinerant festival troupe, we are back in London for the autumn and have harvested the very best of 2010's poetry crop for your literary delectation.

BEN MELLOR - "pure undiluted talent" Lemn Sissay
Tipped as one of the most entertaning and engaging new voices in the UK by the guys at Phrazed and Confused Radio 4 slam winner Ben won the 2005 Embryo Award for Best Poetry at Studio Salford, and in September 2006 was the joint winner (with Rob Gee) of the Lit Up Festival slam. He has spent a six month residency at Contact Theatre, and also performs hip-hop music with a group called Freestyle Mondays. He's just come back from doing a run in Edinburgh with Steve Larkin and Pete the Temp and is generally rather brilliant. Ben is in fact going to performing at a gig for Radio 4's Bespoken Word tonight at the Montos Water Rats on Greys Inn Road and it's completely free, so if you want a taster, pop along and check him out!

KAREN HAYLEY - "refreshingly different from everything else around"
Actress, comedienne, poet and presenter, Karen Hayley is a rare talent and will be showcasing some lovely new material with us. Karen's TV appearances include the BAFTA Award Winning Sketch Shows "THE ARMSTRONG & MILLER SHOW", "BO SELECTA", MTV's "ILSQ" WITH RUSSELL BRAND", and current affairs comedy shows for Objective and Hat Trick Productions and she won an award for her 6 years of presenting on MTV UK. She's also performed a love poem to a door to the music from Brief Encounter which was, frankly, unforgettable.

It's a fiver on the door to get in, which pays the poets! If you are slamming you get in for free, but please do turn up early (about 7.15pm) if you want to ensure that you get in. First 8 to sign up on the door slam.Winner goes on to compete in the national final in November... so this is your last opportunity to vie for a place in the final.. competing against the best slammers from across the rest of the UK.

Hammer & Tongue is now hosting slams in 5 cities across the UK: Oxford, Brighton, London, Cambridge and Bristol....check us out at www.hammerandtongue.com, http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=6460017271&ref=ts and on twitter...

LONDON: Mushaira: Gathering of Poets

Friday, October 22nd, 2010, 6.30pm, FREE
Nehru Centre
8 South Audley Street
London
W1K 1HF
020 7491 3567

DSC South Asian Literature Festival event - Mushaira: Gathering of Poets

Some of the most eminent Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi and Bengali poets from London will recite their work with translations in English.

ILKLEY LITERATURE FESTIVAL 2010: A Flambard Affair

Thursday, 7th October, 2010, 9pm, FREE
Ilkley Playhouse (Wharfeside),
Weston Road,
Ilkley,
West Yorkshire,
LS29 8DW

FREE Fringe event on National Poetry Day: A Flambard Affair
Sensual, evocative poetry from Mary Robinson and Rebecca Goss, reading from their first collections, published by Flambard Press. Mary Robinson’s The Art of Gardening is ‘an immensely varied collection – about childhood and family, people and places, nature and memory’. Rebecca Goss’s The Anatomy of Structures is ‘fearless, fresh and utterly engaging – strong on intelligence as well as emotion’ – Tribune.

LONDON: Peter Riley and Kelvin Corcoran

Tuesday, October 5th, 2010, 7.30pm, FREE
Swedenborg Hall,
Swedenborg House,
20/21 Bloomsbury Way,
London
WC1A 2TH

Reading for the publication by Shearsman of The Derbyshire Poems, by Peter Riley, and Hotel Shadow, by Kelvin Corcoran.

LONDON: Ambit at the Betsey Trotwood

Tuesday, October 5th, 2010, 7pm, FREE/donation
The Betsey Trotwood
Farringdon Road
Clerkenwell
London
(nearest tube Farringdon)

Penelope Shuttle, Sonja Besford, Anthony Howell and Abigail Parry will be reading to mark the first of AMBIT magazine's three winter events at Betsey Trotwood.

Doors will open at 7am. There will be also be open floor spots for you to read your own work- get there early to sign up.

LONDON: Philip Wells THE FIRE POET

Saturday, October 2nd, 2010, 7pm, £10 (concessons available) in aid of THE ALICE FUND for poetry and the healing arts
St Peter's Church,
Black Lion Lane,
Hammersmith

Philip Wells ("the foremost performance poet in England" - EVENING STANDARD) celebrates the special talents of profoundly disabled children, who've helped him pioneer a new form of inteactive, improvised poetry therapy in children's hospices, homes and special needs schools. HARVEST for the LISTENERS will be a magical, alchemical evening, featuring Philip alongside jazz flautist Keith Waithe, tabla maestro Sirishkumar and music therapist Rebecca O'Connor.

OXFORD: Cabaret Clandestino

Saturday, October 2nd, 2010, 9pm-2am, £6
The East Oxford Community Centre
Cowley Road
Corner of Princes Street

Featuring stand-up poetry from:
Rachael Pantechnicon and her poems for cats and humans.
'Technicolour suburban entertainment' (John Hegley).

The Geees
Little dark sketch Comedy (Four stars, Oxford Theatre Review)

Matt Chararin

Hosted by Pete the Temp
'He makes you laugh like a schoolgirl who's just found out what a penis looks like' (Fringereport.com)
www.myspace.com/cabaretclandestino

LONDON: Annie Freud

Friday, October 8th, 2010, 7pm-9pm
The Melton Mowbray,
Marborough Court,
14-18 High Holborn,
London
EC1N 2LE

Launch party for The Mirabelles, Annie Freud's new collection of poems, to be published by Picador on 1st October 2010.

Please note this was originally posted as being on October 1st, but is actually October 8th. Many apologies for any confusion caused.

RSVP to anniefreud@googlemail.com

LONDON: National Poetry Day

Poetry Society and Southbank Centre presents

National Poetry Day Live

Thursday 7 October 2010

2pm-6.15pm

Free event

For the second year running, the Poetry Society has organised this lively event for National Poetry Day together with the Southbank Centre. Once again the event is entirely free. All welcome, including groups.

Discover poetry in the foyers and hidden corners of the Royal Festival Hall, and make yourself at home in the Clore Ballroom for live performances by a host of poetry’s famous names and rising stars. The day’s events are hosted by Ross Sutherland & Caroline Bird, featuring:

• Simon Armitage, Jane Draycott, Ian Duhig, Luke Kennard, Daljit Nagra
• Lemn Sissay performing Coleridge’s ‘Ancient Mariner’
• Joelle Taylor & SLAMbassadors
• Former Foyle Young Poets: Jay Bernard, Swithun Cooper, Holly Hopkins, Sarah Howe & Laura Seymour
• Forward Prize Poets: Robin Robertson, Fiona Sampson & Jo Shapcott

'Getting Published’- a Poetry Review workshop ♦ Foyle Young Poets of the Year ♦ ‘Pick a Poem’ ♦
Folk in a Box presents ‘Poetry in a Box’ ♦ Screening of Postcards from Home ♦ Prescriptions & quizzes

Venue: Royal Festival Hall foyers & Clore Ballroom, Southbank Centre, London SE1.

For more information visit www.poetrysociety.org.uk

LONDON: Lumen Series

Tuesday 12th October 2010
(doors open 6.30 for 7p.m.)

Ruth O'Callaghan presents Shoestring Press
Matthew Baxton
Rosemary Norman
Tony Roberts

Poets From the Floor Very Welcome
Please bring a copy of your poem if you wish to be considered for the new anthology
88 Tavistock Place W.C.1
Tubes: Russell Square , Kings Cross, St Pancras.
Entrance £5/£4
WINE

LONDON: JAZZ VERSE JUKEBOX

SUNDAY 10th October 2010
Upstairs @ Ronnie Scotts Jazz Club (Aka Ronnies Bar),
47 Frith Street, London W1D 4HT
Show Times: Doors Open 6.30pm, Show from 8pm
Tickets: £7.00 (Tickets can only be purchased on the door)
Tube: Tottenham Court Road
Web: www.jumokefashola.com
Email: JazzVerseJukebox@me.com



The monthly JAZZ VERSE JUKEBOX has been described as "the perfect jazz poetry party" (Michael Horovitz). It's where established and upcoming spoken word poets & singers gather to share their artistry.

The brainchild of broadcaster & vocalist Jumoké Fashola, Sunday the 10th October at Ronnie Scotts Jazz Club Upstairs (aka Ronnies Bar), Soho, features an amazing line-up of artistes continuing the age-old tradition of intertwining jazz and performance poetry, plus a unique ‘jukebox’ OPEN MIC allowing the audience to showcase their skills of jazz improvisation or spoken word.

Compered by & with music from Jumoké Fashola

LIVERPOOL: Flambard Poets

Rebecca Goss and Andrew Forster

Flambard poets - FREE poetry reading

Bluecoat Chambers, Liverpool

Saturday October 16th

2-3pm £3/£2

Tickets available to buy online now:
here

GALWAY: September Over The Edge Open Reading

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

The Featured Readers are Nicola Griffin, Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh & Billy Ramsell. The evening will also see the announcement of the winners of this year’s Over The Edge New Writer of the Year competition by competition judge, James Martyn.

Nicola Griffin grew up in Cheshire in the North West of England and studied Psychology and Sociology at the University of Keele in Staffordshire. She has lived in East Clare since 1997. She writes poetry, non-fiction and fiction, is a graduate of the MA in Writing at NUIG and a participant in the Advanced Poetry Workshop at Galway Arts Centre. She has a regular column in Inland Waterways News and her poetry has recently been published in Ropes Unravelled, The Sunday Tribune, The Stinging Fly, Behind The Masks and Crannóg.

Ailbhe Ní Ghearbhuigh was born in Kerry in 1984. She studied Irish and French at NUI Galway. She has lived in France and spent a year teaching Irish in New York with the Fulbright programme. The Arts Council awarded her an artist’s bursary in 2008. Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Fusion, An Guth, Crannóg, The Stinging Fly and Poetry Ireland Review. She has read in Ireland, New York, Montreál and the Outer Hebrides. She is currently carrying out doctoral research in Galway. Her first collection, Péacadh, was published by Coiscéim in 2008.

Billy Ramsell was born in Cork in 1977 and educated at the North Monastery and UCC. Complicated Pleasures, his first collection, was published by the Dedalus Press, Dublin, in 2007. He has been shortlisted for a Hennessy award and a Strong award. He has been invited to read his work at many festivals around the world; most recently in Shanghai and in San Francisco. He lives in Cork where he co-runs an educational publishing company.

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/

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

LONDON: Hammer & Tongue Open Poetry Slam

Monday, October 11th, 2010, 7.30pm-11pm, £5
Green Note Cafe,
106 Parkway
Camden

The Hammer & Tongue Open Poetry Slam is back! After three months running around the country as an itinerant festival troupe, we are back in London for the autumn and have harvested the very best of 2010's poetry crop for your literary delectation.

BEN MELLOR - "pure undiluted talent" Lemn Sissay
Tipped as one of the most entertaning and engaging new voices in the UK by the guys at Phrazed and Confused Radio 4 slam winner Ben won the 2005 Embryo Award for Best Poetry at Studio Salford, and in September 2006 was the joint winner (with Rob Gee) of the Lit Up Festival slam. He has spent a six month residency at Contact Theatre, and also performs hip-hop music with a group called Freestyle Mondays. He's just come back from doing a run in Edinburgh with Steve Larkin and Pete the Temp and is generally rather brilliant. Ben is in fact going to performing at a gig for Radio 4's Bespoken Word tonight at the Montos Water Rats on Greys Inn Road and it's completely free, so if you want a taster, pop along and check him out!

KAREN HAYLEY - "refreshingly different from everything else around"
Actress, comedienne, poet and presenter, Karen Hayley is a rare talent and will be showcasing some lovely new material with us. Karen's TV appearances include the BAFTA Award Winning Sketch Shows "THE ARMSTRONG & MILLER SHOW", "BO SELECTA", MTV's "ILSQ" WITH RUSSELL BRAND", and current affairs comedy shows for Objective and Hat Trick Productions and she won an award for her 6 years of presenting on MTV UK. She's also performed a love poem to a door to the music from Brief Encounter which was, frankly, unforgettable.

It's a fiver on the door to get in, which pays the poets! If you are slamming you get in for free, but please do turn up early (about 7.15pm) if you want to ensure that you get in. First 8 to sign up on the door slam.Winner goes on to compete in the national final in November... so this is your last opportunity to vie for a place in the final.. competing against the best slammers from across the rest of the UK.

Hammer & Tongue is now hosting slams in 5 cities across the UK: Oxford, Brighton, London, Cambridge and Bristol....check us out at www.hammerandtongue.com, http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=6460017271&ref=ts and on twitter...

LONDON: Gladiatorial poetry slam

Tuesday, 28th September, 2010, 6.30pm–8.30pm, FREE
Museum of London
150 London Wall,
London,
EC2Y 5HN
020 7001 9844
www.museumoflondon.org.uk

The Museum of London’s youth panel Junction presents a gladiatorial poetry slam between some of the city’s most exciting young slam poets. Watch a spectacular evening of poetry performance including readings from competition winners who were given the challenge
of exploring the influence of Latin and Roman culture on the language and environment of modern day London.

LIVERPOOL: Spoken Word AllStars Tour

Tuesday, September 28th, 2010
Bluecoat,
School Lane,
Liverpool
L1 3BX

Spoken Word AllStars Tour
An exciting mash-up of music and spoken word

SPOKEN WORD ALL STARS is exactly what it says on the tin: a stellar cast of talent from the UK's live poetry scene, performing an original live show alongside one globally acclaimed musician - the sophisticated saxman, Jason Yarde.

Join the All Stars across the UK, as they interweave their words with live and improvised loops, beats and melodies, featuring:
El Crisis - his unique style 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.
Kate Tempest - hellfiery powerhouse of socio-poetry.
Jason Yarde - the king of improv sax.

LEAMINGTON SPA: PUREandGOODandRIGHT

Sunday, September 26th, 2010, 7.30pm, £3 (£2 Student/OAP)
The Slug & Lettuce,
Leamington Spa.

As you know, each month we also invite a fabulous guest performance poet. This month we are hosting the very wonderful duo Project Adorno.

They are a double act employing voice, electronic sounds, a few props and occasional acoustic guitar. Subject matter, ranging from the surreal to the downright nonsensical, includes the smell of second-hand books, love affairs with Daleks and photocopiers, and poems about old computer games.

Project Adorno have performed at venues around the country including shows at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, Buxton Fringe & Edinburgh Festival Fringe. They have also written music for theatre productions, produced multimedia installations for art exhibitions and made a number of short films.

Other info can be found at www.projectadorno.net

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! As we aim for a 7.30pm start 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

Look forward to seeing you there!

LONDON: New Norwegian Poetry

Saturday, September 25th, 2010, 7pm, FREE
Rich Mix
35-47 Bethnal Green Road,
London
E1 6LA)

Ny Poesi: 3am magazine's Maintenant interview series presents New Norwegian Poetry, with Jenny Hval, Endre Ruset, Paal Bjelke Andersen and Audun Mortensen.

A free evening of International poetry and performance from four of the most vibrant and resounding young poetic talents in a grand Scandinavian tradition. Hval, Ruset, Mortensen and Andersen belong to a generation of poets that measure the sophistication of literary poetry with the groundbreaking developments of the avant-garde poetic practise and performance. This reading will feature poets who have already gained prominence for their originality and power, and seemlessly engage the boundaries of what poetry can and should become as we reconfigure poetry as song, as lyric, as art and text.

The event will also see the release of a one off special publication from Knives Forks and Spoons press featuring poetic collaborations between the visiting Norwegian poets and Jeff Hilson, Sean Bonney, Agnes Lehoczky and Sam Riviere.

Jenny Hval - http://www.myspace.com/rockettothesky
Audun Mortensen - http://www.audunmortensen.com/
Endre Ruset - http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/maintenant-16-%e2%80%93-endre-ruset/
Paal Bjelke Andersen - http://nypoesi.net/

In association with NORLA and the Norwegian embassy in London.
Special thanks to Susanne Christensen, Andrine Pollen, Anne Ulset, Judith Palmer, Oliver Carruthers, Øyvind Rimbereid & Caroline Bergvall.

ILKLEY LITERATURE FESTIVAL 2010: A Flambard Affair

Thursday, 7th October, 2010, 9pm, FREE
Ilkley Playhouse (Wharfeside),
Weston Road,
Ilkley,
West Yorkshire,
LS29 8DW

FREE Fringe event on National Poetry Day: A Flambard Affair
Sensual, evocative poetry from Mary Robinson and Rebecca Goss, reading from their first collections, published by Flambard Press. Mary Robinson’s The Art of Gardening is ‘an immensely varied collection – about childhood and family, people and places, nature and memory’. Rebecca Goss’s The Anatomy of Structures is ‘fearless, fresh and utterly engaging – strong on intelligence as well as emotion’ – Tribune.

BIRMINGHAM: Rhymes On The Roof

Friday, September 24th, 2010, 8pm
The Old Fire Station,
Moseley Road,
Moseley,
Birmingham

As well as upcoming talent, a chilled-out atmosphere, and cake! Limited spaces, advanced booking is recommended.

Yes, you read it right. Weather permitting, September Rhymes will be coming to you live from the intimate roof space of RoguePlay's new space. Bringing you the usual poetry goodness and awesome Raffle, but this time with a pretty view and some fresh Brummie air too, so bring a brolly and a jumper just in case and come get poetical! This month's poets are;

Bohdan Piasecki, a Polish poet who currently lives in England. He represented Poland at the 2007 Poetry Slam World Cup in Paris and proudly wore the title of the 2008 Hammer & Tongue Oxford Season Slam Champion, and was an artist in residence at the European Poetry Slam Days in Berlin in 2009. Bohdan is also the West Midlands Programme Coordinator for Apples & Snakes Performance Poetry Organisation.
"His intense delivery and ability to express what many people struggle to put into words won the audience over." Julia Bell, Oxford Daily Info

Afrobehn, who explores the ways in which the creative and the theological interact and inform each other and how spoken word blurs the boundaries between poetry, prose and drama. Her writing is shaped by her experience of mental illness and her interest in theology and gender. She has written and performed with the r:evolve theatre company and Apples and Snakes in Things That Can't Be Said.

Lady Josephine Whittle a.k.a Claire Corfield. Since graduating from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in 2002, Claire has worked extensively as a comedy performer; from twisted cabaret theatre company Voodoo Vaudeville, to Rogueplay's improvisation troupe, Funbags. Claire invites you to meet character comedy creation Lady Josephine Whittle, whose poems may not be everyone's cup of tea, but then neither is her dress sense.

M.C Lorna Meehan

NOTICE

Due to unavoidable absence, listings sent to Poets On Fire between today and October 12th are unlikely to get posted before that date (although we'll do our best if at all possible). We've tried to post anything already with us - all events are listed two weeks before they happen, and again the day before.

We're also working on a new look for the site, and hopefully an expansion of its aims and scope, so we hope you'll bear with us, and normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.

THANK YOU!

LONDON: Philip Wells THE FIRE POET

Saturday, October 2nd, 2010, 7pm, £10 (concessons available) in aid of THE ALICE FUND for poetry and the healing arts
St Peter's Church,
Black Lion Lane,
Hammersmith

Philip Wells ("the foremost performance poet in England" - EVENING STANDARD) celebrates the special talents of profoundly disabled children, who've helped him pioneer a new form of inteactive, improvised poetry therapy in children's hospices, homes and special needs schools. HARVEST for the LISTENERS will be a magical, alchemical evening, featuring Philip alongside jazz flautist Keith Waithe, tabla maestro Sirishkumar and music therapist Rebecca O'Connor.