CARDIFF: Spoken Word All Stars

Thursday, March 31st, 2011
Cardiff Pierhead

Poetry is blasting its way into the hearts and minds of a new generation with high energy and rhythmic poetry sketching out a new literary landscape for the 21st century. Spoken Word All Stars presents an all-star cast of some of the most exciting poets of the day, performing an original live show in partnership with the globally acclaimed sax player Jason Yarde.

Taking five poets and one musician, the free show at Cardiff's Pierhead building on 31st March presents a stellar line-up of international award winners and critically acclaimed performers, including Kat Francois, OneNess, El Crisis, Chris Redmond, and special guest artist Peter Finch, a legendary performer whose poetic words can be seen set in concrete outside the new Central Library.

Spoken Word All Stars’ journey began at Latitude Festival 2010, and is featured on TV as a documentary by Sky Arts. Their spectacular live show weaves comedy, tragedy, romance and philosophy; spoken word interwoven with live and improvised loops, beats and melodies.

The show is free and is produced by charity Poet in the City, with support from Apples & Snakes and Arts Council England. With the further endorsement of Academi, the Literature Promotion Agency for Wales, this is an event that offers a truly unique experience, and early booking is advised, either by emailing spokenwordallstars@live.co.uk or ringing 07908 367488.

Please see www.spokenwordallstars.com for further information.

Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=164759006910208

GALWAY: March Over The Edge Open Reading

Thursday, March 31st, 2011, 6.30pm-8pm, FREE
Galway City Library,
St. Augustine Street,
Galway

The Featured Readers are Miriam Gamble, James Lawless and Anne McManus.

Miriam Gamble was born in Brussels in 1980 and grew up in Belfast. She studied at Oxford and at Queen’s University Belfast, where she completed a PhD in contemporary British and Irish poetry. She writes poems, reviews and critical essays and is a part-time tutor in creative writing at Queen’s University. She won an Eric Gregory Award in 2007, and her pamphlet, This Man's Town, was published by tall-lighthouse in 2007. A selection of her poems appears in the Bloodaxe anthology Voice Recognition: 21 poets for the 21st century (2009). Her first book-length collection, The Squirrels Are Dead, was published by Bloodaxe last year. Miriam lives and works in Belfast.

James Lawless was born in Dublin. His novels are Peeling Oranges (Mullingar, Killynon House Books, 2007); For Love of Anna (New Generation, 2009); and The Avenue (Galway, Wordsonthestreet, 2010).  His story Jolt was shortlisted for the Willenden Prize and appeared in New Short Stories 1, edited Zadie Smith (London/ New York, Willesden Herald, 2007). His other awards the Cecil Day Lewis Play Award 2005 for What Are Neighbours For? and a Hennessy Award nomination in 2010. He divides his time between County Kildare and West Cork.

Anne McManus was born and grew up in Sligo town. She trained as a Home Economics teacher in St Angela’s College, Sligo. Anne came to writing unexpectedly when in 1999 NUIG, through its Continuing Education Programme, provided Salthill Active Retirement Association with a tutor, Maire Holmes, to enable older people to take up writing. Anne has previously read her work at Galway Arts Centre’s Nuns Island Studio and at the Over The Edge open-mic. She is currently a participant in the S.A.R.A writers’ group which is facilitated by Kevin Higgins. Anne writes both poetry and fiction.

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/

LONDON: Poets In The Pub, with Hugo Williams

Monday, 28th March, 2011 7.30pm-9.30pm (doors open 7pm), (on the door): £3 (poets) £5 (audience)
North Nineteen Pub
194-196 Sussex Way
London
N19 4HZ

Culture Nights: Poets in the Pub
An evening of poetry in the pub, featuring poet, journalist and travel writer Hugo Williams. Poets are welcome to bring their work and read for up to 2 minutes.

Hugo Williams writes a column in the Times Literary Supplement, has been poetry editor and TV critc on the New Statesman, theatre critic on the Sunday Corrrespondent, film critic for Harper's & Queen and a writer on popular music for Punch magazine. His Collected Poems, which brings together work from eight books, was published in 2002, his poetry collection Dear Room (2006), was shortlisted for the 2006 Costa Poetry Award, and his latest collection West End Final(2009) was shortlisted for the 2009 Forward Poetry Prize (Best Poetry Collection of the Year).

Website: http://therowanartsproject.com

EDINBURGH: Inky Fingers Wordlab

Sunday, 27th March 2011, 2-4pm, FREE
Bristo Hall @ Forest Café,
Edinburgh,
EH1 1EY

A new series of workshops for writers and performers, launching with an open session from ZORRAS!

"Poetry with Music and Film: BEYOND RANDOM MULTIMEDIA"

Building on our hugely popular monthly open mic (fourth Tuesday) and writers' groups (second Thursday), Inky Fingers is launching a new series of special free workshops, where the best of local and national writing and performing talent will be sharing their skills. Each month, one of our open mic feature performers will be running a workshop to stimulate your brains and help you expand the horizons of your writing and performance.

The series launches on March 27th with a session from the poetry-music-film fusion act Zorras, who've been taking bars, clubs, theatres and autonomous centres by storm since 2007 They'll be working with you on looking at how different forms can work together, expanding the possibilities for poetry and performance, without just becoming "random multimedia". This is an amazing opportunity to have a masterclass with some very special performers -- and it's totally free!

For more about Zorras, see http://www.blissfultimes.ca/zorras.htm

You can find out more about Inky Fingers at our website
(http://inkyfingersedinburgh.wordpress.com), on our Facebook
(http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=101994993200164), or by following
us on Twitter (@InkyFingersEdin)

LEIGHTON MOSS: Grey Hen anthology launch

Saturday 26th March, 2-4pm
Leighton Moss RSPB Reserve,
Silverdale
LA5 0SW

A reading to celebrate the launch of No Space But Their Own - new poems about birds.

With Pat Borthwick, A C Clarke, Pamela Coren, Kathryn Daszkiewicz, Ann Drysdale, Joy Howard, Gill McEvoy, Alwyn Marriage, Hermione Sandall, Gina Shaw and Christine Webb.

LONDON: Wordamouth presents Open/Wide

STOCKTON-ON-TEES: Whenever I Get Blown Up I Think Of You

Wednesday, 23rd March, 2011, 7.45pm, £8
The Arc,
Dovecot Street,
Stockton on Tees
TS18 1LL
Booking: http://www.arconline.co.uk/detail.php?id=2282 / 01642 525180

How does it feel to have your world blown apart? Britain is booming and Molly moves to London from deepest Cornwall full of naive dreams, high hopes and on a quest to make her life just like the movies. Then on 07/07/2005, she finds herself on an underground train blown up by terrorists and her life is forced to take a different direction. Funny, frank and poetic; this is the true story of what happened next and how we put things back together after they have been blown apart.

 "A moving, uplifting and remarkable show."  Fringe Review

“You will not see anything else as original in Edinburgh this year.” Fringe Review

Written and performed by Molly Naylor
Director and script development by: Yael Shavit
Music: The Middle Ones
Visuals: Max Naylor
Dramaturgy: Sarah Dickenson
Producer:  Sarah Ellis
Supported and developed by Apples & Snakes
Funded by Arts Council England
www.mollynaylor.com

BIRMINGHAM: Hit The Ode

Thursday, March 24th, 2011, 7.30pm, £5 on door only
The Victoria,
48 John Bright Street,
Birmingham
Info: bohdan@applesandsnakes.org

Hit The Ode
We’re only three nights in, and already it seems hard to imagine the Birmingham scene without Hit the Ode. For the fourth edition, the Victoria will welcome veteran dub poet Moqapi Selassie, multi-talented poet/musician Dizraeli, as well as L&D, the poetry team featuring two Dutch poetry slam champions, Ellen Deckwitz and Daan Doesborgh.

All this poetry goodness will be expertly punctuated with carefully selected tracks from our... resident DJ Soesmix.

And if you write and perform poetry yourself - there will be a (very) few open mic slots available, so get there early on the day to sign up!

Line-up:
From Birmingham: Moqapi Selassie
Moqapi is a Rastafari dub poet, born and raised in Birmingham. A veteran of the scene, he has been performing since 1984. He was a founding member of the Conscious Poets Society and the New October Poets Society. His poems were published in Five Birmingham Poets Book; he was part of the groundbreaking "Word Temple" directed by Amani Naphthal; he directed documentary entitled "Sumbrumpoets" featuring Martin Glynn, Birry, Mandisa and Kokumo. Aside from writing and sharing his poetry, Moqapi is also a radio presenter - you can catch his Word Sound Power on www.banturadio.com Fridays 6 to 8 Gmt.
Find out more: http://www.myspace.com/moqapiselassie

From Brighton: Dizraeli
Dizraeli is a BBC Slam Poetry Champion and Farrago UK Slam Champion, and also fronts the hiphop/folk band Dizraeli and the Small Gods. He has toured the world as a rapper and spoken word artist, performing in places ranging from the West Bank in Palestine to the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury. Described by Venue Magazine as "a true folk hero, capturing the truth of our times with groundlevel honesty", Dizraeli has written 3 hiphop plays, including the Edinburgh Fringe award-winning Rebel Cell.
Find out more: http://www.dizraeli.com/

From the Netherlands: L&D (Daan Doesborgh & Ellen Deckwitz)
Ellen Deckwitz is a rising star on the Dutch poetry scene. She won the National Poetry Slam Championships in 2009 and has taken her poetry from Berlin to Paris, from Antwerp to Warsaw. Her first collection of poetry will be published in April 2011. The duo’s other half, Daan Doesborgh started performing in 2005 at a local open mic, and hasn't stepped off the stage since. He has lectured on performance poetry at the universities of Warwick, Amsterdam and Turin, and performed his own work all over the Netherlands and across Europe. Winning the 2010 Dutch national championships crowned Daan's curriculum to date. He published a book of poetry in 2010 called De Venus Suikerspin (The Venus Cotton Candy).
Find out more: http://www.daandoesborgh.nl/
Ellen is working on a new website of her own - watch this space.

PLYMOUTH: Forked!

Thursday, March 24th, 2011, 8.30pm, £5 in advance, £7 on door
B-Bar,
Barbican Theatre,
Castle Street,
Plymouth
PL1 2NJ

Booking: 01752 242021/ www.b-bar.co.uk

Forked is back with more delicious poets shaking their metaphorical tail feathers within the sumptuous velvet curtained b-bar. Everyone’s favourite jazz floozy Mama Tokus hosts the evening, taking us on a journey through every kind of poetic life and wonderment. Featured this month we have the fabulous talents of:

Mab Jones -  “Pam Ayres on methadone” delightfully playful, outrageously naughty; amorous, irreverent, and relevant, witty, satirical, dark at times, but always lively and infused with a sparkly sense of fun. Cardiff born poet, comic and writer sent to entertain.

Talking Tekla the Narrator – Established and respected on the reggae scene, Talking Tekla has been Mcing since his youth, sharing stories with lyrical grace.

Catherine Brogan – A poetic collision between the personal and the political, Catherine is a literature festival star and slam champion with a good dose of wit and wisdom thrown in for good measure.

Jack Dean  – ‘The Rambo of the spoken word’ Mcing his way to success and telling it how it is.

LONDON: Grey Hen reading

Wednesday, 23rd March, 2011, 6.30pm-8pm
The Luxe,
109 Commercial Street,
London
E1

A reading from Grey Hen Press anthologies A Twist of Malice, Cracking On, No Space But Their Own and Get Me Out of Here!

With Helen Burke, Wendy Klein, Rosemary McLeish, Gerda Mayer, Ruth O'Callaghan, Anne Stewart and Christine Webb.

LONDON: Winged Thoughts, Words and Music

CARDIFF: Spoken Word All Stars

Thursday, March 31st, 2011
Cardiff Pierhead

Poetry is blasting its way into the hearts and minds of a new generation with high energy and rhythmic poetry sketching out a new literary landscape for the 21st century. Spoken Word All Stars presents an all-star cast of some of the most exciting poets of the day, performing an original live show in partnership with the globally acclaimed sax player Jason Yarde.

Taking five poets and one musician, the free show at Cardiff's Pierhead building on 31st March presents a stellar line-up of international award winners and critically acclaimed performers, including Kat Francois, OneNess, El Crisis, Chris Redmond, and special guest artist Peter Finch, a legendary performer whose poetic words can be seen set in concrete outside the new Central Library.

Spoken Word All Stars’ journey began at Latitude Festival 2010, and is featured on TV as a documentary by Sky Arts. Their spectacular live show weaves comedy, tragedy, romance and philosophy; spoken word interwoven with live and improvised loops, beats and melodies.

The show is free and is produced by charity Poet in the City, with support from Apples & Snakes and Arts Council England. With the further endorsement of Academi, the Literature Promotion Agency for Wales, this is an event that offers a truly unique experience, and early booking is advised, either by emailing spokenwordallstars@live.co.uk or ringing 07908 367488.

Please see www.spokenwordallstars.com for further information.

Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=164759006910208

SHEFFIELD: Cake Slam For Japan

Wednesday, March 16th, 2011, 7.30pm, FREE
Bank Street Arts,
Sheffield

It's been a tragic few weeks around the world, from the earthquake in New Zealand, crazy floods in Australia, huge problems STILL with the cholera outbreak in Haiti and now poor Japan! At CAKE we provide you with ideas to live by, and thought for food. It seems only fitting that 'SLAM JAM part 5: THROWN TOGETHER' was the right sentiment and we're going to donate some £££ for every person who attends CAKE's SLAMJAM & a percentage of £££ from drinks.

At CAKE we will be donating some of our money donated from drinks and any spontaneous donations made by you to the RED CROSS Japan Tsunami Appeal. For every person that attends, the members of CAKE will donate some more money to the appeal. So GET AS MANY FRIENDS AS YOU CAN to attend. In addition to this, you will be supporting your local art community!

EMAIL us (hit reply cake.artgallery@gmail.com ) for a place to do your
SLAM/
POETRY (any type)/
PERFORMANCE/
PRESENTATION/
YOUR-THING
or just turn up on the night, and be inspired by the AWESOMENESS of the nights performers & audience, as it is OPEN-MIC.
Currently we have 14 confirmed performers, so if you really want to get up there. Book your place!

CAMBRIDGE: Whenever I Get Blown Up I Think Of You

Friday, 18th March, 2011, 8pm, £6
The Junction,
Cambridge
Booking: http://www.junction.co.uk/artist/613 / 01223 511 511

How does it feel to have your world blown apart? Britain is booming and Molly moves to London from deepest Cornwall full of naive dreams, high hopes and on a quest to make her life just like the movies. Then on 07/07/2005, she finds herself on an underground train blown up by terrorists and her life is forced to take a different direction. Funny, frank and poetic; this is the true story of what happened next and how we put things back together after they have been blown apart.

 "A moving, uplifting and remarkable show."  Fringe Review

“You will not see anything else as original in Edinburgh this year.” Fringe Review

Written and performed by Molly Naylor
Director and script development by: Yael Shavit
Music: The Middle Ones
Visuals: Max Naylor
Dramaturgy: Sarah Dickenson
Producer:  Sarah Ellis
Supported and developed by Apples & Snakes
Funded by Arts Council England
www.mollynaylor.com

GALWAY: March Over The Edge Open Reading

Thursday, March 31st, 2011, 6.30pm-8pm, FREE
Galway City Library,
St. Augustine Street,
Galway

The Featured Readers are Miriam Gamble, James Lawless and Anne McManus.

Miriam Gamble was born in Brussels in 1980 and grew up in Belfast. She studied at Oxford and at Queen’s University Belfast, where she completed a PhD in contemporary British and Irish poetry. She writes poems, reviews and critical essays and is a part-time tutor in creative writing at Queen’s University. She won an Eric Gregory Award in 2007, and her pamphlet, This Man's Town, was published by tall-lighthouse in 2007. A selection of her poems appears in the Bloodaxe anthology Voice Recognition: 21 poets for the 21st century (2009). Her first book-length collection, The Squirrels Are Dead, was published by Bloodaxe last year. Miriam lives and works in Belfast.

James Lawless was born in Dublin. His novels are Peeling Oranges (Mullingar, Killynon House Books, 2007); For Love of Anna (New Generation, 2009); and The Avenue (Galway, Wordsonthestreet, 2010).  His story Jolt was shortlisted for the Willenden Prize and appeared in New Short Stories 1, edited Zadie Smith (London/ New York, Willesden Herald, 2007). His other awards the Cecil Day Lewis Play Award 2005 for What Are Neighbours For? and a Hennessy Award nomination in 2010. He divides his time between County Kildare and West Cork.

Anne McManus was born and grew up in Sligo town. She trained as a Home Economics teacher in St Angela’s College, Sligo. Anne came to writing unexpectedly when in 1999 NUIG, through its Continuing Education Programme, provided Salthill Active Retirement Association with a tutor, Maire Holmes, to enable older people to take up writing. Anne has previously read her work at Galway Arts Centre’s Nuns Island Studio and at the Over The Edge open-mic. She is currently a participant in the S.A.R.A writers’ group which is facilitated by Kevin Higgins. Anne writes both poetry and fiction.

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/

LONDON: Poets In The Pub, with Hugo Williams

Monday, 28th March, 2011 7.30pm-9.30pm (doors open 7pm), (on the door): £3 (poets) £5 (audience)
North Nineteen Pub
194-196 Sussex Way
London
N19 4HZ

Culture Nights: Poets in the Pub
An evening of poetry in the pub, featuring poet, journalist and travel writer Hugo Williams. Poets are welcome to bring their work and read for up to 2 minutes.

Hugo Williams writes a column in the Times Literary Supplement, has been poetry editor and TV critc on the New Statesman, theatre critic on the Sunday Corrrespondent, film critic for Harper's & Queen and a writer on popular music for Punch magazine. His Collected Poems, which brings together work from eight books, was published in 2002, his poetry collection Dear Room (2006), was shortlisted for the 2006 Costa Poetry Award, and his latest collection West End Final(2009) was shortlisted for the 2009 Forward Poetry Prize (Best Poetry Collection of the Year).

Website: http://therowanartsproject.com

SHEFFIELD: Cake Slam For Japan

Wednesday, March 16th, 2011, 7.30pm, FREE
Bank Street Arts,
Sheffield

It's been a tragic few weeks around the world, from the earthquake in New Zealand, crazy floods in Australia, huge problems STILL with the cholera outbreak in Haiti and now poor Japan! At CAKE we provide you with ideas to live by, and thought for food. It seems only fitting that 'SLAM JAM part 5: THROWN TOGETHER' was the right sentiment and we're going to donate some £££ for every person who attends CAKE's SLAMJAM & a percentage of £££ from drinks.

At CAKE we will be donating some of our money donated from drinks and any spontaneous donations made by you to the RED CROSS Japan Tsunami Appeal. For every person that attends, the members of CAKE will donate some more money to the appeal. So GET AS MANY FRIENDS AS YOU CAN to attend. In addition to this, you will be supporting your local art community!

EMAIL us (hit reply cake.artgallery@gmail.com ) for a place to do your
SLAM/
POETRY (any type)/
PERFORMANCE/
PRESENTATION/
YOUR-THING
or just turn up on the night, and be inspired by the AWESOMENESS of the nights performers & audience, as it is OPEN-MIC.
Currently we have 14 confirmed performers, so if you really want to get up there. Book your place!

LONDON: Lumen Poetry Series

Tuesday, 15th March, 2011, doors open 6.30pm for 7pm, £5/£4, WINE
LUMEN,
88 Tavistock Place
WC1
Tubes: Russell Square , Kings Cross, St Pancras.

Ruth O'Callaghan presents Cinnamon Poets Anne Caldwell, Sally Douglas and Andrea Siviero.
Poets from the floor very welcome.

LONDON: wordPLAY

Tuesday, March 15th, 2011, 7pm-11pm, £3
The Good Ship
Kilburn


wordPLAY returns in aid of Cancer Research UK

Matt Thorne + Carol Oheema + Jack Kelly + Leslie Tetteh + Liz Adams + Sophie Buchan + Sam Buchan Watts


wordPLAY is very pleased to announce that we are returning to the Good Ship in Kilburn for a one-off charity special on Tuesday 15th March in aid of Cancer Research UK. Booker nominee Matt Thorne will be headlining alongside dynamic poetry sensation Carol Oheema, cult Clinic founder Sam Buchan Watts presenting his lyrical take on modern life, as well as a peppering of new and established writers as guest stars ready for a riotous evening of explosive, inspiring and wonderful words.

wordPLAY has been North London’s foremost spoken word event since its beginnings in 2009, and has played host to a wide array of writers such as Laura Dockrill, Kate Tempest, Bernadine Evaristo, Edinburgh award-winning comedian Tim Key, TS Eliot-winning Poet George Szirtes, author of 'Return to The Hundred-Acre Wood' (the Winnie the Pooh sequel) David Benedictus, and an eclectic array of guest stars who are generally less established/unpublished yet generally wonderful writers, varying from traditional poets to MCs, beatboxers and freestylers to prose writers and storytellers.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=183936374977029

BRISTOL: Brizzlemania 8

Tuesday, 15th March, 2011, 8pm, £3
Arts House,
108a Stokes Croft,
Bristol

BRIZZLEMANIA 8: MARCH MENTALISM

OPEN POETRY SLAM featuring:

Summery Soliloquies from THE SUNSHINE KID

Brizzle's own poetry hero JULIAN RAMSEY-WADE

From Seoul to the Southwest, lyrical bluesman JEREMY TOOMBS