CANCELLATION

Please note, Monday August 18th's Poetry Doubles event, run by Dumfries and Galloway Arts Association, is cancelled as Roy Fisher is unwell.

New Editorial Team at POF

A new era is about to begin at Poets on Fire!

From this Thursday, May 1st, Poets on Fire will be adminstered by an editorial team consisting of myself, Jane Holland, and these three new POF bloggers, who will no doubt make themselves known to you over the course of the next few weeks:

Nina Davies
Matt Merritt
Charlotte Runcie

At some point, a new 'joint' email address will be generated to handle new events being sent to POF for listing, plus other material.

Ideas for a new way forward including freshening the look of the blog and creating a spin-off blog which will feature reviews, interviews and other articles on live poetry in the UK.

A very warm welcome to the new team!

Jane Holland
(POF Admin & Founder)

Escarmouches: poets read & debate at London's Troubadour Coffee-House

escarmouches-the coffee-house colloquies

8pm
Monday 28th April, 2008
At the Troubadour, Old Brompton Road, London

"escarmouches - the coffee-house colloquies with Fiona Sampson, David Morley, Naomi Jaffa & Alan Brownjohn"

A mild skirmish in a very civil war as Coffee-House Poetry re-invokes the coffee-house traditions of radical dissent, intellectual disquistion & scurrilous writerly gossip to ask a group of poets, editors, activists to read from their own & others' contemporary poems & sit around a table to debate age-old questions from, How's the poetry going? to Where's the poetry gone?

Our poetry panel: Fiona Sampson (Common Prayer, Carcanet) founded Orient Express & edits Poetry Society's flagship journal, Poetry Review; David Morley (The Invisible Kings, Carcanet) is Professor of Creative Writing at Warwick and-among 17 books-co-edited seminal 1990s anthology, The New Poetry; Naomi Jaffa (Last Hour of Sleep, Five Leaves) is Director of The Poetry Trust which runs (among other things) the prestigious Aldeburgh Poetry Festival; and former New Statesman poetry editor & Poetry Society Chair (1982-1988), Alan Brownjohn (Collected Poems, Enitharmon).

Online Editors Required

Dear Readers of POF

Having taken on a number of time-consuming new projects this year, I have decided that I cannot continue running this Poets on Fire events listing blog. However, it's been such a phenomenal success, right from its inception, that I don't want to simply close the site.

So I'm looking for several good-natured people to run the site instead. The position is unpaid, I'm afraid, but is a good public service and also means you will be in contact with all sorts of British performers and event organisers, both big and small.

You will need some experience with Blogger or a similar site, in particular a basic working knowledge of HTML. (No longer strictly necessary, I know, but it's always good to know what the code means for those times when things don't go according to plan.)

How would it work? Well, in the beginning I would forward any emails received to your address and let you post them up; later, you might want to reroute all emails straight through to your own email address. You will be named in the sidebar and below each post as one of the POF editors, and made an official 'team member' for this blog so that you can post up events as they come through to you, or change the site design if you wish. You will also be able to post up your own details and a photograph in the sidebar for permanent display.

I will remain a named team member myself, as the site's founder.

So, minimal interference, maximum networking opportunities. What do you say? If you would like to apply for this position, please email me - j.holland442@btinternet.com - giving the following details:

1. Your real name.
2. Your age.
3. Your location.
4. Your internet experience (particularly as a blogger).
5. Your background in poetry and/or performance.
6. Why you want to take this challenging project on.
7. Any ideas you may have about changing/improving the site.
8. Lastly, your absolute commitment to updating this blog at least once a week for a minimum period of six months.

Looking forward to hearing from you - deadline for applications will be Sunday April 27th.

Jane

SOUNDBLAST: news flash!

SOUNDBLAST: Pioneering partnership unites the UK poetry scene as well-respected poetry book club society adds performance poetry cds to its online collection

www.poetrybookshoponline.com/soundblast
Goes live: 6 May

The UK poetry scene has, for years, been characterised by a divide between the more traditional world of ‘page poetry’ and the performance poetry scene. A pioneering partnership, between a major poetry society and the UK’s leading performance poetry organisation, will help to bridge the divide.

This dynamic collaboration has been lead by The Poetry Bookshop Society (PBS), the biggest dedicated poetry bookseller in the UK and Apples & Snakes, the UK’s leading organisation for performance poetry. The cds have been sourced by Apples & Snakes and will be sold on a new page of The Poetry Bookshop Online from 6 May 2008.

The PBS want to extend their audiences for the online bookshop by reaching beyond traditional poetry readers to audiences who are used to hearing poetry performed live.

The new website will provide users with the chance to buy the work of over forty established and emerging artists: including Benjamin Zephaniah, Lemn Sissay, Billy Childish, Beyonder and Agnes Meadows. The site will offer sample audio extracts from the cds, together with photographs and biographies of the poets and cd reviews. Poet recordings have also been provided by 57 Productions.

A successful preview night was held at Whitechapel Gallery on 20 March with performances from six of the featured poets. One of the audience members said, It was mind blowing! The artists were all so talented in their own individual way, I have never heard spoken word poetry before but I think I'm hooked and I even want to start writing some myself!


For further information please contact:

Poetry Book Society
Pinda Bryars or Chris Holifield
Tel 020 7833 9247 or 07872 075056
Email pinda@poetrybooks.co.uk or chris@poetrybooks.co.uk

Apples & Snakes
Charlotte Dove or George Palmer
Tel 0845 521 3460
Email charlotte@applesandsnakes.org or george@applesandsnakes.org


Editor’s Notes
Founded by T S Eliot in 1953, the Poetry Book Society is an organisation devoted to developing and maintaining a readership for poetry in the U.K. The PBS offers the best new contemporary poetry to its members. Apples & Snakes was established as a platform for popular, high quality and cross-cultural poetry. Since 1982, they have reached over four million audience members in theatres, galleries, schools and prisons. They aim to stretch the boundaries of poetry in performance and education


Featured poets include:

Benjamin Zephaniah is a published poet, novelist and playwright. He has been writer in residence at the Africa Arts Collective in Liverpool and creative artist-in-residence at Cambridge University.

Lemn Sissay is Southbank Centre artist-in-residence. Using the lyrical and the polemical, up-beat humour and deadly seriousness, Lemn’s performances are notorious for their powerful energy & dynamism.

Ventriloquist (Chris Redmond) As a trained musician, and with a love of live performance, Chris is part of a growing scene of performance poets who are as comfortable at music nights as they are poetry readings.

Mark Gywnne Jones and the Psychicbread Their debut album - In the light of this (Route 2007) – is a rich offering of voice, rhythm, roots music, vivid poetry and a surreal sense of humor. Based in Derbyshire the band is fronted by poet, musician and performer Mark Gwynne Jones.

Lucy Lepchani is primarily a performance poet and performs at open-mike, cabaret, festivals, readings, and other events. Her work comprises both traditional and contemporary forms, and embraces a wide range of subject matter.

New Open Mic Night & Poetry Reading in East Sussex

Poetry News: East Sussex 'Eight Pints of Poetry' Night

Live poetry club in East Sussex launched in grand style
East Sussex club Eight Pints of Poetry got off to a cracking start with an hour of poetry by Edinburgh Fringe Slam champion Ash Dickinson (pictured above) and 30 minutes of poems by the host Oliver.

The monthly live poetry club, at the Lewes Arms in Lewes, East Sussex, also featured its first open spot poet, Iona Jette, who, with great gusto, performed a short selection of her poetry. A contest to write a limerick about the Archbishop of Canterbury's current problems was also enthusiastically enjoyed by the audience.

Oliver said: 'It was a cracking night with a great audience who were really up for it. I would, however, like to appeal for more poets for open mic spots for next month's gig.'

The next gig - on Friday, 15 March – will be headlined by the legendary Attila the Stockbroker. Open mic spots should email Oliver (pictured) on oliverspoetry@hotmail.co.uk.


Oliver, host of 'Eight Pints of Poetry'

• Eight Pints of Poetry is held at upstairs at the Lewes Arms, Mount Place, Lewes, East Sussex,. The Attila the Stockbroker gig is on Friday, 15 March, 8pm (doors), 8.30pm (show). Entry: £5. For more details about the club, visit: www.oliverspoetry.com. The Lewes Arms serves excellent food and has a licence till midnight. Lewes is a 10-minute train journey from Brighton and an hour from London Victoria.

Over the Edge Poetry Reading in Galway: Friday 7th December

OVER THE EDGE

Over The Edge in association with Poetry Ireland presents a reading by Catherine Phil MacCarthy, Elaine Feeney & Sheila Phelan at Sheridan’s Wine Bar, 14-16 Church Yard Street, Galway on Friday, December 7th, 8pm.

There is no entrance fee. All are welcome. For further information contact 087-6431748. Over The Edge acknowledges the financial support of Galway City Council and The Arts Council http://overtheedgeliteraryevents.blogspot.com

!!!NEWSFLASH!!!
Over The Edge was delighted to be notified this week that our Arts Council grant for 2008 is up on what we received in 2007. We have an exciting programme lined up for 2008 which includes readings by Pat Boran, Dennis O’Driscoll, Colette Bryce, Roddy Lumsden, Gearoid MacLochlainn, Rita Ann Higgins and many more.

Bloodaxe 'Changing Lives' Performances

As part of Bloodaxe's "broadmarket intiative" to encourage afficianados of other art forms to add poetry to their cultural portfolios, Jonathan Davidson and Midland Creative Projects Limited in association with Warwick Arts Centre and Bloodaxe Books present

CHANGING LIVES

Using some of the most powerful poetry published by Bloodaxe Books over the last thirty years, Changing Lives presents poetry as it should be experienced: full of wit, vitality and emotion. It is inspired by every aspect of our changing lives – from birth to death and all the glorious details between. And while there are moments of sadness, Changing Lives also provides comedy and thought provoking stories.

Changing Lives is performed as a theatre piece by a team of three actors and is directed by Steve Byrne, of Interplay Theatre, with Lizzie Wiggs, Associate Director. A haunting sound track, moving images and a stunning design are provided by Derek Nisbett and Janet Vaughan of Talking Birds. The poets whose work is featured include Jackie Kay, Helen Dunmore and David Constantine.

If you are new to poetry or a regular reader, Changing Lives will show why good poetry brilliantly performed is an experience like no other.

Wednesday 3rd October, 2007, 7.45pm, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, 02476 524524 http://www.warwickartscentre.co.uk

Thursday 4th October, 2007, 1pm, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, 02476 524524 http:// www.warwickartscentre.co.uk

Thursday 4th October, 2007, 7.45pm, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, 02476 524524 http://www.warwickartscentre.co.uk

Saturday 6th October, 2007, 3.30pm, Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton, 01902 321321, http://www.arenatheatre.info

Wednesday 10th October, 2007, 7.30pm, Swindon Arts Centre, 01793 614837, http://www.swindon.gov.uk/artscentre

Thursday 11th October, 2007, 7.45pm, Norden Farm Centre for the Arts, Maidenhead, 01628 788997, http://www.nordenfarm.org

Friday 12th October, 2007, 7.45pm, Gulbenkian Theatre, Canterbury, 01227 769075, http://www.kent.ac.uk/gulbenkian

Thursday 18th October, 8pm, Darlington Arts Centre, 01325 486555, http://www.darlingtonarts.co.uk

Tuesday 23rd October, 7.30pm, The Electric Cinema, Guildford Literature Festival, 01483 444789, http://www.guildfordbookfestival.co.uk

www.livepoetry.org

*********************************

Changing Lives is a Midland Creative Projects Limited production www.midlandcreative.co.uk

Poetry for Oxfam on You Tube

Poet John Siddique has asked me to post up this You Tube video, filmed for Oxfam whilst he was doing the Lifelines CD. I don't usually post this sort of thing on Poets on Fire because it's not strictly 'live' poetry. But this is in connection with a charity CD, so I've decided to make an exception.

Enjoy!

More Poetry Workshops

Poetry Workshops

Making Poetry, Tuesday evenings, 7.00 - 9.00 from 11th September, MAC Birmingham
Poetry combines the technical - rhythm, rhyme, metaphor, poetic forms - with the world as we experience it through our senses. To produce new and original work, we will look for inspiration from objects, pictures, other poets' work, the mac building and much more. There will be guided exercises and time for discussion and reflection, and workshop sessions offering opportunities to share each other's work and ideas. Led by published, prizewinning poet Jacqui Rowe who also hosts Poetry Bites at mac.

It's advisable to book early. Apparently, when booking opened for the autumn courses, the queue went all the way outside and over the bridge (not just for Making Poetry, of course!)

www.jacquirowe.iminbusiness.com

Bristol Folk House Poetry/Performance Workshops

The Bristol Folk House invites you to come along on September 1st from 10am - 4pm to try a selection of taster workshops, meet our tutors, explore the building and generally find out more about what we offer.

PLUS
Book Launch!!

FOLK HOUSE ANTHOLOGY Book Launch is on Weds. 5th Sept. 5.30 - 7.30pm

More details:
www.rosemarydun.co.uk
www.big-mouth-poetry.co.uk
www.myspace.com/rosemary_dun
www.myspace.com/bigmouthpoetry

Apples & Snakes

Nationwide performance poetry organiser Apples and Snakes is looking for a new Regional Co-ordinator for the East Midlands. You can find further information by following this link.

Also, if you're looking for ways to improve your performance skills as a live artist, why not try an Apples & Snakes Masterclass?

For full details of venues and booking methods, prices etc, click here.

University Project seeks Poetry Recordings & Information

Dear Jane Holland

I recently discovered your blogspot 'Poets on Fire'. It's a fantastic site and resource which, to me, seems to be doing a really important (much needed) job in fielding a lot of the scattered information on poetry events into one place.

With your extensive knowledge of various contemporary performance scenes, I wondered if you might be able to help me. I am trying to locate recordings of poets reading their work for a digitisation project.

I am working on a collaborative British Academy project on the history of British poetry performance, based at Southampton University. The aim of the project is to study changes in performance style in poetry readings, and their relation to the history of poetry over the last five decades. As part of this, we have constructed a research resource -- an online database of extracts from live poetry readings from 1960 to the present day, which is freely available to the public at http://poetry.eprints.org . We have been liasing with the British Library Sound Archive, Morden Tower, Apples & Snakes poetry promoters, and various poets and individuals with private collections of recordings.

Before finalising the design and officially launching the site, we are trying to expand the amount of material represented on it. In particular, we are trying to increase the number of recordings from the 1960s, but also from the late nineties, c.1995-2000.

Do you know of anyone or any organisation who may have live recordings of poetry readings, who I could contact? We would only want to make brief extracts from particular readings (most of the poets in the collection are represented by 2-3 single poems) and we would clear permissions for any material before using it online.

If you could help in any way, I would be incredibly grateful. Keep up the good work with the site!

Thanks for your time, and best wishes
Victoria Sheppard
(Please leave comments below if you'd like to contact Victoria)

New Project for Midlands Culturally Specific Artists

Things That Can’t Be Said

r:evolve and Apples & Snakes are developing a 1 hour production with West Midlands-based performance poets. The work will initially tour to r:evolve’s partner venues: the Arena Theatre, mac and Black Country Touring in February 2008.

We are creating one piece of work with 5 artists, inspired by “Things that can’t be said,” where each artist contributes to and tells part of an overall narrative. The work will be more theatrical than ‘regular’ performance poetry. By this we mean it will use theatrical devices which enable it to be more than an artist and a mic. For example it may incorporate gesture, movement, song and dance.

We are very interested in stretching artists beyond their current practise, by enabling them to experiment with voice, movement and structure and by being part of a collaborative spoken word production.

This opportunity is for artists resident in the West Midlands and those of the following culturally specific backgrounds: Asian, Black, Chinese or more recent immigrant communities and refugee status artists.

We are seeking people with some experience of spoken word, a confidence and more importantly a desire to try new things to develop themselves further and to work collaboratively with other members of the team.

We are looking for artists who meet the following requirements:
• Have experience of writing and performing spoken word in front of an audience.
• Have experience of performing at open mic events.
• Have an ability to work collaboratively and supportively with other members of the team.
• Have a willingness to work experimentally with voice, movement and space and are prepared to try new things.
• Have a degree of self-awareness.
• Have a willingness and ability to take notes: to receive and respond appropriately to constructive critical feedback.
• Have an ability to write spontaneously, edit and redraft.


We will be short-listing 8 applicants to attend a workshop audition on Wednesday 12 September at mac in Birmingham. The day will be for applicants to work together and for us to get a sense of their writing, and performance abilities. Applicants will be required to perform 3 minutes of prepared material on the day. 5 artists will be selected after the day to form the team for the production.

As part of the commission, the 5 artists will attend a number of performances by other professional performance poets and master classes, mostly in autumn.

We are planning a two-day residential retreat in September or October (the exact dates are to be confirmed); this will be led by the director. Its aim will be for teambuilding, to develop trust and start exploration in a safe and supported context. In addition, a dramaturge will work closely with the director and the artists on this production.

Artists will be required to write 12 minutes of material each, which will form the production.

Rehearsals start on 21 January 2008 and the first performance takes place on 1 February, followed by a least another two performances and possibly more.

Artists will be paid a fee of £1400 for attendance at the retreat, the writing commission and rehearsal period.

NB. None of the dates stated are negotiable.

In order to apply please do the following:
• Submit a creative half page response to “Things That Can’t Be Said”, through writing. You may want to get away from the obvious and think outside the box. Surprise us with your response.
• Submit two poems that you have written (a maximum of 3 minutes each) preferably in writing, if not, then CD.
• To have taken part in at least 3 open mic sessions. Tell us where and when.
• Submit a (maximum two-page) curriculum vitae or short biography.
• Submit a short (two or three sentence) artistic statement about yourself now and in the future. What do you do now and what do you hope to be doing in the future?

The deadline for the above information is Monday 20 August, 12pm. Please send applications to Dawinder Bansal, r:evolve Project Assistant, by email to dawinder_bansal@yahoo.co.uk or by post to r:evolve, c/o The Old Courts, Market Street, Oldbury B69 4DH.

Short-listed applicants will be notified by Tue 28 August. Unfortunately we are unable to respond to all applicants. If you haven’t heard from us by then, please assume your application was unsuccessful.

If you would like an informal chat about this opportunity please call Bobby Tiwana, r:evolve Project Manager on 07816 679 369.

r:evolve is a theatre development programme led by a Consortium of the Arena Theatre, mac and Black Country Touring, to develop more theatre by culturally specific* practitioners for its venues.

*Asian, Black, Chinese and more recent immigrant communities and refugee status artists.

Apples & Snakes stretches the boundaries of poetry in education and performance by giving voice to a diverse range of challenging and dynamic poets.

This opportunity is a positive action measure under section 37 of the Race Relations Act 1976, looking to redress the balance of culturally specific theatre artists.

Many thanks
Things That Can’t Be Said Team

Want to Take Your Cabaret Act to Edinburgh?

FROM MATCHBOX (Coventry-based Poetry Venture/Magazine):

Matchbox is thinking of going to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year, to perform at The C Venue Cabaret bar for one night only (more if we get good). We are currently looking to recruit a team of people to take part in a rehearsed poetry reading / acoustic gig and a resurrected version of 'Kinship and Miscalculation' (poetry performance piece that made its debut at WSAF this year).

Although we cannot pay or contribute towards board or travel, this is a fantastic excuse to get up to the fringe and to perform in a professional cabaret venue to a large and keen audience.

If you would like to write, perform (musically or poetically or otherwise), produce or direct please get in contact with Thom or me (Chloe) at this address - matchboxmagazine@hotmail.co.uk - or by phone (details below).

If you are already at the fringe, let us know too and we'll get you involved. Let us know what capacity you would like to be involved and when you are available and we'll go from there. (Dates and times are to be confirmed but Thom and I will be up there for the whole month so we are flexible.)

Looking forward to your eager replies,
Chloe (07828166375)
and Thom (07719897130)

News from 57 Productions

57 is engaged in an extensive production programme in 2007 - inc. events, workshops & talks - as well as filming & recording with a wide range of artists

The new iPoems & Video Jukebox systems are enjoying lots of traffic & good feedback – with the streaming & download systems doing the trick!

We're pleased to announce special screenings of films from the Jukebox during Summer & Autumn - inc. Hull Film Festival & Portobello Film Festival - with much more t.b.a. - inc. screenings at key literary festivals around the UK

In the pipeline - we have new content for both the iPoems & the Video Jukebox – with, for example, Billy Childish - as just announced in the Kent on Sunday, plus new recordings & films featuring Clare Pollard, Paul Farley & Imtiaz Dharker among others

Also for the Video Jukebox - in Autumn we will be installing rare archive footage of the great late Scottish poet & folklorist - Hamish Henderson - & the great late St Vincentian poet & jazz musician - Shake Keane - as filmed by Mahmood Jamal at the Black Third World & Radical Bookfair in 1992 – along with other surprises

iPoems will feature new work from sessions with Shamshad Khan, Crisis, Paul Lyalls, Mark Gwynne Jones, Jacob Sam-La Rose – a choice crop of popular, young poets – spreading the word through performance - plus new recordings from a special sessions with Lorna Goodison, Jane Draycott & Patience Agbabi

57 also proudly announces the electronic release of a rare recording by the late great Mikey Smith - Say Natty Natty/Goliath - on the Poetry Jukebox - STILL FREE - accompanied by a newly commissioned article on Mikey by Mervyn Morris – also freely available

plus to come – we have new Articles from Nigel McLoughlin on poetry, new-media & higher education; Janet Smith on poetry & performance in a post-colonial context; word from Neil Rollinson on poetry as hypertext; plus a new interview with Patience Agbabi – with more t.b.a.

57 will soon announce newly commissioned work with the poet & flash-animator Peter Howard - inc. a unique collaboration with Lemn Sissay - further exploring this extraordinary hybrid art-form

Events & Other Highlights for 2007

57 is party to a huge programme of events in Autumn 2007 – highlights of which include:

Linton Kwesi Johnson - who takes on an extensive tour of the UK to mark the publication of the Selected Works from Penguin – taking in Ilkley, Oldham, Bedales, Durham, Manchester, London, Hull, Whitby, Glasgow, Sheffield, Liverpool, Bridgewater, Whitstable, Colchester, plus … with more details soon to be announced

Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze continues to deliver remarkable work – including for the recent Abolition of Slavery memorial event at the British Museum & a commission for the Royal Opera House based on Hogarth’s ‘A Rakes’ Progress’, as well as promoting her new collection – The Fifth Figure (Bloodaxe). She will be touring the UK & internationally throughout 2007

Adrian Mitchell is working on new theatre productions, plus promoting his recent collections from Bloodaxe - The Shadow Knows - & from Orchard - Daft as a Doughnut (for kids) - as well as his recordings with 57 - The Dogfather - & the Poetry Archive. Also in 2007 Adrian is also working on his newly commissioned autobiography & new audio recordings with 57 for young people

Patience Agbabi is engaged in an extensive performance & educational programme & will be airing new works from her forthcoming collection - Bloodshot Monochrome (Cannongate) - & Courttia Newland will be touring the UK & internationally promoting his recent collection of short stories from Peepal Tree - Music for the Off-Key … with much more t.b.a.

Please check out the new iPoems Myspace site

Paul Beasley
57 Productions
57 Effingham Road, Lee Green, London SE12 8NT
Tel: 020 8463 0866
email: paul @ 57productions.com