Tongue & Groove, Bristol Folk House: Saturday 2nd June

OUT NOW! Poet & Performer Shamshad Khan's debut collection: Megalomaniac

Shamshad Khan is a well-known UK poet and performer, so many of you may be interested to know that she has now committed her poems to print. Megalomaniac (Salt Publishing 2007) is her first solo poetry collection and is available to buy online or you can order it from bookshops.



You can find out more about Shamshad Khan - watch a podcast, hear her performing from Megalomaniac, download a PDF extract and check out her biog. and reviews - on her author page at Salt Publishing. For bookshop orders, the ISBN is 978-1-84471-312-7.


In this powerful debut collection, Shamshad Khan struts with attitude from the poetic to the polemic; side stepping from the satirical towards the spiritual. She has a keen awareness of rhythm and the spoken word. With wickedly simple language she explores themes of power, loss, identity and love.

"When i first saw Shamshad Khan read her poetry i was
so moved that i haven't stopped moving yet. I prayed
to the god of poetry that her work would be put into print.
Deliverance is sweet." Benjamin Zephaniah

Also, you can hear Shamshad on the radio this weekend:

Radio 4, Sunday 3rd June, 4.30pm on the Poetry Slot
The 'Poem of the Cloak' or Qasidah Burda is a devotional poem written by Egyptian poet Al-Busiri (between 1260-1268 CE). It is the inspiration for a new concert created and performed by women from Ulfah Arts and their director Naz Kosar. Radio 4 had been following the project over the last 9 months. The programme presented by Shamshad Khan brings the “Poem of the Cloak” to life as well as documenting the individual journeys of the Muslim women on the project. You can also hear it online for a week only on www.bbc.co.uk/radio4.

Spoken Word Evening with Apples & Snakes pioneering poets

Spoken Word with Apples & Snakes

Spoken word, performance poetry, live poetry: many terms all meaning one thing. It’s an artform that’s come a long way in the last ten years, and tonight we bring you four pioneering poets who have broken new ground in that time.
Patience Agbabi, tattooed poetry diva who’s been pushing back the boundaries since the early ‘90s
David J, man of a thousand voices and a thousand poems of socio-political intrigue
Suzanne Andrade, doyenne of Edwardian-Gothic grotesquerie
Polarbear, a 21st-century storytelling star.

When: Tuesday 5 June @ 7pm (doors open 6.30pm)
Where: Guardian Newsroom, 60 Farringdon Road, EC1R 3GA
Tickets: FREE
Advance Booking Essential: 07908 367 488 / info@poetinthecity.co.uk
Info: www.applesandsnakes.org / www.poetinthecity.co.uk

Buzzwords Poetry Night in Cheltenham: Sunday 3rd June

Next Sunday 3rd June: BUZZWORDS
Upstairs at the Beehive, Montpellier Villas, Cheltenham

7.30pm - workshop led by Maureen Almond
8.30 onwards - open mic session and Guest Poet Maureen Almond

FRESH at the Albany: Friday 1st June

Apples & Snakes: Fresh

Are you into poetry with a hip hop beat?

If so, then we’ve got another Fresh night at The Albany in Deptford. We present a showcase of poetry blended with rap and dance featuring the hip-hop move’n’grooves of Paradigmz and a 100mph verbal storm from MC Tempest.

Plus we’ve always got one eye on London’s poetic talent so come along early and sign up for one of our ever-popular open mic slots. Hosted by New York’s finest, Mr Kenny Baraka.

This event will be filmed by SkyCast.

When: Friday 1 June @ 8pm
Where: The Albany, Douglas Way, Deptford SE8 4AG
Tickets: £6 / £5 (concs) / £4 (under 25s)
Booking: 020 8692 4446

Book this event online at the Albany

Hammer & Tongue and the BBC present the South East National Slam Qualifiers in Brighton: TODAY, Sunday 27th May

Hammer & Tongue in collaboration with the BBC present

BBC National Slam: South East Qualifier

Slam winners from across the region compete in a national competition, hosted by Steve Larkin and Sam Berkson.

Special guest Henry Bowers - 4 Continents Slam Champion!

@ The Udder BELLY part of the Brighton Festival

Sunday 27th May
1-4pm
Entrance £8/£6
Box office 01273 709709

Sunday XPress in Birmingham City Centre: TODAY, 27th May

Sunday XPress at the Market Tavern, Digbeth

"Come down to the Market Tavern this Sunday afternoon, 27th May, 3-7pmish, and see the most diverse range of performers since "Freaks" was outlawed!

We've got music, we've got poetry, we've got comedy, we've even got all three rolled into one person. All open mic in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere for shy beginners and cocky pro's alike.

AND free roast potatoes!!"

Poetry in Edinburgh: Sunday 27th May

Poetry in Edinburgh, featuring

Kate Clanchy
Andrew Philip
Rob Mackenzie

@ the Mai Thai Cafe Bar
The Tun, 111 Holyrood Road
Edinburgh EH8 8AE

(down the lane from the
Scottish Poetry Library)

From 7.45pm
Sunday 27th May

Admission £2 / concessions £1

Julie Boden in An Evening of Poetry & Music in Leamington Spa

Nightmare on Clarendon Street: AN EVENING OF POETRY AND MUSIC

Symphony Hall’s Poet-in-Residence, Julie Boden accompanied by Adrian Moore (organ)
Gabrielle Byam Grounds (flute and keyboard)
Steph West and Sam Fox (harps and voice)
Jazz musician Dutch Lewis (bass clarinet and sax)

WEDNESDAY 6 JUNE
Holy Trinity Church, Beauchamp Avenue, Leamington Spa
7.30pm

As the performance will be recorded live, it would be appreciated if you would please arrive promptly.

Tickets: £5 or £3 concessions can be reserved or bought in advance by emailing julie@julieboden.co.uk or by telephoning Rachel Middleton (01926 831581).
Tickets will also be available at the door from 7pm onwards. It is anticipated that the performance will finish at 9.15pm.

Parking available in Beauchamp Avenue and Holy Trinity Church car park off Trinity Street. This is a HT160 event – all profits will go towards the HolyTrinity PCC Ramp and Railings Fund. A temporary ramp will be in place on the evening to ensure access for all

Hegley Does Tewkesbury: TONIGHT Saturday 26th May

John Hegley in Uncut Confetti

Saturday 26th May
8pm
The Roses Theatre, Sun Street, Tewkesbury

"Poet, singer and stand-up John Hegley has nine books to his name, two albums and one mug. He has performed on radio in five series of his own devising, is an Edinburgh Festival regular and has performed in Australia, Canada, Colombia, Zanzibar and Luton - the small town of his upbringing.

In a marriage of poetry, tale-telling and songs from his new book John takes us along on a quest to rediscover his continental roots. Prepare yourself for a visit to the ancient carnival in Nice, where he puts on a mask and conjures the spirit of his French folie bergère-dancing Grandma. Then he lets loose in the streets for a knees-up. A stanza bonanza, where family meditations breathe alongside other new poems, prose and pictures in a mixture of moods - reflective, detective, sweet and sour."

Tickets usually £13 but if you ring The Roses Box Office on 01684-295074 and quote ‘Buzzwords’ you can get tickets for just £7. NB. This may no longer apply as it's so close to the event. Check availability before travelling specially.

Poetry Symposium at Newbury: TODAY Saturday 26th May

Newbury Spring Festival Poetry Symposium

Newbury Library, The Wharf, Newbury
Saturday 26 May
2pm (finishes approx 3.30pm)

Featuring poets Melanie Challenger, Eva Salzman, Roddy Lumsden and Chris McCabe

"The Festival's Poet in Residence Melanie Challenger will
introduce several of her friends and colleagues from London
to discuss poetry and read from their works.

Chris McCabe, Roddy Lumsden and Eva Salzman are all young poets, whose early successes and passion for writing should serve as a powerful reminder that poetry is very much alive in the UK."

Free but advance booking advised

Supported by by Arts Council England, South East
and Greenham Common Trust

Gen Txt TWO FOR ONE ticket offer at the Oxford Playhouse: TONIGHT, Friday 25th May

Generation Txt: TWO for ONE ... TICKET OFFER

FRIDAY 25th MAY 2007
5pm
The Oxford Playhouse

Generation Txt: a live literature event featuring some of the UK’s most gifted young poets. Responding to a world of text speak and dumbed-down media, the writers speak out. This is a must see event for those interested in the future of poetry.



£6.50 for 2 adults tickets, please quote "2 for 1" deal.
Box Office - 01865 305305
www.oxfordplayhouse.com

Tongues & Grooves, Poetry in Hampshire: Sunday 27th May

Tongues & Grooves: Poetry in Southsea

The Florence Arms, 18-20 Florence Road, Southsea, Hampshire
Sunday 27th May
8pm.

Southsea’s most regular monthly poetry event this month has AF HARROLD as their special guest. You can check out the pub venue here.

Wendy Cope reading at the Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton: Saturday June 2nd

"Wendy Cope will be appearing at the Arena Theatre on Saturday 2nd June, at 4pm. Tickets are £10 /£8 so please dig deep and support what should be a memorable afternoon event."
Simon Fletcher
Literature Development Officer

Wolverhampton Central Library
Snow Hill
Wolverhampton
WV1 3AX
Tel:01902 552061
Fax:01902 552024

Broadcast at the Poetry Cafe: Thursday 24th May

Broadcast at the Poetry Society

Please note this regular event is being held in the Studio, not the Poetry Cafe basement.
Thursday 24th May
8pm
Entrance £5/4

This month's Broadcast features poets Tim Turnbull, Chris McCabe, Emily Berry and Kate Potts.


Tim Turnbull's Stranded in Sub-Atomica from Donut Press.

The Poetry Cafe, 22 Betterton Street, Covent Garden, London
Covent Garden tube

FRESH street to stage poetry from A&S: Friday June 1st

Apples & Snakes present: "Fresh"

Poetry coming up from the streets and onto the stage. With you in the spotlight! Apples & Snakes who have previously worked with Jonzi D and Benji Reid, now presents a showcase of poetry blended with rap and dance. Tonight we feature the hip-hop move’n’grooves of Paradigmz and a 100mph verbal storm from MC Tempest. Plus we’ve always got one eye on London’s poetic talent so come along early and sign up foe one of our ever-popular open mic slots. Hosted by New York’s finest, Mr Kenny Baraka

When: Friday 1 June @ 8pm
Where: The Albany, Douglas Way, Deptford SE8 4AG
Tickets: £6 / £5 (concs) / £4 (under 25s)
Booking: 020 8692 4446 / www.thealbany.org.uk

Hammer & Tongue poetry cabaret at The Magic Cafe: Tuesday 5th June

Hammer & Tongue Newsflash!

There are still tickets available for the summer cabaret extravaganza at The Magic Cafe on Tuesday 5th of June. Please email as soon as possible with reservations for tickets. This event is likely to sell out. A reminder of the splendifferous line up:

THE PERFORMERS:
Luke Wright- (would-be poet laureate)
"Luke Wright should be seen and heard by everyone" Critics' Choice, TimeOut
RC Weslowski- amazing national slam champion/nonsense poet from Vancouver, Canada
Rhyme and Reason- aka Alan Buckley and George Roberts who rhyme reasonably and reason in rhyme... sometimes
The Naked Mystic- your resident Hammer & Tongue DJ as you've never seen him before
Music from Susanna Starling- uberskilled singer and single bassist
Food from Hell's Kitchen - 2 course North African feast

THE FACTS:
All this for £12/£10. Bring your own booze. June 5th at The Magic Cafe - food served from 6:30 show 7:30 - 10:30. Limited places please book in advance by email. NB This is likely to sell out so don't delay. Booking closes 30th May, if not before. Email: events@hammerandtongue.co.uk

BBC Slam Qualifier, South East Region

BBC Slam Qualifier, UdderBELLY Tent, Brighton Festival.
Sunday 27th May
1-4pm.
Entrance: £8/£6.

"This is the South-East qualifier slam for the BBC National Slam, all other rounds of which (the semi-finals and final, at least) will be on the wireless (BBC Radio 4, nonetheless). It’s open to winners of Slams in the area over the last few years, so the quality of entrants should be pretty jaw-dropping (says AF Harrold, who's one of 'em - Ed.). Featuring a set from 2006’s 4 Continents Slam winner, hairy Swede Henry Bowers."

To book tickets go to Brighton Festival site.
To learn about Henry, try www.henrybowers.com.

La Langoustine Est Morte: Saturday June 2nd

La Langoustine Est Morte

A prime night in London dedicated to international, experimental and innovative poetry, fiction and performance. Hosted by: Sascha Akhtar and Anthony Joseph. Expect an amalgam of forms and energies.
Saturday June 2nd
@ The Poetry Cafe, Covent Garden, 22 Betterton St., London
7:30 p.m.

1. Fresh off his U.S. Tour,the fantastic Dr. Keston Sutherland editor of the poetics and critical theory journal QUID and co-editor (with Andrea Brady) of Barque Press.
2. Joining us from Cambridge by way of Toronto,the talented poetess Ms. Marianne Morris
3. Adding some vibe and soul to the evening will be Ms.Olumide Popoola by way of Nigeria By way of Germany. Her deliverance draws heavily on forms of expression such as Hip Hop, Jazz Poetry and African story telling traditions.
4. And joining us from South Africa the poet Mr. Gerard Rudolf

North Beach Slam in Galway: Thursday 24th May

North Beach Poetry Nights

BK's Winebar, North Beach, Spanish Parade, Galway
Thursday May 24th at 9pm

Special Guest: BRUCE BARNES: Visiting UK Poet from Bradford

Micéal Kearney (Cúirt Grand Slam Winner '07)
Gary King & Katie Lawless (Joint Second Place at Cúirt Grand Slam 07)
Plus an Open Mic

Next month's guests are: Michael O'Loughlin, Galway Writer in Residence and Galway's singer-songwriter, folk-poet: Johnny Duhan

overtheedgeliteraryevents.blogspot.com

New Season of Slams from FARRAGO: beginning Thursday May 24th

The Farrago May SLAM!

Thursday, 24th May, 7:30pm
@ RADA Foyer Bar, Malet St WC1. Goodge St Tube.
www.multimap.com

Features: Keith Jarrett, The London SLAM! Champion, Dean Atta, Honest, Idil Sukan & from the US Tara Betts + another special guest from New York, (London transportation system willing!) + music.

Information: 07905078376. farragopoetry@yahoo.co.uk. http://London.e-poets.net www.myspace.com/farragopoetry

Generation Txt nationwide tour dates

Generation Txt National Tour

"Get ready to experience literature from the frontline in a whirlwind journey from scars to scrap-bins; from tea smuggling to suicide.

Following the success of acclaimed new poetry anthology Generation Txt, penned in the margins is taking the six gifted young poets featured in the book on a national tour to fourteen venues.



Hand-picked from a nationwide search for writing talent, the poets include former Northern Young Writer of the Year Emma McGordon and celebrated performance poet Inua Ellams, as well as Joe Dunthorne, whose debut novel Submarine has just been snapped up by Hamish Hamilton. Natural Sciences graduate Laura Forman, Midlands-born creative writing student Abigail Oborne and experimental poet and text artist James Wilkes complete the bill.

Hailed by distinguished poet and critic Roddy Lumsden as 'a vital cross-section of the poetry that will progress and flourish' and by the TES as 'a creative ideas manual', the Generation Txt tour will be a must-see event for anyone interested in the future of literature."

Supported by Arts Council England
www.myspace.com/generationtxt
www.pennedinthemargins.co.uk

Tour dates

May 22 – London Bloomsbury Theatre
May 24 – Maidenhead Norden Farm Centre for the Arts
May 25 – Oxford Oxford Playhouse
May 26 – Manchester Contact Theatre
May 28 – Liverpool The Pilgrim
May 29 – Durham Gala Theatre
May 30 – Newcastle The Lit & Phil
June 1 – Birmingham MAC
June 2 – Norwich Norwich Arts Centre
June 3 – Cambridge JE Wilson Drama Studio
June 5 – Brighton Earth & Stars

Open Mic in Cambridge: Tuesday 22nd May

Open Mic at CB1 Cafe, Mill Road, Cambridge

Tuesday 22 May, 8pm

"Come along and sign up to read on arrival. Bring 2-3 poems (no epics
please!) in case we have time for more than one each. There will be a
prize for the poem/poet voted 'best on the night'!

Whether you are an experienced reader or have never read a poem in
public before, please do support these Open Mic evenings. They are
intriguing, unpredictable and an opportunity for anyone to read in front
of a supportive and welcoming audience. Over the last ten years CB1
Open Mics have provided the initial platform from which many talented
writers and poets have progressed to 10-15 minute slots supporting our
visiting/guest poets - and from there on to publication and wider
recognition. Helen Mort is just one recent example. You never know -
you may find yourself listening to other stars of the future!"

£3/£2 concessions

POETRY IDOL at Shortfuse: TONIGHT, Thursday 17th May

Thursday 17th May

SHORTFUSE POETRY IDOL 10

Tonight at Shortfuse, six poets perform for 10 minutes each to be awarded the Poetry Idol 10 crown, and to win a full length set in the new SHORTFUSE season.

SHORTFUSE, The Camden Head, 2 Camden Walk, Islington, London, N1.

PUREandGOODandRIGHT in Leamington Spa this Sunday, May 20th

Pure and Good and Right takes place at the Fox, Clarendon Avenue, Leamington Spa on Sunday 20th May. Special guest performer for this month is Luke Wright, well-known on the performance circuit for his comic and anarchic work, and a self-styled Poet Laureate.

Sunday 20th May
The Fox, Leamington Spa
7pm
Entrance: £3 for open mic performers, £4 for others (I think)

PLEASE NOTE: If you want to perform in the open mic, get there early!