Coming soon ... Birmingham's poetry and spoken word festival
Birmingham’s poetry and spoken word festival will take place over four days between 16-19 February at Waterstones, pictured, in the city centre. Organisers of Verve poetry festival promise “established as well as up and coming poets, internationally acclaimed talent and undiscovered local artists, writing workshops, spoken word masterclasses, poetry slams, and lively children’s poetry and storytel...
30th January 2017
Jacob Polley's 'Jackself' wins £20,000 TS Eliot prize
Jacob Polley has won the £20,000 TS Eliot prize for his collection Jackself, published by Picador, it was announced on Monday. Ruth Padel, the chair of judges, said Jackself was “a firework of a book; inventive, exciting and outstanding in its imaginative range and depth of feeling."
Padel added:...
25th January 2017
Andrew Marr to chair Forward judges
Broadcaster, writer and journalist Andrew Marr is to chair the Forward prize panel of judges, it was announced on Wednesday. Marr is a former editor of the Independent newspaper and former BBC politic...
23rd January 2017
Write Out Loud at Bolton Socialist Club tonight
Write Out Loud Bolton is switching back to meeting on Sundays instead of on Tuesdays, organisers Jeff Dawson aka Jeffarama! has said. After consulting Write Out Loud regulars, the first Write Out Loud...
22nd January 2017
Trev Meaney and Steph Pike at Write Out Loud Sale tonight
Trev Meaney and Steph Pike are the guest poets at Write Out Loud Sale at the Waterside arts centre, Sale on Tuesday 17 January. First time readers are especially welcome at this open mic poetry event....
17th January 2017
Write Out Loud Woking at the New Inn tonight
Write Out Loud Woking is back at the New Inn at Send, near Woking on Monday 16 January. Entry is free to this friendly and informal open mic poetry night, hosted by Greg Freeman and Rodney Wood. Arriv...
16th January 2017
Theresa Lola crowned national slam champion at Royal Albert Hall
Theresa Lola is the new Hammer and Tongue national slam champion after triumphing in the two-day final at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday night. Theresa, a London-based, Nigerian British poet, was Hac...
15th January 2017
Poets join worldwide protests by writers before Trump's inauguration
Poets, writers and artists will gather in 32 American states on Sunday 15 January - and in London and many other cities worldwide - as part of Writers Resist, in protest at fears that democracy is bei...
13th January 2017
Humber reflections: Sean O'Brien on how city of culture has inspired poets
Celebrated poet Sean O’Brien will launch the BBC’s coverage of Hull’s City of Culture year on Sunday 15 January on Radio 4 with a reflection on his native city, its waterscape and landscape, and how i...
13th January 2017
Teacher and pupil reunited after 40 years win poetry competition
A former teacher and his ex-pupil who were reunited after a gap of 40 years have collaborated to produce a prize-winning collection of poetry. Gap Year, by Andy Blackford, pictured right, and John Fog...
13th January 2017
Write Out Loud Wigan at the Old Courts tonight
Write Out Loud Wigan is inviting poets to “give us your verse on resolutions, your rhyme on absolutions, a stanza on retribution” on Thursday 12 January at the Old Courts, Wigan. The free open mic ev...
12th January 2017
The poetry of age: Maggie Sawkins on working with dementia patients and carers
A poetry anthology created from the words and stories of people with dementia and their carers will be launched at Ashcroft arts centre, in Fareham, Hampshire, on Friday 13 January. The Speak Out poet...
11th January 2017
Get ready to enter our milestone competition
Later this year Write Out Loud will be running a poetry competition for the Milestones Society. It won’t open for entries until the spring, but those of you eager to burn off the Christmas mince pies ...
10th January 2017
Write Out Loud at Stockport art gallery tonight
Write Out Loud Stockport will be meeting at Stockport art gallery on Monday 8 January to share poems at this open-floor poetry night. Each month a collage poem is created from contributions, and you c...
9th January 2017
Guitar tango: poets invited to take part in music weekend
Poets are being offered the chance to take part in a special event at a guitar weekend at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall. Poets who would like to read a poem of their own, either inspired by the guitar...
8th January 2017
Alice Oswald wins £5,000 Costa poetry prize
Alice Oswald has won the £5,000 Costa poetry award with her seventh collection, Falling Awake, it was announced on Tuesday night. The collection is said to focus on life’s losing struggle with the gra...
7th January 2017
Little Machine pen song for Hull and 'muddy old Humber' to mark City of Culture year
The poetry to music group Little Machine have written a song for Hull to welcome in its City of Culture year in 2017. They performed ‘River Song’ by the group’s Steve Halliwell on BBC Radio 4’s The Wo...
5th January 2017
Gillian Allnutt wins the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry
Gillian Allnutt has been awarded the 2016 Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry. The medal is awarded for excellence in poetry, on the basis either of a body of work over several years, or for an outstanding ...
1st January 2017
