Twelve hours of poetry, sea shanties, and a message from the laureate: pushing the boat out to celebrate publisher’s 50th anniversary
A north-east magazine and publisher celebrated its 50th anniversary in spectacular style on Sunday with a 12-hour reading comprising close to 50 poets, as well as musical interludes that included the singing of sea shanties, and a special recorded message from the poet laureate Simon Armitage. IRON magazine accepted one of the younger Armitage’s first poems to be published – and on Sunday a packed...
30th October 2023
Uplands the theme for Cambrian Mountains Society poetry competition
The Cambrian Mountains Society is inviting entries in Welsh or English to its poetry competition based on the theme of Uplands. The deadline is 30 November. More details
29th October 2023
From Seville to Bradford: Yorkshire poet Ian McMillan adapts Rossini's classic opera for city festival
Rossini’s The Barber of Seville has been adapted into Yorkshire dialect by poet Ian McMillan for a premiere performance at the first Bradford opera festival next month. The event on 23 November at St ...
29th October 2023
Publisher to celebrate 50th anniversary with poetry marathon
North-east publisher IRON Press is celebrating its 50th anniversary on Sunday 29 October with a 12-hour poetry marathon starting at 8am in its seaside village base of Cullercoats in North Tyneside. Ka...
21st October 2023
Homes from home, oil, and troubled waters
After a childhood spent in Iran, Marjorie Lotfi’s family had to leave quickly, at about an hour’s notice. Subsequently she has lived in the US, and currently resides in Scotland. Kris Johnson is from ...
20th October 2023
Beauty of an explosion? Challenging words win first Forward prize for best performed poem
Popular Midlands spoken word performer Bohdan Piasecki has won the first Forward prize for best single performed poem with ‘Almost Certainly’, which begins “It’s almost certainly impossible to appreci...
20th October 2023
'We've had our money's worth ... now poets should speak up for nature': Simon Armitage in the Arctic
The poet laureate, Simon Armitage, has made a BBC Radio 4 series about a “life-changing” journey to the Arctic. In the first episode, he says poets have had their "money's worth when it comes to natur...
16th October 2023
‘You never quite know what’s going to count as a religious poem’: Rowan Williams on his anthology of spiritual poetry
“Poetry is one of the things that religion does to you … I believe that good poetry comes from the same sort of place as religious faith.” Thus spoke Rowan Williams, former archbishop of Canterbury, a...
16th October 2023
Meet this year's top 15 winners of the Foyle Young Poets of the Year award
The Poetry Society announced the top 15 winners and 85 commended poets in the Foyle Young Poets of the Year award 2023 at a special celebration at Shakespeare’s Globe, London, on National Poetry Day.
...16th October 2023
Dissenter, mariner, spy, journalist, poet: the remarkable life of Basil Bunting
Born in Scotswood, Newcastle in 1900, he was a conscientious objector in the first world war, and was given hard labour in Wormwood Scrubs and other jails. In the 1930s he became a close friend of Ezr...
15th October 2023
Nobel prize-winning poet Louise Glück dies aged 80
The Nobel prize-winning American poet and essayist Louise Glück has died at the age of 80. She was awarded the Nobel prize for literature in 2020, with the Nobel judges praising “her unmistakable poet...
13th October 2023
Still a place of refuge? National Poetry Day raises questions
National Poetry Day 2023, and its theme of ‘Refuge’. For me that meant a bus trip into Newcastle on Thursday evening, to the university’s Culture Lab, to hear two poets – Jacqueline Saphra and Kostya ...
9th October 2023
Poetry in the know: spoken words of slang!
Slang Bang, a free entry night of slang-infused spoken word curated by Write Out Loud regular Lee Campbell, will feature Steve Tasane, Jeremy Dixon, Julie Granger, Pip McDonald, Richard Allen, and Fra...
8th October 2023
First Corbyn quoted Shelley ... now Braverman 'shamelessly' claims Conservatives are 'the many'
You know how rock musicians sometimes complain that politicians – particularly American ones – seize on their songs as a backdrop to their campaigns, without asking permission?
I wonder if the Roma...
7th October 2023
Welcome back onstage, Jackie!
This picture of popular spoken word performer Jackie Hagan, taken backstage recently at Morecambe’s Winter Gardens – with headliner Roger McGough in the background – tells an important, heartwarming s...
6th October 2023
Deadline nears for National Poetry Competition
Will Harris, Clare Pollard and Jane Draycott will be judging the 2023 National Poetry Competition, organised by the Poetry Society. The deadline is 31 October. The first poem submitted costs £8. Subse...
5th October 2023
Poets pay tribute to Paul Blackburn - a founding father of Write Out Loud - after death at festival
Write Out Loud has been saddened to hear of the sudden death of Paul Blackburn, a leading figure in the north-west poetry scene for many years, who also played a key part in the growth and success of ...
5th October 2023
It's National Poetry Day! What does this year's theme of 'Refuge' mean to you?
This year's theme of National Poetry Day on Thursday 5 October - the annual mass celebration on the first Thursday of October that encourages everyone to make, experience and share poetry with family ...
5th October 2023
Shortlisted TS Eliot prize poets 'all reflect current disruption'
The 2023 TS Eliot prize shortlist has been announced, and it includes a former winner and two previously shortlisted poets, and poets from the UK, Ireland, Jamaica, Hong Kong and the US: Jason Allen-P...
4th October 2023
National Poetry Day at Newcastle University's Culture Lab
Kostya Tsolakis and Jacqueline Saphra will be reading and in conversation with Tara Bergin at Newcastle University’s Culture Lab on 5 October – National Poetry Day – from 7-8pm in an event staged by N...
4th October 2023
Write Out Loud's poetry jam at Marsden jazz festival is back - and at a new location
Hello Marsden! Yes, it’s that time of year again and I’m delighted to advertise this year’s Write Out Loud poetry jam, which as usual, will be held as part of the jazz festival weekend in Marsden, Wes...
3rd October 2023
