Meet top tutors at Faber's autumn courses open day
There will be a chance to meet tutors like Jo Shapcott, Tim Lott, Esther Freud, Marcel Theroux, and Daljit Nagra when Faber Academy launch their autumn courses at an open day at the Faber offices in London on 2 July from 10am – 2pm. Courses on offer include Becoming A Poet, Writing Short Stories, and Writing A Novel. More details and map. To book contact Fiona at academy@faber.co.uk or ring 020...
30th June 2011
Liz Lochhead to judge Elmet poetry prize
Liz Lochhead, Scotland’s makar – or national poet - is to judge this year’s Elmet poetry prize. The theme is Connections, the deadline 15 July, and prizes are: 1st £300, 2nd £100, runners up £50, plus the Huddersfield University Yorkshire prize of £100. The competition is staged by the Elmet Tru...
30th June 2011
Poets of the world unite
Poets from the 205 Olympic nations are to take part in the UK's biggest poetry festival next year. Led by the Southbank Centre's artist in residence, Simon Armitage, and artistic director Jude Kell...
27th June 2011
George Szirtes to judge Essex poetry contest
George Szirtes will be judging this year’s Essex poetry festival’s open poetry competition. The closing date is 30 July, with prizes - first prize £500 - handed out at the poetry festival in Octobe...
27th June 2011
Write Out Loud Sale, Tuesday
The Waterside Arts Centre in Sale, near Manchester, will resound with the words of some fabulous poets this Tuesday including, hopefully, YOU! The open mic event encourages all to step up ...
27th June 2011
How To Approach Agents & Publishers – last call for places
Ever wondered how to get yourself an agent? Or get past the slush pile? Find out how on this special panel-based event for all writers and would-be writers. Literary agents Oli Munson from Blake Fr...
24th June 2011
Write Out Loud at Middleton on Sunday
The Nearly Dead Poets Society comprising Alvin Sawdust, Des Lexic and Dan Druff are the special guests at this month’s Write Out Loud Middleton open mic event at the Ring o’ Bells, St Leonards Squa...
23rd June 2011
Magma launches no 50 at the Troubadour
Coffee-House Poetry at the famous Troubadour cellar club in London on Monday 27 June coincides with the launch of the 50th issue of Magma magazine. This special 50th “birthday” event features selec...
23rd June 2011
Petition launched for jailed Bahrain poet
Writers are being urged to sign a petition in support of Ayat al-Gormezi, a 20-year-old poet and student who has been jailed for a year after being arrested for reading out a poem at a pro-democrac...
23rd June 2011
Bridport poetry prize: one of the top awards
It’s not too late to consider entering for the Bridport poetry prize, one of the most prestigious awards around. First prize is £5,000, and the top four poems are entered for the Forward Prize for ...
23rd June 2011
Poets and illustrators get together at Kings Place
Poets and illustrators Simon Armitage, Chris Riddell, Colette Bryce, Nick Hayes, Heather Phillipson and Philippa Johnson will appear at 7pm on Monday 20 June at Kings Place, York Way, London, in an...
19th June 2011
Bury launches cultural salon at library
Bury Literature Lounge and Cultural Salon will be launched on Monday 20 June at Bury library at 7.30 pm by star local writer Emma Jane Unsworth. The salon is intended to be a lively monthly event ...
19th June 2011
Write Out Loud Bolton on Sunday
Write Out Loud Bolton - where it all started - is happening again this Sunday at 8pm at Gigs/Butterflies bar at 56/58 Bridge Street, Bolton. Your compere for the open mic event where beginners are ...
18th June 2011
Fine words at festivals
As you can imagine, there is plenty of poetic action at festivals around the country this weekend. To name but two ... at the Cadence festival at Tyldesley, Manchester, Words in Motion presented by...
18th June 2011
Street readings: WOL poets performing at big book market
Write Out Loud poets including John Darwin, Steve Garside, Gordon Zola, Anna Percy and Dermot Glennon are among many talented performance poets and authors giving live readings on Friday 17 June a...
18th June 2011
David Cooke launches In The Distance
Write Out Loud regular David Cooke is launching his first collection, In the Distance, in more than 20 years on Friday 17 June at the open mic Poets Cafe, Reading. In The Distance is available from...
16th June 2011
Tony Walsh spreads the Write Out Loud word on airwaves
One of the initial members of Write Out Loud with a hugely-growing reputation gave our website an enormous plug this week in an interview with Radio Manchester.
Poet and writer Tony Walsh – Lo...
15th June 2011
Coventry evacuees invited to Antony Owen's launch
Evacuee veterans of Coventry’s wartime Blitz have been invited to Write Out Loud poet Antony Owen’s launch of his new collection, The Dreaded Boy, on Wednesday 15 June. The Dreaded Boy is a suite o...
15th June 2011
A different turning: Molly Naylor's touring show
Writer and performer Molly Naylor takes her touring show, Whenever I get blown up I think of you, to the Queens’ theatre, Barnstaple, on Tuesday 14 June. Britain is booming and Molly moves to Londo...
14th June 2011
McMillans together at live broadcast festival
Father and son poets Ian and Andrew McMillan will be swapping poetry and wisdom on the theme of families when they open a seven-day live broadcast festival or words and music in East Leeds.
Liv...
13th June 2011
Write Out Loud at Stockport
Write Out Loud Stockport holds one of its regular monthly open mic nights on Monday 13 June at Stockport Art Gallery. The event, an eclectic mix of poetic styles and approaches, begins at 7pm, with...
13th June 2011
Aoife Mannix hosts arts festival open mic
Irish writer and poet Aoife Mannix, currently poet in residence on BBC Radio 4’s Saturday Live, the BBC World Service’s World Today and for the Royal Shakespeare Company, hosts a Poets in the Pub ...
12th June 2011
Michael Horovitz at Jazz Verse Jukebox
Michael Horovitz, the 76-year-old beat, jazz, blues and protest poet, and singer-songwriter who has edited New Departures for 50 years, and co-ordinated many Live New Departures, Jazz Poetry SuperJ...
11th June 2011
Your big chance to publish a poetry collection
Want to see a collection of your poetry published? Why not enter the latest Cinnamon Press competition: the closing date is 30 June.
The winning author has their poetry collection published wi...
10th June 2011
Poetry beside the sea at Brid this weekend
A glorious weekend of poetry for readers and writers of all ages in beautiful surroundings, with dramatic sea views – that’s the promise from Bridlington poetry festival, being staged at Sewerby Ha...
10th June 2011
Spoken-word snapshots
Naomi Woddis– poet, photographer, and now photographer of poets – launches her latest exhibition at the Albany in Deptford, south-east London this Friday, 10 June. It features portraits of 30 key p...
9th June 2011
Cream of the crop at Dylan Thomas Centre
Parthian introduces Ten of the Best, a selection of poetry showcasing Wales' literary talent, at the Dylan Thomas Centre in Swansea, on Thursday 9 June. Included are hard-hitting poems by S.T. Owen...
8th June 2011
Canada's McCaffery and MacCormack in Leeds and Manchester
Experimental Canadian poets Steve McCaffery and Karen MacCormack are appearing in an Other Room event at 6pm at the Tiled Hall, Leeds Art Gallery on Tuesday 7 June. The following night, Wednesday 8...
8th June 2011
Crompton the compere at Wigan's Write Out Loud
Pete Crompton is the compere and Susie Mason is guest poet at Write Out Loud Wigan at the Tudor on Thursday night, 9 June. The Wigan WOL open mic event has been likened to “a bit of a bearpit” by ...
7th June 2011
THE DRIER THE BRIGHTER - reviewed by Cynthia Buell Thomas
In ‘The Drier The Brighter’, Judy Kendall acknowledges foremost her thanks to the teachings of Buddha. We reasonably expect, then, that some of her writing will be in the metaphysical vein, symboli...
6th June 2011
Was Wizard worth watching? - a review
What happens when a popular performance poet works up a wizard idea? Magic materialises! Or does it?
Dominic Berry, that ubiquitous, powerful presence on the Manchester spoken-word scene, last ...
6th June 2011
Andrew McMillan with the Puzzle Poets
The Puzzle Poets welcome Andrew McMillan to the Puzzle Hall Inn, Sowerby Bridge, on Monday night 6 June. Andrew McMillan’s first pamphlet, every salt advance, was published by Red Squirrel Press in...
3rd June 2011
Parks and Oldham kickstart run-up to Leeds Lippfest
Ian Parks and Andrew Oldham are reading at 7.30pm on Monday 6 June at The Carriageworks, 3 Millennium Square, Leeds, in one of a series of events in the run-up to Leeds Lippfest. Entry: £4/£3. Ian...
3rd June 2011
Poetry spending cuts: tonight's benefit reading for the PBS
A host of top poets are turning out tonight for a benefit night organised by the poet laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, in support of the Poetry Book Society on Friday 3 June. The PBS provides information...
3rd June 2011
More cuts news: Channel 4 at Camden?
With poetry cuts very much in the news - see our lead story - Channel 4 are suspected to be checking up on Camden poets tonight to test the temperature for a story about the cuts. It promises to be...
3rd June 2011
Milton Keynes poet laureate joins Write Out Loud debate
The newly-appointed poet laureate of Milton Keynes, Mark Niel, has joined in the lively debate initiated on Write Out Loud about his new role. WOL veteran Graham Sherwood, himself from Milton Keyne...
1st June 2011
