Olympics poems: now it's your turn!
Just reminding you that Write Out Loud has another, home-grown poetry competition, launched by our own Graham Sherwood, with the Olympics the theme. All you need to do is blog a poem or poems, and tag them “WOL Olympic Competition.” To get you in the mood, here are a couple of recent Olympics efforts: one by Scottish poet and Newcastle University academic WN Herbert, The Blazing Grater, as the ...
31st July 2012
Long and the short of it: Gary and Richard take on poetry's giants
News has reached Write Out Loud of a spoken word double-act lined up for the Edinburgh Fringe next month. Gary From Leeds and Richard Purnell are performing The Long and the Short of it, with a mission to make poetry accessible to a wider audience.
This year spoken word has its own section i...
27th July 2012
Breathe in: Dog Ear poetry publishers make their mark
Write Out Loud has stumbled upon a new kind of poetry publishing that might well attract some WOL poets. Dog Ear publishes poetry, prose and cartoons online – but also selects some work to turn int...
27th July 2012
Ballads of Peckham Rye: new poetry night in south-east London
Emma Jones, Simon Mole and Raymond Antrobus will be the guest poets at the launch of Outspoken, a new poetry and spoken word night of featured acts and open mic in south-east London on Sunday 29 Ju...
24th July 2012
Summer slam at the Sozzled Sausage
PGR poetry is staging a Summer Slam at its usual venue, the Sozzled Sausage in Regent Street, Leamington Spa, on Monday 13 August. It’s a 7.30pm start, entry is £3 (£2). The slam will take place ov...
24th July 2012
Canal poet Winston is angling for waterways poems
Rochdale canal’s poet-in-residence, Winston Plowes, is fishing for poems – 92 of them, in fact - and hopes Write Out Loud’s poets can help. Winston is curating a collection of poems – one for every...
24th July 2012
Best of both worlds: Rhian Edwards and Jacob Sam-La Rose on Forward prize shortlist
Two poets said to have bridged the gap between page and performance poetry have been shortlisted for the Forward prize for best first collection. Rhian Edwards, whose Clueless Dogs collection is pu...
23rd July 2012
Launching the Robin Hood Book: here's the London event
Hot on the heels of the Manchester event comes the London launch of the Robin Hood Book, an anthology of anti-austerity poetry, on Tuesday 24 July at the Centreprise cafe at136-138 Kingsland High S...
23rd July 2012
All you need is love: Peace Camp explores poetry and landscape
The Peace Camp, a celebration of love poetry and landscape that is part of the London 2012 festival, is coming to fruition from 19-22 July. Inspired by the Olympic Truce, whose roots date back to a...
21st July 2012
Write Out Loud at Middleton on Sunday
Andy N is the guest poet at Write Out Loud Middleton on Sunday 22 July. It’s a 7pm start at the Ring O’Bells, St Leonard’s Square, Middleton. Everyone is welcome to read their poems in a supportive...
21st July 2012
Mike Barlow at Manky Poets
Mike Barlow, who has won prizes in the National Poetry Competition and at Ledbury, and was a Manchester prize finalist, will be reading from his new collection, Charmed Lives, at Manky Poets at Cho...
18th July 2012
Limerick's Stony Thursday Book: submissions sought
Submissons are being sought from local, national and international poets for the 2012 issue of the Stony Thursday Book, to be published as part of Cuisle, Limerick City International Poetry Festiva...
18th July 2012
Write Out Loud at Marsden tonight
Steve Mellor will be taking over the reins as compere/MC from Julian Jordon this month at Write Out Loud Marsden. The open mic event, entry £2, begins at 7.30pm on Wednesday 18 July at Marsden lib...
18th July 2012
Poetry contest for Havant literary festival
There’s a £200 prize for the winner of Havant literary festival’s open poetry competition. The judge is Naomi Foyle. The closing date is 1 September, and the entry fee £4 per poem. More details
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17th July 2012
Jackie Hagan at Write Out Loud Sale tonight
Jackie Hagan, Ben Willems and Neil Fawcett are the guests at Write Out Loud Sale on Tuesday 17 July. First-time readers are especially welcome at this open mic event, but spaces are available on a ...
17th July 2012
MCs wanted for Liverpool poetry night
Liverpool’s Liver Bards are looking to have regular guest MCs at future meetings, and are seeking volunteers. Organisers Steve Regan and Dave Costello usually divide the MC-ing duties up between th...
15th July 2012
Write Out Loud Bolton tonight
Scott Devon is guest poet at Write Out Loud Bolton on Sunday, 15 July, and Petrova Fairhurst is guest MC. Now a regular monthly open mic event once again, it’s upstairs at the Brooklyn pub, and ent...
15th July 2012
Sophia Blackwell and Paula Varjack at L Fest
Performance poets Sophia Blackwell, pictured, and Paula Varjack will be appearing at L Fest, a weekend celebration of lesbian culture and community, from 13-16 July, at West Midlands Showground, Sh...
14th July 2012
This sporting life: poet Terry Caffrey at launch of museum show
Poet Terry Caffrey will be performing and running a workshop on Saturday 14 July to help launch an exhibition at the newly-opened National Football Museum in Manchester. Our Sport Our Life is prese...
14th July 2012
'Independent, awkward' poet laureate wins PEN Pinter award
The poet laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, has been awarded the PEN Pinter prize for her ability to be “independent and sometimes awkward, to make important points through her work”. The prize was set up ...
14th July 2012
Top line-up of poets at Latitude festival
Aoife Mannix, pictured, Benjamin Zephaniah, Byron Vincent, John Hegley, Mark Grist, Andrew McMillan, Dean Atta, Jonny Fluffypunk, Mark Niel, Scroobius Pip and Tony Harrison are just a few of the bi...
12th July 2012
Write Out Loud at Wigan tonight
Joy France and Isobel will be keeping order in their roles as this month’s comperes at Write Out Loud Wigan on Thursday 12 July at the Tudor House hotel. The fun starts at 8.30pm at this free, open...
12th July 2012
Lighten up: top poets on hand to help inject humour
Is your performance poetry more performance than poetry? Does your writing need some love and attention? A five-day Arvon comedy in poetry course, with celebrated poets and entertainers Kate Fox an...
9th July 2012
It's on: Stirling's poetry contest
The closing date for Off the Stanza, a poetry competition to tie with the Off the Page Stirling book festival, is 31 July. Entrants are restricted to three poems each, with a maximum cost for three...
9th July 2012
Write Out Loud Stockport on Monday
Entry is only a £1 donation and newcomers are made especially welcome at Write Out Loud Stockport, on Monday 7 July in the inspirational surroundings of Stockport art gallery. The open mic event on...
8th July 2012
Roll up for Wirral festival's Poetry Proms
Over 100 poets – many of them Write Out Loud members – are expected in the seaside town of Hoylake on Sunday 8 July for the Poetry Proms at Wirral’s Festival of Firsts.
Write Out Loud member an...
7th July 2012
Found at Hebden Bridge arts festival - Winston Plowes
There’s a good measure of poetry at Hebden Bridge arts festival, until Sunday 8 July. Radio 4 Saturday Live regular Kate Fox will be MC at a slam at Stubbing Wharf pub at 8pm on Sunday 1 July; on S...
7th July 2012
Poetry Parnassus: how the poems rained down on London
It’s been billed as the largest poetry festival in the UK – Poetry Parnassus at London's Southbank Centre and then on tour is part of the London 2012 Olympics celebrations and brings together poets...
7th July 2012
Step right up for Anthony Walker poetry slam in Liverpool
There’s still time to enter the first annual Anthony Walker poetry slam, on Saturday 7 July, 2pm at Liverpool’s Victoria Gallery and Museum. The rules are: 1 three minutes; 2 individual performers ...
4th July 2012
Shake the Dust's national slam final at Southbank Centre
The national Shake the Dust Weekend, when young poets from across the UK share the stage with leading spoken word artists, takes place at London’s Southbank Centre from Thursday to Saturday, 5-7 Ju...
1st July 2012
Ryedale contest for poets in Yorkshire, Humber, and Teesside
The closing date is 15 September for a poetry competition open to residents of Yorkshire, the Humber and Teesside. The fee for the Ryedale poetry competition is £2 per poem and there are prizes of ...
1st July 2012
