South poetry magazine notches up half-century
A twice-yearly poetry magazine with a method of selecting poems for publication that gives new poets an even chance of being published is getting ready to celebrate its 50th issue. South, which was launched in 1990, and has been self-supporting since 2003, is holding a launch in London for the first time, at the Poetry Cafe in Covent Garden, on Wednesday 15 October at 7.30pm.
South chooses it...
30th September 2014
Four poets - and a pasty - at Chorlton
Tony Walsh, Louise Fazackerley, Marvin Cheeseman and Sarah L Dixon are on the bill at Chorlton Irish Club in Manchester on Friday 10 October, in the return of Four Poets and a Pasty. Tickets are £8 in advance and £10 on the door, which will open at 7.30pm, with the poetry starting at 8.30pm. More de...
30th September 2014
Remembering 'the debts you owe': family pays tribute to poet of the trenches
“Dearest Ma, Hello, how are you, I am in the pink, everything is A1 out here. We are at present resting, we hear plenty of gun fire, but of course, up to now, we have not been in any of it … don’t for...
29th September 2014
Lights on: Koestler Trust puts poetry and artworks from prisoners on show
You walk into the room, and are confronted by a selection of stark poetry and prose on the walls. Then the lights go out, and an entirely new, luminous set of writings appear. The effects is startlin...
28th September 2014
Write Out Loud Middleton at the Ring O' Bells tonight
Philosophical poet Paul Jelen is the guest at Write Out Loud Middleton on Sunday 28 September at the Ring O’Bells, St Leonards Square, Middleton, at 7pm. Entry is a £2 donation to this open mic event,...
28th September 2014
Five titles are contenders for first collection prize
The shortlist for this year’s Fenton Aldeburgh First Collection prize has been announced, chosen by judges Imtiaz Dharker, Robert Seatter (chair) and Anthony Wilson. The shortlisted books are: Bright...
27th September 2014
'A thistle can draw blood': Carol Ann Duffy on the Scottish independence verdict
The poet laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, has delivered a poem on the Scottish independence referendum, a day after the 55%-45% No verdict. As the Queen issued a measured statement expressing the hope that ...
26th September 2014
Milestone moment for two poets launching collections at the Poetry Cafe
Two poets reached milestones on their poetic careers on Monday night at the Poetry Cafe in London when they launched their first collections. Rebecca Hubbard read from The Garden of Shadow and Delight...
26th September 2014
Spoken word night in Guildford launches second anthology
A spoken word night is celebrating its third year by publishing a second anthology of poetry. Hosts Janice Windle and Donall Dempsey say in their foreword to the 2014 anthology of Pop Up Poetry in Gui...
23rd September 2014
Write Out Loud Bolton at the Brooklyn tonight
Write Out Loud Bolton open mic night meets at the Brooklyn, Green Lane, Bolton on Sunday 21 September, at 7.30pm for 8 start, with MCs Jeffarama! and Gordon Zola. Entry: £1 plus raffle (£1 per ticket)...
21st September 2014
Poetry Book Society names top 20 'Next Generation' poets
The Poetry Book Society has named its “Next Generation” of 20 up-and-coming poets, something it does once every 10 years. The list contains a number of familiar and established names, including perfor...
19th September 2014
Kim Moore at the Spotlight in Lancaster on Friday
Kim Moore, who is poet in residence at Ilkley literature festival next month, will be appearing at the Spotlight Club at The Storey, Lancaster, on Friday 19 September. More details and Map. She is als...
19th September 2014
Write Out Loud's Risk A Verse in Huddersfield tonight
Write Out Loud’s Risk A Verse open mic night at the community-run Red and Green Club, Huddersfield, is being held tonight, Thursday 18 September, at 7.30pm. Entry is free. All are welcome to read thei...
18th September 2014
Theatre of war: actors to perform poems from Bloodaxe anthology of conflict
A new anthology of war poetry, The Hundred Years’ War, that was published earlier this year, is heading for the stage. The production, which will open at the Belgrade theatre in Coventry, at the start...
18th September 2014
Yes or No, Elvis McGonagall is on his way to Worcester
Whatever the result of today's independence vote, Scottish performance poet Elvis McGonagall is due to appear at the Hive in Worcester on Wednesday 24 September at 7.30pm – and he is likely to have so...
18th September 2014
Literary magazine Tears in the Fence marks 30th anniversary with festival
A literary magazine that features poetry, prose, essays, translations, interviews and reviews is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a weekend festival next month. The Tears in the Fence festival w...
17th September 2014
Write Out Loud Sale at Waterside arts centre tonight
Cynthia Buell Thomas and Jenny Berry are the guest poets at Write Out’s Sale’s open mic event at the Waterside arts centre, Sale on Tuesday 16 September. Jenny, an English language student at Manchest...
16th September 2014
Remembering doomed youth: festival poetry readings pay tribute to war dead
The centrepiece of Winchester poetry festival took place on Sunday afternoon within the war cloister of Winchester College, which was built in the early 1920s to commemorate the school’s war dead. Mem...
15th September 2014
Spreading the word: performance poets flock to Guardian Witness video site
The Guardian says there is only one day left to join in, but already approaching 200 spoken word videos have been uploaded on to its Guardian Witness site. Last month the Guardian’s Comment is Free se...
15th September 2014
Anyone for tennis? Winchester's first poetry festival gets off to flying start
The focus was on fun and laughter on Friday evening at the inaugural poetry festival in Winchester. The festival aims to establish itself alongside the likes of Stanza in Scotland, and Ledbury and Ald...
13th September 2014
Poetry and mental illness: let's hear it for the Survivors
“I was in a lot of asylums, and now I’m in a lot of universities.” That was how John O’Donoghue, pictured, introduced one of his poems at Perceptions of Difference, an event at the Poetry Library duri...
12th September 2014
Read lots of poetry, listen and learn: the road to publishing your first collection
We at Write Out Loud are very pleased to announce that our Reviews Editor, Frances Spurrier, has just published her first collection, The Pilgrim’s Trail. Here Frances talks about hearing the good new...
12th September 2014
Write Out Loud at the Tudor in Wigan tonight
Write Out Loud’s celebrated open mic night in Wigan is back on Thursday 11 September. Entry is free, and it kicks off at 8.30pm at the Tudor House hotel in Wigan. More details and Map
11th September 2014
Wakefield's Red Shed founder Jimmy Andrex launches poetry and music CD
Wakefield poet Jimmy Andrex will be launching a CD of poems set to music, celebrating local people and places, on Thursday 9 October at 7pm. Andrex, who co-founded Red Shed Readings at the city’s Lab...
10th September 2014
Poetry festival 'on home ground' to mark anniversary of Seamus Heaney's death
The first anniversary of the death of Seamus Heaney on 30 August 2013 will be marked by a festival of poetry, writing and culture in his home area, the Irish News has reported. Celebrating Seamus Hean...
9th September 2014
Come and join the collage: Write Out Loud at Stockport art gallery tonight
Members of Write Out Loud Stockport will be meeting at Stockport art gallery on Monday 8 September at 7pm to read and discuss their own poetry. Entry is a £1 donation. Each month a collage poem is cr...
8th September 2014
Hear 60 poets, meet 60 publishers at London poetry book fair Free Verse
A poetry book fair for publishers, poets and readers that is described as “an all-day bazaar, market, library, meeting place, performance venue, information resource and more” returns to Conway Hall i...
5th September 2014
Soviet military map of Edinburgh inspires poet
A military map of Edinburgh drawn up for Russian tank commanders has inspired a Scottish poet. Tom Pow, the first Bartholomew writer-in-residence at the National Library of Scotland, discovered the ma...
4th September 2014
Better together? Advice for the Scots from Luke Wright's English toff
First Elvis McGonagall, now Luke Wright has entered the debate about Scottish independence. The English performance poet’s tongue-in-cheek contribution, on the Spoken Words section of the Guardian web...
3rd September 2014
'Dylan Unchained': reading, book launch and play at Swansea university
Ian McMillan will be hosting and taking part in a poetry reading, Dylan Unchained, with Geraldine Monk and David Annwn, as part of the Dylan Thomas centenary conference at Swansea University from 3-5 ...
2nd September 2014
