Tom PIckard, who ran the legendary Morden Tower poetry readings with Basil Bunting in Newcastle in the 1960s, will be reading at the Black Huts film and poetry festival in Hastings on Sunday 2 November at 4pm. Pickard’s Collected Poems and Songs was published by Carcanet earlier this year. Also on the festival bill, from 29 October to 2 November, are Tom Leonard, Gaelic poet Meg Bateman, Helen Macdonald and Patrick McGuiness, and John Healy, whose The Grass Arena is a Penguin Modern Classic. The festival is organised by Hasting-based Etruscan Books. More details 

 

OCTOBER

Exeter poetry festival, until 5 October 

Warwick Words festival of literature and spoken word, 1-5 October

Swindon poetry festival, 2-5 October

Birmingham literature festival, 2-11 October

Cheltenham literature festival, 3-12 October 

Havant literature festival, 3-12 October

Ilkley literature festival, 3-19 October

Durham book festival, 6-18 October

Manchester literature festival, 6-19 October

Essex poetry festival, Chelmsford, 11 October 

Write Out Loud poetry jam, Marsden jazz festival, 12 October

Teesside poetry festival, Middlesbrough, 16-20 October

Tears in the Fence festival, Dorset, 24-26 October 

Ted Hughes festival, West Yorkshire, 24-26 October

Black Huts film and poetry festival, Hastings, 29 October - 2 November

 

NOVEMBER

Black Huts film and poetry festival, Hastings, until 2 November

Wimborne literary festival, 1-9 November

Aldeburgh poetry festival, 7-9 November

Reading poetry festival, 7-9 November