WLF 2018 The 42 Festival Special

42 is a regular monthly feature of the Worcester calendar, featuring prose, poetry and everything between. Currently run by Polly Stretton and hosted by her and a range of Guest MCs, it is normally held on the last Wednesday of the month at Drummonds.

The festival special last year was one of the most popular nights – featuring The Antipoet. They are back again for 2018 and we are delighted.

The theme for open mic sets was Bewitched Worcestershire Inn and despite a tiny bit of research after last night’s event at the Museum, I did not have a chance to pen a poem in advance. So after a whistle stop agenda between work and the gig I managed some scribbles. One of the scribbles turned out okay.

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The Antipoet performance was stupendous (as expected)! They entertained us for over an hour and they were also there for the Launch of their book! Yes, a BOOK this year rather than an album. A book with 2 FREE DVDs.

If you have never caught their show, I urge you to do so – they are phenomenal!

© Damon Lord

More photos to follow.

DOES MY BASS LOOK BIG IN THIS?

 The story of the first ten years of The Antipoet, told in the inimitable style of Paul Eccentric. Published by Black Pear Press.

http://www.theantipoet.co.uk/

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The 2nd half was packed with 42 performances (as in ’42’ the night and not forty-two performances)! Stories and poems based on the theme and beyond.

© WLF

There were a couple more performers – more photos coming soon!

It was a superb night. Thoroughly 42!

 

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Science & Maths Poetry Anthology – Every Word Counts

This gallery contains 16 photos.

Originally posted on Poet Laureate:
Following the news of the death of Stephen Hawking in March, I decided that we should have a collection of poems focusing on Science & Maths. As poets we are naturally curious which is something Stephen Hawking encouraged his students to be. I hope you enjoy these poems, huge gratitude…

Worcestershire LitFest & Fringe 2018 Book Your Tickets NOW!

The end of my Laureateship is 2 days away which means it must be time for the Launch of Worcestershire LitFest & Fringe 2018!

Poet Laureate

We are just 4 days away from the Launch of WLF 2018 and this year there is a great programme of events, tickets can be booked online and I urge you to attend as many events as you can, fill your boots with words!

Tickets

This is the 8th Year for the team and a decision was made to reduce the number of festival events on offer. Now, for many festivals this would be bad news but the quality of these evening events (note: new DAYTIME slot for the Launch) mean that there is still something for everyone and plenty on offer.

It also means the WLF Team and Festival Volunteers will not suffer burn out after hosting a packed week of events. It is only fair they get to enjoy the festival too. 

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Sunday 10th 

Monday 11th 

After the wild success of this event in our 2017 festival we

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Celebrating being a Poet Again!

The last 6 weeks has been much harder than the 15 years I spent not writing whilst I focused on my career. A career I gave up on in 2013 after an 8 year slide into depression. I have spent the past 5 years doing what I do best without having to put up with all the hoop jumping, red tape, politics and thankless 80 hour weeks! I also spent the last half a decade saying a resounding NO to any opportunity to work longer than a 2 week period.

However with an International Poetry Festival scheduled I felt the universe was delivering when I was offered a complete term. Here I am halfway through, I managed a whole month and a half back at the chalk-face full time (almost, some pre-booked poetry events allowed me a little time off for good behaviour). It has certainly been a hectic whirlwind working and freelancing simultaneously!

Tonight I am celebrating my 9 day freedom by working on everything in the montage above and more. My poetry skin is slipped back on and I do not need to think about work (or report writing) for a while.

This Bank Holiday weekend I am spending some time offline with Mr. G. as the Bank Holiday at the beginning of May was filled with Poetry Events.

I have a fortnight left as Worcestershire Poet Laureate and excitingly the judging process has begun to find the next one, the three finalists have been announced by themselves across social media, not sure WLF have posted the official announcements yet.

I am planning my penultimate Spark Young Writer group for Writing West Midlands, many of us have been given the nod this year. It is not a forever job, they tell you this at the beginning. WWM like to support as many writers as they can and they feel these roles benefit from fresh Leaders and so, if you are lucky you will squeeze about 3 years out of the deal. I will be sad to lose this part of my writing life, but it has been a fantastic opportunity and left me with a bank of wonderful, creative plans and activities to incorporate into future work/workshops for Young Adults/children.

I have a backlog of Blog posts to come reviewing Book Launches, Festival appearances and interviews.

I am working on Issue 4 of Contour, the final WPL digital magazine and reading submissions to the Science collection. There is still time to submit your work to both, just follow these links:

Contour: https://worcestershirepoetlaureateninalewis.wordpress.com/2018/04/29/submissions-open-contour-final-wpl-issue-4/

Science:  https://worcestershirepoetlaureateninalewis.wordpress.com/2018/04/30/submissions-open-tomorrow-for-the-final-wpl-poetry-collection/

The Twin Town is going well, the European Project hosts just 4 collaborations, certainly an easier task to manage than ATOTC, with it’s mammoth 23 pairings! Several French/Anglo pairs have completed their poems and the deadline is this evening, so I am hoping to wrap it up before the end of my tenure (10th June). The French work is being translated, a truly bilingual collection.

I am currently organising events for the Poetry Day at Artsfest 2018 and as part of the Poetry Extravaganza in the evening we will have the first UK ATOTC Collective Reading.

 

A few weeks ago many poets received copies of Bonnie’s Crew, a poetry anthology compiled by Kate Garrett to raise funds for Leeds General Infirmary Congenital Hearts Unit, via the Children’s Heart Surgery Fund.

Kate agreed to an interview a few weeks ago, I hope to start promoting it as soon as I can. It is a fabulous collection of poems.

 

Here is her Just Giving Page https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bonnieandcrew

And then I shall have an early night and be bright eyed for getting creative tomorrow.

 

The Birmingham & Midland Institute Poetry Event

THURSDAY 10 MAY – IN-CONVERSATION AND POETRY READING WITH NINA LEWIS

The BMI is proudly welcoming Worcestershire Poet Laureate Nina Lewis to discuss her work. Join Nina for an in-conversation about her life through poetry and listen as she shares poems from her pamphlet Fragile Houses (V. Press, 2016) along with some of her new work.

This will be followed by an Open Mic session – spaces are limited and poets will be invited to read their work for no more than 6 minutes. Please contact Serena Trowbridge at serena.trowbridge[at]bcu.ac.uk to reserve your slot to read!

© 2018 Birmingham & Midland Institute

https://bmi.org.uk/product/conversation-poetry-reading-nina-lewis/

Cheltenham Poetry Festival

Cheltenham Poetry Festival has an amazing programme of events this year, many of them I have sadly missed as I am back in full time work, however tonight I am there!

Smokey Joes has 3 back to back events this evening:

5 PM

Neil Richards and John Row

Join the ‘bewitching’ (The Independent) John Rowe for an hour of poetry and storytelling with guest Neil Richards. John is renowned for his dramatic and immersive events which offer an entertaining commentary on love, life and politics in modern times.

John is joined by Neil Richards, an exciting new voice on the poetry scene who is gaining a following for his charismatic and powerful performances of dazzlingly original experimental poetry.

Cheltenham Poetry Festival © 2018

7 PM

Indigo Dreams Showcase

Indigo Dreams Showcase – Chrys Salt, Chris Hardy, Anna Saunders and Amy Kinsman

Indigo Dreams is an award-winning publisher renowned for its beautifully produced collections of contemporary poetry by both new and established writers. The press was voted Most Innovative Publisher 2017 at the annual Saboteur Awards. Join us for a feast of verse as four authors from the press read from their brand-new publications.

Chris Hardy (‘Chris consistently hits the right note’ -(Roger McGough), poet, musician and member of LiTTLe MACHiNe reads from Sunshine At The End Of The World.

Chrys Salt (‘a wonderful and unique poet’ -Bernard Kops), reads from The Punkawallah’s Rope.

Festival Founder and Director Anna Saunders (‘a poet who can surely do anything’ – The North) reads from Ghosting for Beginners.

The showcase also includes a reading by one of the joint winners of the Indigo Dreams 2017 Pamphlet Competition. Amy Kinsman is a multi-published poet and playwright from Manchester.

Cheltenham Poetry Festival © 2018

9 PM

Nina Lewis – Fragile Houses plus guests + open mic

 

 

Nina Lewis – Fragile Houses

plus guests and Open Mic Readings

‘In our family, minds go missing’. Nina Lewis writes, in one of a series of moving and poignant poems about family life from Fragile Houses (V Press), a pamphlet praised for its ‘tremendous warmth and descriptive power’.

In this highly praised volume Nina Lewis explores the people, places and memories carried through life and deftly examines the human condition through the lens of family relationships.

Nina is joined by Peter McDade – expect deliciously surreal, and thought- provoking poetry from this talented and erudite poet who has drawn comparisons with Ivor Cutler.

This event also includes an open mic. Come and share your poems on the subject of ‘home’.

Cheltenham Poetry Festival © 2018

It is going to be a cracking evening of poetry, so come and join the fun!

Poetry Exhibition at the Jinney Ring

This gallery contains 15 photos.

Originally posted on Poet Laureate:
© 2018 Jinney Ring Craft Centre Just like the A-Team, I love it when a plan comes together… and as Worcestershire Poet Laureate I am learning just how long the planning stage can take.  Back in September I ran a poetry workshop at the Jinney Ring based on the fabulous,…

Cheltenham Poetry Festival 2018 – Power

It is that beautiful time of the year again when Cheltenham Poetry Festival reveal the programme and tickets go on sale!

 

 

Cheltenham Poetry Festival 2018

18 – 30 April, venues throughout the town

https://cheltenhampoetryfest.co.uk/

Visitors to Cheltenham Poetry Festival will have the chance to fight the power, at least with a pen – this Spring.

 

The Festival, which has been described as ‘ A poetry party with a healthy dose of anarchy’ by the Guardian offers a jam packed programme of readings, performances, cinema, music and socially conscious workshops all inspired by a theme of ‘power’.

On offer this year is a workshop with poet Peter Raynard called Fight the Power and plus David Punter, Professor of Poetry at the University of Bristol talks about anarchy, capitalism and political poetry.

The Eighth Cheltenham Poetry Festival celebrate the power of words in a programme of exciting live literature events, challenge the abuse of power in a series of outspoken readings, empower lives with inspiring and innovative community activities and powder keg your poetry with our potent workshops.

Highlights of 2018 include BBC Radio 6 Music’s Poet in Residence Murray Lachlan Young – ‘A rock ‘n’ roll poet of our time’ (Chrissie Hynde),‘Chap hop’s leading exponent’ (The Wall Street Journal) Professor Elemental, Salford rising star JB Barrington, hip hop artist TrueMendous,  ‘the missing link between Jarvis Cocker and Roger McGough’ (Irish Times) Vinny Peculiar, internationally acclaimed writer Amir Darwish, ex judo champ turned poet Owen Lowery and TS Eliot Prize winner Jacob Polley.

As ever the Festival welcomes some of the UK’s most important contemporary poets to the Festival. They include Jonathan Davidson, Martyn Crucefix, Sam Willets, Costa- Prize winner Jonathan Edwards, Rishi Dastidar, Pat Borthwick, Gill McEvoy, Peter Raynard, Tom Sastry, Wayne Holloway Smith,  Cora Greenhill, Adam Horovitz, Jane Commane, Chrys Salt, Nina Lewis, Rachael Allen, Patrick Mackie and Ben Wilkinson to name just a few!

Also on offer are poetry film showcases from Elephants Footprint, a screening the critically acclaimed film Love Somehow – a poetic re- telling of Caitlin’s Relationship with Dylan Thomas (staring Griff Rhys Jones as the voice of Dylan), Scarestories – a multi-media dystopian vision of the western word featuring poetry from David Clarke and the chance to explore local history with Angela France’s praised poetry show The Hill. 

Read more www.cheltenhampoetryfest.co.uk

 

‘ A poetry party with a healthy dose of anarchy’ – the Guardian.

‘Talks, walks, workshops and lots of lovely poetry take the streets of Cheltenham to a higher plane for this yearly celebration of all things lyrical’. METRO UK

‘One of the foremost poetry festivals in the country’. Hamish Wilson

Cheltenham Poetry Festival 2018 (18 Apr 2018 – 30 Apr 2018) The biggest and best yet!

WoLF – Wolverhampton Original Literature Festival

This is the 2nd year for Wolverhampton Original Literature Festival and the programme is packed with great events. It started today and runs until Sunday 28th.

Full programme details can be found here. Including Will Self, Liz Berry, Tony Walsh, Ian Billings, Jonny Fluffypunk, Luke Kennard and MORE!

In 2017 I performed as part of the Quiet Compere Event and this year I am performing as part of the WoLF Collective tomorrow afternoon at the Art Gallery.

http://www.wolvesliteraturefestival.co.uk/ninasophielauramauricerosina/4594119177

                    Join

Nina Lewis

Rosina Trotman

Maurice Malcolm

Sophie Sparham

Laura Liptrot

in the CONTEMPORARY GALLERY at Wolverhampton Art Gallery, 3:30 – 5 PM

 

From the pens of a diverse group of writers comes poetry, prose and excerpts from novels.  

 

Writers draw from life experiences to bring you tales from around the world.  

 

My set is based on Fragile Houses, now on its second print run.

Fragile Houses by Nina Lewis

One Week to Go

Poet Laureate

You have one more week to get your submissions in for the Love theme issue of Contour Poetry Magazine. The 2nd issue will be out in February before Valentine’s Day. Love goes further than fluffy hearts and Hallmark cards though, see this post for full submission guidelines and some ideas.

https://worcestershirepoetlaureateninalewis.wordpress.com/2017/12/01/contour-issue-2-open-submissions/

Deadline: 1st February 6pm (GMT)

If you have no poetry (excuse me, while I lie down)… and would still like to feature in the magazine, I am compiling a list of our favourite poems. Send me your favourite poem of all time. Full details here – just leave a reply – Title & Poet.

Deadline: 1st February 6pm (GMT)

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