200 slam poets and organisers from 17 European countries will be arriving in Berlin on Wednesday September 30th for an international conference - the first of its kind in Europe. The four day event, sponsored by the European Union, will feature: A variety of workshops and professional development sessions covering many aspects of Slam poetry An international slam competition with heats taking place at venues all around the German capital. The final, along with the wor...

National Poetry Day Across Ireland is on the 1st October and here are details of the events being held in Derry.
Café Del Mondo, Guildhall Square will be
celebrating National Poetry Day from 2pm -
5pm with an informal afternoon of readings from a wide range of local
poets and actors that include the 2009 Derry Poetry
Slam winner, Michael Duddy; award-winning playwright
Dave Duggan; Guildhall Press author
Jenni Doherty plus Spoken Word artist James King among many others. Local youth...

In a highly innovative move the Trades Union Congress has chosen poetry as a way to celebrate the cause of 'decent work'.
Wednesday 7 October sees a superb line up of poets united around the the theme of 'Rhyme, Rhythm & Reason.' Headlining will be the legendary Linton Kwesi Johnson,
making a rare London live appearance. Linton will be showcasing his
work of dissenting poetry, with fellow dub poet, the incomparable Jean 'Binta' Breeze. The night also features one of the best of a new gene...

Calling all you slightly more
mature poets & writers (that's anyone over 50!!)

Manchester Central Library are hosting an Open Mic on Wednesday 30th September, 1-2pm - this is to celebrate
the Valuing Older People Festival.

Would you like to read your poetry,
prose, excerpts from your novel, short stories, autobiography, even diary
pages?

New writers particularly welcome, each
performer to have a slot of 4 minutes maximum, very supportive & friendly
environment.
Go on - y...

The well-known poet John Agard(pictured) is playing Lewes Poetry this Thursday (17 September). Lewes resident John - one of Britain's best-known published poets - will read from his two new books - Clever Backbone, and Alternative Anthem: Selected Poems.
It will be a rare John Agard gig in a small venue. Also on the bill will be Jeremy Stockwell, the star of the BBC2 show The Speaker, Rachel Shorer, Charlie Devus and MC Oliver, as well Open Mic poets and the legendary Prize Limerick Co...

PUREandGOODandRIGHT is an Open Mic poetry event which takes place at The Stables, Newbold Comyn Arms, Leamington Spa. Each month we also invite a fabulous guest performance poet!
The next event is on Sunday 27 September at 7.30pm. The full address for the venue is The Stables, Newbold Comyn Arms, Newbold Terrace East, Leamington Spa, CV32 4EU. (Please follow directions from the pub’s website as the postcode information is misleading if you are using GPS or multimap).
The s...

The [Milton Keynes based] SPEAKEASY OPEN CREATIVE WRITING COMPETITION 2009 is now open. £350 in prize money.
Go to www.mkweb.co.uk/speakeasy to download rules and an entry form
Entries are invited by anyone. Two classes - Poetry (max 60 lines) and Short Story (max 2100 words)
Closing date 31st October 2009....

Sun 13th Sept. 6.00pm
Arnolfini bookshop, Bristol.
Admission free.
A sense of place, a subtle sensitivilty to the nuances of people and places - these are rare gifts. Lucy and Sally have found poetry in the normal.
Alastair Sawday.
The poems..often take word and image beyond themselves into an altogether different kind of aesthetic space...the photographs are extended by the poems and the poems extended by the photographs.
Tim Liardet.
In the summer of 2007 performance poet Lucy Englis...

Bristol vs London Poetry Slam on Thursday 24 Sept 2009 at Hall 2, Colston Hall, Colston Street, Bristol BS1 5AR. 7.30pm start. Tickets £10. Four of Bristol's best performance poets will face off against four of London's most-happening spoken word artists. They will be judged by the audience's applause and a panel of judges.
Bristol slammers are:
Lucy English
Byron Vincent
Julian Ramsey-Wade
Agatha Knowles
London's slammers are:
Cynthia Hamilton
Keith Jarrett
The Brother's Grim
Jasmine...

Please note that this month the Freed-up poets night moves to the second Thursday of the month (10th September) starts at 7.30pm at the Greenroom, Manchester - full details and map in our gig guide.

On Saturday 17 October 2009,
Academi and Parthian Books will be holding a day of events in Merthyr to
celebrate two new Library of Wales titles
set in the town.

Glyn Jones’ The Valley, The City, The Village and Jack Jones’ Black Parade, bring alive a sense of place that is unmistakeably
Merthyr. This day of discussions, talks
and tours will explore the Merthyr of Jack Jones and Glyn Jones – both born in
the town - and look at the thriving literature scene in the t...

Saturday 12 September:
The Poetry Society is running two workshops with kind support of the Bluecoat, for young people aged 13-19.
Nikki
Blaze, Liverpool poet and Co-ordinator of Liverpool Young Writers, a
Writing on the Wall initiative, and SLAMbassadors Co-ordinator Joelle
Taylor will run sessions at the Bluecoat to help you start slammin’.
See website: http://slam.poetrysociety.org.uk/
For more information, please call Bea Colley on 020 7420 9894 or to book your place, email: blast-li...

The Autumn (and first) issue of the Turkish Söyleşi Üç Aylık Şiir
Dergisi is now available to download in pdf format or read online as a
virtual magazine:
http://soylesipoetrymagazine.com/
This
issue centres on the theme of Islands, its contributors hailing from
the water-locked places of the world, translated into both Turkish and
English.
Edited by: Dr. Nesrin Eruysal
Editorial by: Dr. Pete Hay
Poetry
by: Pete Hay, İhsan Topçu, Kadir Aydemir, Adnan Adam Onart, Dimitris
Lentzis,...

First prize £75, Second £50 Third £25.
All winning entries will be published in the internationally circulating "Current Accounts" magazine. Some commended entries may also be published at the editor’s discretion. A free copy of “Current Accounts” will be sent to each entrant whose work is published.
Poems of up to 40 lines, any subject and style. Judge: Pat Winslow
Closing Date: 31st January 2010
Please send your poems, fees and entry form (see below)...

The aim of the workshops is to enable six writers and six musicians to work for two days in collaborations experimenting with the combination of text and sound stretching the boundaries of music and using words and sound in abstract/atmospheric ways.

Please note: this is not a 'songwriting workshop'.
It’s on Saturday 3rd & Saturday 10th October at The Storey, Meeting House Lane, Lancaster.
Facilitators: Ann Wilson & Shaun Blezzard

Day 1 will focus on working in c...

Renowned York-based poet Pete Morgan (photograph by Kippa Matthews) has agreed to headline a fundraiser in aid of York Literature Festival.

“There are famous poets of my generation and younger who have no idea of the debt they owe to Pete Morgan. His poems are dramatic, formally superb, funny, toughly tender, lyrical and never less than entertaining. Ted Hughes was a fan of his.” - CAROL ANN DUFFY

Pete Morgan, a professional poet, was born in 1939 in Leigh, Lancashire, and now...

Martin passed away peacefully at Bolton hospice on the 7th August 2009.

He wrote humorous, plaintive, home, war, hospital and performance poetry.

He was published in local papers and was a member of Bank Street Writers.

He will be missed by all who knew him at Write Out Loud.

May he rest in peace.

LAST CHANCE TO ENTER
WEAVING WORDS COMPETITION
CLOSING DATE - FRIDAY 25th Sept 2009
A creative writing competition for 2009 on an Environmental theme. Open to all writers and all genres. Free entry
Winners will receive book tokens kindly donated by Rochdale Libraries
The winning and specially commended entries may be displayed in the libraries
FOR RULES AND CONDITIONS AND GUIDANCE ON SENDING ENTRIES PLEASE SEE THE GROUP "WEAVING WORDS" ON FACEBOOK http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4236924865...

Wakefield¹s own little poetic gem returns this autumn to present the best local writers to the Wakefield public. First up for the autumn season on Thursday October 8th will be Joolz Denby, who has been a professional writer of poetry and fiction, spoken-word artist, illustrative artist and photographer for over twenty-eight years. She is also a professional tattoo artist and arts curator.
Joolz tours the world giving highly acclaimed dramatic readings of her work (poetry and prose). She is not...

Sponsored by the Frogmore Press http://www.frogmorepress.co.uk
The winner of the
Frogmore Poetry Prize for 2010 will win two hundred guineas and a two-year
subscription to The Frogmore Papers.
The first and second runners-up will receive seventy-five and fifty guineas
respectively and a year’s subscription to The
Frogmore Papers. Shortlisted poets will receive copies of selected Frogmore
Press publications. Previous winners of the Prize have been David Satherley,
Caroline Price, Bill He...

The Essex Festival 2009 runs from Friday 25th September - 22nd October 2009
Various venues, including Cramphorn Theatre, Fairfield Road, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 1JG
Tickets range from £2 to £30 (concs available) and some events free
Events throughout the month, including workshops with Ken Champion and Philip Wilson, and readings from John Hartley Williams, Kathryn Simmonds, Alan Buckley and Luke Wright and more.For more information visit www.essex-poetry-festival.co.uk or call Box Office on...

The Aesthetica Creative Works Competition is internationally recognised for identifying new artists and writers and bringing them to international attention. 2010 will be the competition's third year and previous finalists have achieved success and recognition with accolades including: writing commissions from Channel 4, selection to represent Australia in the Florence Biennale, exhibitions at DACS (London), John Martin Gallery (London), Flores Fine Art Gallery (New York), inclusion in...

Rap is Poetry, learn how to do it then have a go!
It's a RAP FEST is on at the Oldham Writing Cafe on Saturday, 12th
September, 11:30 to 13:30 at
Canon George Hall, Chapel Road, Hollins, Oldham OL8 4QQ
Featuring DOUBLE A (Adam Adamson from
Ubuntu) and BARRY B (Barry is a DJ and gospel rapper), they will be
performing and then there will be a workshop so we can all have a go!
13+ welcome (anyone under 18 must be accompanied by responsible adult)
£1 on the door includes tea or coffee. Par...

This month's contributors and featured artists include...
Christine Morris / Hollyann Burton / Arthur Chappel / Mothertrucker /
artbysara / Joe Booker
Available online at http://www.blankmediacollective.org/blankpages
We're delighted to announce the launch of blankpages issue 14!
Featured in this month's issue are the striking images of artbysara -
bold caricatures that cover everything from fairy-tales to 'the man
down the street'. We have an interview and music from Mothertrucker -
an exciting...

Here are details of two of the courses in the Poetry School's new
programme which we would like to draw attention to. One you can do in your
pajamas, one will help you earn money as a poet. We look forward to welcoming
all new students!

Poetry in Progress
Tutor: Polly Clark
Day / Time: Wednesdays, 7-9pm UK time
Duration: 10 weeks
Start date: 5 October
Price: £98 (£68 concs)
New this year - the Poetry School’s first fully interactive online
course. It takes place within its own...

Firstly, apologies for the lack of a newsletter last month. Computer error. Oh, all right then, we decided to go on holiday instead of going to the computer to do the newsletter.
We are devoting this month’s newsletter to reporting the results of Steve Dearden’s evaluation report on our work during 2008. By the way, thank you to all of you who took the time to speak to Steve, and/or complete the online survey

Some results surprised us, most pleased us, some disappointed. We...

A new Sky One show wants hobby enthusiasts in South East England to go head to head with one another for a CASH PRIZE, and they want one of them to be an amateur poet, London-based for the pilot programme.
The programme’s about 4 people, passionate about their hobby, competing to convince the others that theirs is the best, to win a cash prize.
You need to be extremely passionate about poetry and willing to give other hobbies a go. You will need to be convinced that yours is the best h...

The Cafe Writers Open Poetry competition has a closing date of 30th November 2010.

First prize is £1,000, second £300 and five commended prizes of £50. £150 prize for the funniest poem, not winning another prize. There's also a £100 Norfolk prize awarded to the best poem from a permanent Norfolk resident.

The Entry fee is £4 per poem; or £10 for 3 poems and £2 per poem thereafter.

The sole judge is Michael Symmins Roberts....