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His time has come: Ireland's next president is also a poet

A poet, human rights campaigner and football club president will be the next president of Ireland after a late surge of support. Michael D Higgins, aged 70, whose poem, When Will My Time Come, you can read here,  was the Irish Labour party candidate. He is also president of Galway United FC, who play in the League of Ireland. His defeated rivals included Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness. Higgins’s...

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News

Poems for Remembrance Day

Dear WOL members,

If anyone has a poem with the theme of Remembrance and would like it to be considered for an exhibition in the Holy Trinity Church, Hull next month, then please send it to me at  winstonplowes@googlemail.com. If chosen your poem could be supporting the artist Martin Waters' ...

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Purple Patch stages poetry convention

Purple Patch poetry magazine, which has been publishing for 35 years, is holding a poetry convention next year at the Barlow theatre, Spring Walk, Langley, near Oldbury, Birmingham, from Friday eve...

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The diary of a spoken word bird

We asked Cardiff-based performer Mab Jones to give us her view of the hectic poetry circuit. Here is her first despatch:

"I'm usually veering dizzily from gig to gaff to launch to lunch, and ho...

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News

Mark Mace Smith is the new Superhero of Slam

Mark Mace Smith might have lost the love of his life but in telling us about it he was able to persuade the judges to  crown him the new Commonword Superhero of Slam after last night's exciting gra...

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Iain Sinclair in Hastings old town

Writer Iain Sinclair will be reading from Postcards from the 7th Floor,  his poetic collaboration with artists Oona Grimes, at the Stade Hall, The Stade, in Hastings old town on Thursday 27 October...

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News

WOL's Wigan slam stars set foot in Sale

The winner and runner-up at last month’s Wigan / Write Out Loud heat of the Superheroes of Slam contest, Louise Fazackerley and Rachel McGladdery, are appearing along with another top slammer, Benn...

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News

National Poetry Competition: lastminute.chance!

It's not too late to enter the 2011 National Poetry Competition - and if you're thinking it's far too high a prize to aim for, think again. The 2010 winning poem was by an unpublished poet. Paul Ad...

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Competitions

Ted Hughes festival at Hebden Bridge

Hebden Bridge plays host, appropriately, to the Ted Hughes festival from Friday 21 October to Sunday 23 October, at various venues including Hebden Library in Cheetham Street. The three-day weekend...

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Catherine's Edinburgh Fringe slam-winning poem video

If you want to know what excellence is in a slam poem, and in its performance, look no further. Catherine Brogan won the fringe slam in August with a magnificent poem about Omagh, where she grew up...

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Saturday Night Writers at the Poetry Cafe

Saturday Night Writers with Adele Ward at the Poetry Café in  Covent Garden  presents poets Peter Philips, Mike Horwood and David Cooke, plus open mic, with a chance to submit poems for an annual a...

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Roll up for the Malton festival poetry slam

The Speakers’ Corner, the team behind York's monthly poetry and performance nights, have got together with the organisers of the second Malton literature festival to present a poetry slam with cash...

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Competitions

Linda Chase: her final collection

The literary community was shocked and saddened earlier this year by the death of the founder of Manchester’s Poets & Players, Linda Chase. Thursday 20 October sees the launch of her final collecti...

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Poems that are really a list

In our creative writing sessions in Marsden Library we have been playing with the idea of list poems, and Francesca Beard’s is a superb example, not least with its title, The poem that was really a...

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Julian's Blog

Search for best performance poet in Wales

Literature Wales is on the hunt for the best performance poet in Wales. Do you have what it takes to impress the judges in just five minutes and walk away with the first prize of £500?

The firs...

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Competitions

Swedish poet wins Nobel prize

Swedish poet Tomas Tranströmer has won the Nobel prize for literature – the first poet to take the honour since 1996. His work has been translated into more than 50 languages. The judges praised hi...

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News

Archbishop of Canterbury at London poetry night

The Archbishop of Canterbury and well-known poet, Rowan Williams, will be reading some of his poems at a london poetry event to raise money for the homeless. He is appearing with Clare Brant and Ru...

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News

John Burnside wins Forward poetry prize

Scottish poet John Burnside has won the 2011 Forward prize for best collection, after being shortlisted in 2000, 2005, and 2007. Burnside’s Black Cat Bone beat collections from the Oxford professor...

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Seeing Bury in a new light

Bury is throwing open its doors on Friday night  in a celebration of cultural life in the town – and Write Out Loud is taking part.  An open mic event compered by poet Gemma Lees takes place from 6...

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Michael Murphy and Matt Simpson: a celebration at the Bluecoat

A celebration of the lives of two Liverpool-based poets is being staged on 16 October when Gwyneth Lewis, John Lucas, Maurice Riordan, Lawrence Sail and George Szirtes present a critical tribute of...

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News

Back to business at Write Out Loud Wigan tonight

After the excitement of last month’s slam heat, Write Out Loud Wigan gets back down to business as normal tonight, 13 October, at the Tudor House, Wigan, with a more conventional evening of words, ...

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News

Anna McCrory at Hammer and Tongue Oxford

Anna McCrory, the newly-elected president of Oxford University Poetry Society, is performing at Hammer and Tongue Oxford tonight. Anna, who has appeared at many a Write Out Loud event up north in t...

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News

Deadline nears for Troubadour prize

There's still time to enter the competition for the £2,500 Troubadour international poetry prize. Susan Wicks and David Harsent are the judges, with both reading all poems - not always the case wit...

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Competitions

Poetry jam at Marsden jazz festival

There’s a poetry jam with Write Out Loud at the Marsden jazz festival near Huddersfield today, Sunday 9 October. You are all welcome to bring your poems and strut your stuff between 11am and 1pm at...

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News

Mystery tour with Paper Planes

Creative writing members of  Manchester’s  Paper Planes Second Saturday workshop are going on a mystery tour this Saturday as a departure from their usual way of doing things.

Anthony Sides and...

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News

It's National Poetry Day

From London's South Bank to Manchester's Droylsden library, events are taking place around the country today to mark National Poetry Day. Southbank Centre artist in residence Simon Armitage, Jackie...

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News

Like to write poetry at Ted Hughes' house? - last chance for a place

There are just a handful of places left on this unique Monday to Saturday Arvon Foundation course in the idyllic surroundings of  Lumb Bank, once home to Ted Hughes, and in the village of Heptonsta...

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Courses

Hugo Williams at Exeter poetry festival

Hugo Williams, Frances Leviston, Anne Caldwell, Harry Guest and Rachael Boast are among the many poets lined for Exeter poetry festival for 6-9 October. Also are on the bill are the bards of Exeter...

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News

Mining for poetry: new open mic in Cornwall

A new open mic event, the Poetry Mine, is being launched tonight in St Agnes, on the north Cornish coast, by Write Out Loud regular Ann Foxglove at the Miners and Mechanics Institute. It’s at 7.30p...

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News

WOL's Gemma Lees launches book at Bury library

Write out Loud’s Middleton organiser Gemma Lees is launching her new book, A Method in my Madness, at Bury library on Monday 3 October at 7.30pm, in the run-up to National Poetry Day.  Her work off...

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