Poets and Players

Contact: poetsandplayers.wordpress.com/

Poets and Players is delighted to present poets Andrew Forster, Jeremy Over and Rita Ray alongside Matthew Wilkinson, classical and jazz guitarist at another free event at Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester M15 6ER.

Andrew Forster has published two collections of poetry with Flambard Press. His first, ‘Fear of Thunder’, was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best First Collection in 2008. Poems from it are included on the GCSE syllabus. His second collection, ‘Territory’, focusing on the landscape of South West Scotland where he then lived, was published in 2010. He worked as Literature Development Officer in Dumfries & Galloway for five years before moving to Cumbria in 2008 to take up post as Literature Officer with the Wordsworth Trust. This move has influenced his most recent project, ‘Digging’, a pamphlet of new poems with accompanying drawings by the artist and printmaker Hugh Bryden, and published by Roncadora Press.

Jeremy Over lives and works in Cockermouth, West Cumbria. His poetry was first published in the anthology New Poetries II (Carcanet, 1999) and he has had two collections published since then: ‘A Little Bit of Bread and No Cheese, (Carcanet, 2001) and ‘Deceiving Wild Creatures’ (Carcanet, 2009). His work has been described as ‘Astonishing, inventive, idiosyncratic’ by Jane Routh, Stride; ‘Deeply enjoyable … hilarious’ by John Hartley Williams, Poetry London; ‘a menthol lozenge on the confectionery stall of modern poetry’ by Vic Allen, The North.

Rita Ray lives in Lymm and belongs to Six Poets in Lancaster, www.sixpoets.org.uk Her main passion is poetry but she also enjoys painting and finds art a rich source of ideas. Her poem 'Still life with oranges and walnuts' (Luis Melendez) won this year’s £2000 Cheshire Prize for Literature. She has published poetry in several magazines, including the TLS and PEN Broadsheet. Rita’s stories and poems for children appear in several anthologies.

Matthew Wilkinson is a classical and jazz guitarist. Awarded a scholarship to the RNCM in 2006, he was awarded the college’s Gold Medal in 2011. As leader of the National Youth Guitar Ensemble, Matthew Wilkinson performed with artists such as Antonio De Innocentis, John Williams, Victoria Walker and the Eden-Stell guitar duo. Poets and Players is delighted to host this highly versatile artist at the beginning of what will clearly be an exceptional career.

Entry: Free, no need to book

Time: 2:30pm