Friday 6th May, 1-2pm Northern Stage Free event, all welcome Are you an NCL student who has some poems you can’t wait to share? Then we invite you to take part in our inaugural open mic for students at this year’s Newcastle Poetry Festival. 5-minute slots are available to those who sign up via email. … Continue reading Newcastle University Open Mic
Category: Reading
Simon Armitage (in person only)
Friday 6th May, 4-5pm Northern Stage £5/£3 Simon Armitage, the UK’s poet laurate, joins us for a unique performance of his own poetry themed around the environment. Simon was born and grew up in West Yorkshire. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry. He has published over a… Continue reading Simon Armitage (in person only)
John Agard, Grace Nichols, and Imtiaz Dharker
Friday 6th May, 6.30-7:30pm Northern Stage £5/£3 This evening’s reading presents three internationally acclaimed poets whose diasporic work is central to British literature. Grace Nichols’ most recent collection Passport To Here and There captures a journey that moves from coastal memories of a Guyana childhood to life in her adoptive Sussex landscape (Bloodaxe, 2020). John… Continue reading John Agard, Grace Nichols, and Imtiaz Dharker
Anne Ryland, David Spittle, and Linda France
Friday 6th May, 2.30-3.30pm Northern Stage £5/£3 Three acclaimed poets take us on a journey through ruins and wilderness to find new sanctuaries. Linda France’s The Knucklebone Floor (Smokestack) is a book about fragility and resilience, flora and fauna, people and places, the human world and the natural world; Anne Ryland, in Unruled Journal (Valley… Continue reading Anne Ryland, David Spittle, and Linda France
Born Lippy with Rowan McCabe, Georgia Bartlett-McNeil and Jonny Fluffypunk, plus Open Mic
Friday 6th May, 8-9.30pm Northern Stage Free event, all welcome Newcastle’s leading spoken word night, Born Lippy, presents a unique takeover event hosted by Rowan McCabe, with headline performances from spoken word poets Georgia Bartlett-McNeil and Jonny Fluffypunk. There will also be an Open Mic, giving you the opportunity to share your words. If you… Continue reading Born Lippy with Rowan McCabe, Georgia Bartlett-McNeil and Jonny Fluffypunk, plus Open Mic
Human Cell Atlas: ‘One Cell at a Time’ and readings by Poetry Society’s Young Poets Network competition winners
Saturday 7th May, 12-1pm Northern Stage Free event, all welcome This event showcases the outstanding work created through a partnership between the Human Cell Atlas and Newcastle Centre for Literary Arts. It includes the film screening, ‘Donor’ – a collaborative response by poets Imtiaz Dharker and Linda France, and visual artist Kate Sweeney, as well… Continue reading Human Cell Atlas: ‘One Cell at a Time’ and readings by Poetry Society’s Young Poets Network competition winners
‘What is it like to be here: Round about Heaton’: The People’s Theatre Youth Group
Saturday 7th May, 1.15-2pm Northern Stage Free event, all welcome Join us for a journey around Heaton’s vibrant parks, streets and cafes through the eyes and ears of young people from The People’s Theatre youth group. Originally recorded for broadcast on BBC Radio Newcastle, this performance was developed with poets from Newcastle University who helped… Continue reading ‘What is it like to be here: Round about Heaton’: The People’s Theatre Youth Group
Linda Anderson, John Challis, and Denise Saul
Saturday 7th May, 2.30-3.30pm Northern Stage £5/£3 These bold and insightful debuts offer meditations on time, memory and family. Linda Anderson’s collection The Station Before (Pavilion Poetry, 2020) ruminates on the links between history and nature, with keen observations on light and places of sanctuary. John Challis’ The Resurrectionists expertly explores voices of industry and… Continue reading Linda Anderson, John Challis, and Denise Saul
Jennifer Williams, Ben Wilkinson, and Andre Naffis-Sahely
Saturday 7th May, 4-5pm Northern Stage £5/£3 These poets celebrate the human voice amidst political, environmental and personal change. In High Desert (Bloodaxe), André Naffis-Sahely reflects on class, race, and nationalism within the American Southwest, in extraordinary poems of witness and vision; Jennifer Williams’ new collection, Origins (Shearsman), is a song of light and breath telling… Continue reading Jennifer Williams, Ben Wilkinson, and Andre Naffis-Sahely
The High Commission of Canada in the UK and Griffin Poetry Prize event: Eve Joseph, Billy-Ray Belcourt, and Kathleen Jamie
Saturday 7th May, 5.30-6.30pm Northern Stage £5/£3 This hybrid event is generously sponsored by The High Commission of Canada in the UK and with media support from the Griffin Poetry Prize. Bridging together literary talent from Canada and the UK, we present poets associated with the Griffin Poetry Prize, one of world’s most generous international… Continue reading The High Commission of Canada in the UK and Griffin Poetry Prize event: Eve Joseph, Billy-Ray Belcourt, and Kathleen Jamie