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

Hannah Lowe and Joelle Taylor

Saturday 7th May, 7-8.15pm Northern Stage £5/£3 Our final event celebrates two phenomenal prize-winning poets. Hannah Lowe is the author of the 2021 Costa Book of the Year, The Kids (Bloodaxe), a book of sonnets about teaching and learning, inspired by Lowe’s own experience working as a teacher at an inner-city London sixth form. Joelle… Continue reading Hannah Lowe and Joelle Taylor

Workshop 4: Sean O’Brien

Saturday 7 May, 12.00-14.00 Percy Building, Newcastle University £20 Songs From the Drowned World Over seventy percent of Earth is covered in water. This figure is predicted to rise, and the map of globe to change, in some places beyond recognition. Whatever the outcome, poets will be compelled to address it. In this workshop we’ll… Continue reading Workshop 4: Sean O’Brien

Workshop 3: André Naffis-Sahely

Saturday 7 May, 10.00-12.00 Percy Building, Newcastle University £20 Writing About Labour Rights How do we craft class-aware poems that can fit into the notion of a social poetics? This workshop will instruct participants on how the labour movement has been written about by workers themselves, taking a specific look at the poetry written in… Continue reading Workshop 3: André Naffis-Sahely

Workshop 4: Hannah Lowe

Saturday 7 May, 12.00-14.00 Percy Building, Newcastle University £20 Breaking the Sonnet This workshop will consider the contemporary sonnet or ‘little song’ as it translates from the Italian – often described as a ‘box’ because of its visual look and tight formal constraints. We will read and discuss a range of sonnets by formal sonneteers to sonnet experimenters, looking at how… Continue reading Workshop 4: Hannah Lowe

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