THEATRE REVIEW: ‘PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH’
Stella Backhouse gives her views on the world premiere of ‘Please Do Not Touch’, a new stage play written by Casey Bailey, directed by Gail Babb and starring Tijan Sarr. Following an incident with a Somali Afro comb in a heritage house, TikTok activist Mason is sentenced to a Young Offender Institution…
COVENTRY’S COMMA PRESS BOOK LAUNCH
Do you like short stories? There is a launch event happening in Coventry, on Thursday 26th September, for the new Comma Press anthology. Grab a ticket and get yourselves to CommonGround cafe, for author readings and a Q&A, plus your own copy of ‘The Book of Coventry’!
INTERVIEW: FIRE & DUST MEETS BEN DAVIS
Multi-slam winning Midlands poet Ben Davis has featured at events and festivals all over the UK. He is also an award-winning author of children’s books, a journalist and a postal worker, and was a stand-up comedian for a decade. His 2020 novel, ‘The Soup Movement’, was nominated for the prestigious Carnegie Medal. We caught up with Ben after he headlined at Fire&Dust in Coventry, to ask a few questions…
INTERVIEW: FIRE & DUST MEETS ROBIN LAMBOLL
Dr Robin Lamboll is multi-slam winner, a widely published poet and a research fellow studying climate change at Imperial College London. They write poetry inspired by the intersection between the human and natural world, and have performed science-inspired poetry in many places. HCE caught up with Robin after headlining at Fire&Dust, to ask a few questions…
Cork-Coventry Poetry Exchange 2024: Part One
It’s that time again! The sixteenth annual Cork-Coventry poetry exchange. Two rising stars of Coventry’s poetry and spoken word scene, Ann Atkins and Amy Rugg, have been selected to represent the city for 2024, which involves travelling overseas to Cork and…
INTERVIEW: FIRE & DUST MEETS ROSALIN BLUE
In 2023, Rosalin Blue was one of two poets representing Cork city in the annual Cork-Coventry Twin Cities Poetry Exchange. She is a bilingual poet, originally from Münster (Germany), who has featured at many events and in various publications. HCE caught up with Rosalin after her visit, to ask a few questions…
INTERVIEW: FIRE & DUST MEETS KATHRYN O’DRISCOLL
Kathryn O’Driscoll is an award-winning poet, a mentor and editor, and the co-Founder of Bath’s spoken word event The Poetry Spa. She was the 2021 UK Poetry Slam Champion and a World Slam Finalist. Her debut collection ‘Cliff Notes’ was published by Verve in 2022. We caught up with Kathryn after her Fire&Dust gig, to ask a few questions…
INTERVIEW: FIRE & DUST MEETS ASHLEY EDGE
Ashley Edge is a non-binary, autistic, slam-winning and published poet from Staffordshire who co-hosts Prickly Pear poetry open mic and runs multiple writing workshops. After Ashley’s headline set at Fire&Dust, we caught up with them to ask a few questions…
INTERVIEW: FIRE & DUST MEETS MARTIN FIGURA
Norwich-based poet Martin Figura has been shortlisted for the Ted Hughes Award and won multiple Saboteur Awards. At the height of the pandemic, he was co-host of Live from The Butchery and Poet-in-Residence for Salisbury District Hospital. His new collection is ‘The Remaining Men’ (Cinnamon Press, 2024). Martin headlined at Fire&Dust in May 2024 – HCE caught up with him after the gig, to ask a few questions…
INTERVIEW: FIRE & DUST MEETS EMILIE LAUREN JONES
Emilie Lauren Jones was Coventry’s inaugural Poet Laureate. She has performed at venues across the UK and overseas, featured on national radio and television, and facilitates writing workshops for adults and young people. She recently published a book of children’s poetry – ‘A Poetic A-Z of Awesome Animals’. HCE caught up with Emilie after her Fire&Dust gig, to ask a few questions…