It’s that time again!
The annual Cork-Coventry poetry exchange is now in its sixteenth year. Two rising stars of Coventry’s local poetry and spoken word scene, Ann Atkins and Amy Rugg, have been selected to represent the city for 2024, which involves travelling to Cork (Ireland) and performing their work.
Coventry is the birthplace of the ‘twin city’ concept, which began in 1941 with a gesture of solidarity sent from women of Coventry to Volgograd (then Stalingrad), following the Blitz and extensive bombings of WWII. Cov has special partnerships with a multitude of cities around the world (twenty-six!), a fact many local residents take pride in – and, in 1958, we became Cork’s first ever twin city. This connection was formed due to a high number of Cork residents emigrating to Coventry at that time for work and then choosing to settle here.
The Cork-Coventry Poetry Exchange has been going since 2008, as a scheme for writers to promote international peace, friendship and cultural understanding between the two places as creative communities. In addition to performing at poetry events overseas, the selected poets take a tour of significant landmarks, network with other local writers, and pay state visits to both the Coventry and Cork Lord Mayors.
Next week, on 12th August, Amy and Ann will be in Cork city and headline at legendary events like Ó Bhéal and DeBarra’s Spoken Word. Then, in November, Cork poets Cédric Bikond and Catherine Ronan will be welcomed to Coventry and feature at two of our events, including a special edition of HCE’s ‘Fire&Dust’ open mic night.
Notably, it will also be Ó Bhéal’s 700th poetry event! Ó Bhéal is now hybrid, happening in-person but also livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook. Organiser Paul Casey has invited Coventry poets and poetry fans to attend online via Zoom to show support for Ann and Amy, as well as joining in with the 5-word prompt challenge (and they can even perform in the open mic if they contact Paulin advance to request a slot). This is a unique and exciting opportunity for the Coventry community – plus interested parties from anywhere else in the world – to see inside and experience the atmosphere of Cork’s Long Valley pub venue!
We look forward to seeing you there…
Here Comes Everyone is grateful to acknowledge the continued support of partner organisations who have funded and/or championed the exchange scheme, in 2024 and previous years: Coventry Association of International Friendship (CAIF), Coventry City Council, Cork City Council, Coventry Peace Festival, Nine Arches Press, Writing West Midlands, Ó Bhéal and DeBarra’s Spoken Word. Special thanks for their involvement also goes to Paul Casey, Moze Jacobs, Ann Atkins, John Watson, The Long Valley pub in Cork, DeBarra’s Folk Club in Clonakilty, The Tree House Bookshop in Kenilworth, plus Earlsdon Library and The LTB Showrooms in Coventry.
ANN ATKINS is a slam-winning poet who likes playing with words and finding inspiration in unusual places, often dished up with a dash of humour. She performs across the country and worldwide online. She co-hosts Coventry’s Fire&Dust open mic, and Fire&Dust Zoom for an international audience. Ann has been published in numerous anthologies and her work has featured on several radio shows. Her collection Not a Robot was published by Allographic Press (2023). Experienced in writing for commissions, she also enjoys facilitating workshops for all ages. Ann features in the Write Club Podcast, is a Nine Arches Press Dynamo mentee (2023-24) and represented Coventry in Dresden (Germany) on the Coventry Dresden Writers Exchange in 2023. She is quite sure she is not a robot.
Writer, performance poet, and cherished collector of tall tales, writing is the fresh air that keeps AMY RUGG going. A champion of Coventry’s history and culture, she was commissioned to perform at Coventry’s Positive Images and Refugee Week festivals, and is a steady regular at Fire&Dust’s open mics. Her work was published in the Spirit of Fire & Dust anthology by Allographic Press. She enjoys experimenting with the thresholds of poetry and prose and her dramatized poem commemorating the bombing of Coventry Cathedral featured in the Criterion Theatre’s ‘Springboard Festival’ this year. A dual citizen of the US/UK, she enjoys writing and performing from the perspective of a relative outsider.