Here comes February! In the UK, the Omicron variant is around but life has taken a few more steps back into normality. However, plenty of people remain understandably cautious about venturing out to attend gigs, especially those who are vulnerable. If you plan on staying home a little while longer, here is the good news: plenty of creative communities across the UK, and all around the globe, are STILL plugging the void in our lives with some amazing virtual events!
Organisers are combatting various challenges to ensure events can happen safely; many gigs have returned to their venues (at full/reduced capacity) while others have opted to stay virtual for a bit longer. Some, determined to stay accessible, have created hybrid events or are running different events for both types of audiences.
The HCE magazine team have created another list of online literary open mics, events and workshops (listed in separate categories below), to help you plan for the weeks ahead. Don’t miss out on taking part – seize this opportunity to “travel” far and wide, and even participate in events overseas…
OPEN MICS
Wed 2nd Feb, 1-2.30AM (UK time) – via Zoom
Speaking Crow: Virtual Edition feat. Bola Opaleke
(Happens in: Winnipeg, Canada)
Free poetry open mic. Ticket choice for open mic/audience. Headline poet: Bola Opaleke, author of “Skeleton of a Ruined Song” (IceFloe Press) and winner of the 2020 Thomas Morton Prize in Poetry. For more info and to register, visit the Eventbrite page.
Wed 2nd Feb, 7-9PM (UK time) – via Zoom
Crafty Crows, feat. Kathryn O’Driscoll & Emma Purshouse
Free Gloucestershire Poetry Society open mic event, hosted by Josephine Lay. Headline poets: Kathryn O’Driscoll & Emma Purshouse. Open mic sign-up is first come, first served (email craftycrows2020@yahoo.com). For more info and to register, visit the Helm tickets webpage.
Thurs 3rd Feb, 7.45PM (UK time) – via Zoom
Lime Square Poets featuring: Kenneth Steven
Free poetry open mic event, hosted by D’or Seifer. Headline poet: Kenneth Steven, plus open mic and announcements. No tickets required. For details and access info, visit the Facebook event page.
Sun 6th Feb, 7.30PM (UK time) – via Zoom
Yes, We Cant
(Usually happens in: Walsall, UK)
Free monthly virtual open mic event – Pay What You Can. Headliner is Word Guerrilla and ‘Alf Ender is incoming Wolverhampton poet laureate Kuli Kohli. To request a space in the Zoom: email poetsprattlerspandemonialists@gmail.com. For more details, visit the Poets, Prattlers & Pandemonialists Facebook page.
Sun 6th Feb, 7PM (UK time) – via Zoom
Like a Blot From the Blue Gets All Jazzed Up with Gary Huskisson
Free poetry open mic event, hosted by Fin Hall. Slots are 5 minutes each. For more details, visit the Facebook event page.
Mon 7th Feb, 7.30-9.30PM (UK Time) – via Zoom
Cafe Writers January Open Mic
Free poetry open mic event. Feature guests are poets poets Hannah Lowe and Lewis Buxton. Sign-up for open mic is first come, first served. For more info and to register, visit the Eventbrite page.
Mon 7th Feb, 11PM (UK time) – via Zoom
Oceanside Library Poetry Series: Near and Afar
(Happens in: New York, USA)
Free poetry event, plus open mic (one poem/3 haiku each). Hosted by Tony Iovino, with featured poets/authors: Robert Dean and J R Turek. For access info, visit the Oceanside Library events page.
Wed 8th Feb, 8.30PM (UK time) – via Zoom
DeBarra’s Spoken Word
Free open mic event, following on from poetry workshop ‘How Good Is Your Title?’ (see below). For more info and access, visit the Facebook event page.
Thurs 10th Feb, 7.15PM (UK time) – via Zoom
Fire & Dust Poets Zoom Around the World: Juanita Rea
(Usually happens in: Coventry, UK)
Free/Pay As You Feel monthly event. Poetry open mic slots, plus a special headline guest. Hosted by Ann Atkins. To attend, grab an Eventbrite ticket (free). Details re: Zoom URL and how to sign up for open mic will be emailed.
Thurs 10th Feb, 7.30PM (UK time) – hybrid: in-person/via Zoom
DIY Poets – February Showcase
Free quarterly event (donations welcome), featuring sets from Gail Webb and Pete Clavin, music from Richard Banker, plus performances by 10 DIY Poets. For more details, visit the city arts webpage.
Thurs 10th Feb, 7.45PM (UK time) – via Zoom
Lime Square Poets featuring: Sinéad McClure
Free poetry open mic event, hosted by D’or Seifer. Headline poet: Sinéad McClure, plus open mic and announcements. No tickets required. For details and access info, visit the Facebook event page.
Thurs 10th Feb, 8-10PM (UK time) – via Zoom
Get A Word In Edgeways Monthly Concert
Tickets £3-£5. Special event in the run up to the Marrakech International Storytelling Festival – featuring Zahra Ezrai Afasah, Sola Story, Katherine Soutar Caddick and John Row (further acts TBC), plus ‘Cath’s Cupboard of Customs’. For more details or to register, visit the Get a Word in Edgeways webpage.
Sat 12th Feb, 1-2AM (UK Time) – via Zoom
ArtsXchange Open Virtual Mic
Free open mic event – for sharing stories, songs, poems, or upcoming events. Hosted by Theresa Davis. For more info and to register, visit the Eventbrite page.
Mon 14th Feb, 7PM (UK Time) – via Zoom
Soundbites Poetry Open Mic
Free poetry open mic event. Feature guest is poet Bryan Franco (USA). For more details and access, visit the Facebook event page.
Wed 16th Feb, 7.30-9.30PM (UK Time) – via Zoom
Fen Speak feat. David Ralph Lewis
Free monthly open mic event – for sharing poetry and stories. Headliner: Forward Prize nominated poet David Ralph Lewis. For more info and to register, visit the Eventbrite page.
Thurs 17th Feb, 7.45PM (UK time) – via Zoom
Lime Square Poets featuring: Catherine Ann Cullen
Free poetry open mic event, hosted by D’or Seifer. Headline poet: Catherine Ann Cullen, plus open mic and announcements. No tickets required. For details and access info, visit the Facebook event page.
Thurs 17th Feb, 7-8.30PM (UK time) – via Zoom
Poems for A Changing World: An Evening of Poetry Readings and Discussion
Free event from CivicLeicester. Book launch for anthology ‘Poetry and Settled Status For All’, with readings by Aryan Ashory, Sheena Bradley, Laura Grevel, Kevin Jackson, Ambrose Musiyiwa, Manjit Sahota, Lytisha Tunbridge, Gail Webb, and Gregory Woods – plus open mic. Priority for open mic slots will be given to those with lived experience of migration, asylum or settled status issues (email Gail Webb: gailwebb60@icloud.com). For more info and to register, visit the Eventbrite page.
Fri 18th Feb, 7.30PM (UK time) – via Zoom
Oooh Beehive’s February with Franco
Free/Pay As You Can poetry open mic event, hosted by Nick Lovell and Clive Oseman. Headline poet: Bryan Franco, plus open mic (3 mins slots) and announcements. For an open mic slot, email ooohbeehive@btinternet.com. For details and access info, visit the Facebook event page.
Sat 19th Feb, 5.30-7PM (UK time) – via recording
That’s What We Said (VERVE Special)
Ticket: £4.50. Part of VERVE Poetry Festival 2022. For Books’ Sake presents: That’s What We Said, a queer feminist poetry night led by non-binary and women performers. Hosted by Bridget Hart, with special guests Rosie Garland, Maz Hedgehog and afshan d’souza-lodhi. Plus 6 open mic slots available for marginalised genders. This event will be BSL interpreted. For more info and to register, visit the Eventbrite page.
Mon 21st Feb, 11PM (UK time) – via Zoom
Oceanside Library Poetry Series: Near and Afar
(Happens in: New York, USA)
Free poetry event. Every Monday, hosted by Tony Iovino. Featured poets/authors: Nathan Brown (Texas) and Christina Rau (New York). For access info, visit the Oceanside Library events page.
Wed 23rd Feb, 4AM (UK time) – via Zoom
KAKTUS/Poetry Playhouse Poetry
Free poetry event – readings plus open mic. Hosted by John Roche and Jules Nyquist. Featuring: Bruce Holsapple and Karla Linn Merrifield.. For more details or to register, visit the Facebook event page.
Thurs 24th Feb, 6.30-8.30PM (UK time) – via Zoom
Over The Edge: Open Reading
Free poetry event – readings plus open mic. Hosted by Susan Millar DuMars. Featured Readers: Vincent Flannery, Claire Loader, Sharon Black & Polina Cosgrave. New faces very welcome in the open mic. For more details or to register, visit the Facebook event page.
Sat 26th Feb, 9PM (UK time) – via Zoom
Gestalt Poetry Open Mic
Monthly poetry open mic event. Hosted by Amy Hoskins. Headliner: JEFF COTTRILL. For more details and access, visit the Eventbrite page.
Sun 27th Feb, 6.30-10PM (UK time) – via Zoom
Allographic Virtual Open Mic
Monthly spoken word open mic event – poetry, story-telling, drama. Headliner: ANN ATKINS. For more details and to register for tickets, visit the Eventbrite page.
EVENTS
Wed 2nd Feb, 9-10AM (UK time) – via Zoom
Leanne Moden: The F Project crowd sourced poetry reveal
Free poetry reading of a crowd sourced poem by Leanne Moden. For more info and to register, visit the Humantix page.
Wed 2nd Feb, 7PM (UK time) – via Zoom
Carcanet Book Launch: ‘Hurricane Watch’
Registration: £2 (redeemable later against cost of the book). Hosted by scholar Dr Denise deCaires Narain – a launch of Hurricane Watch: New and Collected Poems by Jamaican Poet Laureate, Olive Senior. The event will feature readings, discussion and an audience Q&A. For more details or to register, visit the Facebook event page.
Thurs 3rd Feb, 6.30PM (UK time) – via broadcast
A Night in with Brian Bilston
£10 or £13.99/£24.99 including copy of the book (UK/international). A readings event to celebrate the publication of Alexa, what is there to know about love? For more info and to register, visit the Fane page.
Fri 4th Feb, 7-9PM (UK time) – via Zoom
Poetry Lit! – Online Reading Series
Free monthly international poetry event, featuring readings from John Bolland & Mandy Haggith. For more info and to register, visit the Eventbrite page.
Sat 5th Feb, 7.30PM (UK time) – via unknown
‘Crime Writing and Quality – In Conversation’
Free/Pay As You Feel event, part of the Big Book Review for Wolverhampton Literature Festival. Dr Aidan Byrne will be in discussion with a panel of crime fiction writers: Holly Seddon, Mark Edwards, Sharon Dempsey and Brian McGilloway. For more info and to register, visit the festival event page.
Sat 5th Feb, 7-8PM (UK time) – via Zoom
COMMONground: A Collaboration with Poetry Ireland
Free poetry event. Poetry Foundation and Poetry Ireland present Doireann Ní Ghríofa and Teri Ellen Cross Davis in conversation. Event will include live captioning and ASL interpretation. For more info and to register, visit the Eventbrite page.
Sun 6th Feb, 2.30-3.30PM (UK time) – via unknown
‘The Black Country, Belfast and The Big Book Review’
Free/Pay As You Feel event, part of the Big Book Review for Wolverhampton Literature Festival. Dr Lisa Blower and Belfast-based novelist Jan Carson will be in discussion with Professor Sebastian Groes about how fiction explores the relationship between writing, place and regional identity. For more info and to register, visit the festival event page.
Sun 6th Feb, 4-5.30PM (UK time) – via Zoom
Zoom Live from The Butchery
Pay As You Can event (Ink, Sweat & Tears). Live poetry performances from Martin Figura, Stuart Charlesworth, Leah Jun Oh. For more info and to register, visit the Eventbrite page.
Tues 8th Feb, 4-5.30PM (UK time) – via Zoom
Glyn Maxwell & Poet Laureate Simon Armitage in Conversation
New poetry readings, anecdotes & poetic discussion. For more info and to register, visit the Eventbrite page.
Wed 9th Feb, 8PM (UK time) – via YouTube
Meet the Poet – Phil Vernon
Free poetry event hosted by Home Stage. Featuring Phil Vernon and his latest poetry collection Watching the Moon Landing. For more details or to register, visit the Home Stage event page.
Wed 9th Feb, 7.15PM (UK time) – via Zoom
Arvon At Home: Live Guest Reading and Q&A with Rosie Garland
£5/£2.50 concession. Author, poet, musician and essayist Rosie Garland will give a live reading and take questions from the audience. For more details or to register, visit the Arvon event page.
Fri 11th Feb, 6.30PM (UK time) – via Zoom
StoryTown ‘Telling Tales’ Celebration Evening
Free poetry event to celebrate the winning entries of the 2021 StoryTown Corsham Poetry Competition. Winning poets reading on the night will include: Ian Royce, Anita Gracey, Gaynor Kane, Jeff Phelps, Clare Morris and John Gallas. Everyone welcome, but registration in advance required, via this Zoom registration form.
Mon 14th Feb, 5PM (UK time) – via livestream/YouTube
Douglass Week: In Conversation with Kimberly Reyes & Victoria Kennefick
Free poetry readings event – part of Douglass Week, which celebrates the power of the written and spoken word. Join Fulbright alumni and celebrated poets Kimberly Reyes and Victoria Kennefick for readings of their work and discussion re: identity, rebellion and changemaking. For more details, visit the Fulbright event webpage.
Tues 15th Feb, 7.30-9PM (UK time) – via Zoom
Reading the body
Tickets: £0-£3. Poetry event to explore why the body matters – featuring the works by Kim Moore, Wendy Allen, Jeffery Sugarman and Chaucer Cameron. For more info and to register, visit the Eventbrite page.
Wed 16th Feb, 8PM (UK time) – via Zoom
SUBBACULTCHA – A Night of Words & Music
Free event to showcase musicians and poets. Featuring: Aliens in Caves, Demi Anter, Derek Flynn, Patrick Holloway, Luna Juniper, Joanne McCarthy, Laura-Blaise McDowell, Sasha Terfous, David Toms, and Molly Twomey. For more info and to register, visit the Facebook event page.
Thurs 17th Feb-Mon 21st Feb – via livestream/recordings
VERVE Poetry Festival 2022
Full online pass: £20. This ticket will get you access to all the recorded and livetsreamed events of the festival. The online programme can be found here. To register for the pass, visit the Eventbrite page.
Sat 19th Feb, 12.30-1.30PM (UK time) – hybrid: in-person/via livestream/recordings
Poetry Performance Lecture with Stephanie Sy-Quia
Ticket: £4.50. Part of VERVE Poetry Festival 2022. Stephanie Sy-Quia will give a lecture on ‘Exiled Texts and Fractured Anecdotal Histories’. This event will be BSL interpreted. For more info and to register, visit the Eventbrite page.
Sat 19th Feb, 4-5PM (UK time) – hybrid: in-person/via livestream/recordings
The Coventry and Beirut Youthful Cities Exchange-Transnational Lag Express
Ticket: £3. Part of VERVE Poetry Festival 2022. Twelve young writers and artists embark on a fictional train ride from Coventry to Beirut (and back again!) exploring personal and collective journeys through poetry, dance, spoken word, live performance and video. For more info and to register, visit the Eventbrite page.
Sat 19th Feb, 2-3.30PM (UK time) – hybrid: in-person/via livestream/recordings
Indie Poetry Press Festival VERVE Special
Ticket: £3. Part of VERVE Poetry Festival 2022. A showcase of work from indie publishers across the UK – hosted by Jake Wild-Acre Hall. Featuring Bad Betty Press, The Poetry Business and Broken Sleep with poets, with performances from Eve Esfandiari-Denney, Molly Naylor, Gboyega Odubanjo, Sarah Barnsley, Azad Sharma and Sam Quill. For more info and to register, visit the Eventbrite page.
Sat 19th Feb, 5.30-7PM (UK time) – hybrid: in-person/via livestream/recordings
SATURDAY EVENING: Fiona Benson, Kim Moore, Parwana Fayyaz with host Jo Bell
Ticket: £4.50. Part of VERVE Poetry Festival 2022. A regular Verve Festival highlight, featuring work from 3 poets contributing ground breaking new work to the contemporary UK poetry scene. This event will be BSL interpreted. For more info and to register, visit the Eventbrite page.
Sun 20th Feb, 11AM-12.30PM (UK time) – hybrid: in-person/via livestream/recordings
The VERVE Poetry Festival Competition: ‘Beginnings’ hosted by Caroline Bird
Free event – part of VERVE Poetry Festival 2022. Featuring all the winners of the competition and commended poets, plus four commissioned poets who will read their poems on the subject ‘Beginnings’ and help launch Verve’s annual festival anthology. This event will be BSL interpreted. For more info and to register, visit the Eventbrite page.
Sun 20th Feb, 1-2PM (UK time) – hybrid: in-person/via livestream/recordings
Kat Lyons presents excerpts from Dry Season
Ticket: £3. Part of VERVE Poetry Festival 2022. Kat Lyons will perform poetry from their debut collection Love Beneath the Nails (Verve Poetry Press, 2022) and low-tech excerpts from their solo show Dry Season. For more info and to register, visit the Eventbrite page.
Sun 20th Feb, 2.30-4PM (UK time) – hybrid: in-person/via livestream/recordings
Diana Bellessi & Leo Boix: To Love A Woman / Amar a una mujer
Ticket: £4.50. Part of VERVE Poetry Festival 2022. Dual language event: Argentinian poet Diana Bellessi and translator Leo Boix celebrate the publication of To Love A Woman with Poetry Translation Centre. Bellessi and Boix will be reading from To Love A Woman in the original Spanish with English translations, and discussing the poet’s life and work. This event will be BSL interpreted. For more info and to register, visit the Eventbrite page.
Sun 20th Feb, 4.30-6.30PM (UK time) – hybrid: in-person/via livestream/recordings
Malika’s Poetry Kitchen Anthology Party hosted by Bohdan Piasecki
Ticket: £4.50. Part of VERVE Poetry Festival 2022. Malika’s Poetry Kitchen meets on Friday nights and celebrates its first two decades with an anniversary anthology – Too Young, Too Loud, Too Different – featuring new poems from more than 60 members of the MPK family. Join Fahad Al-Amoudi, Kostya Tsolakis, director Jill Abram and Khairani Barokka for some poetry. For more info and to register, visit the Eventbrite page.
Sun 20th Feb, 5-7.15PM (UK time) – via Facebook Live
VERBALIST! #2.6
Poetry readings event, hosted by Godfrey Salter. “Words, words, words from the great indoors to the great beyond! This week featuring Sylvia Plath…” For access, check the Facebook event page.
[POSTPONED UNTIL SPRING 2022]
Tues 22nd Feb, 4-5PM (UK time) – via Zoom
Victoria Kennefick: Poetry reading and conversation
Free poetry reading and discussion event – part of the Maynooth Poetry & Poetics series. Hosted by Dr Catherine Gander. Special guest: poet Victoria Kennefick (shortlisted for the 2021 T.S. Eliot Prize and Costa Poetry Award). For more info and to register, visit the Eventbrite page.
Wed 23rd Feb, 7PM (UK time) – via Zoom
Carcanet Book Launch: ‘Then the War’
Registration: £2 (redeemable later against cost of the book). Hosted by writer and editor Brandon Taylor – a launch of Then the War and Selected Poems 2007-2020 by poet Carl Phillips. The event will feature readings, discussion and an audience Q&A. For more details or to register, visit the Facebook event page.
Wed 23rd Feb, 7.15PM (UK time) – via Zoom
Arvon At Home: Live Guest Reading and Q&A with Lauren Elkin
£5/£2.50 concession. Author and award-winning translator Lauren Elkin will give a live reading and take questions from the audience. For more details or to register, visit the Arvon event page.
Wed 23rd Feb, 8PM (UK time) – via YouTube
Meet the Poet – Finola Scott
Free poetry event hosted by Home Stage. Finola will guide attendees through her love-imbued pamphlet Count the Ways and discuss poetic form. For more details or to register, visit the Home Stage event page.
Fri 25th Feb, 8-9PM (UK time) – via Zoom
Close Readings in a Virtual Space: with Major Jackson
Free poetry event. Poet Major Jackson guides a reading-through/thinking-through of Derek Walcott’s ‘At the end of the line there is an opening door’, followed by a short reading of his own work. For more info and to register, visit the Eventbrite page.
Sun 27th Feb, 7.30-8.30PM (UK time) – via Zoom
Book Launch: GenderFux Anthology
Free book launch event for Nine Pens Nine Series antholoy, GenderFux. With poets JP Seabright, Jem Henderson and Jonathan Kinsman. For more info and to register, visit the Eventbrite page.
Mon 28th Feb, 7.30-9PM (UK time) – via Zoom
Broken Sleep Books: February Launch
£1 or more for tickets (some free tickets available). Live poetry readings event, with performances from Bobby Parker (Honey Monster), Trevor Ketner ([WHITE]), Samuel Tongue (The Nakedness of the Fathers), Fiona Larkin (Vital Capacity), Dean Rhetoric (Cancer [+Pop Punk]) and John Osborne (My Car Plays Tapes). For more info and to register, visit the Eventbrite page.
Mon 28th Feb, 5PM (UK time) – via Zoom
‘Crip Poetry from Three Continents’
Free poetry event, featuring live poetry from three award-winning disabled poets from around the world (Australia, Mexico and Indonesia). Readings by Andy Jackson, Khairani Barokka and Ekiwah Adler-Belendez. For more info and to register, visit the University of Toledo calendar page.
WORKSHOPS
Wed 2nd Feb, 10.30AM-12PM (UK time) – via Zoom
WORD! with Rob Gee
To workshop with poet, performer and comedian, Rob Gee in advance of WORD! – drop a line to hello@wordpoetry.co.uk. The session is suitable for all levels and aims to develop participants’ talents and connect them to other writers.
Thurs 3rd Feb, 7-9PM (UK time) – via Zoom
Tree Writing Workshop
Suggested price: £8. Poetry workshop for Ledbury Poetry Festival. Session led by poet Mandy Ross. Participants will explore human encounters with trees. All levels of experience welcome. For more info and to register, visit the Ledbury Poetry Festival webpage.
Sat 5th Feb, 7-8.30PM (UK time) – via Zoom
Breakthrough Poetry Workshop
Donations for tickets. Workshop for exploring “new beginnings” and healing journeys. Session led by poet and author Judith Annique Francois. For more info and to register, visit the Eventbrite page.
Sat 5th Feb, 6-9.30PM (UK time) – via Zoom
Speak the Word: online poetry and spoken word writing workshop
Free workshop led by poets PJ Samuels and nudi. Participants will engage in freewrite and prompted writing activities. All levels of experience welcome. For more info and to register, visit the Eventbrite page.
Wed 8th Feb, 8.30PM (UK time) – via Zoom
‘How Good Is Your Title?’
Free poetry workshop with Q&A discussion, followed by an open mic. Hosted by DeBarra’s Spoken Word. Session led by Matthew Geden (2021 Poet Laureate of Bandon Poetry Town /current Writer-in-Residence for Cork County Council), who will be exploring the importance of choosing the right title for poems. For more info and access, visit the Facebook event page.
Thurs 10th Feb, 11AM (UK time) – via Zoom
Arvon At Home Masterclass: ‘Listening to Things’
£35/£17.50 concession. Tutors Sophie Herxheimer and Marina Warner will lead a session exploring memory, imagination, experience and more. Participants should bring an object that matters to them and might yield a story. For more details or to register, visit the Arvon event page.
Fri 11th Feb, 7-9PM (UK time) – via Zoom
Performing your Poetry workshop
Suggested price: £8. Poetry workshop for Ledbury Poetry Festival. Session led by Casey Bailey. Participants are asked to bring one poem they would like to prepare for performance. Workshop will look at intonation, volume, speed, pause and editing writing for performance. All levels of experience welcome. For more info and to register, visit the Ledbury Poetry Festival webpage.
Sat 12th Feb, 6-7.30PM (UK time) – via Zoom
Speak the Word: peer review workshop
Free workshop led by Speak the Word. Participants should bring a typed-up poem and a specific request for feedback. All levels of experience welcome. Session involves screen-sharing work with others. For more info and to register, visit the Eventbrite page.
Wed 16th Feb, 10AM-12PM (UK time) – via Zoom
‘Segments’ Poetry workshop
Suggested price: £8. Poetry workshop for Ledbury Poetry Festival. Session led by Sara-Jane Arbury. Participants will use artefacts and everyday objects as starting points for poetry and discussion. All levels of experience welcome. For more info and to register, visit the Ledbury Poetry Festival webpage.
Thurs 17th Feb, 7-9PM (UK time) – via Zoom
Performing your Poetry workshop
Suggested price: £8. Poetry workshop for Ledbury Poetry Festival. Session led by Casey Bailey. Participants will look at writing about place, at what poetry is, consider how writers transfer reality into poetry whilst holding onto both and then produce a piece around place. All levels of experience welcome. For more info and to register, visit the Ledbury Poetry Festival webpage.
Thurs 17th Feb, 11AM (UK time) – via Zoom
Arvon At Home Masterclass: ‘Writing the Brontë’s Landscapes’
£35/£17.50 concession. Tutor Michael Stewart will lead a session explaining the importance of the moorland landscape on the Brontë’s writings, with focus on key passages from their poems and novels. Participants can develop their eco-literary craft through several writing exercises, and there will also be a Q&A. For more details or to register, visit the Arvon event page.
Sat 19th Feb, 2.30-4.30PM (UK time) – hybrid: in-person/via Zoom
Jack Underwood Workshop: Not Understanding Poetry
£16.50. Part of VERVE Poetry Festival 2022. This session will explore the limits of meaning and meaninglessness, test and explore how poems can invite creative and imaginative participation rather than offer a passive experience. For more info and to register, visit the Eventbrite page.
Sat 19th Feb, 3PM (UK time) – hybrid: in-person/via Zoom
Diana Bellessi Translation Workshop with Leo Boix
£16.50. Part of VERVE Poetry Festival 2022. Creative translation workshop. Spanish and non-Spanish speakers are welcome. Session will be led by poet and translator Leo Boix, with focus on the Spanish poetry of Argentinian writer Diana Bellessi. For more info and to register, visit the Eventbrite page.
Sun 20th Feb, 6-8PM (UK time) – via Zoom
‘Adventures in Form’ workshop
£10 (plus fees). Poetry workshop exploring traditional poetry forms. Session led by Leanne Moden. Participants will look at new ways of playing within the traditions of poetic form. Writers of all genres welcome. For more info and to register, visit the Writing East Midlands webpage.
Sun 20th Feb, 10-12PM (UK time) – hybrid: in-person/via Zoom
‘Writing your Intuition’
£16.50. Part of VERVE Poetry Festival 2022. Writing workshop led by Jo Flynn / For Books’ Sake. The session will use imagery and poetry to get participants writing with confidence, and will involve meditation tools and tarot (but no prior experience of these is necessary). For more info and to register, visit the Eventbrite page.
Sun 20th Feb, 10.30-12.30PM (UK time) – hybrid: in-person/via Zoom
Kostya Tsolakis Workshop: Let’s Get Classical!
£16.50. Part of VERVE Poetry Festival 2022. Writing workshop led by Kostya Tsolakis (editor of harana poetry magazine). Participants will look at responses to Greek and Roman works by poets such as Clare Pollard, Ted Hughes, Leontia Flynn and Jordi Alonsobe, and be encouraged to write their own poems. For more info and to register, visit the Eventbrite page.
Sun 20th Feb, 12.30-2.30PM (UK time) – hybrid: in-person/via Zoom
Kim Moore Workshop: ‘One Train May Hide Another Train’
£16.50. Part of VERVE Poetry Festival 2022. Writing workshop led by Kim Moore. Participants in this session will will examine hidden-ness, misdirection and disappearing in poetry. For more info and to register, visit the Eventbrite page.
Sun 20th Feb, 3-5PM (UK time) – hybrid: in-person/via Zoom
Caroline Bird Workshop: The ‘I’ in Poetry
£16.50. Part of VERVE Poetry Festival 2022. In this workshop, participants will examine the use of ‘I’ as “a disguise, a net, a shield, an illusion, a dare” and write from the point of view of “a self we don’t recognise yet”. For more info and to register, visit the Eventbrite page.
Wed 23rd Feb, 10AM-12PM (UK time) – via Zoom
‘Poetry and Pictures’ workshop
Suggested price: £8. Poetry workshop for Ledbury Poetry Festival. Session led by Sara-Jane Arbury. Participants will explore poetry inspired by pictures with gentle encouraging discussion. All levels of experience welcome. For more info and to register, visit the Ledbury Poetry Festival webpage.
Thurs 24th Feb, 11AM (UK time) – via Zoom
Arvon At Home Masterclass: ‘Poetry’
£35/£17.50 concession. Poet and disability rights activist Daniel Sluman will lead a session exploring autobiographical/confessional modes in poetry and looking at day-to-day life through a slanted lens. For more details or to register, visit the Arvon event page.