Poetry NI - News

World Poetry Movement: Power to the People

9/8/2018

Friday 24th August, 7.30-9pm
Crescent Arts Centre, Belfast

World Poetry Movement is organising a worldwide poetry action called Return to the People, in defence of poetry and culture assaulted by unjust and exclusive systems, protecting free speech, and speaking out against regimes who oppress artists and writers.

Belfast Book Festival and Poetry NI are delighted to host eight poets, reading work in unity of this movement, including Nathan Armstrong, Colin Dardis, Mark Madden, Geraldine O'Kane, Willetta Fleming, Nathan Thanki and David Braziel (full line-up to be confirmed).

Tickets are only £5, book now!

Poetry Ahoy! at Titanic Belfast

6/8/2018

We're going to be at Titanic Belfast's August Arts and Animation Festival for some maritime poetry on the high seas!

Join us from 1.30-2.30pm on Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th August for poetry from Amy Wyatt Rafferty, Ross Thompson (Saturday only), Mark Cooper (Sunday only), Geraldine O'Kane and Colin Dardis.

PLUS we've have OPEN MIC slots for anyone wanting to share a sea shanty or set sail on a sonnet! Just bring a poem with you on the day, come along and join in. Plus there will lots of other family-friendly events including walking tours, buskers, face painting, art trail, pop-up library and more!

Say Hello to Haiku! Family Workshop

15/7/2018

Poetry NI is hosting a family poetry workshop, Say Hello to Haiku!, at Seamus Heaney Homeplace on Saturday 4th August, 11am.

"Seamus Heaney and WB Yeats both had a fascination with the Japanese art form haiku. A typical haiku is a three-line poem, often featuring an observation about a fleeting moment involving nature. In this fun and accessible workshop, parents/carers and their children can work together to create their own haiku exploring a variety of topics."

Tickets are available to book now, £5, £3 concession.

Belfast Book Festival Poetry Slam: the results!

11/6/2018

For the first time ever, we had joint winners at the Belfast Book Festival Poetry Slam! After three rounds, making it through to the final four, they came out with exactly the same score, so massive congratulations to our Slam Co-Champions for 2018, both highly deserving, Kavita Thanki and Dave Wilson!

Well done also to 2nd place Elizabeth McGeown and 3rd place, Anthony Ferguson for their excellent poems on the night too.

Deborah Bailey presented the Brian Bailey Memorial Cup to the winners on the night, many thanks to her, as well as our guest judges who assisted us in the scoring so well, Gaynor Kane and Siobhán McCafferty.

A big thank you to Gaynor and 2017's champion David Braziel for guest readings on the night too, and to the Festival team, staff and volunteers at Crescent Arts Centre for helping making it a special night. And of course, to everyone who came down, clapped, cheered and laughed along with us, we have a great time!

Belfast Book Festival Poetry Slam!

11/5/2018

Poetry NI proudly presents the
Belfast Book Festival
Poetry Slam!

Saturday 6th June, 9pm,
Crescent Arts Centre, Belfast
Book tickets via festival website.

Open to all poets, we invite you to take the mic and enter our annual poetry slam competition. Share your work in front of a lively and appreciative audience, with new readers always welcome.

To enter, just register at the start of the night; names will be drawn out at random, with each poet invited onstage to read. Available slots will be limited to 20 due to time constraints, so it’s first come, first served!

This year, the winner will receive the Brian Bailey Memorial Cup, in tribute to the much missed poet and pioneer of the Belfast live poetry scene.

WHAT IS A SLAM?
If you're not too sure how a slam works, or how it differs from our usual open mic nights, don't panic! We're written a handy little guide for you: www.poetryni.com/slam-rules

This is our eighth slam at the festival (we think, there's been so many, we've lost count), so if you haven't experienced the craic of a slam before, get along and check it out!

(Please note: as June is Book Festival season, our regular Purely Poetry
open mic is not on in the first Friday in June. It will be back in July.)

Poetry Day Ireland Mix Tape Vol 2

26/4/2018

Teaming up with Lagan Online, we're delighted to bring you our second audio anthology for Poetry Day Ireland (Thursday 26th April).

The theme is Poetry Surprises! - whether you share a poem, read a poem, or programme your own event, everyone is invited to join in and celebrate on the day. We're marking the occasion with work from fourteen great poets, including Linda McKenna (winner of the Seamus Heaney Award for New Writing), Jo Burns (winner of the Los Gatos Irish Writers’ Festival's McClure Poetry Prize), Reggie Chamberlain-King, Karen J McDonnell (from This Little World, Doire Press), Marion Clarke, David Braziel, Patricia Devlin-Hill, Darren Reihill, Lynda Tavakoli, Colin Hassard, Siobhan Campbell (from Heat Signature, Seren Books), Phillip Crymble (from Not Even Laughter, Salmon Poetry), Jude Alexzander, and Brian Kirk (from After the Fall, Salmon Poetry).

We want everyone to read lots of poetry on the day, but we also want to celebrate the act of listening to poetry. So get a cup of tea, sit back and enjoy, or sneak on the headphones and grab a listen while on the bus on or a break. You can also listen back to our first Mix Tape from last year. Many thanks to our our contributors and everyone who submitted, and Happy Poetry Day!

Adverse Weather - Purely Poetry

1/3/2018

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