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!
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.)
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! |
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