Forthcoming Events

Thursday 26th April 2018, 7.30pm to 9.00pm
The Empire, 2 Corporation Rd, Middlesbrough TS1 2RT

The Electric Kool Aid Cabaret of the Spoken Word

Poets Bob Beagrie and Andy Willoughby take over Middlesbrough's Theatre Of Varieties with an intense and international mix of poetry, performance, spoken word, live music and comedy, including guest performances from Kalle Niinikangas, Paul Summers, Aurélia Lassaque, Chris Stewart, Harry Man, Keabonye Bareeng. Eric Motswasele. Amarjit Chandan, Lev Rubenstein and Zoila Forss, plus interpretative dance from the amazing Jennifer Essex.

Tickets: £5/£3

Part of the T-junction Festival

Friday 27th April 2018, 7.30pm to 9.00pm
TP Coffee House, 21 Gosford Street, Middlesbrough TS2 1BB

Folklines

Teesside's long-running Folk venue opens its doors to a night of women's poetry from Iceland, Turkey, Poland, France, Botswana and Peru, with poetry from Gerður Kristný, Bejan Matur, Justyna Bargielska, Aurélia Lassaque, Keabonye Bareeng and Zoila Forss. Plus open-mic and music from Peg Powler. Hosted by Sara Dennis & Ian Bartholomew.

Tickets: £5/£3

Part of the T-junction Festival

Saturday 28th April 2018, 10.00am to 11.30am
mima

Poetry Master-classes

A chance to spend a morning working with some of our distinguished poets — Amarjit Chandan, Paul Summers, Aurélia Lassaque and Abdulkareem Kasid. Places are limited, so please book early to avoid disappointment.

Tickets: £5/£3

Part of the T-junction Festival

Saturday 28th April 2018, 4.30pm to 6.00pm
Middlesbrough Central Library

The Arab Winter

Eight years after the 'Arab Spring', much of the Middle East is disfigured by authoritarian governments, civil wars, fundamentalism, sectarian violence. proxy wars and the most serious refugee crisis since 1945. Chawki Abdelamir, Abdulkareem Kasid and Bejan Matur discuss current developments in the Arab world and talk about some of the ways in which poets are responding to disappointed hopes of change.

Tickets: Pay What You Want

Part of the T-junction Festival

Saturday 28th April 2018, 7.30pm to 9.00pm
mima

From Eight till Late

Eight T-junction poets - Lev Rubenstein, Justyna Bargielska, Abdulkareem Kasid, Chawki Abdelamir, Aurélia Lassaque, Geröur Kristng, Eric Motswasele and Bejan Matur — take to the stage at mima for what promises to be an unforgettable evening of poetry from Russia, Poland, Iraq, France, Iceland, Botswana and Turkey. Plus music from Lee Maddison & Stewart Hardy.

Tickets £6/£4

Part of the T-junction Festival

Sunday 29th April 2018, 1.30pm to 3.00pm
mima

The Arc of the Universe

The launch of two new books in translation published by Arc Publications. Punjabi poet Amarjit Chandan's The Parrot. the Horse and the Man finds beauty in the ordinary. while Gerður Kristný's Drápa is an Icelandic crime novel in verse that combines Old Norse shield poetry and Scandi Noir.

Tickets: Pay What You Want

Part of the T-junction Festival

Friday 18th to Friday 25th May 2018
Gardoussel, 30940 St Andre de Valborgne, France

Poetry with Jackie Wills

Dates: Fri 18 – Fri 25 May 2018

Cost: £260 (course) + 580€ (accommodation and meals)

This is a week for generating new poems and developing ideas. We'll look at work by a variety of writers and focus on some of the devices they use to provide a foundation for your own work. This will range from the use of themes and sequences to originating metaphors, how to make the most of personal experience, as well as research. We'll consider the language of contemporary poetry, from harnessing the vernacular to working with specialist vocabulary and explore form.

Jackie will take you through writing exercises every morning and be available for one to one sessions most afternoons. Every student will have two of these sessions during the week. In the evenings we'll lighten the mood with writing games and share the work of writers we admire. At the end of the week you'll read some of the work you've been producing.

Come to this writing week with an open mind and drive to find new directions, new ideas. Jackie's an experienced writing tutor who'll make sure you feel comfortable but also encourage you to use this chance in the most creative way possible.

Saturday 23rd June 2018
Bookpoint, 2a Ferry Brae, Dunoon PA23 7DJ
Phone: 01369 702377

The Coast to Coast readings for 2018 conclude in the independent bookshop Bookpoint in Dunoon. The event involves the poets Carol Ann Duffy, Gillian Clarke, Jackie Kay, Imtiaz Dharker and the Arc poet Tariq Latif. Early booking is recommended.