The 2015 Cheltenham Poetry Festival is here!
21st April 2015
It’s spring, the sun is shining, trees are blossoming, and it’s time for the 2015 Cheltenham Poetry Festival! This wonderful event is back with another varied and imaginative programme, and student tickets are available from a discounted rate of £4. There’s loads to see and hear, and the full programme is available via this link, but here are some of our picks if you’re not sure what to attend.
Wednesday April 22nd: Cheltenham Poetry Festival Launch Event 6pm-7:30pm in Smokey Joe’s. See a performance piece described as ‘a work of genius’ by John Cooper Clarke, hear some 50s songs, and listen to poetry from Rick Vick. Plus, perform your own poetry and short prose at the launch’s open mic!
Friday April 24th: Little Machine, 8:30pm-10pm at The Wilson. This is an amazing way to experience poetry – Little Machine are a poetry band described by Carol Ann Duffy as ‘The most brilliant music and poetry band I’ve seen in decades.’
Saturday April 25th: The Other Side of Sleep, 2:30pm-3:30pm at Oxfam. The Other Side of Sleep is an anthology that explores the narrative poem, and the event will feature readings from contributors, including our own Angela France.
Saturday April 25th: The Minotaur is Not a Monster – Myra Schneider & Anna Saunders plus the launch of Dear World, 4pm-5:15pm at Oxfam. Another of our high-achieving alumni, Anna Saunders (‘a poet of quite exceptional gifts’), will be reading at this event, which also includes the launch of an anthology of poems on environmental themes.
Saturday April 25th: The Contradictions of Flesh – Sonia Hendy-Isaac & Clare Ferguson-Walker, 7:30-8pm at Smokey Joe’s. It’s a chance to complete a hat-trick of UoG alumni poets in one day! Sonia Hendy-Isaac, who previously studied and taught at the University of Gloucestershire, will be reading from her debut collection which has been described as ‘fiercely sensual, shamelessly witty, drunk with life’ (Alison Brackenbury).
Saturday April 25th: Hip Hop & Freestyle Cabaret with Martin Daws, Petra Vita, and Davey Evans, 9pm-10pm at Smokey Joe’s. One of our very top picks from the festival, this night promises laughs, beats, music, and wordplay. There’s a UoG connection too – Brandon Landis, one half of Petra Vita, will be known to many of our Creative Writers, and the evening will be hosted by our own Davey Evans.
Monday April 27th: Nine Arches – Jo Bell & Robert Peake, 6pm-7pm at The Strand. This hour of poetry comes with special recommendation – not to be missed!
Wednesday April 29th Chris Hemingway & Myfanwy Fox – Sarcasm and Stanzas plus open mic, 9pm-10pm at Smokey Joe’s. This event explore sarcasm and poetry and affords all the chance to perform their own work, whether it be sarcastic or sincere.
Friday May 1st: Nine Arches Poetry Show Case – Bobby Parker, Dorothy Lehane, 1pm-2pm at The Everyman Studio Theatre. This is another event that comes with special recommendation – two exciting voices from the spoken word scene. If you don’t have a class at that time then this is the place to be!
Friday May 1st: Joe Duggan & Rowan Middleton, 5pm-6pm at The Everyman Studio Theatre. One of our very top picks from this year’s festival – an absolute must! Joe’s work chronicles Irish pub life, politics, bingo, and failing exams. He’s joined by one of our tutors (and graduates) – the brilliant Rowan Middleton. Rowan’s work mixes myth and modernity to muse on landscape and environmental issues.
Saturday May 2nd: Lines of Return – the Poetry of T.S. Eliot, Robert Frost, and Others, 3pm-4pm, The Everyman Studio Theatre. Poet and critic Stephen James unlocks the secrets of poetic craft – a great event for poets and students of literature.
Saturday May 2nd: How to Perform your Poetry, with Elizabeth Tyrell, 6pm-7:30 at The Everyman Studio Theatre. This is useful, not just for poets, but for any authors looking to improve their stage presence and performance skills
Saturday May 2nd: Breaking Bard – The Cheltenham Poetry Festival Slam 8pm-9:30pm at The Everyman Studio Theatre. 12 poets go head to head in an exhilarating X-factor style poetry battle!