Safia Khan, Inua Ellams and Imtiaz Dharker Thursday 10 October, 6pm The Diamond, The University of Sheffield, 32 Leavygreave Road, Sheffield S3 7RD The Centre for Poetry and Poetics in Collaboration with Black Humanities Series Presents: A Reading With Safia Khan, Inua Ellams and Imtiaz Dharker. Safia Khan is a junior doctor and poet. Her debut pamphlet Too Much Mirch was a winner of the New Poets Prize and was published in 2022 by Smith | Doorstop. Inua Ellams is a poet, playwright & performer, graphic artist & designer. He is a Complete Works poet alumni and facilitates workshops in creative writing where he explores reoccurring themes in his work – Identity, Displacement and Destiny – in accessible, enjoyable ways for participants of all ages and backgrounds. Imtiaz Dharker is an accomplished artist and video film-maker, and has published seven books with Bloodaxe Books: most recently Shadow Reader, in 2024. All her poetry collections are illustrated with her drawings, which form an integral part of her books. More Details |
Ilkley Literature Festival: Poetry Business Launch of COAL Sunday 13 October, 6pm Join Yorkshire poets Ann and Peter Sansom and Sarah Wimbush to celebrate (and collaborate) in the launch of their new anthology COAL. To mark the 40th anniversary of the Miners’ Strike, hear remarkable, moving poems about miners and mining communities, before, during and after the Strike. Alongside these readings, take in slides of images by celebrated photographers John Harris, Keith Pattison and Ken Wilkinson. More Details |
Off The Shelf Festival of Words: Poetry Showcase with Suzannah Evans, Steve Ely and Alan Payne Tuesday 15 October, 6pm Creative Lounge, The Workstation, 15 Paternoster Row, Sheffield S1 2BX Three acclaimed poets based in Yorkshire read from their new collections. Suzannah Evans’s Green has a contemporary ‘Green Man’ angry with how humans treat their environment. Eely by Steve Ely is a symphony in four movements on the lifecycle and enigma of the European eel. Alan Payne’s poems are rooted in the Caribbean. The guardian spirit of his book Mahogany Eve is a sculpture called Eve, part of the collection at Graves Art Gallery Sheffield. More Details |
Off The Shelf Festival of Words: Rory Waterman & Hive New Poets Prize Winners Sunday 20 October, 7pm Performance Lab, Sheffield Hallam University, Arundel Gate, Sheffield S1 2LQ Over the last 8 years, Hive Young Writers Network has nurtured many fine emerging South Yorkshire poets including an incredible 8 winners of the International New Poets Prize for writers aged 17 to 24. Join poets from this list, including 2024 highly commended Sheffield Young Writer Charlie Jolley and 2022 New Poets Prize winner Beth Davies for a glorious reading of new and prize winning work. Carcanet poet and critic Rory Waterman will introduce the evening and read from his latest work. More Details |
Off The Shelf Festival of Words: COAL anthology event Wednesday 23 October, 12.30pm Millennium Gallery, Sheffield To mark the 40th anniversary of the Miners’ Strike, The Poetry Business worked with poet Sarah Wimbush, author of STRIKE, and the National Coal Mining Museum for England. The resulting anthology of poetry, photography and creative responses from established poets and new voices reflects on this turbulent period of British history and its continuing impact. Ann and Peter Sansom, Co-Directors of The Poetry Business in Sheffield, and award winning poets Sarah Wimbush and Ian Parks will read work included in this powerful anthology. More Details |
Off The Shelf Festival of Words: Five Anthology Poetry Reading (online) Monday 28 October, 7pmFree live-streamed event Fiveis an anthology of exciting new voices in poetry from The Writing Squad published in collaboration with The Poetry Business from Sheffield. The poets are Helen Bowell, Prerana Kumar, Eva Lewis, Laura Potts and Ruth Yates. Based country-wide, the poets have been published in anthologies and Helen Bowell and Prerana Kumar have debut pamphlets The Barman and Ixora respectively. Hear the five read at this online event and find out more about them and the Five anthology. Free to view and watch again on the Off The Shelf website. More Details |