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This month's newsletter from the editor.
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Author News and Events
Manchester Literature Festival presents
KWAME DAWES
Wisteria: Twilight Poems from the Swamp Country
at THE MARTIN HARRIS CENTRE FOR MUSIC AND DRAMA
University of Manchester, Bridgeford Street, Manchester M13 9PL
Sunday 22 October, 5pm
Tickets: £10 / £8
Box office: 0161 236 5725 / bookings@mlfestival.co.uk
www.manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk.
Celebrating the power of memory, resistance and the human spirit, Kwame Dawes has created a powerful cycle of poems based on the lives of men and women who lived through the last century in the American South. Set to music by Kevin Simmonds and performed by a classical ensemble, a chorus and the poet himself, this is a major UK premiere of an important piece of work exploring the legacy of the Civil Rights movement, the human cost of oppression and the power of stories to overcome injustice and discrimination. It promises to bring the first Manchester Literature Festival to a triumphant close.
Wisteria is Kwame Dawes's eleventh collection of verse since his first book, Progeny of Air, won the Forward Prize in 1994. Dawes is the Distinguished Poet-in-Residence at the University of South Carolina where he is Director of the South Carolina Poetry Initiative and the University of South Carolina Arts Institute. Dawes is Programming Director of the Calabash International Literary Festival.
POETRY COMPTETION
DO YOU FANCY BEING BBC RADIO LEEDS ‘NEW BLACK HISTORY MONTH’ POET 2006?
IN CELEBRATION OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH, WE WANT YOU TO SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE OF BLACK CULTURE WITH US.
COULD YOU WRITE A POEM FROM YOUR STORY……..
Your poem might be about your experience of African Caribbean culture or Black British culture, Migration or on a local hero, friend or family.
Whatever your black history story, we want to hear your poem.
We are looking for original stories told with fun inspirational language by you.
There are three categories: 6+, 11+ & 18+
HOW TO ENTER: Send us your
Name & age
Email address
Contact Number
POEM Title
Your POEM, no more than 20 lines
inspiration for your poem (100 words max)
Email all to ENO@BBC.CO.UK
Or send your poems to THE NEW BLACK, BBC RADIO LEEDS, 3 St peters square, Leeds LS3
We will publish some poems Online and recite some poems on ‘THE NEW BLACK” at BBC RADIO LEEDS (7 - 10pm) on Saturday nights throughout October.
REMEMBER THIS COULD BE YOUR POEM!
CLOSING DATE: THURSDAY 26TH OCTOBER
PRIZE: Resident ’NEW BLACK HISTORY MONTH POETs 2006’ performing monthly on the New Black for one year.
CONDITIONS
Disclaimer: The BBC will put up as many of your poems as possible but we cannot guarantee that all material will be published. The BBC reserves the right to edit material that is published. Log on to www.bbc.co.uk/radioLeeds for BBC's competition Terms and Conditions and privacy policy.
SUDEEP SEN will be offering a free workshop as part of National Poetry Day. See http://www.members.aol.com/kimmorrissey01/timebank/westeuston/npd2006.html.
BLACK HISTORY EVENTS
REGION : SHEFFIELD
TITLE OF EVENT: A Journey of Stories With Inscribe - Off the Shelf Festival
DATE: Sunday 15 October 2006
TIME: 7.30pm
VENUE: The Showroom Cinema Foyer, Paternoster Row, Sheffield, S1
COST:£4/£3 (cons)
CONTACT NAME: Off the Shelf
CONTACT NUMBER(S): 0114 275 7727
CONTACT EMAIL:offtheshelf@sheffield.gov.uk/ inscribewriter@yahoo.co.uk
http://www.offtheshelf.org.uk/
DESCRIPTION: A rich evening of eclectic voices featuring the first writers to develop their work through Inscribe. This Arts Council project supports the development of writers of African and Asian decent with all writers working towards publication and production. Sheffield Writers performing at this event are Seni Seneviratne, Tanya Chan Sam, Desiree Reynolds and Palorine Williams. Inscribe is a project hosted by Peepal Tree Press in Leeds.
REGION : LEEDS
To mark Black History Month 2006, Leeds City Council is thrilled to present a broad range of celebrations run by community groups around the city, and a fantastic event featuring acclaimed novelist and poet, Jackie Kay.
TITLE OF EVENT: Powerful Spoken Word : with Jackie Kay, Courttia Newland and Leeds Young Authors.
DATE: Tuesday 31 October 2006
TIME: Doors 7pm - Start 7.30 pm
VENUE: Carriageworks Theatre, Millennium Square, Leeds, LS1
REGION : YORK
TITLE OF EVENT: Performance Poet, Patience Agbabi
DATE: Monday 30 October 2006
TIME: 12.30-2pm
VENUE: York Central Library, Museum Street, York, Y01
COST: Free
CONTACT NAME: Anne Mortimer - Read Write York
CONTACT NUMBER(S): 01904 554316
CONTACT EMAIL: anne.mortimer@york.gov.uk
DESCRIPTION : Patience Agbabi is a poet, performer and workshop facilitator. She was born in London in 1965 to Nigerian parents and spent her teenage years living in North Wales. She was educated at Oxford University and has appeared at numerous diverse venues in the UK and abroad over the last twelve years.
R.A.W. , her groundbreaking debut collection of poetry, was published in 1995, and won the 1997 Excelle Literary Award. Her poetry has been published in numerous journals and anthologies Transformatrix was published in 2000. It received excellent reviews in publications including the Daily Telegraph , the Independent on Sunday and Poetry Review . In 2005 she was poet-in-residence at Eton College, Windsor In 2002 she obtained an MA in Creative Writing, the Arts and Education at the University of Sussex at Brighton. She has been Lecturer in Creative Writing at several Universities: the University of Greenwich (2002-2003); the University of Wales, Cardiff (2002-2004); and the University of Kent (2004-2005). In 2004 she was named as one of the Poetry Society's 'Next Generation' poets. She is currently working on a third collection, 'Bloodshot Monochrome'
CONTACT NAME: -
PRICE : £5.50/ £4 (conc)
CONTACT NUMBER(S): 0113 224 380
CONTACT EMAIL : tanja.thomson@leeds.gov.uk / kadija@peepaltreepress.com
Leeds City Council in partnership with Peepal Tree Press and Leeds Metropolitan University
DESCRIPTION : The culmination of Leeds City Council Black History Month event is a powerful and exciting literary event with some of Britain's internationally renowned writers and performers. The evening kicks off with the locally talented and dynamic Leeds Young Authors, followed by the acclaimed novelist and playwright, Courttia Newland, reading from his new book, Music for the Off Key; Twelve Macabre Short Stories and the award winning poet and novelist, Jackie Kay, reading from her new collection of short stories.
African Black British and Caribbean books and arts and craft will be available for sale on the night. Arts and craftwork by Seyi Ogunjobi will be on display and available. Seyi is a renowned international Storyteller, Musician, Painter and textile artist from Nigeria. Listen, look and take home a little bit of culture as a souvenir.
REGION : LEEDS
TITLE OF EVENT: Hair Stories:'Rootz Runnin' a collection of poetry - spoken word theatre performances by women from the African Diaspora.
DATE : 1 - 2 November
VENUE :The Leeds Metropolitan University Studio
TIME :7.30PM
COST : £10/ £7 (Limited Advance £8/£5)
CONTACT NAME : -
CONTACT NUMBER(S) : 0113 2835998
CONTACT EMAIL : kibrahiim@yahoo.co.uk
DESCRIPTION : Hair Stories takes you on a journey through the complex ornamental locks of Makeda, Queen of Sheba, the iconographic Afro of Angela Davis to the decorative plaits, braids and 'markings' of black British youths today, black hairstyles reflect the hidden stories and meanings of our times. African Through a rich and powerful interweaving of poetry, prose and short stories, Hair Stories presents a meaningful insight into African hair: as ritual, celebration and protest; as public statement and expression of our inner self; as reflection of power and powerlessness; as expressions of harmony and discord.
Directed by ANSELL BRODERICK.Principal writer and producer of the production. KHADIJAH IBRAHIIM is a published poet, live artist and director. She is the founder of Sema Grass Roots theatre, Artistic Director of Leeds Young Authors (LYA) and Executive Producer of 'Leeds Youth literature festival and poetry slam'. Her forthcoming chapbook will be published in spring 2007 by the Inscribe imprint for Peepal Tree Press.
Hair Stories also features a cast of poets and artists whose backgrounds is as varied as their take on the politics of black hair. US based SHÁ CAGE, is an inter-disciplinary artist, poet, professional actor and playwright who works with Mama Mosaic Theatre, Trú Rúts Endeavors and The MN Spoken Word Association (MNSWA)..
MICHELLE SCALLY CLARKE has published two collections of poetry, and has worked with many notable artists including Gill Scott Heron and Benjamin Zephaniah. PAULETTE MORRIS, a singer songwriter and performance artist for over 20 years who has performed with renowned boy group 'Boys Zone', and singers such as Peter André and Finley Quaye. Jamaica born MELODY WALKER has written, produced and directed programmes for television in Jamaica and
written for international feminist publications.
Get Your Mitts on FREE BOOKS
Subscribe to the excellent Sable Litmag and receive a free signed copy of Courttia Newland’s Music for the Off-Key. See http://www.sablelimag.org.
During October 2006 the innovative Light Transports project will be distributing free books to rail travellers on York, Hull, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and Ilkley Stations. Two Peepal Tree authors are featured, Alecia McKenzie and Mark McWatt. See http://www.literaturedevelopment.com/lt/LTINDEX.HTM.
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