Welcome to Stuff. The Poetry Trust's latest news, events, podcasts and publications.

Incoming at HighTide Festival

The first four performances of Andrew Motion‘s debut new play Incoming – the first collaboration between The Poetry Trust and HighTide – were packed out at the HighTide Festival over the weekend of 6–8 May. It’s both a love story about grief and loss and a searching exploration of ‘the pity of war’. Many congratulations to Andrew, Director Steven Atkinson and the outstanding trio of actors – Penny Layden as Steph, Christian Bradley as Danny and Timon Greaves as Jack – for creating such an emotionally-charged and intellectually-engaging 75 minutes. National reviews include a three-star from Michael Billington in The Guardian and a four-star in Whatsonstage.

Look out for future performances of Incoming (and brilliant excuses to come to Suffolk!) exclusively at Latitude Festival 15-17 July and at the 23rd Aldeburgh Poetry Festival 4–6 November.

 

Poetry @ The Pumphouse: The Last Years of Edward Thomas by Matthew Hollis

The Poetry Trust is delighted to announce this year’s Poetry @ The Pumphouse, in partnership with Aldeburgh Music as part of the Aldeburgh (music) Festival in June. On Friday 24 June at 7pm, Poet and Faber poetry editor Matthew Hollis will be giving a special preview of his forthcoming and long-awaited new biography of Edward Thomas, complete with audio and photographic illustration.

Wintering in Minsmere in 1907 at the age of 29, Edward Thomas was unceremoniously asked to leave when he developed ‘inappropriate feelings’ for the eighteen year old daughter of his hosts. Already gaining a reputation as a prose writer and critic, it would take the intervention of Robert Frost and the First World War to bring him finally and dramatically to poetry. Matthew Hollis will explore the personal and literary friendships that led Thomas on his path to poetry and war – and ultimately his death at Arras in 1917.

Now All Roads Lead To France: The Last Years of Edward Thomas
by Matthew Hollis will be published by Faber in August 2011

Tickets £7, available from the box office: tel 01728 687110
Box Office email
Box Office website

 

The Poetry Prom at Snape Maltings Concert Hall

On Tuesday 24 August, Helen Dunmore, Jackie Kay and Alice Oswald will take to the great Snape Maltings stage for an unmissable night of poems. The Poetry Trust is thrilled to be presenting this unique trio of great British women poets in partnership with Aldeburgh Music as part of the Snape Proms season. And we are particularly grateful to our sponsors Fairweather Stephenson & Co for maintaining their generous support.

“In these times, we should be glad of this voice.”
The Guardian on Helen Dunmore

“Kay’s humour and optimism are transcendent.”
The Sunday Herald

“Oswald emerges as an inheritor of some of Britain’s greatest poetic voices, an heir to Ted Hughes, Seamus Heaney and Geoffrey Hill.”
The Times

Tickets £14, £12, £10, Prom £6.50
Booking opens Monday 6th June
Box Office 01728 687110
Box Office email
Box Office website

 

The Poetry Channel – help us programme the summer podcasts

Are there any stand-out poems or talks you remember from previous Aldeburgh Poetry Festivals?
We’re programming for The Poetry Channel this summer and would love to hear about favourite poems (or poets) you’ve heard at Aldeburgh which we can then add to a special Poem Show, or perhaps one of the other fabulous Festival events (a Craft Talk or Close Reading) which you’d really like to hear again.
Let us know and we’ll see what we can do…

In the meantime, we have two more podcasts available in May, gleaned from the rich Aldeburgh archive.

Aldeburgh Backchat: Bill Manhire
available Friday 13 May
Inventive, stylish and endlessly imaginative – some of the words constantly used to describe Bill Manhire, here in conversation with Nick Patrick at the Aldeburgh Poetry Festival last November.

Aldeburgh Backchat: Inua Ellams
available Friday 27 May
We catch up with Inua, who brought his latest one-man show ‘Untitled’ to Aldeburgh last autumn. A potent performer and poet, Inua discusses his influences and his Festival experience.

 

Brilliant poetry at UEA Spring Literary Festival 2010

Poetry has been a highlight of the UEA Spring Literary Festival, with both David Harsent and Alice Oswald reading at the University of East Anglia in February and March. Next up is this year’s Costa Prizewinner, Jo Shapcott, who will be appearing on Tuesday 24 May at 7.00pm at UEA’s lecture theatre. Jo takes intellectual and sensuous risks in her memorable engaging poems. Fiona Sampson accurately describes her “a pioneer among contemporary British writers.”

To hear one of Jo’s poems – Somewhat Unravelled – listen to The Poem Show 8 available at The Poetry Channel.

Tickets £6 – telephone 01603 508050
Full programme information here

 

Wanted! Poetry Trust Volunteers

If you’re Suffolk-based and have some spare time over the coming months, you could be the very person we need. The Poetry Trust’s very small team is looking for capable volunteers to assist with various administrative jobs including Aldeburgh Poetry Festival mailings and distribution.
If you’re keen to get involved, please drop us an email here.
We’d be very glad of your help!

 

Short Cuts Cabaret and Open Mic Night

The Cut, Halesworth, Friday 3 June, 7.30pm

Summer will be sizzling at Short Cuts – Suffolk’s very own cult-status cabaret and open mic nights – with the coolest of special guests: the one and only Peter Blegvad, singer-songwriter and cult-cartoonist extraordinaire.

Hosted by Dean Parkin, accompanied by Maurice Horhut on the piano, Short Cuts is always a heady mix of comedy, music, spoken word, live poetry and audience participation. Plus, of course, plenty of weird and wonderful Open Mic talent.

To apply for a performance slot (3 minutes), contact Dean
by telephone 01986 835950 or by email
Tickets cost £6 – call The Cut Box office on 0845 6732123

To check out two of Peter Blegvad’s best songs on YouTube, listen to Daughter or Meantime.

 

Other STUFF you might enjoy

Martin Figura and Molly Naylor at the Norwich Arts Centre, May 15th, as part of the Norfolk and Norwich Festival Speak Easy Week-End.
More info here

An evening with Simon Armitage and Glyn Maxwell at the Norwich Playhouse, May 19th, presented by Writers’ Centre Norwich and The Rialto as part of the Norfolk and Norwich Festival.
Full details here

The Bridport Prize 2011: £5000 first prize for a poem (of up to 42 lines). £6 per poem. Adjudicator - Carol Ann Duffy.
Closing date: 30th June 2011.
Enter online here.

Crabbe Poetry Competition. Open to anyone either born, resident at any time or educated in Suffolk.
Judge: Elaine Feinstein, closing date: 31 May 2011
Full details here

Essex Poetry Festival 11th Open Poetry Competition.
Entry £3 per poem or £10 for 4 poems. Prize giving will be in October at the Essex Poetry Festival. Adjudicator: George Szirtes. First Prize £500, Second £250, Third £100 and 4 runner-up prizes of £25. Closing date 30th July 2011.
Full details here