Festivals, Poetry Events & Workshops
19
FEB
Manchester Poets
Weds, Feb 19th at 6:15-8:00 PM
Withington Library, 410 Wilmslow Road M20 3BN
Open mic slots available
£3/£1
Start at about 6:30. In the readaround, anyone can read a poem. No epics please.
After an interval, our guest poet will read. Don't miss Kim - she may change your life. "Each poem feels larger on the inside than the outside" (Rachel Carney).
26
feb
Go to the Poets with Ruth Padel
Hosted by Kim Moore
Wordsworth Grasmere reading series
Online
£7
Five free places available
EVENT DETAILS
Curated and hosted by poet Kim Moore, our online contemporary poetry reading series ‘Go to the poets, they will speak to thee’ continues throughout 2023. We will be listening to what poets have to say about our turbulent times, and how poetry can cross borders to challenge, delight and inspire us. Each event in the series is part reading, part open mic – and the theme of the open mic changes every month!
Open mic
Our open mic theme this month is to take Ruth Padel’s title as inspiration and bring a poem that explores childhood or youth and what that might mean. Poems that explore girlhood, boyhood, or other-gendered young lives — all are welcome. As ever, feel free to interpret the theme widely!
Open mic slots are limited and must be booked in advance. Each open mic poem should be no longer than two minutes. Email Kim Moore at wordsworthreadingseries@outlook.com for a slot. Slots do book up quickly, so don’t leave it to the last minute!
How to book and attend
When attendees book a ticket they will receive a confirmation email which includes the Zoom registration link for this event: please use this link to sign up.
This event is a Zoom webinar and the audience will not appear on screen. If you have bought a ticket and signed up to the open mic your audio and video will be enabled during the open mic.
Five free places are available for those experiencing financial hardship that would otherwise not be able to attend. You can select this option during online checkout. If you have booked a free place and find that you can’t attend, please let us know so that we can make this available to someone else.
Automatic live captions will be provided.
Photo credit: Giliola Christe
7
mar
International Women's Day Poetry Showcase
Fri, Mar 7th at 7pm
Theatre@41, Monkgate, York
£15
The evening will feature performances from a series of female poets including local talent Lillian Akampurira Aujo, celebrated ecopoet Isabel Galleymore and Forward Prize winner Kim Moore.
Headlining this event is ally, and widely acclaimed, Mary Jean Chan. The performances will be followed by an audience-led Q&A.
This event will be hosted by local poet and co-host of Howlers open mic, Chloe Hanks.
30
apr
Go to the Poets
Hosted by Kim Moore
Wordsworth Grasmere reading series
Online
£7
Five free places available
EVENT DETAILS
Curated and hosted by poet Kim Moore, our online contemporary poetry reading series ‘Go to the poets, they will speak to thee’ continues throughout 2023. We will be listening to what poets have to say about our turbulent times, and how poetry can cross borders to challenge, delight and inspire us. Each event in the series is part reading, part open mic – and the theme of the open mic changes every month!
2 - 6
jun
Building a Sustainable and Authentic Poetry Practice
Poetry Residential at Ty Newydd
Tŷ Newydd, Llanystumdwy, Cricieth, Gwynedd, LL52 0LW
Mon 2 June 2025 - Fri 6 June 2025
Tutors: Kim Moore & Roger Robinson
Guest Reader: Malika Booker (Digital)
How can you balance spontaneous inspiration with productivity as a way of earning a sustainable creative living? What is an artist’s role in our complex, changing world? How can you generate new ideas and overcome creative blocks? How do you shape an original poem, pamphlet or collection? How do you get started, and more importantly- how do you carry on? Come and explore these key questions and more with award-winning poets Kim Moore and Roger Robinson. During the week, you’ll be introduced to new techniques to unlock your writing and creativity, develop your understanding of past and contemporary poetic landscapes, and hone your voice. This course is aimed at both beginners looking to get started and more experienced writers looking to invigorate their poetry. Come prepared for lively group workshops, supportive and constructive one-to-one tutorials, and a chance to build a refreshed, sustainable and authentic poetry practice which will stay with you long after the course.
Kim Moore
Kim Moore’s pamphlet If We Could Speak Like Wolves was a winner in the 2011 Poetry Business Pamphlet Competition. Her first collection The Art of Falling (Seren 2015) won the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize. Her second collection All The Men I Never Married (Seren, 2021) won the 2022 Forward Prize for Best Collection. Her first non-fiction book What The Trumpet Taught Me was published by Smith/Doorstop in May 2022. A hybrid book of lyric essays and poetry Are You Judging Me Yet? Poetry and Everyday Sexism was published by Seren in March 2023. She's worked as a freelance writer for many years, before joining Manchester Metropolitan University as a Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University.
Roger Robinson
Roger Robinson, a globally recognised writer and performer, boasts an impressive array of accolades, including the T.S. Eliot Prize 2019, RSL Ondaatje Prize 2020, and RSL Fellowship. Notably, he's been lauded by Decibel & Arts Council England as pivotal in shaping Black-British literature. His work features prominently in esteemed anthologies like The Forward Book Of Poetry 2024 (Faber & Faber, 2023) and The Penguin Book of New Black Writing in Britain (Penguin, 2021). Roger's commissions span prestigious institutions such as the BBC, Tate, and The National Portrait Gallery. He's an esteemed judge for renowned literary awards like the Folio Prize and T.S. Eliot Prize, with his poem A Portable Paradise part of the GCSE English Literature syllabus. Roger's workshops, recognised for excellence, have garnered acclaim, with his books A Portable Paradise (Peepal Tree Press, 2019), Home is Not A Place (William Collins, 2022) and The Butterfly Hotel (The Peepal Tree Press, 2013) earning multiple nominations. As a co-founder of Spoke Lab and Malika’s Kitchen, he contributes significantly to global literary communities.
Bursaries
One £250 bursary space is available for this course. To apply, please complete this application form Deadline for applications: Wednesday 2 April 2025
For further information about the support available, please visit our Financial Assistance page: https://tynewydd.wales/courses-retreats/financial-support/
25
JUN
Go to the Poets
Hosted by Kim Moore
Wordsworth Grasmere reading series
Online
£7
Five free places available
EVENT DETAILS
Curated and hosted by poet Kim Moore, our online contemporary poetry reading series ‘Go to the poets, they will speak to thee’ continues throughout 2023. We will be listening to what poets have to say about our turbulent times, and how poetry can cross borders to challenge, delight and inspire us. Each event in the series is part reading, part open mic – and the theme of the open mic changes every month!
25 - 29
AUG
I AM MY OWN CHARACTER
Residential Writing Course
Mon 25th Aug 2025 - Sat August 30th 2025
Arvon, Totleigh Barton
Tutors: Kim Moore & Rishi Dastidar
Guest Reader: Sarah Howe
We all contain multitudes, as Whitman suggested, but often it’s hard to access them in your poetry. But if you can, it allows you to write in different ways, and approach subjects that you might not otherwise attempt to write about. During this inspiring and inclusive week, award-winning poet Kim Moore and poet and editor Rishi Dastidar will show you how to expand who and what the ‘I’ is in your work. Drawing on confessional poetry, dramatic monologues, lyric essays and more, Kim and Rishi will guide you as you discover how you can use poems as shields, create alter egos, have conversations with yourself, and stretch your voice. In a productive and protective space, expect to come away with fresh drafts and new ideas on how to bring more of yourself to your poetry.
18-21
sep
BBC CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE FESTIVAL
18TH - 21ST SEPTEMBER 2025
Kim will be performing at events over the four days - watch this space for more info!.
1-31
jan
January Writing Hours 2026
1st -31st January
Online: £70 for the month - or £25 per week
Concessions: £0 and pay-what-you-feel
WATCH THIS SPACE FOR TICKETS
Imagine January...
It's a New Year but the mornings are dark, the evenings are cold and the best Christmas chocolate has been eaten. It's all feeling a bit grim.
January 2026 is going to be different...
because Kim Moore and Clare Shaw will be running an online Writing Hour every morning throughout January! From 10am-11am on Zoom, come prepared to read poems. Come prepared to think about poems. Come prepared to write poems.
Come in your pyjamas. Come with your breakfast. Come every day - or come when you can - and commit an hour to yourself and your writing.
We will provide the inspiration, the poetry fuel. All you need to do is turn up.
Our Writing Hours use simple prompts, readings and reflections to inspire and encourage you to write throughout January. In an interactive Zoom workshop, you'll work interactively with Kim Moore, Clare Shaw and writers from across the UK - and beyond! The emphasis is on generating new work, and writing in company: expect connection, creativity and motivation rather than detailed feedback or instruction.
Accessibility
Bursary Tickets available - a limited number of free tickets are available. You don't need to ask - just head over to the ticket page and book one if you couldn't otherwise afford to come.
Pay-as-you-feel tickets also available - if you can pay a little bit but not the full price, please book a Pay-as-you-feel ticket!
If you are feeling flush, and would like to donate a Bursary Ticket, please pay for either a week ticket or a full month, and drop us a line to let us know that you've paid for another space. We will announce extra free tickets as they are paid for on social media.
We will be using Otter to provide a transcript for all sessions and any poems used during the workshops will be screenshared.
Zoom links
*Zoom links come out direct from Eventbrite at 9.45am each morning. If you buy a ticket before 9.45am, you will receive a link for that day. If you buy after 9.45am, you will not receive a link until the following morning.