Uncut Poets with Damian Furniss at Exeter Phoenix on Thursday 30th June 2016 at 7.30pm

June’s Uncut Poets features Damian Furniss, who will be reading from his recent Shearsman collection ‘The Best Of All Possible Worlds’ – an ambitious project that offers a poem for every year of the past century. Those who admired ‘Chocolate Che’, Damian’s previous collection, will recognise a characteristic mixture of the sardonic, the compassionate and the innovative.

The usual hosts, Liz Adams and Alasdair Paterson, will be navigating the evening through the Phoenix’s shape-shifting black hole still known as the Workshop. 10 open mic spots of 5 minutes each are available on a first come, first served basis, and can be booked by contacting Alasdair on FB, by email at a.t.paterson@exeter.ac.uk or by mobile on 07783 734523. When they’re gone they’re gone – even in a black hole. Bar and toilets readily available. Admission £5 (£3 open mic and concessions). See you soon!

Uncut Poets with Gale Burns at Exeter Phoenix on Thursday 28th April 2016 at 7.30pm

Uncut Poets welcomes Gale Burns as 28th April’s guest reader. Gale has been writer in residence at both the Sydenham Arts Festival and Kingston University; he is the convenor of The Shuffle series of readings held at the Poetry Society. His work has been published in three pamphlets, the most recent of which is ‘Opal Eye’ from Eyewear; a collection from Flipped Eye is due out in the current year.

The evening, held once more in the Exeter Phoenix Workshop space (better name awaited), will be compèred by Liz Adams and Alasdair Paterson. The usual 10 open mic spots are available, on a first come first served basis, by applying to Alasdair at a.t.paterson@exeter.ac.uk or by mobile on 07783 734523. Start time 7.30pm, admission £5 (£3 concessions or open mic).

Uncut Poets, 30th July 2015, 19.00 – Devon and Exeter Institute – Cathedral Green, Exeter – with James Bell

The last Uncut before our August break, and the last for the time being in our Babylonish Captivity while the Phoenix undergoes untold renovations, takes place in the Devon and Exeter Institute on Cathedral Close. Our guest is none other than James Bell, who was for some years co-presenter of Uncut before migrating to Brittany. Published by tall_lighthouse, James has recently been amassing new collections and will be treating us to some pre-publication highlights from these.

The evening (commencing at the EARLIER time of 7pm) will again be presented by Alasdair Paterson and Liz Adams, and will feature 10 open mic spots of 5 minutes each. Anyone interested in these should contact Alasdair here or at a.t.paterson@exeter.ac.uk, or on the mobile number 07783 734523. Wine and even soft drinks will be available at incredibly reasonable prices. Admission £5 (£3 open mics and concessions). 

Uncut Poets at the Exeter Phoenix Black Box on Thursday March 26th 2015 with Josephine Corcoran

March’s Uncut welcomes as guest Josephine Corcoran, whose ‘The misplaced house’ was published towards the end of 2014 by the ever-discerning tall-lighthouse. Josephine also writes a stimulating blog and maintains an online poetry site, a showcase for contemporary poetry called ‘And other poems’.

Liz Adams and Alasdair Paterson will be presenting the evening as usual, and 10 open mic slots of 5 minutes each are available by application to Liz on 07887 600831. When they’re gone they’re gone! Starting in the Black Box of Exeter Phoenix at 7.30 pm. Admission: £5 (£3 concessions and open mic). Bar: definitely.

Harry Guest at Uncut Poets, Exeter Phoenix, Thursday 24th April 2014, 7.30pm

Uncut Poets welcomes as its guest for April none other than Harry Guest, poet, novelist, translator and editor. Harry’s work first found a wide audience as part of the original Penguin Modern Poets series (no. 16) and he has built a long (forty years plus) relationship with Anvil Books, who published his Collected Poems (A Puzzling Harvest) in 2002 and most recently Some Times in 2010. Harry is a much-loved figure in South West poetry and a perennially welcome visitor to Uncut; his readings are models of clarity, gentle humour and (just enough) exposition.

The evening, in Exeter Phoenix’s Black Box from 7.30pm, will be presented by Alasdair Paterson and Gemma Green. 5 minute open mic spots (up to 10) are available and can be booked through Gemma Green at 07855 809394. Admission is £5 (£3 open mic and concessions). There’s also a bar for those who like that kind of thing. Hope to see you there!

Uncut Poets: Rose Cook and Richard Thomas on Thursday March 27th at 7.30pm in the Exeter Phoenix Black Box

Our next Uncut Poets meets the Spring in the sylvan confinement of Exeter Phoenix’s Black Box, festooned with guest poets and guest presenters. We welcome Rose Cook and Richard Thomas, whose most recent publications both come from the exotic-sounding Cultured Llama Press, located among the Inca ruins of Kent. Rose’s ‘Notes from a bright field’ finds its themes in the natural world, in everyday beauty, the experience of loss and what we talk about when we talk about the spiritual. ‘The strangest thankyou’ is Richard’s first collection and showcases his distinctive linguistic playfulness and deployment of the surreal to undercut or overhaul our perceptions of the mundane.

Since Alasdair Paterson and Gemma Green are rather skittishly taking the month off, we’re pleased to welcome two guest presenters, by no means unknown to Uncut regulars, in the forms of Ian Chamberlain and Liz Adams. There will be the usual 10 open mic slots, and Gemma Green will be accepting bookings for these via her mobile at 07855 809394. Book early – they soon go! Admission is as usual £5 (£3 open mic and concessions).

Uncut Poets: Julie Sampson and Alwyn Marriage on Thursday January 30th at 7.30pm in the Exeter Phoenix Black Box

Springing from their winter torpor, the management of Uncut Poets are looking forward to throwing open the doors of the Black Box and discovering what colour it’s going to be this year. Our guests on January 30th will be Julie Sampson, whose first collection ‘Tessitura’ has just come out from Shearsman, and Alwyn Marriage, whose ‘festo’ is the latest of her several widely-admired books. Julie, who grew up in mid-Devon, now lives in Taunton; as well as writing poetry, she has researched and published on Devon women writers and the imagist poet HD. Alwyn is Managing Editor of Oversteps Books; last year she was Poet in Residence at the Winchester 10 Day Festival,
and took part in the prestigious post-AGM reading at the Poetry Society.

Alasdair Paterson and Gemma Green continue as hosts/ keepers of the peace. There will be the usual number of Open Mic spots, one of which can be reserved (if you’re quick) by contacting Gemma on 07855 809394. Admission is £5 (£3 concessions and open mic). There’s a bar, I believe.

Uncut Poets, Exeter Phoenix Black Box, Thursday 28th November at 7.30pm: Julie-Ann Rowell and Mark Totterdell

Uncut Poets, Exeter Phoenix Black Box, Thursday 28th November at 7.30pm: Julia-ann Rowell and Mark Totterdell

 A slightly early notification of the last Uncut of 2013 (since the last Thursday in December is Boxing Day and so a twilight zone and a no-go area). We’ll be exiting the year with a bang rather than a whimper, with our clever combination of guest poets. Julie-ann Rowell’s poetry, regularly available in print form (her most recent collections, Letters North and The Sun At Midnight, show her abiding interest in the complicated interactions of people and landscapes), has long been a favourite with Uncut audiences; she is also an accomplished writer of fiction and a teacher. Mark Totterdell’s increasingly assured and varied contributions to Uncut have been one of the pleasures of the last couple of years, and his guest spot is well-merited and eagerly anticipated. He is a recent prize-winner in the Barn Owl Trust poetry competition and won first prize in this year’s Fire River Poets poetry competition.

The evening will be presented as usual by Gemma Green and Alasdair Paterson. Those wishing to book one of our 5 minute open mic spots should make haste to contact Gemma on 07855 809394.

Missing us already? Uncut poets, Hallowe’en special, 7.30pm on Thursday 31st October 2013 at Exeter Phoenix with Diana Gittins and Jonathan Waley

Uncut poets

7.30pm on Thursday 31st October 2013

Exeter Phoenix

with Diana Gittins and Jonathan Waley

After the dazzling success of the Exeter Poetry Festival, the Uncut management are pleased to maintain the high standards set across Festival week with a guest reading from Jonathan Waley and Diana Gittins. Jonathan, whose translations of Chinese poetry are among the manifold delights of Shearsman Books publications, has been working on versions of Japanese haiku as well as his own poetry. Diana will be reading from her latest chapbook Bork, published by the award-winning Happenstance Press, after tantalising the Uncut audience with snatches of the poetry of poultry in recent times.

The usual opportunities for 5 minute open mic spots apply. These can be booked via Gemma Green, on 07855 809394. Gemma will co-present the evening with Alasdair Paterson, who will make no references at all to the fact that it will be Hallowe’en in the Black Box…

Admission £5 (£3 concessions and open mic).

Uncut Poets, Exeter Phoenix, 26th September at 7.30pm – Alex MacDonald

Uncut Poets, Exeter Phoenix, Thursday 26th September at 7.30pm with Alex MacDonald

Refreshed after the August break and in training for the extravaganza of the Exeter Poetry Festival in the following week, Uncut Poets is back with a flourish of dactyls and dithyrambs. Our guest this month is Alex MacDonald, poet, blogger and organiser of the Selected Poems reading series at the V&A. Expect a lively, provocative and wide-ranging set.

The evening, organised by Alasdair Paterson and Gemma Green in the legendary Black Box, offers the usual ten open mic slots at 5 minutes apiece; while stocks last, these can be booked via Gemma at 07855 809394. Admission is £5 (£3 concessions and open mic performers).