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).