Blog Archives
‘Barley’ (in memory of Dannie Abse) by Gillian Clarke
A poem from Gillian Clarke in memory of Dannie Abse
Barley
for Dannie Abse
September, and all the way home in the train
I watch the gold unfolding fields of corn
the colour of Morfudd’s hair, the land lit
with whisky ambers, ripeness bruised
with traces of a duller metal
where the wind ran, or a hare, or lovers have lain.
At the passing train, grief lifts from the land
on the wings of crows, and shadowless under the sun
the field where *Dafydd marries his girl again.
As long as language lives and the wind’s hand
fingers the harp-strings of a golden field,
someone half-dreaming in a train will listen
for remembered music of a line of verse,
and hear the barley whispering your words.
.
*Dafydd ap Gwylim, Medieval Welsh love poet.
Exeter Poetry Festival Programme 2014
Tickets for events can be purchased:
– Online, using the links below or by browsing upcoming events
– By phone, 01392 667080
– In person in advance from Exeter Phoenix Box Office, Gandy Street, Exeter,
– In person at the venue on the night
Guidance on using the box office to purchase tickets.
Quick links to event ticket purchase:
– 01/10 ‘The Retold Ramayana’ at Exeter University with Daljit Nagra
– 04/10 ‘The Forgotten of World War One’ at Exeter Central Library
– 04/10 Fiona Benson and Carrie Etter at Exeter Central Library
– 05/10 Workshop with Carrie Etter at Exeter Central Library
Monday 29th September
Simon Williams and Susan Taylor
Venue: City Gate Hotel, Cellar bar, Exeter
Time: 7.30pm
Tickets: FREE
After great success last year, we again kick-start the Festival with the launch of a collector’s edition of The Broadsheet, featuring poems from Festival guests alongside work from some of the most talented poets resident in the South West
Tuesday 30th September
NEXT GENERATION
Venue: Queen’s Building, Exeter University, Prince of Wales Road, EX4 45B
Time: 6pm – 7pm
Tickets: Donations to Festival appreciated
Four of Exeter University’s brightest lights read for us as a poetic prelude to the Festival’s signature lecture…
BEYOND BORDERS:
With Víctor Rodríguez Núñez, Harry Guest and Martin Sorrell
Venue: Old Library, Exeter University
Time: 7.30pm – 9pm
For one night only we’re lucky to bring together experts in poetry translation to read their work and discuss the joys and challenges of translation in practice. Introduced and facilitated by Dr. Andy Brown, Director of the Centre for Creative Writing at Exeter University, we bring you multi-award winning Cuban poet Víctor Rodríguez Núñez; poet, editor and specialist in Japanese and French translation, Harry Guest; and esteemed academic, BBC playwright and translator Martin Sorrell, for a stimulating and multi-cultural evening of readings and debate.
Wednesday 1st October
With Daljit Nagra
Venue: Roborough Studios, Exeter University, Prince of Wales Road, EX4 45B
Time: 7pm – 9pm A two hour performance including interval.
Tickets: £12 / Students £8 /children 11+ £6
We are thrilled to have the critically acclaimed Daljit Nagra amongst our line up this year, for a visually stunning retelling of the Ramayana.
Daljt’s technicolour and multi-cultural version of the tale follows Rama’s quest to rescue his wife Sita from her abduction by Raavana, Lord of the Underworld.
Ahead of the event (6pm – 6:30pm) is a free lecture by Dr. Jerri Daboo, Senior Lecturer in Drama at Exeter University: “Exiling heroes and burning demons: examining two productions of ‘The Ramayana’ in Britain”.
Thursday 2nd October
With Gillian Clarke and Adam Horovitz
Venue: Exeter Central Library
Time: 7pm – 9pm
The Festival’s signature reading this year brings National Poet of Wales, Gillian Clarke and upcoming poet and performer Adam Horovitz, described by Carol Ann Duffy as ‘the real deal’ to the Exeter stage.
Friday 3rd October
Venue: Exeter Central Library
Time: 7pm – 9pm
Tickets are now SOLD OUT! For other events at Exeter Poetry Festival, 30th September to 5th October, buy your tickets here.
Critically acclaimed rapper and spoken word artist Kate Tempest comes to Exeter for one night only.
Her epic narrative poem Brand New Ancients won the Ted Hughes Prize and she has just completed a sell out run in the UK and New York. Everybody Down, her debut solo album, came out earlier this year on Big Dada Records, also to vast acclaim. Her first full collection, ‘Hold Your Own’, will be published by Picador on October 9th 2014. Early booking advised.
Saturday 4th October – Daytime
THE FORGOTTEN OF WW1
Venue: Exeter Central Library
Time: 1pm – 5pm
The Untold story of Ivor Gurney
A special screening of Redcliffe Film’s widely praised biopic of Ivor Gurney, the WW1 soldier, poet and composer.
Women Poets of WW1
Some well known female writers based in Devon and Cornwall read and respond to poems written by women living and working during the Great War including Charlotte Mew and May Sinclair. With Ann Gray, Rachel McCarthy, Helen Evans and Chrissy Banks.
FREE EVENT – Voices and Memory
Time: 3.30pm – 5pm
ExLibris launches a pamphlet of poems based on WW1 objects held in Exeter Library’s archive.
Saturday 4th October – Evening
THE RONALD DUNCAN READING
Venue: Exeter Central Library
Time: 7pm – 9pm
Our final reading brings Fiona Benson, fresh from reading at the Forward Prize for Best First Collection for her widely acclaimed Bright Travellers, together with American poet Carrie Etter, whose latest work, Imagined Sons, was described by Bernard O’Donoghue as simply “of the utmost importance.”
Sunday 5th October – Daytime
WORKSHOP : CARRIE ETTER – Adventures in Prose Poetry
Venue: Exeter Central Library
Time: 11am – 1pm
Join award-winning poet and lecturer Carrie Etter to delve into the intricacies of the prose poem. For both those new to and those familiar with the form, this workshop offers fresh adventures in prose poetry, in reading and discussing wonderful works as well as composing our own.
Sunday 5th October – Daytime
Venue: Bikeshed Theatre
Time: 7.30pm –
To apply to take part, please email: slam@speakinsong.co.uk
15 contestants, 3 rounds, 1 winner, much kudos.
There will be a prize of £50 cash and a further £50 paid slot at Spokes Amaze! for the winner.
Judges for the event are last year’s winner, Saskia Tomlinson, current Bard of Exeter Daniel Haynes and celebrated local poet Graham Burchell.
Gillian Clarke on Radio 4 and at Exeter Poetry Festival On National Poetry Day, Thursday 2nd October 2014
Twenty one years ago, four relatively unknown poets spoke with Peggy Reynolds for BBC Radio 4 about the impact of gender and nationality on their poetry and on their sense of themselves as poets.
Today, Carol Ann Duffy is the first-ever Poet Laureate, Gillian Clarke is the National Poet of Wales, Liz Lochhead is the Makar or National Poet of Scotland, and Eavan Boland is a highly distinguished scholar-poet who divides her year between Stanford and Dublin.
In the light of these developments – not to mention the constitutional changes and wild economic fluctuations of the last 21 years – Peggy Reynolds speaks with each of them again, asking them to reflect on their creative and professional journeys and on the state of women’s poetry – and poetry in general – today.
Finally, she asks them to cast forward and predict what they might say if there were a similar programme in 21 years time. Their replies surprise her.
Thursday 2nd October
With Gillian Clarke and Adam Horovitz
Venue: Exeter Central Library
Time: 7pm – 9pm
The Festival’s signature reading this year brings National Poet of Wales, Gillian Clarke and upcoming poet and performer Adam Horovitz, described by Carol Ann Duffy as ‘the real deal’ to the Exeter stage.
Gillian Clarke, the Poet Laureate for Wales, performing at Exeter Poetry Festival on National Poetry Day, 2nd October 2014
For the first time in history, all five UK and Irish poet laureates are women. WOW 2014 at the Southbank Centre brought Carol Ann Duffy, Liz Lochhead, Gillian Clarke, Paula Meehan, and Sinéad Morrissey together for a celebratory performance and their first joint reading. Here is Gillian Clarke’s reading, in anticipation of her appearance at Exeter Central Library on National Poetry Day as part of the Exeter Poetry Festival.
Thursday 2nd October
With Gillian Clarke and Adam Horovitz
Venue: Exeter Central Library
Time: 7pm – 9pm
The Festival’s signature reading this year brings National Poet of Wales, Gillian Clarke and upcoming poet and performer Adam Horovitz, described by Carol Ann Duffy as ‘the real deal’ to the Exeter stage.
Bodmin Moor Poetry Festival, 30th May to 1st June 2014, Sterts Theatre, Upton Cross, Liskeard
The festival has a very strong Celtic flavour, including performers from Ireland, Scotland and Wales, as wellas Cornwall. It will welcome the National Poet of Wales, Gillian Clarke, world-bestselling author Louis de Bernieres and Irish poet Maurice Riordan – the new editor of Britain’s foremost poetry journal, Poetry Review, to name just a few. This will be a packed weekend of readings, talks, workshops, film, theatre and music, as well as art-work by Sir Peter Blake and Guy Gormley. We feature everything from the hippest young poets on the block from London, to the Greek of Constantine Cavafy, to the Welsh legend Dylan Thomas, via Persia (Mimi Khalvati )and back to St. Eval and Launceston (Jane Darke/Jim Causley).
You can download the full programme for Bodmin Moor Poetry Festival 2014 here: Bodmin Moor Poetry Festival 2014
You can book tickets here: http://www.bodminmoorpoetryfestival.co.uk/
Exeter Poetry Festival 