Poetry Readers Group meets at the White Hart, 10, Wharfage, Ironbridge, Telford, TF8 7AW, 2-4 pm, and the theme will be ‘colour’.

For more information contact Paul Francis: francisliberty@btinternet.com

‘Seeing the Trees and the Woods’ anthology reading with Simon Fletcher, Kuli Kohli and local ‘tree’ poets at Penn Library, Coalway Ave, Penn Rd, Wolverhampton WV3 7LT. 11.40-12.40.

Free event.

‘Seeing the Trees and the Woods’ anthology reading with Simon Fletcher, Kuli Kohli and local ‘tree’ poets at Stourbridge Library, Crown Centre, Stourbridge, West Mids, DY81YE. 3-4pm.

Free event. For further information phone: 01384 812945.

‘Country Voices’ with Martin Kennedy Yates, Sheeba Eeswaramoorthy & David Bingham, at the White Hart, 10, Wharfage, Ironbridge, Telford, TF8 7AW, 2.30-4pm.

Tickets £5 on the door.

Simon Fletcher will feature in the first in a series of online Zoom events run by Emma Purshouse celebrating the work of some of the unsung individuals who do so much for poetry and spoken word. As well as being a fine poet in his own right, Simon ran ‘City Voices’ in Wolverhampton for 23 years. Expect conversation and poetry. These will be pay-as-you-feel events with the money going to the guest. 7-8pm.

Email emmaasif@hotmail.com for a Zoom link.

‘Virtual Voices’ with Kuli Kohli and Simon Fletcher plus Nick Pearson & Marion Cockin and some of the ‘tree’ anthology poets, 5-6.30pm. Plus open mics as usual. This is a pay-as-you-feel event.

ZOOM LINK…

Emma Purshouse, and her fellow Pandemonialists will be MCing the Wolverhampton Literature Festival Poetry Slam at Arena Theatre, Wulfruna St, Wolverhampton, WV1 1SE starting at 7.30pm. 15 poets go head-to-head in a live poetry competition.

Tickets are £15 (£12 concession) available from the Arena online box office.

BOOK HERE…

Poetry Readers Group meets at the White Hart, 10, Wharfage, Ironbridge, Telford, TF8 7AW, 2-4 pm, and the theme will be ‘trains’. For more information contact Paul Francis: francisliberty@btinternet.com

Emma Purshouse will be reading from her latest poetry collection, ‘Unsung’, at the Wolverhampton Literature Festival

12 noon in the Making Space at Wolverhampton Art Gallery, Lichfield St, Wolverhampton, WV1 1DU

Known for her sharp wit and emotional depth, Emma’s work blends humour, poignancy, and powerful storytelling rooted in the Black Country.

South Asian Women Poets & Storytelling, 12.30-1.30pm

Coach House, Bantock House, Finchfield Road, Wolverhampton, WV3 9LQ

This special event unites voices that celebrate culture, humour, resilience and women’s lived experiences. Audiences will enjoy radiant poems, untold stories, and captivating performances that bring both laughter and insight. Priyanka Joshi, Santosh K. Dary and the poet laureate of Wolverhampton, Kuli Kohli, will be taking part.

Seeing the Trees and the Woods, 2.30-3.30pm

Join poets Cherry Doyle, Simon Fletcher, and Kuli Kohli for thought-provoking and beautifully crafted poetry from Seeing the Trees, and the Woods, the latest anthology from Offa’s Press. This collection explores our relationship with trees through a rich variety of perspectives—celebratory, mythological, environmental, and humorous.

The Black Country Women’s Poetry Show, 4-5pm

Jane Salmons, Marion Cockin, and Jane Seabourne are all accomplished poets with strong ties to the Black Country and its literary scene. Their work has been published, performed, and celebrated across the UK, and each brings a unique perspective to this engaging showcase.

ALL OF THE ABOVE EVENTS CAN BE BOOKED HERE…

Book now for Haiku Moments workshop with David Bingham in Bishop’s Castle on Thursday 19 February (11.30am-1pm). Places are limited!

David Bingham will be at the Poetry Pharmacy Lab, High St, Bishop’s Castle, SY9 5BQ, to lead a workshop about the history of haiku and write a contemporary piece for the Bishop’s Castle Arts Festival. David will lead us through activities to learn about the Japanese origins of haiku and the characteristics of contemporary haiku written in English. Participants will be invited to write contemporary haiku in English and share the haiku they have written. They will also learn about where to follow up the session, if they wish, by sending haiku for publication and how to become involved in local and national haiku activities.

BOOK HERE…