Jeff Phelps and Ros Woolner will be reading at the launch of the Byways anthology published by Arachne Press at 6pm.

Free online event on Zoom. The link to register will be posted on arachnepress.com/events

‘Virtual Voices’ featuring Nick Pearson, Steve Pottinger, Colin Hambrook & Fraser Scott. Hosted by Cherry Doyle and Kuli Kohli.

Pay-as-you-feel event. 5-6.30pm

ZOOM LINK…

Jeff Phelps will be reading (with Karen Downs-Barton) at Trowbridge Stanza at Drawing Projects UK, Stallard Street, Trowbridge, BA14 9AE from 2pm-4pm.

TICKETS £5 FROM EVENTBRITE…

The Wolverhampton Literature Festival (WLF) is back 2-4 February 2024 and Offa’s Press poets are involved in several events. To see the full programme go to https://www.wolvesliteraturefestival.co.uk/

Saturday February 3 : ‘Pass the Poetry Parcel’

‘Pass the Poetry Parcel’ with Poets, Prattlers, and Pandemonialists 12.30-1.30pm at the Arena Theatre (seminar room), Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton WV1 1SE. Join Emma, Steve and Dave for an improvised poetry show. Taking a random theme from the audience, one of the Poets, Prattlers, and Pandemonialists steps forward to deliver a piece of their poetry that links to this… and then the others follow on, creating a poetry chain of thought. Sometimes members of the audience join in! It’s fast-paced, manic and some of the links are tenuous to say the least but it’s an immense amount of fun for audiences and poets alike. There will be a bucket for donations to the PPP’s chosen charity at the end.

Part of WLF: https://wolvesliteraturefestival.co.uk/events/fringe-room.html

Saturday February 3 : ‘Black Country Voices’

‘Black Country Voices’ at Bilston Library, 1-2pm, with Anne Babbs, Fraser Scott, Marion Cockin & Michael W. Thomas. Free event.

Part of WLF: https://wolvesliteraturefestival.co.uk/events/black-country-voices.html

Saturday February 3 : Fraser Scott and Santosh K Dary at the Festival poetry competition Winner Showcase

Fraser Scott and Santosh K Dary will be reading poems at the Wolverhampton Literature Festival poetry competition Winner Showcaseat 4.30pm at the Arena Theatre, Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton, WV1 1SE. Fraser and Santosh are the joint winners of the WV postcode prize. Fraser also has a poem shortlisted in the main competition and Santosh has another poem commended in the WV postcode prize. This is a free event.

Part of WLF: https://wolvesliteraturefestival.co.uk/events/black-country-voices.html

Saturday February 3 : ‘Writing Under Fire’

‘Writing Under Fire’ with writers Niall Griffiths, Kuli Kohli and editors Professor Sebastian Groes and Dr Kerry Hadley-Pryce (both English Literature, Wolverhampton) will respond to pieces written by Ukrainian poets and writers including Halyna Kruk, Bogdan Kolomijchuk, Tetiana Belimova and others to reflect on the ongoing military crisis. 6.30-7.30pm, Wolverhampton Art Gallery. Pay what you feel.

Part of WLF: https://wolvesliteraturefestival.co.uk/events/writing-under-fire.html

Sunday February 4 : Poems from the ‘Apni Prithvi Sadda Kal’ (Our Earth, Our Future) anthology

The Punjabi Women’s Writing Group, (Parveen Brigue, Santosh K. Dary, Priyanka Joshi and Kuli Kohli) present poems from the ‘Apni Prithvi Sadda Kal’ (Our Earth, Our Future) anthology about recycling, environmental issues and climate change, at Wolverhampton Art Gallery, 11.30-12.30. Tickets £4.

Part of WLF: https://wolvesliteraturefestival.co.uk/events/apni-prithvi-sadda-kal.html

Sunday February 4 : Collaborative Writing Workshop

Ros Woolner and Roger Noons will be running a workshop on writing collaboratively 12-1.30pm at Wolverhampton Art Gallery (in the Creation Space), focusing on Japanese poetry games. No previous experience necessary. Pay what you feel.

Part of WLF: https://wolvesliteraturefestival.co.uk/events/writing-in-collaboration-workshop.html

Sunday February 4 : ‘Island Fusion’

‘Island Fusion’ at the Art Gallery, Wolverhampton, with Kenton Samuels & Gracey Bee, 1.30-2.30pm. Pay what you feel.

Part of WLF: https://wolvesliteraturefestival.co.uk/events/island-fusion.html

Sunday February 4 : Writers’ Hub

Several Offa’s Press poets who are members of local writing groups will be reading at the Writers’ Hub as part of the Wolverhampton Literature Festival. Groups will be reading in one-hour slots 11am-6pm at the Wolverhampton Art Gallery (in the Making Space). Free, drop-in event.

Timetable: https://wolvesliteraturefestival.co.uk/events/writers-hub.html

Poetry Readers at the Bolthole Cafe, the Wharfage, Ironbridge, TF8 7AW.  Theme: children/ childhood, 2-4pm.

Free event. For further information contact ianmparr@gmail.com

‘Love is in the air’. A free workshop making Valentine cards with Claire Haddock and writing love poems with Jane Seabourne 11am-1pm at Tettenhall Library, 1-3 Upper Street, Tettenhall, Wolverhampton, WV6 8QF.

Simon will be running a bookstall at Brierley Hill Library, 122, High Street, Brierley Hill, DY5 3ET, 10am-2pm. If you’re in the area do drop in to say hello!

Jane Seabourne will be writing love poems 11am-1.30pm at Coseley Library, 63 Castle Street, Coseley, Bilston, WV14 9DW.

This is a free event.

‘City Voices’ with Veronica Shepherd, Anne Babbs, Paul McDonald plus Santosh K. Dary, Kuli Kohli and invited writers sharing work from the environmental anthology ‘Apni Prithvi’ (Our World) at the Lych Gate, 44, Queen Square, Wolverhampton, WV1 1TX, 7.30-9pm.

Tickets £5 on the door.