Emma Purshouse will be featuring alongside Gareth Culshaw and Mary Cunningham at ‘Shrewsbury Poetry Undercover’, hosted by Jean Atkin. At PetitGlou Wine Bar Cafe, The Market Hall, Claremont Street, Shrewsbury SY1 1HQ. The event starts at 7pm, with doors opening from 6.15pm for drinks, nibbles, and conviviality.

Please bring £3 cash to put in the hat to cover the costs of the evening.

There will be a limited number of open mics – sign up on the night. Wear something warm – the Market building can get chilly after hours!

Priyanka Joshi will be performing at ‘Stars of the Slam’ presented by Poets, Prattlers and Pandemonialists at Wolverhampton Art Gallery 8pm-9:30pm.

Tickets are £5.

BOOK YOUR PLACE…

Saturday February 4 : ‘Out of Bilston’

Poetry from the heart of the Black Country with Anne Babbs, Fraser Scott, Marion Cockin & Michael W. Thomas, 12.30-1.30pm, Bantock House, Finchfield Road, Wolverhampton, WV3 9LQ. Ticket sales: £3 (in advance via Eventbrite or on the door).

Saturday February 4 : ‘From the Sticks’

Poetry from rural poets and about the countryside with Tom Allsopp, Cherry Doyle & Simon Fletcher, 2-3pm, Bantock House, Wolverhampton, as above. Ticket sales: £3 (in advance via Eventbrite or on the door).

Sunday February 5 : ‘Punjabi Voices’

Sparkling poetry & stories of family life with Priyanka Joshi, Santosh K. Dary & Kuli Kohli, 2.30-3.30pm, Art Gallery, Lichfield Street, Wolverhampton, WV1 1DU. Ticket sales: £3 (in advance via Eventbrite or on the door).

Sunday February 5 : ‘Island Fusion’

With Gracey Bee and Kenton Samuels, entertaining stories and poetry with a twist on the ‘island’ theme, 4-5pm, Art Gallery, Wolverhampton, as above. Ticket sales: £3 (in advance via Eventbrite or on the door).

With David Bingham & Simon Fletcher on the theme of ‘built landscape’. We’ll be sharing ways to write poetry about canals, roads, pathways, industrial & domestic buildings and chapels. The workshop will include a short walk around the village.

Meet at Pant village hall, Pant, near Oswestry, Shropshire, SY10 9QG, 10am-4pm. Bring your own lunch and sensible clothing. Refreshments will be provided.

Tickets £25/£20. There is ample parking at the hall. For more info please email: info@offaspress.co.uk

Ironbridge Poetry Readers meet at the Bolthole Cafe, The Wharfage, Ironbridge, Telford, TF8 7AW, 2-4pm, with Simon Fletcher & Ian Parr.

The theme this month is ‘love’ so please bring along one of your favourite ‘love’ poems plus a love poem you’ve written. For more info contact Simon Fletcher or Ian Parr ianmparr@gmail.com

With Iona Mandall, young poet laureate of Birmingham, Billy Spakemon, Margaret Lampitt, Simon Fletcher & Kuli Kohli at the Lych Gate, 44, Queen Square, Wolverhampton, WV1 1TX, 7.30-9pm.

Stories, songs and love poetry to mark St Valentine’s day. MC Simon Fletcher.

Tickets £4 on the door.

With Lizzie Prudence, Kenton Samuels & David Bingham at the ‘Water Rat’, Buildwas Road, Ironbridge, TF8 7BJ, 2.30-4pm.

A pleasant variety of stories and poetry in a charming venue with MC Simon Fletcher. Tickets £5 on the door.

Cherry Doyle and Kuli Kohli will be reading at the ‘There Is No Planet B’ Stafford Green Arts Festival. The poetry reading event is 11am-1pm at St Chad’s Church, Greengage Street, Stafford, ST16 2HP.

Free and no need to book; just turn up.

Emma Purshouse will be at The Court House Pub (Corner of New Street and Tower Street, Dudley DY1 1LP) 7.30-9.30pm talking about making a living as a Black Country based creative. She will be sharing her experiences of writing about the region, her involvement in local arts projects, and her attempts to promote the Black Country further afield. She will share anecdotes and perform some of her own work as part of the talk.

Free to members of The Black Country Society. Non-members £2. NB: The meeting room is a first floor function room without a lift. Car parking is adjacent in Tower Street. Five minute walk from Dudley bus station.