Martin Dean passed away last month after a short illness. He was a very active member of DIY Poets and had recently become involved with Hothouse Theatre on their Dickens Project.

He will be sorely missed and our thoughts go out to his wife and family.

His funeral will be held at Bramcote Crematorium on 14th June @ 11 a.m.

Laika by Martin Dean

Send your submission of no more and no less than 4-6 pieces of poetry (or 1-2 short prose/flash fiction works) and include YOUR NAME in the subject line. [please cut and paste email address and add it to your address book – it’s a spam avoidance technique] We ONLY accept submissions by email.

While nothing is sacred – and we will consider ‘political/current affairs’ contributions – we do reserve the right to reject any submission we feel is deliberately offensive or actionable.

Sorry, we do not pay for submissions – we have no money.

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On the occasion of Abbas Zahedi’s exhibition at Nottingham Contemporary, we are seeking individuals to participate in a day long Open Mic. The activations will be staged on Sun 25 Jun within Abbas’s exhibition space. Each Open Mic will be an ensemble of creative practices; from spoken word or musical performances to visual art presentations, unfolding before a live audience.

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From mocking kings and priests to encouraging audiences to get drunk, newly discovered texts at the National Library of Scotland have shed light on the role played by minstrels in medieval society.

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Anthony Anaxagorou has won the £10,000 RSL Ondaatje Prize 2023, for his “fearless, honest and ultimately hopeful” collection Heritage Aesthetics (Granta Poetry), which draws from his family’s migratory histories.

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Find out some old local tales from Arnold own local history man.

At various venues this may and June

All free

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Waterstones, Nottingham
8th June

We are thrilled to be joined by Rachel Dawson to discuss her queer, political, heart-warming coming of age story set against the backdrop of the 1980s!

In Neon Roses Eluned Hughes is stuck. It's 1984 in a valley in south Wales: the miners' strike is ravaging her community; her sister's swanned off with a Thatcherite policeman; and her boyfriend Lloyd keeps bringing up marriage. And if they play '99 Red Balloons' on the radio one more time, she might just lose her mind.
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Waterstones, Nottingham
9th June

We are thrilled to welcome Tim Marshall to discuss his latest book The Future of Geography.

Tim Marshall is a leading authority on foreign affairs with more than thirty years of reporting experience. He was diplomatic editor at Sky News and has worked for both the BBC and LBC/IRN radio. He has reported from forty countries and covered conflicts in Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Israel.
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Rotterdam
9th - 11th June

Poetry takes you everywhere. Discover the world of the 53rd Poetry International Festival Rotterdam, meet surprising poets from all over the world and get inspired by their unlimited imagination.
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Online
12th June

This is a workshop for writers, performers and theatre-makers looking for a playful, collaborative space to experiment with writing.

A Yorkshire born writer, theatre-maker, performer, poet and clown, Katharine read English at Cambridge and trained in physical theatre creation and performance at the London International School of Performing Arts.
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The Carousel, 25 Hockley, Nottingham
12th June

A gathering of like minded creatives (a writer’s salon, of sorts!) who want to develop, discuss, and learn about the craft of writing using unique forms of practice and theory.

For lyric writers, singers, spoken word artists, musicians, authors, poets, MCs, artists, blog writers, social media content providers, storytellers, script/screenplay writers, and all kinds of people with overactive imaginations.
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The Old School, Bottesford.
13th June

We've been meeting monthly since 2018, first in St. Mary's Church, Bottesford, then online (because of, well you know), and now in our new home at the Fuller Room, The Old School, Bottesford.

Our meetings are free to attend. We'd love to hear what you've been writing, but you are welcome even if you're just at the ideas stage or want that extra support to get started,
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Online
13th June

Connecting with your audience can feel very different in person to how it feels on paper. As a result, there are many published and unpublished writers who dread giving readings and interviews. Yet the enjoyment of connecting with your audience in person is closer than it seems to connecting with them on paper.
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Oxford House Derbyshire Road, London
14th June

The World is in Our Words follows Searle’s teaching, writing and anti-racist mobilising experiences in East London, Sheffield, Canada and Manchester, in particular his five years as a headteacher at Earl Marshal Comprehensive School, Sheffield, where he and the school governors established England’s first non-permanent exclusion policy. The book is about the search to create a truly internationalist school curriculum, using critical literacy, community activism, student self-organisation and academic excellence as its founding principles – an exemplar of Bob Marley’s lyric and the watchwords of the school: ‘None but ourselves can free our minds’.
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