Poetry Emergency Festival at New Adephi Studio Theatre and No 70

Sarah-Clare Conlon, Literature Editor

Book now

Poetry Emergency: A North West Radical Poetry Festival

23-24 November 2018

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Poet Amy McCauley. Credit Francesca Sophia.
Book now

To give it its full title, Poetry Emergency: A North West Radical Poetry Festival is a two-day festival bringing together some of the most challenging and surprising poets and performers of the moment for readings and performance, workshops and discussions, displays and even a pop-up book fair.

A rare and exciting creative and learning event for the North West, the festival aims to explore emergency and liveness in radical poetic art, asking: can poetic art intervene against passivity and fear in order to agitate and inspire? In the emergency-prone moment of anxiety and disaster-creation, how can the mini-revolutions of language art snowball into communities of support and resistance?

Split across two days and two sites, you can choose to attend either or indeed both. Tickets are £8 for the whole weekend or £3 for Friday evening (keynote and poetry readings) and £6 for Saturday. Workshops are free to attend, but numbers are limited and – take note – you need to sign up in advance.

Friday takes place at Salford University’s New Adelphi Studio Theatre, with registration at 10am and sessions running 10.30am-9pm. The morning workshop, led by Newcastle-based artist, arts educator and researcher Nicola Singh, looks at performance, emergence and the body; in the afternoon, Leeds-based poet Gloria Dawson will be delving into mischievous dissemination and the poetry of 1968, the year of the Paris Riots. Starting at 4pm, Sean Bonney presents a keynote performance after the work of Greek poet and anarchist Katerina Gogou. Sean is also one of the poets reading in the evening from 6.30pm – and will be joined by Amy McCauley, Claire Potter and Stuart Calton.

On Saturday, the festival moves across to Manchester and, more precisely, the Metropolitan University’s 70 Oxford Street building (formerly Cornerhouse). Sessions run 10.30am-9pm and you can expect a day packed with poetry readings, poetry-adjacent performance, discussions and displays.

Poetry books and pamphlets of interest will be available to view in the Manchester Metropolitan University Special Collections reading room at All Saints Library during the afternoon (12.30-3.30pm), and there will also be de facto displays of slogans and snippets and other materials contributed via international mail by Bhanu Kapil, while a mini book fair will give you the opportunity to get your hands on work by some of the performing poets and publishers involved.

Various performance sessions will take place throughout the day, including Young Identity, Gloria Dawson and Nicola Singh (presenting a brand-new performance piece created following her workshop on Friday) in the morning and, starting at 3.30pm, readings in association with regular avant-garde reading series Peter Barlow’s Cigarette, featuring Zoë Skoulding, Lila Matsumoto, Nathan Walker, Rhys Trimble and Maggie O’Sullivan.

Also in the afternoon, following readings by Nat Raha and Nisha Ramayya, Danny Hayward will facilitate a discussion on poetry and anti-fascist culture, then after a break for dinner, the evening will be filled with musical and other sound performances from Tear Fet, THF Drenching and Food People.

Props surely must go to Joey Frances and Nia Alban Davies for organising the event, developed in collaboration with Salford University and the North West Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership, Manchester Metropolitan University, and in association with Poetry Wales and Peter Barlow’s Cigarette. Now get online and book your tickets!

Where to go near Poetry Emergency Festival at New Adephi Studio Theatre and No 70

Restaurant 2
Leeds
Café or Coffee Shop
Empire Café

Empire Café is located in Leeds’ ‘home of day dining’- Fish street!

Restaurant
Leeds
Restaurant
Phranakhon

Phranakhon Thai Tapas is a revolutionised Thai dining restaurant with a combination of European indulgence and authentic Thai tastes.

Restaurant
Leeds
Restaurant
Wen’s

Wen’s is a family owned Chinese restaurant specialising in authentic, home cooked cuisine.

Stevenson Square
Manchester
Stevenson Square

Stevenson Square, the central hub of bars and cafes in Northern Quarter. Home to some of the best bars in the city.

CUPRA City Garage DJ Decks
City Centre
Café or Coffee Shop
CUPRA City Garage

Already based in Paris, Mexico City, Sydney and Vienna, CUPRA’s international expansion is driven by culture as much as cars, and Manchester’s creative energy has clearly caught their attention.

Ancoats
Restaurant
Bruco

Bruco is a new restaurant in Ancoats, serving up stylish Italian small plates.

Samsi
Manchester
Restaurant
Samsi

Long-standing Japanese restaurant on Whitworth Street in Manchester with a pleasingly affordable menu.

The Pavilion Gardens, which also houses the Pavilion Arts Centre, is a beautiful, historic venue dating back to 1871 which superbly shows off the Victorian splendour of Buxton. Set within twenty three acres of magnificent, landscaped gardens and play areas, the venue provides the perfect setting for fun and relaxing family days out, with great food and drink, shopping and over 100 events and festivals throughout the year.
Buxton
Cinema
Pavilion Arts Centre

A historic gem in Buxton’s Pavilion Gardens, Pavilion Arts Centre houses an intimate 360-seat theatre and cinema.

Leeds
Gallery
The Sculpture Gallery

The Sculpture Gallery is an outstanding new gallery, of pure sculpture, showcasing the work, not only of the six owners but guests also.

A club bedroom at Malmaison Leeds
Leeds
Hotel
Malmaison Leeds

Malmaison Leeds is a historic and dramatic building, full of character and individual style. Beautifully refurbished quirky bedrooms with power showers, blackout curtains and great beds.

On The Wall is a funky independent shop that sells a wide range of creative and artistic items including, posters, art prints, canvases, greeting cards and merchandise/gifts. They also offer a bespoke framing and canvas printing service and a screen printed t- shirt service. If you are looking for something more unique and inspiring they also sell work by local artists.
Leeds
Shop
On The Wall

Bright, bold and full of character, On the Wall pairs expert framing with prints, posters and gifts inside Leeds Corn Exchange.

What's on: Literature

LiteratureLeeds
Lisa Jewell at the Old Woollen

“Twisty page-turners. Domestic dramas. Bone-chilling suspense.” That’s how #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jewell is described by her publisher Simon & Schuster on their home page for her.

From £18.00
Jenn Ashworth at Blackwell's Manchester
LiteratureManchester
Jenn Ashworth at Blackwells

Jenn Ashworth is back at Blackwells bookshop for the Manchester launch of her latest work, reading extracts and chatting to Helen Mort about how The Parallel Path came about.

From £4.00
LiteratureLeeds
Chemistry at The Chemic

Leeds live literature regular Chemistry offers an exciting mix of open mic acts and invited poets – this month the headliners include Rosie Garland.

Free entry
Poet Mike Garry. Photo Paul Wolfgang Webster
LiteratureManchester
Word Central at Central Library

Word Central is a long-standing live literature favourite at Central Library and features open mic performers and a special guest, brought to you by Manchester Libraries and Flapjack Press.

Free entry
Cover of a book with a canal boat on it saying boater by Jo Bell
LiteratureManchester
Jo Bell at The Portico Library

Poet and now memoirist Jo Bell invites you to join her “for a friendly evening” at The Portico Library when she’ll be talking about her new “smart, funny” memoir Boater.

From £6.00

Culture Guides

Exhibitions in the North

Captivating, urgent and intimate - we bring you our top exhibition picks, with even more art festivals, artist-led shows and new venues.

Theatre in Manchester
Theatre in the North

Summer signals theatre festivals, world premieres and open-air spectacle - from MIF25 to comedy, outdoor circus and beyond, here’s what we’re looking forward to.

European Poetry Festival European Camarade
Literature Events in the North

From tongue-twisters to twisty page-turners, we have all kinds of spoken word surprises in the latest literature round-up.

Cloudwater Production One
Tours and Activities in the North

Go forth with wild abandon to dance the pavements, dabble with the paint and down the pints in this month's tours and activities guide.

Star Nhà Ease
Cinema in the North

July's cinema highlights include spotlights on international cinema, a new cult classic, plus a visit from one of our favourite directors.

Helena Hauff
Music in the North

Shape-shifting bands, scorched-earth techno, and off-grid festivals. Our latest music picks catch the live scene at its most urgent, inventive and alive.