New and local voices in poetry for National Poetry Day: To risk or not to risk?

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New and local voices in poetry for National Poetry Day: To risk or not to risk? A collaborative exploration

At the heart of all creativity is risk and play.’

- Joelle Taylor
How risky is the business of writing poetry? Join us on National Poetry Day as we host four poets at different stages in their poetry careers as they explore the risks they take, and sometimes don’t take, in their poetry. Join them for an evening of readings and dialogue as they consider questions such as: How much of the ‘I’ am I? What do we have the right to write about? Which skin is my poem in? What risks can we take to disrupt language?

Elaine Beckett
Elaine was born in London and has worked in music, film and architecture. Her debut poetry pamphlet ‘Faber New Poets 13’ was published in 2016. Her first full length collection, ‘Sea Creature Regrows Entire Body‘ (2021) is available from Verve Poetry Press. Her poems have appeared widely in various publications including The Poetry Review, The North, and the New European. www.elainebeckett.com [http://www.elainebeckett.com]

A chinese-malaysian living in London, L Kiew works as a charity sector leader and accountant. Her debut pamphlet The Unquiet was published by Offord Road Books in 2019. She was longlisted in the 2019 National Poetry Competition and was a 2019/2020 London Library Emerging Writer. L Kiew’s first collection More than Weeds was published by Nine Arches Press in 2023. www.lhhkiew.co.uk [//www.lhhkiew.co.uk]
Twitter @l kiew [https://x.com/l kiew]. Instagram @l.kiew [https://www.instagram.com/l.kiew/].

Originally from French-speaking Montreal, Ann Pelletier-Topping now lives in Devon. Her work won second prize in the National Poetry Competition and has appeared in Ambit, The Poetry Review, Tears in the Fence, Obsessed with Pipework and is forthcoming in Shearsman. She runs poetry workshops and is working on her debut pamphlet. Twitter @AnnPelletierT [https://x.com/AnnPelletierT].

Helen Scadding is a South Devon poet. Her pamphlet Sand on the Stairs was published by Grey Hen in October 2023. She has recently been published in Typishly, Literary Mama, Unearthing Dartmoor, Green Ink, Tears in the Fence, Raceme, and Ink, Sweat & Tears. www.Helenscadding.co.uk [http://www.Helenscadding.co.uk]