Spark! Poetry Festival

Francesca de Tores opens Spark! with a challenge for poetry to be political

Territories of the heart, with Anne Gleeson, Angela Costi and Nathan Curnow

Conversations: poetry in dialogue with other kinds of texts, with Dominique Hecq, Diane Fahey and Ross Gillett.

Diane Fahey talks about her poem ‘Goldfinch’

Lesh Karan reads

Collaborations – Anne M. Carson, Angela Costi, Rose Lucas, Anne Elvey, and JMW Turner

Q&A with Emilie Collyer and Stephanie Powell at the launch of ‘Invisible Wasp’

Poets, audience, and the support team (the ladies in black and Aaron).

Invisible Wasp flew – Emilie Collyer launched Stephanie Powell’s wonderful new collection. Steph read some of her fabulous poems and discuss her poetic craft with Emilie. If you missed it on the day, you can listen to Emilie and Steph here.

Read Francesca's opening words

Spark! – an energy charge through poetry

“Congratulations on building such a poetry community – one that is respected and contributes to deeper meanings – and thank you for including me!”

It was fantastic to have so many terrific poets and audience participants at our first ‘in person’ Poetry Festival on 26 October – Spark in name and nature!

The Festival was opened by Francesca de Tores (who also writes as Francesca Haig) poet and author of five novels, most recently the bestselling historical novel, Saltblood. Francesca set the scene for the immediate and the big picture, challenging us to find ways for poetry to lead to action, to “turn that poetic attention to the world, which has never needed it more”.

What does it mean to love? Nathan Curnow, Anne Gleeson and Angela Costi kicked off the Festival, exploring the endlessly rich ‘Territories of the Heart’.

How do different forms of art talk to each other? Ross Gillett, Diane Fahey and Dominique Hecq read and talked about their inspirations for poetry from visual and other forms of art.

Nathan Curnow hosted readings by 7 poets who have been short listed or winners in the recent Liquid Amber Poetry Prizes.

And a 220-year-old sketch book (by JMW Turner no less) stimulated a poetic collaboration between Anne Elvey, Anne Carson, Angela Costi and Rose Lucas. They took the dive deep on what emerged for them from the image of a shipwreck.

 

Introducing the Liquid Amber range