“… life, literature, and the pursuit of happiness in the famous Troubadour cellar-club, London’s liveliest and best–loved poetry landmark since the 1950s …”
welcome
from Coffee-House Poetry organiser, Anne-Marie Fyfe
Dear Troubadour Poetry People
It’s the point at which we usually fall silent, news-wise, for six weeks or so, but you’ll already know we’re committed, this summer, not just to keeping poetry alive through the slow season but to championing the year’s new poets with our London Festival Fringe New Poetry Award (see below right for our fifteen shortlisted titles and click on Read more to see the long-list — first time, we think, anyone’s listed a year’s first collections!)
The announcement at Pizza Express Jazz Club on Monday 16th August will single out one of those first-collection poets for the £2,500 prize, courtesy of Cegin Productions. The London Art and Performance Awards Ceremony at the Waldorf Hilton on 26th August will honour our Award-winning poet — and poetry itself amidst all the other arts — and a special New Poetry Awards reading at the Troubadour will bring the winner and shortlisted poets together again midway through our busy Autumn 2010 season, to read alongside distinguished Poetry Panel judges, Daljit Nagra, Tamar Yoseloff and Adam O’Riordan…
In the meantime entries continue to arrive for the fourth annual Troubadour International Poetry Prize to be judged this year by Gwyneth Lewis and Maurice Riordan, with over £2000 in prizes, so plenty to work on during your summer break if you’ve not sent yours in already: (you’ve until Friday 15th October to submit poems).
And if, like me, you can’t hack the poetry-withdrawal symptoms for too long, you can always head over to Armagh City where I’ll be hosting a reading with Eavan Boland and Sharon Olds on Monday 26th July and interviewing Sharon the following morning, two major events in a week of poets, novelists, creative-writing sessions, discussion panels, music and theatre at the John Hewitt International Summer School, 26th-30th July
Come September we’ve a packed autumn programme including readings, classes and another of our ever-popular Sunday literary walks around WB Yeats’ Bedford Park and Chiswick riverside haunts. Fortnightly readings resume on Monday 20th September through to Monday 13th December with the usual wrap-party, this time on the theme of luck—good and otherwise—fortune, auguries, charms and related superstitiousnesses.
Other season highlights include a visit from Poems on the Underground, a celebration of Rialto poetry magazine’s 25th birthday, the launch of Magma issue 48 with magazine contributors and, among the guest poets, Eliot-winner Philip Gross, plus our 1st November Awards-Night celebration and 29th November Troubadour Poetry Prize event with readings from all twenty-three prizewinners and from judges Maurice Riordan and Gwyneth Lewis, and, of course, announcement of our £1000 winner…
And good news now for wandering troubadours: having extended our range from fortnightly readings to include weekend workshops, classes, seminars, a major annual poetry prize and a vital new-poetry award, we’re delighted to announce we’re expanding our horizons from Earls Court to the historic home of the Troubadours, to the Languedoc, where I’ll be offering a week-long Troubadour-season-in-residence, from themed-workshops, (a concept many of you’ve enjoyed and been inspired by in the Troubadour gallery), to ways into writing, critical sessions, getting published, what makes a good poetry reading, seminars on some of my American idols… and, as you’d expect, the chance to read together: poems that may include work you’ve brought along and developed or new work you’ve started and perfected in this stunningly inspirational birthplace of European poetry, with its neolithic history, classical ruins, and Cathar fortresses… not to mention sun-dappled late-October strolls in shady courtyards or amidst the intense reds and oranges of the Herault valley’s autumn vines… plus the pleasures of Mediterranean cooking and of a leisured if purposeful week’s contemplation, reflection, discussion, inspiration… Watch out for news here on the website and via newsletter as this new strand develops.
Lots to look forward to and much to be getting on with in the meantime, thanks to all your ongoing support, in these daring, without-a-safety-net times. Thanks to all who’ve turned out to readings and classes, who continue to buy season tickets, who’ve submitted poems to our three years of Troubadour International Poetry Prize, who’ve sponsored events (including Peterloo Poets and Cegin Productions) and who’ve generously and anonymously funded some of our very special occasions including a wonderful Yeats event in 2009 and the powerful and moving evening of Russian poetry and music this season.
Keep up with the poetry, reading or writing; we’ll keep you up to date with all that’s happening in the Troubadour world; and do have a great, relaxing, poetic summer!
All best wishes
Anne-Marie
next event
mondays 8-10 pm, £7 (concs. £6)
- mon 20 sep: random harvest: with yvonne green, helen ivory, martin figura, agnieszka studzinska, john greening, gale burns and kate noakes with music from singer/guitarist henry fajemirokun
readings - autumn 2010
mondays 8-10 pm, £7 (concs. £6)
- mon 20 sep: random harvest: with yvonne green, helen ivory, martin figura, agnieszka studzinska, john greening, gale burns and kate noakes with music from singer/guitarist henry fajemirokun
- mon 4 oct: celebrating silver on the rialto: Norwich based poetry magazine the rialto celebrates 25 poetic years with a vaporetto’s-worth of regular and new contributors
See full details of this season’s poetry readings
classes - autumn 2010
sundays 12-3.30 pm, £28 (concs. £24), advance booking only
autumn 2010 workshops and classes will include russians revisited, two new themed workshops and a literary thameside walk
watch this space for more details in september
