PROGRAMME OF EVENTS
You can click on this Word file for a full list of our readings this year. It will be updated as necessary, but please check the information on the webpage below for details of upcoming events.
Friday 25th April 2025 at 7.00 pm: Poetry Reading and Open Mic
Shanta Acharya and Jane Duran will be our guest readers on Friday 25th April at St Albans Library.
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Shanta is the author of thirteen books. Her recent poetry collections are Dear Life (LWL Books, USA; 2025); What Survives Is the Singing (Indigo Dreams Publishing, UK; 2020) and Imagine: New and Selected Poems (HarperCollins Publishers, India; 2017). Her doctoral study, The Influence of Indian Thought on Ralph Waldo Emerson, was published in the USA IN 2001 and her novel, A World Elsewhere, in 2015.
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Jane has published six poetry collections: her first collection, Breathe Now, Breathe (Enitharmon, 1995) won the Forward Prize for Best First Collection. Her most recent collection, the clarity of distant things, was published by Carcanet in 2021. Together with Gloria García Lorca, she has co-translated Lorca's Gypsy Ballads (Enitharmon, 2011), and his Sonnets of Dark Love and The Tamarit Divan (Enitharmon, 2017). She received a Cholmondeley Award in 2005.
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Their readings will be followed by an open mic (sign up on the day from 6.30 pm). Open to non-members as well as members.
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Free entry
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Location: St Albans Central Library, The Maltings, Victoria Street, AL1 3JQ
Wednesday 26th March 2025: Poetry at The Mad Squirrel
Join us at The Mad Squirrel Tap on Wednesday 26th March for an open-mic evening with guest poet Stuart Handysides from Ware Poets. The event is free and open to all (sign up on the night from 7.00 pm if you want to read). The venue serves food including tasty pizzas so come along to enjoy some food and drink as well as an evening of fabulous poetry.
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​Mad Squirrel Tap, Heritage Close, 17 High Street, St Albans, AL3 4EB​
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7.00pm for a 7.30pm start
Saturday 8th March 2025 at 11.00 am: Poetry Reading and Open Mic
Martin Figura and Helen Ivory will be our guest readers on Saturday 8th March at St Albans Library. Martin is an award-winning poet, whose latest collection, "The Remaining Men", was published last year. Helen's latest collection, "Constructing a Witch", was also published last year and is a PBS Winter Recommendation. Their readings will be followed by an open mic (sign up on the day from 10.30 am). Open to non-members as well as members.
Free entry
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Location: St Albans Central Library, The Maltings, Victoria Street, AL1 3JQ
Wednesday 29th January 2025: Poetry at The Mad Squirrel
Join us at The Mad Squirrel Tap on Wednesday 29th January for an open-mic evening. The event is free and open to all (sign up on the night from 7.00 pm if you want to read). The venue serves food including tasty pizzas so come along to enjoy some food and drink as well as an evening of fabulous poetry.
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​Mad Squirrel Tap, Heritage Close, 17 High Street, St Albans, AL3 4EB​
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7.00pm for a 7.30pm start
Wednesday 27th November 2024: Poetry at The Mad Squirrel
Join us at The Mad Squirrel Tap on Wednesday 27th November for an open-mic evening with guest poet, Peter Raynard. The event is free and open to all (sign up on the night from 7.00 pm if you want to read). The venue serves food including tasty pizzas so come along to enjoy some food and drink as well as an evening of fabulous poetry.
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​Mad Squirrel Tap, Heritage Close, 17 High Street, St Albans, AL3 4EB​
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7.00pm for a 7.30pm start
Friday 15th November 2024: Poetry Reading and Open Mic
Michael Bartholomew-Biggs and Nancy Mattson will be our guest readers, together with Louise Walker. Michael, the Editor of London Grip Poetry, published his sixth full collection, "Identified Flying Objects", earlier this year. Nancy has published four full collections, the latest of which is "Vision on Platform 2". Louise has recently published her first collection, "From There to Here". Their readings will be followed by an open mic (sign up on the night from 7.00 pm). Open to non-members as well as members.
Free entry
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Location: St Albans Central Library, The Maltings, Victoria Street, AL1 3JQ
Friday 4th October 2024: Poetry Workshop
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Join us in St Michael's Parish Centre on Friday 4th October for a poetry workshop.
Gill Knibbs, who has devised numerous poetry exercises, will prepare a group activity designed to produce ideas, images or words to provide inspiration for a poem. Some participants may share their results on the evening.
The session will run for about two hours. Bring pens/pencils and writing paper. The workshop is FREE and open to all.
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St Michael's Parish Centre, St Michael's Street, St Albans, AL3 4SL
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7.00 pm – 9.00 pm
Wednesday 25th September 2024: Poetry at The Mad Squirrel
Join us at The Mad Squirrel Tap on Wednesday 25th September for an open-mic evening with special guest, the poet and critic, Merryn Williams. The event is free and open to members and non-members (sign up on the night from 7.00 pm if you want to read). The venue serves food including tasty pizzas so come along to enjoy some food and drink as well as an evening of fabulous poetry.
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Mad Squirrel Tap, Heritage Close, 17 High Street, St Albans, AL3 4EB
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7.00 pm for a 7.30 pm start
Wednesday 31st July 2024: Poetry at The Mad Squirrel
Postponed from 10 July, this open-mic evening follows the success of our first event at The Mad Squirrel in March. It will be held in their newly-refurbished, private upstairs room and is free and open to the public. Members and non-members will be able to participate (sign up on the night from 7.00pm). The venue serves food including tasty pizzas so come along to enjoy some food and drink as well as an evening of fabulous poetry.
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Mad Squirrel Tap, Heritage Close, 17 High Street, St Albans, AL3 4EB
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7.00pm for a 7.30pm start
Friday 28th June 2024: Poetry reading and open mic
Martyn Crucefix will be our guest reader this evening. Martyn is a well-known poet, a Royal Literary Fund Fellow and an old friend of Ver Poets. He has recently published a new collection of his own poems, Between a Drowning Man, and a selection of his translations from Rilke, Change Your Life: Essential Poems. This will be followed by an open mic where you can read a poem.
Free entry
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Location: St Albans Central Library, The Maltings, Victoria Street, AL1 3JQ
