Clare Best readings in November

Frogmore poet and editor Clare Best will be reading at two events in London in the coming weeks:

On Thursday 21 November, at Art Workers Guild,  2-4 pm 

6 Queen Square, 

Bloomsbury, London WC1N 3AT

Adjudication event for the Second Light poetry competition, with Moniza Alvi. Clare will be reading 'Cell' which has won 1st prize in the long poem category.

On Monday 25 November, 6pm, at St George's, University of London, Clare will be presenting 'Self-portrait without Breasts' as per the link below. This is a free event. 

http://www.sgul.ac.uk/research/public-engagement/the-art-of-medicine-self-portrait-without-breasts

Call for submissions: morphrog - 'poetry in the extreme'

The eighth edition of morphrog, the Frogmore Press online journal edited by Jeremy Page and Peter Stewart, will go live on 1 January 2014.  

Submissions of 'poetry in the extreme' are welcome to morphrog@gmail.com up until 30 November. The current edition can be found at: http://www.morphrog.com/

Impressions from yesterday's event at Shoreham Airport

Mike Bartholomew-Biggs

Impressions from yesterday's event at Shoreham Airport. 

Michael Bartholomew-Biggs launched his new collection Fred & Blossom, a poetic tale about love and flying, which was reviewed in the latest number of The Frogmore Papers. 

He was joined by guest readers and fellow Frogmore voices Jeremy Page and Jackie Wills. Jackie Wills introduced her new collection Woman's Head as Jug.

Mike Bartholomew-Biggs, Jackie Wills, Jeremy Page

Jeremy Page

Nancy Mattson, Mike Bartholomew-Biggs

Tasting Notes - a poetry film by Matthew Stewart

Frogmore poet Matthew Stewart has created a poetry film of his HappenStance collection Tasting Notes. 

 Watch it here:
http://vimeo.com/72256178

October events

On Tuesday 15 October, at Shoreham Airport (7.00 pm), Michael Bartholomew-Biggs will launch his  new collection Fred & Blossom, a poetic tale about love and flying, which was reviewed in the latest number of The Frogmore Papers.  He will be joined by guest readers and fellow Frogmore voices Jeremy Page and Jackie Wills.  Fred & Blossom is based on the story of F. G. Miles and Maxine Forbes-Robertson, who fell in love in an aeroplane at Shoreham and went on to design and build successful light aircraft during the 1930s.  Through their lives we learn about the beginnings of airline travel, the British class system, the Spanish Civil War and the golden age of detective fiction.  The event is free and all are welcome, but please RSVP to mbiggs@sampo.plus.com

On Thursday 24 October Grace Nichols and John Agard (7.45 pm, doors 7.00)  will be reading at Needlewriters in Lewes.  Grace will be reading from her collection Picasso, I Want My Face Back and John will be reading a selection of his work, particularly from his new Bloodaxe volume Travel Light Travel Dark.  

Tickets are £5 (£3 unwaged and claiming benefit) and are available in advance from Skylark bookshop in the Needlemakers, Lewes (and why not pick up a copy of the new issue of The Frogmore Papers while you’re about it?). It is anticipated that this event will sell out and early purchase of tickets is strongly recommended.  More information from:  http://www.needlewriters.co.uk/

 And on the subject of John Agard, the Frogmore blogmaster cannot resist posting this wonderful picture of John receiving The Queen's Gold Medal of Poetry 2012:

Autumn issue of The Frogmore Papers appears

Cover art by Leah Fusco

The latest edition of The Frogmore Papers is now out and will be sent out to contributors and subscribers within the next few days.  The Papers’ 82^nd number contains new poetry from Ann Alexander, Robert Etty, Fred Johnston, Maitreyabandhu and others, prose from Derrick Buttress, Alan Blackwood, Robert  Maslen and Josie Turner, artwork from Alexei Talimonov and all of the poems shortlisted for this year’s Frogmore Poetry Prize by Stephanie Norgate, including the winning poem by Emily Wills.

The suitably autumnal cover was designed by Rye-based artist Lea Fusco (http://www.leahfusco.co.uk/)

Copies are available from The Frogmore Press for £5.00 (post free) or may be purchased from Skylark bookshop in the Needlemakers, Lewes.

Polyscriptum – poetry, translation, language, metaphor

morphrog editor Peter Stewart’s Polyscriptum website – ‘poetry, translation, language, metaphor’ – has been given a spring clean and went live in its new incarnation on 8 August.  

Arthur Rimbaud

In addition to Peter’s translations of Lorca, there are also translations of Leopardi, Verlaine and Heine by Frogmore Papers editor Jeremy Page together with his (1980) translation of Rimbaud’s ‘Drunken Boat’ (‘Le Bateau Ivre’).  

The site also features translations from Finnish by Richard Powell and poems by Janet Sutherland, whose third collection is due from Shearsman next year.  

Link here: http://www.polyscriptum.com/