Poetry Reading

We are delighted to be collaborating with Live Canon to organise a series of poetry readings at United Reformed Church, Summertown, celebrating brilliant contemporary voices.

Our second event will be on 11 March 2024, and will feature Barbara Barnes, Josephine Corcoran, Deborah Finding, Lucy Ingrams, Arji Manuelpillai, and Mary Mulholland.

Barbara Barnes

Barbara Barnes began writing at the Poetry School, London, in Roddy Lumsden’s Wednesday group. That led to an MA in Writing Poetry from Newcastle University/Poetry School, which she completed in 2018. Her poems have been published in Butcher’s Dog, Ambit, Poetry London, Magma, South Bank Poetry, Under the Radar and the Brixton Review of Books. In 2016 she won a Troubadour Poetry Prize. Barbara has poetry and a blog for the Southbank Poetry Library’s WS Graham Residency. Her debut collection, ‘Hound Mouth’ was published to huge acclaim by Live Canon, after winning their collection prize. She has had a wide-ranging career as an actress and voiceover artist in Canada, the US and the UK.

Josephine Corcoran

Josephine Corcoran is a writer, originally from the north west of England and now based in west Wiltshire. Her poetry books are Love and Stones (Live Canon, 2023); One Deliberate Red Dress Time I Shone (Coast to Coast to Coast, 2023); What Are You After? (Nine Arches Press, 2018) and The Misplaced House (tall-lighthouse, 2014). Her radio play The Songs that Houses Sing – The House in Tamworth Park was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and Radio 4Extra, and a stage play Jocasta was performed at the Chelsea Theatre, London. Her short story Algebra, winner of the Ian St James Award in 1996, was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and Radio 4Extra.

Since 2010, many of her poems have been published in renowned literary journals, including Poetry Ireland Review, The Rialto, Poetry Wales, The North, Magma, The Manchester Review, Ink, Sweat & Tears, Under the Radar, Butcher’s Dog and elsewhere. She has won the Stafford Poetry Prize and Buzzwords Poetry Competition, and she was a runner up in the Bridport Prize, the Grist Poetry Competition, the Live Canon International Poetry Competition and the Teignmouth Poetry Competition.

Deborah Finding

Deborah Finding is a queer feminist writer from the UK with a background in academia and activism. She is Poet in Residence at London’s Soho Poly Theatre. As well as being widely anthologised, her publications include fourteen poems, Propel, berlin lit, The Friday Poem and Poetry Wales. She was the winner of the Write By the Sea 2022 Poetry Competition, and has been shortlisted, commended or selected for the Troubadour, Ver Poets, Write Bloody, Live Canon, Hammond House, and Hexham Poetry Prizes. Her debut poetry pamphlet ‘vigils for dead and dying girls’ was published with Nine Pens in 2023, and as one of the winners of this year’s pamphlet competition, her second, ‘amortisation’, is forthcoming with Live Canon.

Lucy Ingrams

Lucy Ingrams has had work published in many magazines and journals, most recently Poetry Ireland Review and Agenda. She won the Manchester Poetry Prize in 2015 and the Magma Poetry Competition in 2016. Her debut pamphlet Light-fall was published by Flarestack Poets in 2019.

Arji Manuelpillai

Arji Manuelpillai, a distinguished poet and creative facilitator based in London, gained prominence as the Jerwood/Arvon Mentee mentored by Hannah Lowe. His debut pamphlet, Mutton Rolls (Out-Spoken Press, 2020), captivated readers, setting the stage for his acclaimed release, Improvised Explosive Device (Penned in the Margins, 2022). This highly praised work earned a spot in The Telegraph’s Top 20 poetry books and The Guardian’s best recent poetry section, securing Winter PBS selection and a Derek Walcott Prize Shortlist.

Arji not only excels on the page but also amplifies his poetic passion through ‘Arji’s Poetry Pickle Jar,’ a popular podcast for poetry enthusiasts. Additionally, he plays a pivotal role as the PBS pamphlet choice selector, showcasing his keen eye for exceptional poetry.

Mary Mulholland

Mary is a widely published poet, with a Newcastle/Poetry School MA in Poetry. She founded Red Door Poets and is an editor and co-founder of the poetry magazine, The Alchemy Spoon.