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2023
27th October 2023:
Autumn reading Will Harris is a London-based writer. His debut poetry book RENDANG (2020) was shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize and won the Forward Prize for Best First Collection. He co-edited the Spring 2020 issue of The Poetry Review with Mary Jean Chan. He has collaborated with the artist Aisha Farr, and helps facilitate the Southbank New Poets Collective with Vanessa Kisuule. He co-translated Habib Tengour’s Consolatio with Delaina Haslam in 2022. He is currently a Visiting Poetry Fellow at UEA working towards a community-led archive of four poets’ work. His second book of poems, Brother Poem (2023), is published by Granta in the UK and by Wesleyan University Press in the US. Joseph Minden is a poet and secondary school teacher based in Brighton UK. His first collection Poppy (2022) was a Daily Telegraph poetry book of the year and highly commended in the Forward Prizes. Backlogues, a long poem recounting the period of the first Covid-19 lockdown, was published by Broken Sleep Books in 2023. Throughout October 2023
Poetry Posters: Following the success of previous Poetry Posters events, we repeated our campaign running throughout the month, starting on National Poetry Day on Thursday 5th October, with the Poetry Trail on posters in shops, businesses, cafes, pubs, and museums throughout the town. 13th June 2023:
Summer Reading: Sightings With Jane Downes and John Killick Jane Downes writes beautifully crafted, warm and witty poetry. Her new collection 'Sightings' is a collection of 'Bird Poems'. She read from the collection at this launch event for her pamphlet. Jane spends her time between Tosside and Sussex and came to our attention at last year's open mic session. She also gave a preview of the collection at our Spring Reading in April. Jane was supported by our own John Killick, sharing some of his comic poems. This was John's final reading as a resident of Settle (see News). |
21st April 2023:
Spring Reading With Amanda Dalton and Esther Morgan Amanda Dalton is a poet, playwright, tutor, theatre artist and consultant. She has two collections published by Bloodaxe Books, How to Disappear (1999) and Stray (2012). How to Disappear was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best First Collection and she was chosen as a Next Generation Poet in 2004. Additional collections, the chapbook 30 Poems in 30 Days (Arc, 2021) and Notes on Water (Smith|Doorstop, 2022) are also available as are contributions to several anthologies. She writes for BBC Radio 3 & 4 and theatre, and collaborates widely with artists working in other forms including photographers, psychotherapists and composers. Read more about her work at her website amandadalton.co.uk and on the Bloodaxe Books website. Esther Morgan's first collection, Beyond Calling Distance (Bloodaxe Books, 2001) won the Aldeburgh First Collection Prize and was short-listed for the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize. Other collections available are The Silence Living in Houses (Bloodaxe, 2005), Grace (Bloodaxe Books. 2011) and The Wound Register (Bloodaxe Books, 2018). Her work has been shortlisted for many prizes and the poem This Morning (from Grace) won the Bridport Poetry Prize. Esther, a graduate of Newnham College Cambridge, gained an MA in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia. Esther has taught at Edith Cowan University in Perth, Australia, and UAE where she also edited four volumes of the anthology Reactions (2000 - 2003). She also helped to set up The Poetry Archive, an online archive of poets reading their own work - you can read more about Esther and listen to her reading some of her own poems here on the Poetry Archive. |
2022
9th December 2022:
Launch of Two New Collections With Tricia Robinson and Rosalind Parkes. Tricia Robinson has always enjoyed writing though she admits, 'It has always just been tucked away in a file'. That is until about 7 years ago when she moved to Settle, North Yorkshire, and met other local creative writers, two of whom have been significant in helping her take her writing to another level. Her first submission to any publication was ‘River’ in 2021, to ‘Orbis’. It was accepted and voted joint first by its readers to receive the ‘Readers Award’. Tricia takes early morning walks in the hills that surround Settle. She finds their weathered, constant presence stimulates thoughts for new poems and also concern for the environment. Tricia read from her new pamphlet called 'On The Edge' for us in December. |
Rosalind Parkes celebrates with precision and delicacy the landscapes she loves, and their connections with the human heart.
Below is an extract from her pamphlet, Epiphany, from which she read for us. - seabirds watched for all through the summer suddenly appear inshore, brought close by a storm at sea.
Shearwaters, sought All summer, suddenly are there, looping But purposeful, gracing with tips of wings The surface of the sea. Tracery wrought In flight with flourish and speed is brought to rest; they land, albeit briefly, then turn, Repeating and repeating the pattern They have made. The joy of it! They flew, It seems, to meet me, venturing to within A half a hundred metres of my heart. I find the echo of their flight path start Inside my mind. |
25th November 2022:
Poetry of The Open Air With Jean Atkin and Nancy Campbell Jean Atkin’s most recent books are ‘Fan-peckled’ (Fair Acre Press) poems about the lost words of Shropshire, and ‘The Bicycles of Ice and Salt’ (IDP) in 2021. Her poetry has won competitions, been commissioned, anthologised, and featured on BBC Radio 4. She was BBC National Poetry Day Poet for Shropshire 2019 and Troubadour of the Hills for Ledbury Poetry Festival. Recent work has appeared in Raceme, Pennine Platform and Finished Creatures. She works as a poet in education and community. Find out more at Jean's website: jeanatkin.com Nancy Campbell writes poetry, essays and non-fiction. A series of residencies with Arctic research institutions between 2010 and 2017 led to books including The Library of Ice, How To Say ‘I Love You’ In Greenlandic: An Arctic Alphabet and Fifty Words for Snow. A memoir set closer to home, describing a summer of love, loss and vintage caravans, Thunderstone, was published this year. Nancy’s first poetry collection Disko Bay was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best First Collection 2016 and the 2017 Michael Murphy Memorial Prize. In 2018/19 she was appointed the UK’s Canal Laureate by the Canal & River Trust and The Poetry Society; the resulting poems were published as a pamphlet, Navigations. A new book, Uneasy Pieces, is forthcoming from Guillemot Press in November 2022. Find out more at Nancy's website: nancycampbell.co.uk |
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October - Poster Poems
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The popular poetry trail around Settle took place throughout October, with posters on display in a wide range of venues, from shop windows to pubs and clubs, and we are grateful for the support of everyone who agreed to help make the event such a success. A pamphlet containing a selection of this year's poems is still available from the Museum Shop at The Folly and all proceeds help us continue to bring the best of contemporary poets to Settle for our series of readings.
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28th July
September - Settle Sessions on Television
BBC1 programme 'Escape To The Country' (Series 23, Episode 9) was filmed in North Yorkshire and included a visit to Settle. With the featured buyer having an interest in creative writing we seemed a natural fit and the producers invited SSP Chair, John Killick and two of our poets (Tricia Robinson & Laura Strickland) to be interviewed at The Folly. Tricia spoke about her love of the area and how it inspires her writing, whilst John and Laura chatted about SSP and what we do. There were a few shots around the town including local shops and the Tuesday market. The chap read one of Joan Butler's poems in the window of local charity shop, Miss Victoria's Emporium (as seen in our Poster Poems event, which ran throughout October).
September - Settle Sessions on Television
BBC1 programme 'Escape To The Country' (Series 23, Episode 9) was filmed in North Yorkshire and included a visit to Settle. With the featured buyer having an interest in creative writing we seemed a natural fit and the producers invited SSP Chair, John Killick and two of our poets (Tricia Robinson & Laura Strickland) to be interviewed at The Folly. Tricia spoke about her love of the area and how it inspires her writing, whilst John and Laura chatted about SSP and what we do. There were a few shots around the town including local shops and the Tuesday market. The chap read one of Joan Butler's poems in the window of local charity shop, Miss Victoria's Emporium (as seen in our Poster Poems event, which ran throughout October).
28th July
Open Mic Night
The Folly, Settle
Our first Open Mic Night was held at The Folly in Settle and, even if we say so ourselves, was a great success. We had twelve poets, in all, stepping up to share five minutes or so each of their work, followed by a convivial glass glass of wine and then our AGM. We (as in, our audience) were entertained by a combination of familiar Settle Sessions faces, some old friends we hadn't seen in a while and several new ones sharing their work with us for the first time. See you next year!
Poets reading were: Heather Lane, John Raubenheimer, Jane Downes, Joan Butler, Richard Morwood, Tricia Robinson, Ann Pilling, Peter Tebbutt, Sandra Fox, Laura Strickland, Rosalind Parkes and John Killick.
Open Mic Night
The Folly, Settle
Our first Open Mic Night was held at The Folly in Settle and, even if we say so ourselves, was a great success. We had twelve poets, in all, stepping up to share five minutes or so each of their work, followed by a convivial glass glass of wine and then our AGM. We (as in, our audience) were entertained by a combination of familiar Settle Sessions faces, some old friends we hadn't seen in a while and several new ones sharing their work with us for the first time. See you next year!
Poets reading were: Heather Lane, John Raubenheimer, Jane Downes, Joan Butler, Richard Morwood, Tricia Robinson, Ann Pilling, Peter Tebbutt, Sandra Fox, Laura Strickland, Rosalind Parkes and John Killick.
23rd April
Spring Reading - Inspired by Landscapes: Phoebe Caldwell and Heather Lane The Folly, Settle Readings by two new Settle Sessions poets to celebrate the launch of their new collections, published by Fisherrow. Phoebe Caldwell read from Listening to the Landscape (2021). Heather Lane read from her first pamphlet, Elliptical (2022). |
2021
November - Reading - Poetry Platform
Autumn Reading
Friday, 26th November The Folly, Settle Reading by guest poet Julia Deakin, editor of the poetry magazine Pennine Platform and author of several poetry collections, including Without A Dog and Sleepless. She was joined by local poets Jean Stevens and John Raubenheimer. |
2019
November - Two poets from Cumbria
Friday, 15th November 2019, 7.30 pm
Friends Meeting House Kerry Darbishire Kerry won our 2018 Poetry Competition. Her first publication is A Lift of Wings. Geraldine Green Geraldine's most recent publication is Passing Through. |
September - RESULTS OF 2019 POETRY COMPETITION
Friday, 20th September 2019, 7.30 pm
Friends Meeting House Adjudication by Jane Routh followed by readings by prizewinning poets. Jane Routh Jane’s fourth book of poems listening to the night was recently published. She also has a prose book Falling Into Place about Bowland where she lives. Mike Barlow Mike has won many prizes and has a number of publications. The latest is Some Kind of Ghost. |