Thank you to all the writers, publishers, editors involved in the inaugural Polyverse event, including those who had the misfortune to need to withdraw due to illness, et cetera. Thank you also to everyone who came along to the event. All of you made it special. For me, it was wonderful to meet so many of you, but also sad because I didn't get the opportunity to meet you all, or spend more time with the people I did.

WHAT'S NEXT? I am aiming to make this a regular event (every one or two years). To keep up to date with developments, please join this group:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=25185080978&ref=ts

and invite everyone else to join, too!

Also/or e-mail me at the address below to go on the Polyverse mailing list.

EVENT: POLYVERSE POETRY FESTIVAL
http://www.lboro.ac.uk/service/publicity/news-releases/2009/87_PoetLaureate.html

VENUE: English & Drama Department of Loughborough University, Leicestershire, LE11 3TT, England, UK
http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/ea/

For details of courses at Loughborough, see http://www.lboro.ac.uk/
or telephone +44 (0)1509 263171.

http://www.polyversepoets.co.uk and
http://www.polyversepoets.com


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ABOUT THE AUTHORS, SHOWS WORKSHOPS AND PUBLISHERS:

CAROL ANN DUFFY

Visit Carol Ann Duffy's web site to learn more about her writing and other work: http://www.carolannduffy.co.uk/

Polyverse Poetry Festival and the English and Drama Department of Loughborough University are very grateful to the Literature Network for supporting Carol Ann Duffy's appearance.
http://www.literaturenetwork.org/

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DREAMS OF MAY - first public performance of this critically acclaimed play outside London.
It is a one woman play in poetry about loss and transition. The play takes place on a train where the woman’s memory is triggered by objects causing her to look over her life and confront her demons. This internal conversation is revealed to the audience through poetry and music, ultimately expressing a life of growth, and the discovery of a hope which allows the character to find her way forward.
Written by SUE GUINEY http://www.sueguiney.com/
Interview:
http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/WEBSITE/WWW/WEBPAGES/viewarticle.php?type=interview&id=129
Starring ROSALIND CRESSY http://www.thelionspart.co.uk/aboutus/rosalindcressy.html

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PLANET YOUNG byaward-winning poet Gerry Potter (aka Chloe Poems). Author of 'Miracle, Gerry's new show companion book, 'Planet Young' is released in the summer.

He is providing a free workshop at the festival.

http://www.studiosalford.com/

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STORIES DRUMMED TO POLAR SKIES by Siobhan Logan.
Exclusive and specially rewritten version of the dazzling fusion of poetry and science spectacular. The original version of 'Stories Drummed to Polar Skies' was performed at the National Science Museum and the Richard Attenborough Centre. Siobhan's first book is now available to order: Firebridge to Skyshore: A Northern Lights Journey (published by Original Press, http://www.freewebs.com/thesamsmith/originalplusbooks.htm).
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/siobhan.logan1/

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POETS CONFIRMED TO READ/PERFORM

GAIL ASHTON, author of "Ghost Songs" (Cinnamon)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ghost-Songs-Gail-Ashton/dp/1905614195

CAROLE BALDOCK (editor of "Orbis"), author of "Bitching" (poetry, publisher: Sound), widely anthologised, and also the author of numerous non-fiction books, including "How to Make Money from Writing" and "How to Succeed as a Single Parent".
http://www.kudoswritingcompetitions.com

DAVID BIRCUMSHAW, "The Ghost Machine," "A Chide's Alphabet" and "The Animal Subsidies" (Arrowhead)
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/david.bircumshaw/

JULIE BODEN, Birmingham Poet Laureate (2002/3), Poet-in-residence at Symphony Hall and Town Hall in Birmingham, amongst other highly poetic things! Author of "Beyond the Bullring"," Cut on the Bias", "Through the Eye of a Crow", "Wasted Lives", and "Bluebeard's Wife" (Pontefract Press).
http://www.julieboden.co.uk/

J.BROOKES: "The Dresden Cantata", "Dusting the Bin" and "Deafening the Nose".
http://pure-poetry.co.uk/otherpoets/guestpoet2/jbrookes.htm

WAYNE BURROWS, editor of Staple, and author of "Marginalia" (Peterloo)
http://wayneburrows.wordpress.com/

NICK CARBO, "Chinese, Japanese, What are These?", Andalusian Dawn" and "Secret Asian Man"
http://www.cherry-grove.com/carbo.html

SALLY CLARK, anthologised by Templar (2007-8), and also in Magma, Shit Creek Review, and Snakeskin. Placed in the Bridport 2005) and BBC Wildlife Poet (2005).
http://www.myspace.com/sallyclarkpoet

JENN CLARKE: Jenn is from Hinckley and, despite being an art student, was one of the Foyle Young Poets of the Year for 2008; an amazing achievement. She has poems forthcoming in Cake, Neon and Diagram. "An exciting new voice with a sense of style and humour: self conscious as well as self-confident. Biting, vulnerable, literate…"

JANE COMMANE: anthologised in "Gists and Piths", "Bluebeard's Wives", et cetera; co-editor of "Under the Radar"; co-founder of Nine Arches Press (with Matt Nunn).
http://www.saltpublishing.com/horizon/issues/01/text/commane_jane.htm

ROSEMARY DUN, "Lorelei Gets it on" and "Born Lippy", plus the new CD "Me and My Big Mouth" (Big Mouth Productions)
http://www.rosemarydun.co.uk/

ALISON DUNNE: Leicester's very own multi award-winning poet!
http://www.scottish-pamphlet-poetry.com/index.cgi?publisher=51

ANDY FLETCHER: "The Mile Long Piano"
http://raggedraven.co.uk/collections.htm

ANGELA FRANCE, "Occupation" (Ragged Raven, released July 1st); runner-up 2009 Torbay Festival Competition, and recently shortlisted for a major literary prize .
http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://www.raggedraven.co.uk/collections.htm#Occupation

MARK GOODWIN, "Else" (Shearsman), anthologised in "Coffee House", etc.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Else-Mark-Goodwin/dp/1905700970

RADCLIFF GREGORY: 'Oscar Wilde: Decadent by Design' (forthcoming, in "Schismogenesis" academic book), and anthologised in Chroma, Poemata, Coffee House.
http://www.lgbthistorymonth.org.uk/events2006/events/23February.htm

BRENDAN HAWTHORNE, editor of 'Read the Music' and Poet Laureate on http://www.thestirrer.com.
Publications: Station Fifteen (2008, Limited 1st edition, ISBN: 978-0-9554467-1-9); Slide (Poetry Monthly Press, 2007); Urban Dawn (bluechrome, 2004); The All Night Cafe and Other Dives (with Geoff Stevens,
The Poetry Wednesbury Imprint, 2006).
http://www.poetrywednesbury.co.uk/html/brendan_hawthorne.html

SONIA HENDY-ISAAC, "Flesh" (forthcoming, bluechrome) http://homepages.nildram.co.uk/~simmers/142eleven.html

CHRISTOPHER JAMES - WINNER: NATIONAL POETRY COMPETITION 2009. Author of "The invention of Butterfly".
http://www.raggedraven.co.uk/collections.htm#The%20Invention%20of%20Butterfly

PAT JOURDAN, award-winning poet, "The Cast-Iron Shore", "Turpentine", and "The Bedsit" (poetry), plus the new short story anthology "Rainy Pavements".
http://patjourdan.co.uk/

CHRIS KINSEY: BBC Wildlife Poet of the Year in 2008. She received an Arts Council of Wales Writer’s Bursary in 2000. Her collection, Kung Fu Lullabies, Ragged Raven Press, came out in 2004. A second collection, Cure for a Crooked Smile, is also forthcoming from Ragged Raven, and a third, Swarf, from Smokestack Books. Interviewed by BBC Radio Wales (June 7, 2009).
http://leafbooks.co.uk/New/Leaf%20Authors/Kinsey,Chris.html

EMMA LEE, "Yellow Torchlight and the Blues" (Original Plus) http://homepage.ntlworld.com/teamlee/index.html

PAUL LEE, "The Light Forecast" (Original Plus) http://homepage.ntlworld.com/teamlee/index.html

BOB MEE: The Maker of Glass Eyes (Cinnamon, 2009) and Paradise Road (2003).
http://raggedraven.co.uk/

MATT MERRITT: "Troy Town" (Arrowhead Press, 2008)
http://polyolbion.blogspot.com/

MATT NUNN: "Happy Cos I'm Blue" (Heaventree Press)
http://www.mattthepoet.co.uk/

KERRY ORANGE: anthologised in 'Erbacce' et cetera.
http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.ListAll&friendId=87214442

TONY PETCH: "Vanishing Point".
http://raggedraven.co.uk/collections.htm

ELLA POCOCK: Ella has just graduated with a first-class degree in English and Publishing from Loughborough University. She has worked in publishing as well as being a gifted poet in her own right. Her final year portfolio signalled the emergence of a talented new voice in contemporary poetry: don't forget that your heard her first at Polyverse!

SUSAN RICHARDSON: "Creatures of the Intertidal Zone", and also one of the resident poets on BBC Radio 4's 'Saturday Live'. http://www.susanrichardsonwriter.co.uk/

STEVE ROONEY, Slam-winning poet extraordinnaire, he has also performed at the Hay on Wye Festival Fringe and in London alongside Harold Pinter and Adrian Mitchell. Recently he has appeared at Edinburgh's acclaimed Big Word cabaret, and at the Leicester Comedy Festival.
http://www.myspace.com/sgrooney

MYFANWYN RYAN is a conceptual artist who works in the mediums of film and text. She deals with themes of the everyday disregarded and overlooked and is soon to start a Ph.D. researching the relationship between digital media and live art. Already a veteran of 'Speech Acts', at Polyverse she will be performing a psyche-geographical piece about how our tangible surroundings effect our inner emotional lives.

SAM SMITH: 'To Be Like John Clare', 'Rooms & Dialogues' and 'Canoe', et cetera.
http://www.freewebs.com/thesamsmith/

GILLIAN SPRAGGS, author of "Outlaws & Highwaymen", editor of "Love Shook my Senses: Lesbian Love Poems".
http://www.gillianspraggs.com/

BEN STAINTON, "The Jealousies" (BeWrite)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jealousies-Benjamin-Stainton/dp/1905202962

GEOFF STEVENS, 2009 Ted Slade Award winner, "The Phrenology of Anaglypta" (bluechrome) et cetera; also editor of "The Purple Patch".
http://www.geoffstevens.co.uk/

JON STONE: "I'll Show You Tyrants (forthcoming, bluechrome), also widely anthologised, including in Mimesis, Aesthetica, iota, and The New Writer.
http://www.bandijcat.com/

PAM THOMPSON, author of 'The Japan Quiz' (forthcoming, Redbeck Press), Spin (Waldean Press) and Parting the Ghosts of Salt (Redbeck Press); also widely anthologised.
http://pamthompsonpoetry.wordpress.com/

LYDIA TOWSEY: widely published; also creative director of Lyric Lounge, and heavily involved in many other excellent literary projects. http://secretagentartist.wordpress.com/about/
*** Lyric Lounge runs concurrently with, and also after, Polyverse Poetry Festival - see http://lyriclounge.co.uk/main/#about

DEBORAH TYLER-BENNETT, "Clark Gable in Mansfield", 'Pavilions', and editor of "Coffee House" .
http://www.poetrypf.co.uk/deborahtylerbennettpage.html

STEVIE WATSON: Stevie, from Hinckley, won this year’s Kerouac Prize and has been published in journals such as Neon and Pomegranate. She is a compelling performer, and has appeared at Loughborough’s 'Streets Alive' festival as well as Word! and Big Blue. Her writing is energetic and passionate, but with an eye for the absurd humour of life. And she's only just finished her A-levels....


TONY WILLIAMS: 'The Corner of Arundel Lane and Charles Street' (forthcoming, Salt Publishing).
http://aye-lass.blogspot.com/

MIKE WILSON: Desperanto (forthcoming)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Desperanto-Mike-Wilson/dp/0955402875/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209494460&sr=8-1

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There was no budget to pay writers, so they are all very kindly donating their services. So PLEASE check out their webs ites, and/or invest in books from one or more of them if you possibly can.

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BeWrite Books: http://www.bewrite.net/merchant2/merchant.mv

bluechrome http://www.bluechrome.co.uk/store/shop/

Cinnamon Press http://www.cinnamonpress.com/index.htm

Coffee House

Orbis: http://www.kudoswritingcompetitions.com and http://www.facebook.com/n/?group.php&gid=53636000056

Original Plus Books / The Journal
http://www.freewebs.com/thesamsmith/

Poetry Monthly http://www.poetrymonthly.com/

Polluto http://www.polluto.com/

Ragged Raven Press http://raggedraven.co.uk/

Staple http://staplemagazine.wordpress.com/

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I also run Polyverse Poets, a closed group on Facebook exclusively for published poets. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=9853999583
If you request to join Polyverse Poets, I will check that you have been published before approving you. This is out of respect for the group's members, and to make it of maximum usefulness.

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ACCOMMODATION

Warning: if you are thinking of booking accommodation in or around Loughborough this summer, you should do so as soon as you possibly can, particularly for Burleigh Court. Loughborough University has signed a contract with Japan's 2012 Olympic team, who will be visiting the campus from this summer. Don't risk not securing your accommodation!

Off-campus (hotels, b & b): http://www.smoothhound.co.uk/loughbor.html

Budget on-campus accommodation: http://www.welcometoimago.com/accommodation/budget-accommodation/

Basic single room with wash hand basin To book contact Tel: 01509 223914

Single en-suite - kitchen facilities To book contact Tel: 01509 223803

Four-star accommodation is also available on-campus at Burleigh Court Hotel. Accommodation is subject to availability. Accommodation can be booked directly with Loughborough University's Reservation Teams on (01509) 22 8104/8122. Accommodation and any extras will be payable on departure.

Accommodation charges will be as follows:
Bed & Breakfast Rates
£68.00 inc vat lodge accommodation for sole occupancy
£79.00 inc vat executive accommodation for sole occupancy
£99.00 inc vat executive accommodation for double occupancy
Dinner, Bed & Breakfast Rates
£89.00 inc vat lodge accommodation for sole occupancy
£100.00 inc vat executive accommodation for sole occupancy
£149.00 inc vat executive accommodation for double occupancy

Please note that the charges for Burleigh Court are per room, per night. If you prefer a greater choice of accommodation type, please click the link for off-campus accommodation. There is a good bus service between Loughborough town and the university campus, many local taxi services, and plenty of parking space at the university.

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Other literary sites that may be of interest:
http://www.canadianpoetryassoc.com
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=13226212351 - Campaign for fair payment to writers and artists, etc
http://www.curvingroad.com/ (Arts charity)
http://registry.ning.com (key writing and literary resources)
http://cpatalkpoetry.wordpress.com (official Canadian Poetry Association)
http://www.kudoswritingcompetitions.com
http://www.poetrykapow.co.uk (live poetry events in England)

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To subscribe to the mailing list, please contact
polyversepoets@googlemail.com

(read less)

Thank you to all the writers, publishers, editors involved in the inaugural Polyverse event, including those who had the misfortune to need to withdraw due to illness, et cetera. Thank you also to everyone who came along to the event. All of you made it special. For me, it was wonderful to meet so many of you, but also sad because I didn't get the opportunity to meet you all, or spend more time with the people I did.

WHAT'S NEXT? I am aiming to make this a regular event (every one or two... (read more)