A workshop series for experimental poetry, open to all.
Innovative Poetry Readings in London
Writers Forum Workshop is pleased to host this listing of readings, exhibitions, performances, discussions, workshops and courses taking place on London’s innovative poetry scenes.
If you write innovative poetry and would like to share it with an interested audience, please consider attending Writers Forum Workshop’s London or virtual meetings.
See the bottom of the page for an FAQ, including how to get your own event listed here.
Key for colour coding:
Blue: In-person event.
Pink: Online event featuring London-based poets or organisations.
Green: In-person event in London, with simultaneous online broadcast.
Ongoing Exhibitions and Shows
Until Sat 23 May, Wed-Sun 12pm-6pm.
Johanna Hedva: Failed Poet: Exhibition of new and early video works by US artist and poet Johanna Hedva.
Tina Gallery, First Floor, 191 Wardour Street, Soho W1F 8ZE.
Free, no booking required.
Until Sun 20 September, Sat-Thu 10am-5.15pm, Fri 10am-9.30pm.
Photopoetry: Display of books that combine poetry and photography, selected by artists’ books expert David Solo.
V&A, Cromwell Road, South Kensington SW7 2RL.
Free, no booking required.
Until Sun 10 January, Tue 12pm-6pm, Wed-Sun 12pm-8pm.
Poetry Buildings: Exhibition by visual poets and artists exploring the relationship between poetry and buildings.
National Poetry Library, Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, Waterloo SE1 8XX.
French Literary Polemics: Scholar Andrew Hussey discusses the role of polemics in French literature, focusing on works by poet Isidore Isou and writers Louis-Ferdinand Céline and Jean-Paul Sartre.
Room 101, Clore Management Centre, Birkbeck University of London, 27 Torrington Square, Bloomsbury WC1E 7JL.
Free, booking required.
6pm-9pm.
Decolonial Poetics and Ecology Workshop: Penn Newell leads a workshop on developing a critical poetics of ecological histories, inspired by archival documents and objects.
Room 203, Clore Management Centre, Birkbeck University of London, 27 Torrington Square, Bloomsbury WC1E 7JL.
Free, booking required.
6pm.
The Country of Words: Poet-novelist Julia Bell and author Marina Warner discuss their new non-fiction books about writing.
Room 102, Clore Management Centre, Birkbeck University of London, 27 Torrington Square, Bloomsbury WC1E 7JL.
Determination & Necessity: Writing Poetic Urgency: Eve Grubin leads a five-session, fortnightly course on creating urgency in poetry, inspired by poets like Audre Lorde, Adrienne Rich and Ilya Kaminsky.
Online for the Poetry School.
£135, booking required.
7pm-9pm, then at the same time fortnightly until Wed 1 July.
Poetic Forms for Beginners: Becky Varley-Winter leads a five-session course for beginning poets, on experimenting with poetic forms.
Online for the Poetry School.
£70, booking required.
Wed 6 May – Wed 3 June.
From Miniature to Global: Ecological Imaginaries Studio: Rachel Bower leads a four-week course on exploring microcosms and macrocosms in ecopoetry, inspired by poets like Karen McCarthy Woolf, Jason Allen-Paisant and Zaffar Kunial.
Online for the Poetry School.
£100, booking required.
9.45am-6pm.
Thinking Authoritarianism: The Prague-Vienna Circle in British Exile: Workshop on the ‘Prague-Vienna Circle’ of Jewish authors from the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, such as poets Franz Baermann Steiner and HG Adler, and writer Elias Canetti. Speakers include poet Jeremy Adler, and scholars Peter Filkins, Maria Peacock and Erhard Schüttpelz.
Room B34, Main Building, Birkbeck University of London, Malet Street, Bloomsbury WC1E 7HX.
Free, booking required.
Thursday 7 May
Thu 7 May – Thu 30 July.
Sonic Language / Poetic Noise Masterclass: Iris Colomb leads a twelve-week masterclass on creating works in which poetry and sound collide, inspired by writers and artists like Nat Raha, Nicola Woodham and Lore Lixenberg.
Online for the Poetry School.
£215, booking required.
Thu 7 May – Wed 27 June, Mon-Sat 7.30pm, plus 2pm on most Saturdays.
French Institute, 17 Queensberry Place, South Kensington SW7 2DT.
£11.55, bookable.
6pm.
Conversations in Poetry: Readings and music featuring poets Hongbin Liu and Raha Xenopoulos, plus composer John Kreilkamp.
Tavern Room, RSA House, 8 John Adam Street, Charing Cross WC2N 6EZ.
Free, booking required.
Doors 6.30pm, event 7pm.
Catflaps & Ciphers: why we need radical queer and trans spaces now: Launch for the new issue of Catflap, a magazine of queer writing. Featuring a poetry reading by Keith Jarrett, plus a discussion on queer and trans spaces with poet So Mayer and writers Juliet Jacques, Jack Thompson and Ruth McCarthy.
Mezzanine, Unit 4, 20 Totterdown Street, Tooting SW17 8TA.
£7.75, bookable.
7pm.
Ingeborg Bachmann at 100: Discussion about the legacy of Austrian poet Ingeborg Bachmann, featuring her biographer Peter Filkins and her brother Heinz Bachmann.
Austrian Cultural Forum, 28 Rutland Gate, Knightsbridge SW7 1PQ.
Free, bookable.
Friday 8 May
12pm.
On Circular Writing: Tom Western gives a talk on the possibility of circular writing, drawing on poets like Édouard Glissant, Etel Adnan, Aimé Césaire and Fred Moten.
Online for the Institute of Advanced Studies.
Free, booking required.
Saturday 9 May
1pm-3pm.
Shaded Writers Workshop: Poet PJ Samuels leads a workshop for writers from QTIBPOC (Queer, Trans, Intersex, Black, People of Colour) communities.
Clapton Library, Northwold Road, Clapton E5 8RA. Also available as an online workshop, bookable here.
Digitalised Childhood and the Gandhi-Tagore Legacy: Krishna Kumar gives a talk on how Bengali modernist poet Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi’s pedagogies might inform responses to digitalised childhood.
Elvin Hall (Room 104), Institute of Education, 20 Bedford Way, Bloomsbury WC1H 0AL.
Free, booking required.
Doors 7pm, event 7.30pm.
Edition55: Poetry and Performance: Experimental poetry and performance with Tom Bland, Graham Clifford, Spin Master Plant Pot, Stevie Grant, Damian Nelson and Silkess Demon.
Quiet Power: Write & Shine at LSE Library: Gemma Seltzer leads an early morning workshop on writing poetry and prose inspired by the collections of the Women’s Library. Includes a library tour.
British Library of Political and Economic Science, London School of Economics, 10 Portugal Street, Holborn WC2A 2HD.
Venue TBC, Birkbeck University of London, Bloomsbury.
Free, bookable.
7.30pm.
Shearsman Reading: Alan Baker and Nancy Gaffield read to launch their new poetry publications from Shearsman Books, plus Ágnes Lehóczky and Adam Piette present their new edition of Hungarian poet Attila József in translation.
Hold Space: Open Mic: Poetry with Kristal Sisodia, plus an open mic. With DJing by DJ Chanté, and Alexia Chrysostomou writing automatic poems based on visitors’ prompts for donations.
HWK London, 29 White Post Lane, Hackney Wick E9 5EN.
Pay what you can, bookable.
Doors 6pm, event 6.30pm.
The Dylan Thomas Prize: A Shortlist Celebration: Readings by authors shortlisted for this year’s Dylan Thomas Prize, including poets Suzannah V Evans and Seán Hewitt, plus Harriet Armstrong, Colwill Brown, Sasha Debevec-McKenney and Derek Owusu. With a performance by Côr Y Boro (Borough Welsh Choir).
British Library, 96 Euston Road, Kings Cross NW1 2DB.
The Common Press, 118 Bethnal Green Road, Shoreditch E2 6DG.
Pay what you can, bookable.
Doors 7pm, event 7.30pm.
A History of Ireland in 12 Poems: Paul Muldoon presents a survey of Irish history from the earliest times to the present day, through the prism of his own poems.
Irish Cultural Centre, 5 Black’s Road, Hammersmith W6 9DT.
£10, bookable.
Thursday 14 May
Thu 14 May – Thu 23 July.
Re-Weirding Albion: JLM Morton leads a five-session, fortnightly course on writing poetry rooted in the land and lore of the British Isles, inspired by poets like Penelope Shuttle, Dorothea Smartt and Maggie O’Sullivan.
Ben Uri Gallery, 108a Boundary Road, St John’s Wood NW8 0RH.
Free, no booking required.
6.30pm-8pm.
Bilingual Poetry Writing Workshop: Lola Koundkjian leads a bilingual poetry workshop in Western Armenian and English, shaped by live music and shared writing. With musician Kourosh Kanani.
Armenian Institute, 1 Onslow Street, Clerkenwell EC1N 8AS.
£17/£14, booking required.
Friday 15 May
Fri 15 May – Fri 24 July.
Poems After Poems: Writing Ars Poetica: Leah Umansky leads a five-session, fortnightly course on writing poetry about writing poetry, inspired by poets like Ocean Vuong, Kim Addonzio and Anne Carson.
Online for the Poetry School.
£135, booking required.
6.30pm-8.30pm (opening event); exhibition then runs Sat 16 May – Sat 11 July, Thu-Sat 12pm-6pm.
Meeting point: Holland Park tube station, Holland Park Avenue, Holland Park.
Booking required, details TBC.
3pm-9pm.
Offprint: Day One: Book fair for independent, experimental, and socially engaged publishers specialising in the arts. With an accompanying programme of artist talks.
Fair at: 180 Studios, 180 The Strand, Temple, WC2R 1EA. Talks at: Reference Point, 2 Arundel Street, Temple WC2R 3DA.
Free, no booking required.
7pm.
ESEA Poets on Lineage, Memory and Song: Poets of East and South-East Asian heritage read their poetry about lineage, memory and song. Featuring Natalie Linh Bolderston, Joshua Ip, Jerrold Yam and Jennifer Wong.
The Poetry Café, 22 Betterton Street, Covent Garden WC2H 9BX.
Bookable by donation.
7.30pm.
From the Lips to the Moon: Multimedia performance featuring poet Tata Fatehi, musicianPouya Ehsaei and more.
Online for the London Arts-Based Research Centre. Also available as an in-person event in Oxford.
£195.72 in person, £109.05 online, booking required.
11am-6.45pm.
European Writers’ Festival: Day One: Two-day festival of readings and discussion featuring writers from around Europe. The focus is on fiction, but today’s speakers include poets Małgorzata Lebda (Poland) and Carolina Pihelgas (Estonia). The festival continues with prose writers and dramatists on the following day.
British Library, 96 Euston Road, Kings Cross NW1 2DB.
In person £20/£10/£8, online £20/£15/£10, booking required.
12pm-8pm.
Offprint: Day Two: Book fair for independent, experimental, and socially engaged publishers specialising in the arts. With an accompanying programme of artist talks.
Fair at: 180 Studios, 180 The Strand, Temple, WC2R 1EA. Talks at: Reference Point, 2 Arundel Street, Temple WC2R 3DA.
Free, no booking required.
2pm-4.30pm.
Nest Building: A Poetry and Collage Workshop: April Yee leads a poetry workshop exploring the boundaries between poetry and visual art, responding to the venue’s art exhibition inspired by Farid al-Din Attar’s twelfth-century Persian poem The Conference of the Birds.
Aga Khan Centre, 10 Handyside Street, Kings Cross N1C 4DN.
Utility: Publication Launch Night: The Etch Collective presents poetry readings, a screening and an exhibition to launch a collection of artists’ responses to the theme of utility.
Corner New Cross., 117 New Cross Road, New Cross SE14 5DJ.
Free, no booking required. Copies of the publication can be reserved for £8.
Sunday 17 May
11am-6pm.
Offprint: Day Three: Book fair for independent, experimental, and socially engaged publishers specialising in the arts. With an accompanying programme of artist talks.
Fair at: 180 Studios, 180 The Strand, Temple, WC2R 1EA. Talks at: Reference Point, 2 Arundel Street, Temple WC2R 3DA.
Bermondsey Book Launch – Dear Sondos: US writer Davie and Sondos, a Palestinian poet in Gaza, participate via video-link to launch their collaborative book Dear Sondos.
Theatre Deli, 107 Leadenhall Street, City of London EC3A 4AF.
£27.09, bookable.
7.30pm.
Venn Diagrams: Poetry with Hannah Copley and David Floyd, plus an open mic.
Torriano Meeting House, 99 Torriano Avenue, Kentish Town NW5 2RX.
£6 cash on the door.
Monday 18 May
7pm-9pm.
Seeing and Doing: Poet and textile artist Patrick Benson leads an interdisciplinary writing workshop in response to selected works of art.
Torriano Meeting House, 99 Torriano Avenue, Kentish Town NW5 2RX.
Free, no booking required. Donations welcome.
7pm.
Book Presentation: The Villain’s Dance: Congolese-Austrian poet Fiston Mwanza Mujila and his translator Roland Glasser discuss his new novel The Villain’s Dance.
Austrian Cultural Forum, 28 Rutland Gate, Knightsbridge SW7 1PQ.
Free, booking required.
7.30pm.
The Gate Presents: Performances by poet Nadeem Din-Gabisi, and musicians Labake Sabbath, Dan Johnson, Mr AKA Amazing, Wayne’s Drones, Gate Loops and Love Permanent, plus DJing by Richard Phoenix.
Cafe OTO, 18-22 Ashwin Street, Dalston E8 3DL.
£10 advance, £11 on the door.
Tuesday 19 May
Tue 19 May – Tue 28 July.
Introduction to Visual Poetry: Poetics of the Possible: Astra Papachristodoulou leads a five-session, fortnightly course on creating visual poetry, inspired by poets like Mary Ellen Solt, Bob Cobbing and Layli Long Soldier.
Weavers of Grass: An Evening of Jazz, Storytelling, and Poetry: Poet Chrys Salt and saxophonist Richard Ingham present a performance about Hebridean crofter Angus MacPhee, who wove clothes out of grass, flowers and leaves while residing at a psychiatric hospital.
Kilburn Library, 42 Salusbury Road, Queen’s Park NW6 6NN.
Romanian Cultural Institute, 1 Belgrave Square, Belgravia SW1X 8PH.
Free, bookable.
Wednesday 20 May
Wed 20 – Sat 23 May, 7pm each night, plus 3pm on Sat 23 May.
Holding Ground: Nomakhwezi Becker presents a solo performance combining poetry, story-theatre, song and textiles to explore South African – German heritage.
Translating Hélène Cixous and Angst: Translator Sophie Lewis and poet Beverley Bie Brahic discuss Lewis’s new translation of French poet and feminist Hélène Cixous’ novel Angst.
Exiled Writers Ink: Voices across Generations: Readings and discussion with first, second and third generation refugee and migrant poets. Featuring Catherine Temma Davidson, Stephen Duncan, Lily Jamaludin, Kamal Mirawdeli, Marina Sanchez and Suhrab Sirat.
49 Great Ormond Street, Bloomsbury WC1N 3HZ.
£6, bookable.
7pm.
Poetry at Lala Books: Poetry with Desree and Ashley Hickson-Lovence, plus an open mic.
Lala Books, 4a Grove Lane, Camberwell SE5 8SY.
£12 (redeemable against any poetry book purchase on the night), bookable.
8pm.
Jawdance: Poetry with Bridget Minamore, Caleb Femi and Jerome Scott, plus an open mic.
William Caxton Meets Small Press Poetry: Becca Drake leads a zine-making workshop inspired by fifteenth-century printer William Caxton and contemporary small-press poetry.
Seng Tee Lee Seminar Room, Senate House Library, Malet Street, Bloomsbury WC1E 7HU.
Free, booking required.
6.30pm-8.30pm.
With Language (There in Spirit): Artist Ocean Baulcombe-Toppin leads a participatory writing workshop inspired by Veronica Ryan’s art exhibition at the venue, examining the lines between words, rhythm and performance.
Whitechapel Gallery, 77-82 Whitechapel High Street, Whitechapel E1 7QX.
£10/£5, booking required.
6.30pm-8.30pm.
Writing Grief: Denise Saul leads a workshop on writing poetry that explores grief with clarity, restraint, and emotional precision.
Penance: The Long Day: Nols Nathanski leads a seven-hour workshop on creating automatic poetry under deliberately restricted conditions. Stamina is required.
Address to be confirmed upon booking, Grosvenor Avenue, Canonbury N5.
£33 or pay what you can, booking required.
Doors 2.30pm, event 3pm-7.30pm.
9th Annual Stuart Hall Public Conversation: US poet Fred Moten gives an address about how the ideas of cultural thinker Stuart Hall can locate common ground in radical activism, Followed by discussion, food and DJing.
Conway Hall, 5 Red Lion Square, Bloomsbury WC1R 4RL. Also livestreamed online.
In person £12/£7/£5, online £5, booking required.
Sunday 24 May
2pm-4.30pm.
Birds in Many Tongues: A Latinx Poetry Workshop: Leo Boix leads a multilingual poetry workshop, responding to the venue’s art exhibition inspired by Farid al-Din Attar’s twelfth-century Persian poem The Conference of the Birds.
Aga Khan Centre, 10 Handyside Street, Kings Cross N1C 4DN.
£5/£3, booking required.
7pm.
Speaking of the Gaze: Poets K Angel, Troy Cabida and Safa Khatib perform poetry on the politics of erotic experience. Plus music.
Reference Point, 2 Arundel Street, Temple WC2R 3DA.
£6.13/free, bookable.
Tuesday 26 May
7pm.
Ocean Vuong in Conversation: Poet Ocean Vuong launches the paperback edition of his novel The Emperor of Gladness.
Emmanuel Centre, 9-23 Marsham Street, Westminster SW1P 3DW.
£18 (£25 with a signed copy of Vuong’s novel), bookable.
Room B01, Clore Management Centre, Birkbeck University of London, Torrington Square, Bloomsbury WC1E 7JL. Also livestreamed online.
Free, booking required.
7pm.
Martha Sprackland & James Butler: John of the Cross: Poet Martha Sprackland discusses Dark Night, her new translation of works by sixteenth-century Spanish poet John of the Cross, with writer James Butler.
London Review Bookshop, 14 Bury Place, Bloomsbury WC1A 2JL.
£10, bookable.
Saturday 30 May
1pm-4.20pm.
Penance Poetry Workshop: Nols Nathanski leads a workshop on creating automatic poetry under deliberately restricted conditions.
Make Poetry Weird Again Studio, Grosvenor Avenue, Canonbury N5.
Pay what you can, booking required.
2pm-4.30pm.
Birdsong: Collaborative Poetry Translation Workshop: Elhum Shakerifar leads a collaborative poetry translation workshop, responding to the venue’s art exhibition inspired by Farid al-Din Attar’s twelfth-century Persian poem The Conference of the Birds.
Aga Khan Centre, 10 Handyside Street, Kings Cross N1C 4DN.
Making a Speech Studio: Kathryn Simmonds leads a four-week course on integrating speech into poetry, inspired by poets like Langston Hughes, Raymond Antrobus and Kathryn Maris.
Dissidences. Sound, Voice, Word: Poetry, music and movement with Chris Gutkind, Gina Fergione, Jo Wonder, Monika Tobel and Sofia Vaisman Maturana.
Hundred Years Gallery, 13 Pearson Street, Hoxton E2 8JD.
Free, donations welcome.
7pm.
Talk a Blue Streak: Lila Matsumoto reads to launch her poetry collection Talk a Blue Streak. Plus more poetry with Vicky Sparrow and Jessica Higgins.
Hundred Years Gallery, 13 Pearson Street, Hoxton E2 8JD.
£5 suggested donation on the door.
Tuesday 9 June
Doors 6.15pm, event 6.30pm.
The Michael Marks Award for Poetry Pamphlets: Readings, discussion and prize-giving for this year’s Michael Marks Award for Poetry Pamphlets. Poets James Appleby, Rachel Cleverly, Eve Ellis, Hugh Foley, and Hasti will read from their shortlisted pamphlets.
British Library, 96 Euston Road, Kings Cross NW1 2DB.
Pages of Hackney, 70 Lower Clapton Road, Clapton E5 0RN.
£8/£6/£4, bookable.
Saturday 13 June
7.30pm.
Mushaira: the87press presents readings and book launches feauring Palestinian poets Issam Zineh and Fargo Nissim Tbakhi, Kurdish-American poet Tracy Fuad, Arianna Afsari reading from Juan Gelman’s Notes/Notas, and Jay Bernard reading from Pat Parker’s Selected Poems as well as selections from their own works. Plus DJing by Jimmy Two Shoes, and a pop-up kitchen with Chef Yogi.
Norwegian Poetry Celebration: Collaborative performances by Norwegian and UK-based poets, featuring Bjørn Vatne and Luke Kennard, Thor Magnus Tangerås and Eley Williams, Vilde Bjerke Torset and Lavinia Singer, Sean Bell and SJ Fowler, Bob T Bright and Matthew Sokulsky, Yemi Dipeolu and Cameron Wade, and Petra Pálkovácsová and Eleanor Wilders.
St Olave Church, 8 Hart Street, City of London EC3R 7NB.
Free, no booking required.
Thursday 18 June
Doors 6.30pm, event 7pm.
Cypriot Poetry Celebration: Collaborative performances by poets from Cyprus, Greece and the UK. Featuring Erina Charalambous and David Spittle, Calliope Michail and Xelis de Toro, Stathis Dimitriadis and Yanita Georgieva, Alev Adil and Haris Psarras, Nora Nadjarian and Anna Siedykh, Theodoros Chiotis and Jonathan Catherall, Eleni Kefala and more.
Cyprus High Commission, 13 St James’s Square, St James’s SW1Y 4LB.
Free, booking required.
7pm.
Redacted – Brave New Words: Performances and discussion of blackout poetry, focusing on treatments of Aldous Huxley’s science fiction novel Brave New World. Featuring Inua Ellams, Shami Chakrabarti, Jenni Fagan, Luke Harding, Wayne Holloway-Smith and Barry Sadid.
The London Library, 14 St James’s Square, St James’s SW1Y 4LG.
£14/£10/£8, bookable.
Friday 19 June
7pm.
Small Change Book Launch: Steph Ellen Feeney her debut poetry collection, and discusses the book with poet Rachel Long.
The Poetry Café, 22 Betterton Street, Covent Garden WC2H 9BX.
Saturday: Association of Jungian Analysts, 27 Delancey Street, Camden Town NW1 7RX; online access also available. Sunday: Online only, for the London Arts-Based Research Centre.
£195.72 in person, £109.05 online, booking required.
1pm-8pm.
Penance: The Long Day: Nols Nathanski leads a seven-hour workshop on creating automatic poetry under deliberately restricted conditions. Stamina is required.
Address to be confirmed upon booking, Grosvenor Avenue, Canonbury N5.
Swiss Poetry Celebration: Collaborative performances by Swiss and UK-based poets, featuring Julia Toggenburger and Jaka Škapin, Flurina Badel and Shani Cadwallender, Julia Rüegger and Martina O’Shea, Patrick Cosgrove and Richard Marshall, Julia Rose Lewis and Bie Yining, Ayşe Kongur and Victor Rees, and Lucy Furlong and Duya Ribeiro.
Hundred Years Gallery, 13 Pearson Street, Hoxton E2 8JD.
Flanders Poetry Celebration: Collaborative performances by Flemish and UK-based poets, featuring Bob Vanden Broeck and SJ Fowler, Melanie Hyo-In Han and Beverly Frydman, Martin Wakefield and Edward Adonteng, Freya Shi and Francis de Lima, Mary Pateron, Colin Herd, Samuel Brzeski and more.
Estonian Poetry Celebration: Collaborative performances by Estonian and UK-based poets, featuring Triin Paja and Rushika Wick, Jan Kaus and Damian Le Bas, Jürgen Rooste and Ivor Kallin, and Cat Paronjan and Caitlin Nugent.
National Poetry Library, Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, Waterloo SE1 8XX.
Free, bookable.
Thursday 25 June
7pm.
Austrian Poetry Celebration: Collaborative performances by Austrian and UK-based poets, featuring Andreas Unterweger and James Knight, Patricia Mathes and Kate Wakeling, Carla Lorenz and Michael Sutton, Amy Evans Bauer and Oli Evans, L Kiew and Laura Davis, Egidija Čiricaitė and Astrid Alben, Anna Ayanoglou and more.
Austrian Cultural Forum, 28 Rutland Gate, Knightsbridge SW7 1PQ.
Free, booking required.
Doors 6.30pm, event 7.30pm.
Fitzcarraldo Editions Annual Summer Party: Readings by writers from Fitzcarraldo Editions, featuring poet Holly Pester, Keith Ridgway, Alice Hattrick, and Saskia Vogel reading from her translation of Event Horizon by Balsam Karam.
Bold Tendencies, 7th-10th Floors, Multi-Storey Car Park, 95a Rye Lane, Peckham SE15 4ST.
£9.50, bookable.
Saturday 27 June
1pm-4.20pm.
Penance Poetry Workshop: Nols Nathanski leads a workshop on creating automatic poetry under deliberately restricted conditions.
Make Poetry Weird Again Studio, Grosvenor Avenue, Canonbury N5.
Pay what you can, booking required.
7.30pm.
Polish Poetry Celebration: Collaborative performances by Polish and UK-based poets, featuring Weronika Lewandowska and Mischa Foster Poole, Agata Masłowska and Agnieszka Studzińska, Maria Jatrzębska and Jules Sprake, Anna Blasiak and Susie Campbell, Tomasz Mielcarek and Mikael Buck, Landa wo and James Byrne, Nasim Luczaj and more.
Hundred Years Gallery, 13 Pearson Street, Hoxton E2 8JD.
Free, no booking required.
July 2026
Wednesday 1 July
8pm.
Latvian Poetry Celebration: Collaborative performances by Latvian and UK-based poets, featuring Māra Ulme and Jonathan Boyd, Krišjānis Zeļģis and SJ Fowler, Agnese Graudiņa and Alex Murphy, and Alise Bogdanova and Sophia Rahim.
National Poetry Library, Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, Waterloo SE1 8XX.
£30/£20 for both days, £20/£15 for one day, booking required.
7pm.
European Poetry Festival Kingston Camarade: Collaborative performances by European and UK-based poets, featuring Deborah Zafer, Isaac Blake, Nat Norland, Eleanor Wilders Caitlin Nugent and more.
Town House, Kingston University, Penrhyn Road, Kingston upon Thames KT1 2EQ.
Free, no booking required.
Saturday 4 July
2.45pm-4.45pm.
Writers Forum Workshop: Workshop for experimental poets to share their writing. All welcome.
Benjamin Zephaniah: A Celebration: Poetry, music and discussion to celebrate the late dub poet Benjamin Zephaniah, featuring Lemn Sissay, Jackie Kay, Michael Rosen and more.
Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, Waterloo SE1 8XX.
Foyle Pavilion, Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, Waterloo SE1 8XX.
From £27 plus £3.50 booking fee, bookable.
12.30pm.
After Catastrophe: Futures Beyond Crisis: Poets, translators and editors discuss the roles of young writers and translation in addressing crises. Featuring Janani Ambikapathy, Leo Boix, Dominic J Jaeckle and Ghazal Mosadeq.
Level 5 Function Room, Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, Waterloo SE1 8XX.
Purcell Room, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, Waterloo SE1 8XX.
From £15 plus £3.50 booking fee, bookable.
Sunday 12 July
10am-12pm.
Masterclass: Peter Gizzi: Peter Gizzi leads a workshop exploring the identity of the speaking voice in poetry.
Sunley Pavilion, Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, Waterloo SE1 8XX.
From £27 plus £3.50 booking fee, bookable.
1pm-3pm.
Masterclass: Denise Riley: Denise Riley leads a workshop on using simplicity in poetry, inspired by poets like Gwendolyn Brooks, WS Graham and Warsan Shire.
Foyle Pavilion, Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, Waterloo SE1 8XX.
Purcell Room, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, Waterloo SE1 8XX.
From £15 plus £3.50 booking fee, bookable.
7.30pm.
Allen Ginsberg at 100: Poetry, music and visuals to celebrate the hundredth birthday of Beat poet Allen Ginsberg.
Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, Waterloo SE1 8XX.
From £15 plus £3.50 booking fee, bookable.
Wednesday 15 July
Doors 6.30pm, event 7pm.
Scales of Breathing: Participatory performance using experimental breathing to imagine earthworms’ strategies of interspecies collaboration, with poets Sophie Seita and Rike Scheffler, artist Youngsook Choi and choreographer Jaelee Kim.
Live Art Development Agency, The Garrett Centre, 117A Mansford Street, Bethnal Green E2 6LX.
Pay what you can (£8-£15), bookable.
Friday 17 July
7.30pm.
An Evening with Rough Trade Books: Performances by authors from Rough Trade Books, featuring poet Ella Frears (with musician Aidan Moffat) and poet Jen Calleja (with puppets), plus Max Porter (with musician Kate Stables), Anna Whitwham (with dancers Sylvie Poppy O’Brien and Francesca Thakorlal), Owen Williams, Kirsty Gunn and Babak Ganjei.
Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, Waterloo SE1 8XX.
From £17 plus £4 booking fee, bookable.
Saturday 18 July
Sat 18 – Sun 19 July, 10am.
Eco-Poetics and Environmental Artivism: Two-day conference on ecopoetics and environmentalism in literature and other artforms. The call for papers is open until Sun 22 March.
Saturday: Pembroke Lodge, Richmond Park, Richmond TW10 5HX; online access also available. Sunday: Online only, for the London Arts-Based Research Centre.
£195.72 in person, £109.05 online, booking required.
Irish Cultural Centre, 5 Black’s Road, Hammersmith W6 9DT.
£7, bookable.
Friday 24 July
Doors 7pm, event 7.30pm.
Rilke – One Million Words: Ivo Müller performs a solo show based on the works of modernist poet Rainer Maria Rilke.
October Gallery, 24 Old Gloucester Street, Bloomsbury WC1N 3AL.
£30, bookable.
Saturday 25 July
1pm-4.20pm.
Penance Poetry Workshop: Nols Nathanski leads a workshop on creating automatic poetry under deliberately restricted conditions.
Make Poetry Weird Again Studio, Grosvenor Avenue, Canonbury N5.
Pay what you can, booking required.
Doors 7pm, event 7.30pm.
Rilke – One Million Words: Ivo Müller performs a solo show based on the works of modernist poet Rainer Maria Rilke.
October Gallery, 24 Old Gloucester Street, Bloomsbury WC1N 3AL.
£30, bookable.
Thursday 30 July
7.45pm.
Neoprene Genie: Dream Jump: Multimedia performance by the Neoprene Genie collective, combining speech, music, poetry and visuals. Written and directed by Tice Cin.
Purcell Room, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, Waterloo SE1 8XX.
From £15 plus £4 booking fee, bookable.
August 2026
Saturday 1 August
2.45pm-4.45pm.
Writers Forum Workshop: Workshop for experimental poets to share their writing. All welcome.
Penance: The Long Day: Nols Nathanski leads a seven-hour workshop on creating automatic poetry under deliberately restricted conditions. Stamina is required.
Address to be confirmed upon booking, Grosvenor Avenue, Canonbury N5.
£33 or pay what you can, booking required.
Saturday 29 August
1pm-4.20pm.
Penance Poetry Workshop: Nols Nathanski leads a workshop on creating automatic poetry under deliberately restricted conditions.
Make Poetry Weird Again Studio, Grosvenor Avenue, Canonbury N5.
Pay what you can, booking required.
September 2026
Saturday 5 September
11am-4.30pm.
Multicultural Book Fair: Fair with stalls selling books from multicultural publishers. Plus a programme of readings and talks.
Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, Bloomsbury WC1R 4RL.
Free, bookable.
2.45pm-4.45pm.
Writers Forum Workshop: Workshop for experimental poets to share their writing. All welcome.
Dissidences. Sound, Voice, Word: Performances by poet Yě Yě, movement artist Monika Tobel, and musicians Edward Shipsey and Gardyloo Spew.
Hundred Years Gallery, 13 Pearson Street, Hoxton E2 8JD.
Free, donations welcome.
Wednesday 16 September
6.30pm.
The Musicality of Language: Readings responding to the venue’s art exhibition by Nhu Xuan Hua, exploring how language carries memory across generations. Featuring Hanan Issa and more.
Autograph, Rivington Place, Shoreditch EC2A 3BA.
£10/£5, bookable.
Friday 18 September
7.30pm.
Future Sounds: RAP Party x Out-Spoken: Poets read their work and select music for a DJ to play. Featuring Anthony Anaxagorou, Inua Ellams, Ashley Hickson-Lovence, Caitlin O’Ryan, Joelle Taylor and more.
Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, Waterloo SE1 8XX.
From £15 plus £4 booking fee, bookable.
Saturday 19 September
Sat 19 – Sun 20 September, times TBC.
Poetry between Creation and Interpretation: The London Centre for Interdisciplinary Research hosts an international conference on poetry studies. The call for papers is open until Sat 25 April.
Birkbeck University of London, Bloomsbury; building and rooms TBC. Also livestreamed online.
£150 in person, £90 online, booking required.
1pm-8pm.
Penance: The Long Day: Nols Nathanski leads a seven-hour workshop on creating automatic poetry under deliberately restricted conditions. Stamina is required.
Address to be confirmed upon booking, Grosvenor Avenue, Canonbury N5.
£33 or pay what you can, booking required.
1pm-5pm.
‘Spiritual Landscapes’: Richard Skinner leads a workshop on exploring the spirituality of walking through poetry.
Penance: The Long Day: Nols Nathanski leads a seven-hour workshop on creating automatic poetry under deliberately restricted conditions. Stamina is required.
Address to be confirmed upon booking, Grosvenor Avenue, Canonbury N5.
Penance: The Long Day: Nols Nathanski leads a seven-hour workshop on creating automatic poetry under deliberately restricted conditions. Stamina is required.
Address to be confirmed upon booking, Grosvenor Avenue, Canonbury N5.
The listing is primarily maintained and updated by Matt Martin, with assistance from other attendees of Writers Forum Workshop.
Haven’t I seen this page elsewhere?
Innovative Poetry Readings in London was developed by the poet Peter Philpott in 2009 as part of his website, www.modernpoetry.org.uk. He continued to run the listings as a service to London’s poetry communities until August 2018; the rest of his site remains active and is of great interest. In 2018, Peter bequeathed the listings to the website of the Contemporary Poetics Research Centreat Birkbeck, University of London, where Matt Martin took on its maintenance. In 2022, changes to the university’s IT systems made it impractical for the listings page to continue there; it moved to its current home at the beginning of 2023.
Why only London?
Exciting things definitely happen in the rest of the UK; this page’s focus on London reflects that Writers Forum Workshop convenes there. To maintain listings of innovative poetry events nationwide would be a forbiddingly huge task, given that the page is updated by volunteers in their spare time.
How can I get my event listed?
Contact us herewith details of any readings or other events for this page, including a link to a webpage or social media post for the event if possible. Contact us when we’ve made a mistake also, please. Bear in mind:
The listings are not always updated daily. To ensure that your event is posted in time to spread the word, please send information at least a week beforehand: the further in advance, the more useful the listing will be for you.
The listings are for activities within the traditions or communities of innovative poetry – those that Writers Forum Workshop exists to further. We aim to be inclusive, incorporating cross-cultural and internationalist currents, and extending to celebrations of modernist precursors, but there are limits to what will be publicised here.
What do you mean by ‘innovative poetry’?
Broadly speaking, poetry that challenges the traditionally accepted definitions of the art form – work which might also be dubbed ‘experimental’, ‘avant-garde’, ‘modernist’, ‘postmodernist’, ‘neo-modernist’, etc. Such poetry can diverge from the conservative norm in many different directions – a personal view from Peter Philpott is online here. These scenes are constantly developing. In the UK, the last couple of decades have seen an increasing (though still frustratingly sporadic) acceptance of innovative poetry by universities, major publishers, literary prize-givers and other institutions. Simultaneously, the field has been enriched by a growing number of intersections between poetry communities, while women, non-binary, Black British and British Asian poets, as well as UK-based poets born overseas, have all become more prominent.
Can you guarantee that these events will be good?
We hope they will be, but we cannot take responsibility for the quality of events organised by other parties, or for the reliability of information made available to us by others. However, every event here is listed because it promises something of interest to those keen to explore new possibilities for poetry. Descriptions in the listings are based on publicity material.
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