Press

Press Release

09/04/2008
LIVERPOOL POETRY CAFE ANNOUNCES AUTUMN PROGRAMME

Thursday 4th September 2008: Some Dead Good Poets, a wild woman and belly dancing performance poetry - just a few of the eclectic and exciting poetry events coming to the Liverpool Poetry Cafe this Autumn.

Costa, the UK's largest and fastest-growing coffee shop brand, announced the launch of the Costa Liverpool Poetry Cafe earlier this year to mark Liverpool's European Capital of Culture status.

Poetry events and readings take place on the second Monday and fourth Thursday of each month in Costa's Bold Street store which has already seen Jean Sprackland, winner of the 2007 Costa Poetry Award, and well-known local poets Gladys-Mary Coles and Deryn Rees-Jones appear at the venue.

Highlights this Autumn include:

* Open mic sessions with the Dead Good Poets Society including Dead Good Poets Colin Watts, author of collection Human Geography, Clare Kirwan, runner up in the Liverpool Poetry Slam 2007 and popular performance poet, Aaron Murdoch

* Chris Clarke - possibly the world's only belly dancing poet - brings her unusual take on performance poetry to the cafe

* Local and European poetry with George and Gosia McKane and young people from Liverpool's renowned Yellow House; an innovative community group working with young people through the arts

* Soulful and irreverent readings with Clare Campbell, leader of Liverpool-based social enterprise, Wild Woman

* Homotopia Festival poets Gerry Potter, Cath Nichols and Dominic Berry drop in for coffee and a chat

* Liverpool Night! Bring and read your own or a published poem about the city

The Costa Liverpool Poetry Caf? venture is the brain child of Alex Scott-Samuel, a passionate poetry enthusiast and public health researcher at Liverpool University.

"Ever since we became the European capital of culture, I've been keen to badge Liverpool as England's poetry city," commented Alex.  "We've had some fantastic events at the cafe already this year and I'm really looking forward to kicking off our Autumn schedule next week. I'd encourage anyone who's ever had an interest in poetry to come down and check us out."

The Costa Liverpool Poetry Cafe concept has been modelled on the Poetry Society's Poetry Cafe in Covent Garden, London.  

Alex Scott-Samuel has been working with Costa, poetry groups and societies throughout Liverpool to develop themes and content for events.  The project has had strong support from the city's libraries who will also be involved in generating content and ideas for events.

For more information, contact Alex Scott-Samuel on 0151-724-2777 or alexss@liv.ac.uk or drop into Costa's Bold Street store for local publicity.


Listings Information:

Monday 8th September: Dead Good Poets Society poets Colin Watts, author of poetry collection Human Geography; theatre director, script writer and performance poet Alison Down; author of Butterfly in a Snowstorm, Jacqui Dunne; and the simply indescribable Ray undertake readings compered by Sarah Maclennan. The Dead Good Poets Society is a Liverpool-based organisation that promotes poetry including open mic events and poetry guest nights in Liverpool Central Library and the Merseyside region.

Two sets of open mic sessions will be included in the session providing the opportunity for poets to perform their own work.
7.30pm - 9.30pm
Free admission

Thursday 25th September: Dead Good Poets Society poets Chris Clarke, possibly the world's only belly dancing poet; Clare Kirwan, runner-up in the Liverpool Poetry Slam 2007; Dead Good Poets Society favourite David Bateman and popular performance poet, Aaron Murdoch undertake readings compered by Sarah Maclennan.

The Dead Good Poets Society is a Liverpool-based organisation that promotes poetry including open mic events and poetry guest nights in Liverpool Central Library and the Merseyside region.

The evening will also include two sets of open mic sessions with opportunity for poets to perform their own work.
7.30pm - 9.30pm
Free admission

Monday 13th October: Windows Poets including Windows project co-ordinator Dave Ward, author of Candy and Jazz, Jambo and Tracts; Glyn Wright, writer in residence for Aldeburgh Poetry Festival and winner of the Aldeburgh Festival Prize; Dinesh Allirajah, founder member of Asian Voices, Asian Lives; Eleanor Rees, former Eric Gregory Award Winner and Poet in Residence for Chester Zoo; and poet, songwriter and performer Michelle Sakim.
7.30pm - 9.30pm
Free admission

Thursday 23rd October: An evening of local and European poetry with George and Gosia McKane and young people from Liverpool's internationally renowned Yellow House; an innovative community group that helps to develop young people through the arts. For more information on their work, see www.yellowhouse.info 
7.30pm - 9.30pm
Free admission

Monday 10th November: Homotopia Festival poets Gerry Potter, actor, playwright and creator of Chloe Poems; Club Lash co-founder and glamorous Poet Without a Licence, Cath Nichols and Queer Vegan performance poet Dominic Berry all read from their work.
7.30pm - 9.30pm
Free admission

Thursday 27th November: Wild Woman Clare Campbell hosts an evening of poetry readings. Clare is the innovative leader of Liverpool based social enterprise Wild Woman and runs the acclaimed Wild Transformation Course which helps people find a route out of unemployment and depression to follow their dreams.  Expect magic, affirmations, soulful irreverence and poetry penned by Clare and her friends Jackie Kay, David Whyte, Rumi and Mary Oliver. For more information on Wild Woman, go to www.wild-woman.co.uk
7.30pm - 9.30pm
Free admission

Monday 8th December: Liverpool night! Bring and read your own work or a published poem about Liverpool.  Contact Alex Scott-Samuel with advance notice of your intention to read.
7.30pm - 9.30pm
Free admission

www.costabookawards.com

- ENDS -

For further press information please contact:

Amanda Johnson
Costa Book Awards Press and Publicity
Telephone: 07715 922180 (mobile)
Email:  amanda@amandajohnsonpr.com

Or

Alex Scott-Samuel on 0151-724-2777or alexss@liv.ac.uk

 

Notes for Editors:

About Costa:

* Costa is now officially the largest and fastest-growing coffee shop chain in the UK.  It opened its 1000th milestone store in March 2008 in Moscow.

* Costa was founded by Italian brothers Sergio and Bruno Costa in 1971. With 764 stores in the UK and over 300 internationally, Costa has enjoyed a remarkable period of growth since it opened its first store.  It now operates in 23 countries. 

* Costa Coffee is the first UK coffee shop chain to commit sourcing Rainforest Alliance Certified Coffee. 

* Costa's in-store baristas are all coached in the art of coffee making at the company's unique Costa Coffee Academy based at its own roastery in Lambeth, London.

* Costa has been voted as one of the strongest UK brands by experts and consumers and has been awarded ?Superbrand' status.

* Costa set up a registered charity (no.327489) in 2006 called 'The Costa Foundation' to give something back to the communities within the countries from which Costa sources its coffee beans.

* Costa is part of the Whitbread family of brands.

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