What's happening
Heritage Trail at the Bluecoat.
From Monday, 01 September 2008 to Tuesday, 30 December 2008 | 8:00am - 6:00pm
The Bluecoat is the oldest building in the city centre. It has a fascinating 20th century heritage as the oldest arts complex of its kind in the UK as well as its 18th and 19th century role as a charity school. ...
Liverpool Biennial International 08: MADE UP
From Saturday, 20 September 2008 to Sunday, 30 November 2008 | 10:00am - 6:00pm
Now in its fifth edition, Liverpool Biennial is the UK's largest international festival of contemporary visual art. this year's international exhibition, MADE UP, explores the poiwer of the imagination, and can be seen across the city. &nbs...
The Lost Soul and Stranger Service Station
From Saturday, 20 September 2008 to Friday, 10 October 2008
A showcase of the work of some of our resident visual artists to coincide with the Biennial. ...
Rules and Regs
Friday, 03 October 2008 | 8:00pm - 10:00pm
Expect the results of this live art project to surprise the artists as much as the audience. Eitan Buchalter, Grace Surman and Ange Taggart respond to the rules set by the Rules and Regs national live art project. ...
Rules and Regs
Saturday, 04 October 2008 | 8:00pm - 10:00pm
Expect the results of this live art project to surprise the artists as much as the audience. Eitan Buchalter, Grace Surman and Ange Taggart respond to the rules set by the Rules and Regs national live art project with solo performance, audience inte...
Maddy Prior 'Seven For Old England Tour'
Wednesday, 08 October 2008 | 7:30pm - 9:00pm
One of the most important voices in English folk, Maddy Prior made her name with Steeleye Span and has since pursued a celebrated solo career. Here Maddy returns to her roots with an acoustic-centred tour, accompanied by Benji Kirkpatrick and ...
Powerplant at Calderstones Park
From Wednesday, 08 October 2008 to Sunday, 12 October 2008 | 7:30pm - 10:00pm
An evening trail of sound and light through Calderstones Park's beautiful Victorian Gardens. ...
Poetry on the Big Screen
Thursday, 09 October 2008
Make your way to Clayton Square where poetry hits the Big Screen on National Poetry Day. Nathan Jones of Mercy, Liverpool's hugely popular live poetry collective, has put together a special poetic feature. ...
Get Into Reading Sessions at the Bluecoat
From Thursday, 09 October 2008 to Sunday, 19 October 2008 | 10:00am - 5:00pm
The Reader Organisation will be running a series of open reading and discussion groups during the Chapter & Verse literature festival to discuss upcoming books and events. ...
Breaking the Habit: Brush Up Your Technique with Helen Farish - Workshop
Thursday, 09 October 2008 | 11:00am - 4:30pm
Whether you have been writing poetry for a long time or are relatively inexperienced, this workshop will help you focus on your technique. ...
Poetry MENU
Thursday, 09 October 2008 | 11:00am - 3:00pm
Choose from the poetry MENU in Espresso, at the Bluecoat. Write your own poem, play a word game or request a reading at your table from one of the poetry waiters. ...
If You Don't Read Poetry, You Will After This
Thursday, 09 October 2008 | 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Do you find poetry confusing and off-putting? Discover the hidden pleasures of poetry on National Poetry Day in the company of Merseyside’s most passionate literature lovers, The Reader Organisation. ...
Under the Influence with Lemn Sissay
Thursday, 09 October 2008 | 6:00pm - 7:00pm
The Poetry Society's highly successful 'Under the Influence' series – where one poet looks at the influence another poet has had on their work – travels to Liverpool with Lemn Sissay to support the European Capital of Culture...
National Poetry Day Reading with Paul Farley and Martin Espada - Launch Event
Thursday, 09 October 2008 | 8:00pm - 9:30pm
This is National Poetry Day's flagship event for the UK: it comes to Liverpool in honour of the city’s European Capital of Culture status and to launch the new literature festival at the Bluecoat. ...
Narrative and Memory: Inspiration for Your Writing - Workshop with Vona Groarke
Friday, 10 October 2008 | 10:30am - 4:30pm
Without the devices of character development and extended plot, are poems really capable of telling stories?...
Poetry Workshop - Participants' Reading (Helen Farish)
Friday, 10 October 2008 | 4:30pm - 5:30pm
Each of the fifteen budding authors who have taken part in Helen Farish’s workshop in the morning will share one of their poems. Drop in to hear an interesting range of new writing. ...
Workshop - Participants' Reading (Vona Groarke)
Friday, 10 October 2008 | 4:30pm - 5:30pm
The participants in Vona Groarke’s poetry workshop will share their work with the festival audience in this free event – Come along for a poetry injection! ...
The Duel: Pakistan on the Flight Path of American Power - Tariq Ali Talk
Friday, 10 October 2008 | 6:00pm - 7:30pm
A talk by world-renowned political and cultural commentator, Tariq Ali. ...
An evening with Jim Crace
Friday, 10 October 2008 | 8:00pm - 9:00pm
Fiction writer Jim Crace introduces his new book, Heroes, and discusses the inspiration for the book and his other works. ...
Fiction Workshop with Helen Walsh
Saturday, 11 October 2008 | 10:00am - 12:00pm
This workshop will look at the experience of writing for the first time and how ideas can change and be developed. ...
Kapka Kassabova & Vesna Goldsworthy Talk
Saturday, 11 October 2008 | 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Kapka Kassabova reads from and discusses her new memoir, Street Without a Name: Childhood and Other Misadventures in Bulgaria, and Vesna Goldsworthy reads from and discusses her acclaimed memoir, Chernobyl Strawberries , a bestseller in her adopt...
Negro With a Hat: The Rise and Fall of Marcus Garvey - Colin Grant Talk
Saturday, 11 October 2008 | 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Author Colin Grant talks about the legendary Marcus Garvey. Colin Grant chronicles Garvey’s extraordinary life and his lonely, tragic death. This is a fascinating cautionary tale; both timeless and universal in its appeal. ...
Travel Writing and the Imagination - Jan Morris Talk
Saturday, 11 October 2008 | 6:00pm - 7:30pm
This talk is on “Travel Writing and the Imagination” and is an unmissable opportunity to hear Jan Morris discuss her life’s work. Jan Morris is the author of over thirty works, many of which have become classics. ...
An evening with Linda Grant
Saturday, 11 October 2008 | 8:00pm - 9:30pm
Join Linda Grant as she reads from her new novel, The Clothes on Their Backs ,followed by a conversation with Jane Davis, director of The Reader Organisation. ...
Children's Storytelling
Sunday, 12 October 2008 | 12:00pm - 12:45pm
Do you love story time? Come along to hear one of the volunteers from The Reader Organisation bring magical worlds to life. And the best bit? You get to pick the story! Look out for the story boxes in the Bluecoat and Liverpool ONE. ...
Debut Fiction with Jennie Rooney and Carol Fenlon
Sunday, 12 October 2008 | 1:00pm - 2:00pm
Come along and hear from two exciting new talents from Liverpool. Jennie Rooney and Carol Fenlon have both published debut novels in the last year, both of which have met with huge acclaim. ...
The Reading Cure: Chapter
Sunday, 12 October 2008 | 2:30pm - 3:30pm
The Reader Organisation asks ‘What’s your problem?’ in a unique clinic to help solve festival goers’ problems with the assistance of great novels and short stories. ...
Performance Poetry Workshop with Francesca Beard
Sunday, 12 October 2008 | 3:00pm - 5:00pm
This workshop is for anyone interested in presenting their poetry to a live audience and is hosted by Francesca Beard, one of the UK's brightest performance poets. ...
Discussion with Helen Walsh & Sadie Jones
Sunday, 12 October 2008 | 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Join Helen Walsh and Sadie Jones as discuss thier debut novels Brass and The Outcast ....
Workshop Participants' Reading (Francesca Beard)
Sunday, 12 October 2008 | 5:30pm - 6:30pm
Come along and hear the members of Francesca Beard's performance poetry strut thier stuff in the Hub....
The Pauline Campbell Memorial Lecture with Erwin James
Sunday, 12 October 2008 | 8:00pm - 9:30pm
The Pauline Campbell Memorial Lecture has been set up to honour the work of the late campaigner for prison reform and to address the issues she bravely highlighted. The lecture is followed by a discussion chaired by Joe Sim, Professor of Criminology...
Is there a book that changed your life? - Literature in Pubs discussion
Monday, 13 October 2008 | 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Literature in Pubs meet regularly to discuss books and writing in an informal atmosphere. Using John Healy’s The Grass Arena as a starting point, you are invited to discuss books that have changed your life or outlook. ...
The Grass Arena - John Healy Talk
Monday, 13 October 2008 | 6:00pm - 7:30pm
John Healy reads a short extract from his groundbreaking memoir, The Grass Arena, and will be in conversation with Erwin James, a long-time devotee of the book. ...
Speechless - Performance Poetry
Monday, 13 October 2008 | 8:00pm - 9:30pm
How free is free speech? Are there things that just can’t be said? Speechless brings together new poetry from five specially commissioned writers from across South East Asia and four brilliant UK-based poets. ...
Children's Bookshow with Daniel Morden
Tuesday, 14 October 2008 | 10:30am - 11:30am
Please note this event is now sold out. Daniel Morden, one of the leading storytellers in the UK, delights children with tale from The Children’s Bookshow, a national tour of the best children’s writers now in its 6th year. ...
Liverpool Heritage with Deborah Mulhearn and Colum Giles
Tuesday, 14 October 2008 | 1:00pm - 2:30pm
Explore Liverpool’s fascinating and complex past through its literature and buildings with Deborah Mulhearn and Colum Giles. ...
Launch reception with Somafields Poetry Group
Tuesday, 14 October 2008 | 5:00pm - 6:30pm
Representing young Somali people, the group will act as ambassadors and welcome Gaarriye, the renowned Somali poet....
Poetry with Gaarriye and W.N. Herbert
Tuesday, 14 October 2008 | 7:00pm - 8:30pm
We are delighted to welcome Maxamed Xaashi Dhamac, 'Gaarriye', who is the foremost Somali poet of today and a hero in his home country. ...
North West Publishers’ Showcase
Wednesday, 15 October 2008 | 12:00pm - 4:00pm
Literature Northwest presents a unique opportunity to sample some of the region's finest independent publishing – from radical poetry to cutting edge short fiction, graphic novels to beautifully produced, highly collectible local history b...
Paul Durcan and Rebecca Goss - Poetry
Wednesday, 15 October 2008 | 8:00pm - 9:30pm
Paul Durcan and Rebecca Goss treat you to their poetry readings. ...
Manga Hamlet Workshop with Michael McGee
Thursday, 16 October 2008 | 10:00am - 1:00pm
Are you aged 13 - 18 interested in Manga? One of Liverpool's most cutting edge theatre companies, The New Works, is creating a brand new version of Hamlet. This is a brilliant opportunity to let your imagination loose and see your ideas bec...
What Makes Literature Good? -Philosophy in Pubs discussion
Thursday, 16 October 2008 | 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Philosophy in Pubs is a Merseyside-wide group devoted to the discussion of philosophy in informal settings. The topic this time is rather apt, as the session sits in the middle of our Chapter & Verse Literature Festival. ...
The Kingdom of Infinite Space - A Fantastical Journey Around Your Head - Raymond Tallis Talk
Thursday, 16 October 2008 | 6:00pm - 7:30pm
This wonderful new book by Liverpool-native Professor Raymond Tallis examines our everyday expressions - smiling, crying, blushing, kissing - in the search for what it is to be human. ...
Readings with Robert Shearman & Steven Hall
Thursday, 16 October 2008 | 8:00pm - 9:30pm
Join Robert Shearman and Steven Hall as they read from discuss Tiny Deaths and The Raw Shark Texts . ...
Creative Producers’ Information Session with renaissance one
Friday, 17 October 2008 | 10:00am - 12:00pm
Led by Melanie Abrahams, this introductory session for writers who combine performing with organising events, offers insights into the elements of producing a literature or spoken word event. ...
The Journey: Graphic Novel Workshop with Neil Keating
Friday, 17 October 2008 | 10:00am - 1:00pm
Neil Keating is one of the studio artists at the Bluecoat. This workshop will explore sequential illustration and how a graphic novel can be plotted. It aims to provide the participants with the fundamental skills of graphic storytelling. ...
The Art of Collage - Talk with David Blandy & Graham Rawle
Friday, 17 October 2008 | 2:00pm - 3:00pm
David Blandy is an artist featured in the Liverpool Biennial International 08: MADE UP exhibition at the Bluecoat. Graham Rawle’s work was popularised by his Lost Consonants column in The Guardian. ...
Performance Poetry & Music with Lemn Sissay, Salena Godden & Mercy
Friday, 17 October 2008 | 8:00pm - 10:00pm
Join us for a feast of performance poetry. ...
The Big Draw - Once upon a pencil
Saturday, 18 October 2008 | 11:00am - 3:30pm
Be a part of the nation’s annual drawing campaign The Big Draw, and join artist Neil Keating and story teller John Hughes to choose a fairy tale character or setting from our lucky dip. ...
Poetry with Rita Ann Higgins, Vona Groarke and Leontia Flynn
Saturday, 18 October 2008 | 1:00pm - 2:30pm
To celebrate the Liverpool Irish Festival, the Bluecoat brings you a feast of contemporary Irish poetry....
Scriptwriting Workshop with Ronan Bennett
Saturday, 18 October 2008 | 2:30pm - 4:30pm
An invaluable opportunity to examine and discuss scriptwriting for film and television with Ronan Bennett....
Nead an Dreolin (The Wren's Nest) by James Kelly
Saturday, 18 October 2008 | 4:00pm - 4:30pm
Nead an Dreoilín (The Wren’s Nest) is a unique and beautifully crafted collection of short films exploring the poetry of six living Irish language poets. ...
My Father's Watch - reading and discussion with Patrick Maguire, Carlo Gebler and Ronan Bennett
Saturday, 18 October 2008 | 6:00pm - 7:30pm
My Father’s Watch is the intensely moving memoir of Patrick Maguire, one of the “Maguire Seven” wrongly convicted of terrorist-related charges in the late Seventies. ...
The Big Draw - Once upon a pencil
Sunday, 19 October 2008 | 11:00am - 3:30pm
Be a part of the nation’s annual drawing campaign The Big Draw, and join artist Neil Keating and story teller John Hughes to choose a fairy tale character or setting from our lucky dip. Choose a fairytale character or setting from our lucky di...
Children's Storytelling
Sunday, 19 October 2008 | 12:00pm - 12:45pm
More stories picked by children will be read aloud by a volunteer from The Reader Organisation, which aims to put shared reading at the heart of everyday life. Lose yourself in a magical world and keep your fingers crossed for your favourite story! ...
Bernardine Evaristo and Laura Fish - Fiction Talk
Sunday, 19 October 2008 | 1:00pm - 2:30pm
Bernardine Evaristo’s discusses her first prose novel, Blonde Roots, an imaginative reversal of the transatlantic slave trade. Laura Fish discusses Strange Music, a richly complex novel, which casts new light on Jamaican colonial history....
The Reading Cure: Verse
Sunday, 19 October 2008 | 2:30pm - 3:30pm
The Reader Organisation once again offers to soothe the savage breast with the second Reading Cure event of the festival. At the first session, fiction provided the cure for life’s ups and downs – this Sunday, its poetry’s turn. ...
Michael Symmons Roberts, John McAuliffe & Eleanor Rees - Poetry
Sunday, 19 October 2008 | 4:00pm - 6:00pm
Performance poetry from a fantastic range of local and national talent....
Heart Beats with Kate Fox, Caroline Bird, Inua Ellams and Emily and the Faves - Poetry
Sunday, 19 October 2008 | 8:00pm - 10:00pm
Heart Beats Rhyme’n’Roll Poetry Night presents an energetic evening of poetry and music, hosted by Heart Beats’ own performance poet, Lisa Jones. ...
Polar Bear + support
Thursday, 23 October 2008 | 8:00pm - 10:00pm
Mercury nominated Polar Bear are at the centre of the current avant jazz explosion. Led by drummer Seb Rochford - collaborator with Brian Eno, David Byrne, Patti Smith and Yoko Ono. ...
Lone Twin Theatre: Daniel Hit By A Train
Friday, 24 October 2008 | 8:00pm - 10:00pm
53 true stories about someone dying whilst saving the life of another....
Capital Nights Dance Festival Seminar: European Influences
Thursday, 30 October 2008 | 10:00am - 4:00pm
Part of the Intercultural Dialogues and Cultural Conversations programme, this seminar explores the place of dance within Europe and its impact within a European Capital of Culture context. ...
Long Night of the Biennial
Thursday, 30 October 2008 | 6:00pm - 11:00pm
Discover a vision of utopian worlds, fabricated pasts and imagined futures in Liverpool's most iconic creative hub. For the Long Night we have poncho making, live music and DJs, a cosmic Sun Ra screening, a barbeque and pumpkins in the courtyard...
Capital Nights Dance Festival - Performance Triple Bill
Thursday, 30 October 2008 | 9:30pm - 11:00pm
Cork based Legitimate Bodies Dance Company presents 'Hanging in There' followed by Liverpool's Taciturn with 'If it can be broken, it can be fixed' and then the evening is finished off with Guerilla Dance (Liverpool). ...
BBC Radio 3's Free Thinking Festival presents: Will Self
Friday, 31 October 2008 | 7:00pm - 8:30pm
In this free lecture, Will Self will discuss 'Natururalism and Sanity: Is the Mind Really as it's Portrayed?' ...
BBC Radio 3's Free Thinking Festival presents: The Verb featuring Alexei Sayle
Friday, 31 October 2008 | 9:15pm - 10:30pm
Ian MacMillan presents a cabaret of performance, poetry and conversation. ...
Organic Cherry
From Wednesday, 25 March 2009 to Thursday, 01 January 1970 | 7:00am - 12:00am
Organic Cherry gives amateur and experienced writers, actors and directors the opportunity to create a new theatre experience in Liverpool. For the audience it's the chance to see the creative process in full flow. ...
Living Sketchbook
From Friday, 23 October 2009 to Thursday, 01 January 1970 | 10:00am - 1:00am
Living Sketchbook is an interactive installation involving the public, NHS staff, artists, public, private and third sector groups in discussions, meals, games and workshops....
Alexander's Annexe featuring Mira Calix plus guests
From Thursday, 11 February 2010 to Thursday, 01 January 1970 | 8:00pm - 12:00am
An eclectic night of new music: Alexander’s Annexe use the piano as source material for their electro-acoustic soundscapes....
