Category: Competitions

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Wolves Lit Fest Poetry Slam

Last night we returned to the Arena Theatre in Wolverhampton for the city’s annual poetry slam. Fifteen poets battling it out in front of over 100 people, with some truly incredible prizes – we’re sure our winners are enjoying the finest literary offerings available to humanity even as we type.

The slam is one of our favourite events of the year. Not least because we never know what’s going to happen. Poets who’ve never competed in a slam before rub shoulders with slam veterans. A serious poem may be followed by a comic offering, a poem which closely observes everyday life, or a surreal flight of fancy. The whole evening is a celebration of the craft of poetry and the fifteen individuals who are getting up behind the mic on the night, and the generous response of our audience – some of whom have never been to any kind of poetry night before – shows how appreciative they are.

Last night was every bit as good as we’d hoped it would be. Our thanks to each and every one of the fifteen poets for playing their part in a fantastic evening’s entertainment. Thanks, too, to our five judges (chosen at random from our audience), to everyone who came along – to listen, be moved, applaud, cheer, and enjoy a great night out – and to the Arena staff who set up the tech and make us all so welcome. We couldn’t have done it without you.

Over the course of the evening, fifteen poets were whittled down to six semi-finalists, then a final three competed for the prize of a paid gig at next year’s Lit Fest. For the first time ever, two poets tied for second place – congratulations to local poet Karen Evans, and Cal Wensley from Bristol – but this year the poetry crown was taken by David Braziel from Stafford, who went home with Jeremy Clarkson and a packet of cuppa soups. Because we know how to show our poets a good time. Oh yes we do.

P.S. If you enjoyed last night, or didn’t come and would like to see what great poetry you’ve been missing, we’re running Stars of Slam next Saturday as part of the festival. Five winners of the region’s poetry slams each get to perform a fifteen-minute set of their material. It’s going to be amazing! We suggest you get yourself a ticket quick, while they’re still there to snaffle.

PPP
26th January 2025

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Wolves Lit Fest

As a new year races into our vision like an excitable puppy it’s time for PPP to start preparing for Wolverhampton Lit Fest. Since its inception we’ve run events as part of the festival and this year is no exception.

It all starts for us on Saturday 3rd February 2024 when we curate the Fringe Room taking placein the Arena Theatre. All five performances are pay-as-you-feel and it starts off with a trio you might have heard of. Yes, we kick off the event with our Pass the Poetry Parcel show.

Then, rather than rest and go to the pub we instead bring you another four shows from Tina
Sederholm, Dan Webber, Rose Condo and duo Willis the Poet and Ben Moore. We also have the Poetry Competition Winners Showcase event at 4.30pm in the same building. If you get there early you technically don’t need to leave the building for six hours so bring your slippers.

After a quick break we then run (well, amble gracefully) over the road to the Art Gallery for the Stars of the Slam event. Jemima Hughes, Matt Jones, Kieren King, Chloe Jacquet and Colin Wells have all earned their place in poetry folklore by winning slams somewhere on this isle and we’re putting them in a single place, at a single time for your enjoyment. All for a fiver. It’s like inflation never happened.

Then the poetry Gods allow us to sleep for a few hours before returning to the Art Gallery on Sunday for the Writers’ Hub. From 11am to 6pm a bevy of local writers’ groups have some time to share their work. All the events are free. Jonathan Davidson from Writing West Midlands will also have a stall at the event for you to find out more about the work WWM do in the region. It’s yet another day you might want to bring your slippers.

And finally on Friday 9th February we have the now legendary Wolverhampton Lit Fest Poetry Slam. Again we’re at the Arena. Tickets are £12 and you can even watch on the livestream if you want to sit in your own home in your slippers. PPP Slams are always special events and the Wolves Lit Fest slam is the specialest of the special. Our hometown slam, in what is usually a packed theatre. Get your tickets sharpish because this can sell out.

With all that buzz, it’s no wonder the puppy is so excited. We hope to see you at one or more (or all!) of the events.

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Ironbridge Festival poetry competition results

The results for this year’s Ironbridge Festival poetry competition are now out. Congratulations to our winner, Helen Kay, and all other winning and shortlisted poets. Our thanks to our judge, Pat Edwards, and to every single poet who entered. We wish you all the very best with your submissions to other competitions in future. You can read the full list of winners and shortlisted poets here: https://pandemonialists.co.uk/ironbridge-poetry-competition-2023/

If you’re in and around Ironbridge next Sunday (October 15th) we’re holding a prizewinners’ event at Coalbrookdale Community Centre, from 11.30am, where some of the winning poets will be reading their poems, Pat Edwards will say a few words about the judging process, and poets who submitted to the TF postcode part of the competition will also have the opportunity to read. Entry is free, and everyone is welcome to come along and listen. We hope to see you there!

best wishes
PPP

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PPP Poetry Competition Winners Announced

We’re pleased to announce the winners, shortlisted poets and commended poets in the PPP Poetry Competition 2023. The standard was exceptionally high and praise needs to go to everyone who submitted but particularly those who made the shortlist. All the details are on the competition webpage along with the top three poems.

On top of that we have raised a fantastic £851.77 to help support the work of The Good Shepherd in Wolverhampton.

Well done everyone.