PoetryFilm returns to Curzon Renoir Cinema with another eclectic PoetryFilm programme introduced by Malgorzata Kitowski. To tie in with National Poetry Day 2009, the theme of this event is Heroes and Heroines. 5 films and 3 poets followed by Q&A and discussion. Heroes and Heroines celebrated include: Freegans; Hitchcock, Rachmaninov, Bunuel, Dali, and Madame de Pompadour; doppelgangers, Gaston Bachelard and Rilke. PROGRAMME: More For Less – Sonal Sachdeva Martin and Alf have been living over the past few years as Freegans, living from the excessive waste generated by people & supermarkets. In a way they have chosen to go against the societal norm of having steady, paid jobs and yet survive well by not participating in the process of earning money and adding to the burden of existing over-consumption in western society, which creates far more throwaway waste than we can handle. Taking this stand leaves them more time to interact with members of the public. They have taken this to the next level by walking around London for 7 days with the strong conviction that by helping and serving people, and not worrying about where their next meal comes from, one truly begins to live. Director Sonal Sachdeva will be talking about Martin and Alf, her anti-capitalist heroes, after the screening. La Sonnambula – Marco Sanges and Alberto Bona The heroes are Hitchcock, Rachmaninov, Bunuel and Dali. The heroine is Madame de Pompadour. Bellini's opera is unrelated. The Man Who Met Himself – Ben Crowe Ben Crowe left his job, bought a Super8 camera, and made this film, which was nominated for the Palme D’Or at Cannes 2005. A mysterious call, a photograph of a man, and a private detective compelled by the one case that finally got to him. On a stark but brilliant day in London, Austin Petersen takes a job from an anonymous client, a job he knows he should refuse. What happened to Stephen Maker? Did he fake his own death, or do doppelgangers really exist? Bound – Ben Crowe (World Premiere) During a train journey through the English countryside a passenger is wrapped in the everyday mystery off remembering: his childhood home, a loving family and the future that awaits. The film is a eulogy of sorts and was inspired by the spaces, shapes, smells, objects, colours, patterns and sounds of “home”: all are fragments of a journey from childhood to adulthood to a vision of old age. The film is a commingling of pasts, presents and futures within a loving family and a changing world. We are always plural and social; our stories already written in part by the mistakes and failures, aspirations and sacrifices of earlier generations. Ben Crowe chose the title to suggest that to be “bound” is not to be “captured”. The film also draws on Gaston Bachelard’s Poetics of Space and Rilke’s “The world is large, but in us it is as deep as the sea.” Je Suis Ici – Ben Crowe & Preti Taneja Je Suis Ici is inspired by being on holiday in the south of France and the slight mismatch between expectations and reality. Poet Sophie Mayer wrote a poem in response to the film which she will perform after the screening. FOLLOWED BY: Poetry performance from Sophie Mayer. Sophie Mayer is a writer and educator. She studied and taught English literature and film studies at the universities of Cambridge and Toronto, and taken part in the poetry performance and publication scenes in both of those cities, as well as in London, where she now lives. Her Various Scalpels (Shearsman, 2009) is her first solo collection. Poetry performance from Luke Heeley. Luke Heeley won the Eric Gregory Award from Society of Authors in 2002, and has published in a number of magazines and e-zines, including The Wolf Obsessed with Pipework, Boomerang and The Poem (www.thepoem.co.uk). His work has also been included in Anthologies: Reactions 4 (pen&inc press) and Phoenix New Writing (Heaventree Press). His last work is London Trip-Tych, a film poem. Poetry performance from John Stiles. John Stiles is the author of the poetry collections, Scouts are Cancelled (Insomniac Press, 2002), and Creamsicle Stick Shivs (Insomniac Press, 2006), as well as the novels, The Insolent Boy (Insomniac Press, 2001) and Taking the Stairs, (Nightwood Editions, 2008). Featured on CBC's 'Q', Much Music, and TVO's 'Imprint', John has also written for The Globe and Mail and The Literary Review of Canada, amongst others. John and his poems are the subject of a documentary film, Scouts are Cancelled . Q&A with the participating directors and poets.

Venue: Curzon Renoir Cinema

Contact: Malgorzata
Telephone: 07974836086
Email: info@poetryfilm.org
Website: http://www.curzoncinemas.com/whats_on/all_times/all_venues/poetryfilm_heroes_and_heroines

Peter Daniels, Jo Roach and Jude Rosen read in Stamford Hill Library - by the shelves of Hackney's poetry collection. 6.30 - 7.30 p.m.

Venue: Stamford Hill Library

Tickets: Free

Contact: Anna Robinson
Telephone: 07772227394
Email: anna.robinson@hackney.gov.uk

The POE! (Poetry Olympics Enlightenment) Festival series will be happening in London this coming autumn, in celebration of the 50th Birthday of New Departures and allied arts circuses Appearing at our National Poetry Day Jazz Poetry SuperJam at the 100 Club, 100 Oxford Street (halfway between Tottenham Court Rd and Oxford Circus), from 7.30 till midnight, are: the Edgar Allan Pogues & Blakespeare, Gwyneth Herbert, Adam & Michael Horovitz, Fran & Miles Landesman, Peter Lemer, Niall McDevitt, Molly & Sophie Parkin, Ian Smith, Clark Tracey, Hank Wangford, Annie Whitehead and the William Blake Klezmatrix band.

Venue: 100 Club, 100 Oxford Street

Tickets: £10

Contact: Michael Horovitz
Email: info@poetryolympics.com
Website: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/53779

Part of the POE! (Poetry Olympics Enlightenment) Festival series taking place in London throughout the autumn, in celebration of the 50th Birthday of New Departures and allied arts circuses. Appearing at our National Poetry Day Jazz Poetry SuperJam at the 100 Club, 100 Oxford Street (halfway between Tottenham Court Rd and Oxford Circus), from 7.30 till midnight, are: Blakespeare, Alec Dankworth, Gwyneth Herbert, Adam & Michael Horovitz, Fran & Miles Landesman, Peter Lemer, Niall McDevitt, Molly & Sophie Parkin, Ian Smith, Clark Tracey, Hank Wangford, Annie Whitehead, the William Blake Klezmatrix band, and Special Guests tbc. 7.30 p.m. till midnight

Venue: 100 Club, 100 Oxford Street

Tickets: £10

Contact: Michael Horovitz
Email: info@poetryolympics.com
Website: http://www.wegottickets.com/event/53779

Join us in an afternoon devoted to our poetic heroes and heroines! As the BBC announces the winner of its poll to find Britain’s Favourite Poet, The Poetry Society will celebrate National Poetry Day and its 100th year with a celebration of the heroes and heroines of British poetry. It will be here first that Britain’s Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy reads her first National Poetry Day poem. Expect a verse of heroic proportion! Join John Hegley, Roger McGough, Lemn Sissay, Selima Hill and Dreadlock Alien all reading their work, emceed by the indomitable superhero partnership of Mr G and Joelle Taylor. Alongside these readings, stunning (and rare) archive footage will be shown of poet-heroes of history: Stevie Smith, Dylan Thomas and TS Eliot. Enjoy a world of words and wool with the creators of the world’ first giant knitted poem. And to end the afternoon there will be Valerie Laws with a new interactive game of beach-ball haiku. The afternoon will be a gala of the many superheroes of British poetry… and it is all completely FREE.

Venue: 2:30pm-4:45pm: 8 October 2009 Clore Ballroom, South Bank Centre, London

Tickets: FREE

Join us in an afternoon devoted to our poetic heroes and heroines! As the BBC announces the winner of its poll to find Britain’s Favourite Poet, The Poetry Society will celebrate National Poetry Day and its 100th year with a celebration of the heroes and heroines of British poetry. It will be first here that Britain’s Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy reads her first National Poetry Day poem. Join John Hegley, Roger McGough, Lemn Sissay, Selima Hill and Dreadlock Alien all reading their work, emceed by the indomitable superhero partnership of Mr G and Joelle Taylor. Alongside these readings, stunning (and rare) archive footage will be shown of the poet-heroes of history: Stevie Smith, Dylan Thomas and TS Eliot. Enjoy a world of words and wool with the creators of the world’s first giant knitted poem. And to end the afternoon there will be Valerie Laws with a new interactive game of beach-ball haiku. The afternoon will be a gala of the many superheroes of British poetry… A one-in-a-hundred-years party and not to be missed! And it is all completely FREE.

Venue: Clore Ballroom, Royal Festival Hall, Southbank, London

Tickets: FREE

Telephone: 0207 420 9880
Email: info@poetrysociety.org.uk
Website: www.poetrysociety.org.uk

NATIONAL POETRY DAY READING AND DISPLAY OF POSTCARD POEMS CAMDEN TOWN HALL WITH THE MAYOR 2-4pm, October 8th 2009 Do you live in Camden? Do you have a hero who lives or lived in the borough of Camden? Send the Purple Poets a poem about your Camden Hero on a Postcard! It's National Poetry Day on 8 October and the Purple Poets with their poetry tutor Kim Morrissey will be organising a poetry celebration and display of original poems on postcards. The theme is My Camden Hero. If you live in Camden, and would like to send us your poem on a postcard, please do. Don't forget to keep a copy of your poem for yourself. Postcards only, please (no e-mails). We'll be inviting some of the postcard poets (and some Camden heroes) to a special free afternoon event with our Special Guest Poets Alan Brownjohn and Elaine Feinstein and the Mayor of Camden, Councillor Omar Faruque Ansari, at Camden Town Hall on 8 October. There will be an interview with the Purple Poets in the September issue of the Camden Golden Gazette, with editor Rosemary Howes. Send your postcards to Tony Bloor and Urmi Alim, West Euston Time Bank, Crypt Centre, Munster Square, West Euston, London NW1 3PL, telephone: 0207 383 4922. Tickets: Free. Everyone welcome.Wheel-chair accessible.

Venue: Camden Town Hall, Judd Street, WCI

Tickets: FREE

Contact: West Euston Time Bank
Telephone: 0207 383 4922.
Website: http://www.geocities.com/cheniesuk/purple/index.html

This year's National Poetry Day theme of hero's and heroines has been an inspiration as one of John Clare's hero's, nature and the environment, is becoming ever more relevant in the 21st century. The John Clare poetry prize has been running for three years and coincides with this year's 16th National Poetry Day. Headed up by the John Clare Trust, for the first year, young adults aged 11-18, and adults of 18 plus, have been able to submit their poems alongside youngsters aged 7-11 to be considered for the prize of a hosted tour of Westminster Abbey and reading their poems at Poet's Corner with a celebrity guest.

Venue: Westminster Hall, Westminster Abbey, Westminster

Tickets: Free entry

Contact: David Dykes
Telephone: 01733253330
Email: events@clarecottage.org.uk
Website: www.clarecottage.org

Tongue Fu – The Young Guns Tongue Fu returns to Rich Mix on October 8th after tearing it up at The Big Chill and Kendal Calling, for a jam packed and feisty line up of award winning young poets, invited to flex their most potent lyrical moves to an improvised soundtrack of broken jazz from the Tongue Fu Band, (Nostalgia 77, UNKLE, Graham Coxon, Gwyneth Herbert). Featuring Dizraeli - a rapper, writer, poet and singer - solo and with bands Bad Science and Mud Sun. He’s just returned from the Ediburgh Festival where he won an award for his tour de force performance in hip-hop theatre piece Rebel Cell (which he co-wrote). He’s the Radio 4 Poetry Slam winner and his debut album Engurland (Sea Shanties) is released 1st October. Utterly captivating poetry: huge energy: jaw-dropping delivery. http://www.dizraeli.com Caroline Bird - recently shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize, and was the youngest writer on the list at 22. She’s also won an Eric Gregory Award (2002) and the Foyle Young Poet of the Year award two years running (1999, 2000), and was a winner of the Poetry London Competition in 2007. Her first collection was published when she was just 15. Her third collection “Watering Can’ comes out this November. A brilliant performer, her maturity, humour and confidence belie her years. http://carolinebird.co.uk Inua Ellams - ubiquitous on the spoken word scene and for good reason. His solo show, ‘The 14th Tale’ just won a Fringe First at the Edinburgh Festival and is currently touring the UK. He is a member of the mighty One Taste collective, The Urbanian Quarter and A Poem In Between People. His collection, 󈥭 Fairy Negro Tales’ is published by Flipped Eye. His poetry hits you with so many magical images you’ll be blinking your way through them for days. A true young talent who has landed in London from Nigeria via Dublin, that’s a fiery combination! http://www.phaze05.com Malik Marland aka Manik – a 14 year-old poet/mc who, even though he’s only just starting his GCSEs, has already opened for Benjamin Zephaniah, performed at The Barbican and The Royal Festival Hall and recently reached the finals of the 2009 Camden Roundhouse poetry slam! Also featuring Special guest spots from the 2009 Camden Roundhouse Poetry Slam Jodi Ann Bickley – Winner (on her third gig!) http://www.myspace.com/onenoneblonde Alex Gwyther (Finalist) http://www.myspace.com/thebestofthebiro And Shane Solanki, aka Last Mango In Paris - The Tongue Fu Poetic Polemicist in Residence. Delivering bespoke poems to push buttons and provoke in true prankster style. His show ‘Broken English’ has just been booked for The South Bank in December 09. http://lastmangoinparis.net Hosted by poet/storyteller Chris ‘Ventriloquist’ Redmond – fresh from a lively run of festivals over the summer, favourite of Radio 1’s Colin Murray and “one of THE names to drop whenever spoken word is on the agenda” Apples & Snakes http://www.myspace.com/ventriloquistmusic Thursday 8th October Rich Mix 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, London E1 6LA www.richmix.org.uk or 020 7613 7498 for tickets £5 entry Doors 8pm Show 8.30pm Tongue Fu - “It’s poetry, but not as you know it…amazing to listen to…a really quirky take on traditional poetry readings.” The Guardian

Venue: Richmix, 35 - 37 Bethnal Green Road, E2

Tickets: £5

Contact: Shane Solanki
Telephone: 07970588837
Email: lastmangoinparis@gmail.com
Website: http://www.richmix.org.uk

Poetry Olympics, in association with www.thirdworldsolidarity.org, present a feast of poetry from: Patience Agbabi, Moazzam Begg, Steven Berkoff, Oliver Bernard, Charlie Dark, John Hegley, Michael Horovitz, Mahmood Jamal, Grace Nichols, Nathan Penlington and Keith Waithe, and Special Guest Eleanor Bron – among others tbc - from 7pm.

Venue: Kensington Town Hall

Tickets: £10 in advance/£12.5

Contact: Michael Horovitz
Email: info@poetryolympics.com
Website: http://www.poetryolympics.com

The Serpentine Gallery Poetry Marathon is an ambitious two-day poetry event taking place during Frieze Art Fair week and featuring unique performances from leading poets, writers, artists, philosophers, scholars and musicians. An international group of major figures will be brought together to perform in the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2009, designed by architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa of the acclaimed Japanese practice SANAA. The event will include performances of new work, collaborations, discussions and experiments.

Venue: Serpentine Gallery, Kensington Gardens

Tickets: Tickets from £15 (£1

Telephone: 020 7402 6075
Email: information@serpentinegallery.org
Website: www.serpentinegallery.org

Singer and poet Ruthie Culver reads favourite and original poems while her superb band of improvisers create music in response to the words as they emerge. "A superb fusion of music and poetry" (Swindon Advertiser). Oh and she'll sing some songs too. Part of an Utter:Jazz tour - see www.myspace.com/utterjazz for taster tracks and full tour details.

Venue: Pizza Express Jazz Club, Dean Street, London W1

Tickets: £15

Contact: Kathleen Dodds
Email: info@ruthieculver.com
Website: www.pizzaexpresslive.co.uk

Poetry Slam for all ages with special guest poet Jane Weir. Join in at any time between 4 and 7pm. Have fun, be brave and share your poems with other people during our Havering Book Fesival. Bring a poem you have written or one that you like or just turn up and be part of our audience!

Venue: Hornchurch Library

Tickets: Free event

Contact: Viv Hill
Telephone: 01708 442071
Email: Viv.Hill@havering.gov.uk
Website: www.havering.gov.uk/libraries