News
October 30, 2008 - Wilfred Owen Association: 90 Years on (1918-2008). Series of Events, 30 October, 5-9 November, and 21 November, 2008
The Wilfred Owen Association plans to commemorate the 90th anniversary of Owen’s death and the 1918 Armistice with a series of events in and around Shrewsbury, UK, in November 2008. There will be talks, discussions, readings, a children’s poetry competition, theatre performances, an exhibition, ‘Remembered’, on loan from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and a performance of the oratorio Morning Heroe, composed by Sir Arthur Bliss. The full programme of events is as follows. Please contact Caroline Thewles on 01743 353424 for further information:
WILFRED OWEN ASSOCIATION
WILFRED OWEN: 90 YEARS ON (1918-2008)
Thursday 30th October
The Music Hall, Shrewsbury – 7.30pm
Performance of “Oh What a Lovely War”
Wednesday 5 November
The Gateway Education & Arts Centre, Shrewsbury, at 10.00am
Talk by Richard Field on Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon
Thursday 6 November
Talk: “War Stories” Shrewsbury High School – 7.30pm
With Richard Holmes and Kate Adie
Friday 7 November
Lunch Time Concert (St. Chad’s Church, Shrewsbury, at 12.40pm)
Lunch/Walk: ‘To Uffington in the Footsteps of Wilfred Owen.’
Presentation of Children’s Poetry Award and talk by Jon Stallworthy. The Ashton Theatre, Shrewsbury School – 7.30pm
Saturday 8 November
Day School: The Gateway Education & Arts Centre, Shrewsbury, 10.00 – 3.30pm
‘Remembered’ A History of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, by Julie Summers Exhibition of photographs by Brian Harris
Talk by Martin Brown (archaeologist)
Coffee
‘The Good Soldier’ a biography of Douglas Haig, by Gary Mead
Lunch
‘Songs and Music of the Great War’, with Ted Maidment
Concert: ‘Morning Heroes’ at The Abbey Church, Shrewsbury – 7.30pm
The Shrewsbury Choral Society and the Oswestry Sinfonia Conductor: Martin Schellenberg: Orator: Robert Hardy
Sunday 9 November
Remembrance Day Service at St. Chad’s, Shrewsbury, with readings of Owen’s work by Robert Hardy
Poppy laying and readings at Symmetry, Shrewsbury
‘Tolling the Bell’: an anthology of First World War poetry compiled and read by Andrew Bannerman
(Venue to be confirmed)
Friday 21 November
The Music Hall, Shrewsbury – 7.30pm
‘Private Peaceful – The Concert’, with Michael Morpurgo and the Cappella Singers
Coope, Boyes & Simpson
FURTHER INFORMATION is available FROM CAROLINE THEWLES, Tel: 01743 353424
September 9, 2008 - Ninth International Robert Graves Conference, Oxford, 9-13 September 2008
For more information about this forthcoming conference 'Innovation and Tradition: Robert Graves in the Twentieth Century', please follow one of the links below to join or visit Robert Graves Oxford 2008 at Google Groups, or e-mail secretary@gravesiana.org:
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August 16, 2008 - Academi Literary Bus Tour and Walk on WW2 Poet Alun Lewis, Saturday 16 August 2008, from Cardiff.
Welsh Arts organisation Academi have announced a guided walking tour about Welsh World War II poet Alun Lewis, as part of their “Writers In Their Landscape” Literary Bus Tour (and walking!) series. The full details are:
‘Alun Lewis in Cwmaman’ A guided walking tour led by lecturer Dr John Pikoulis. The first in a series of tours which is designed to introduce readers to the landscapes which inspired three memorable writers: Raymond Williams, Alun Lewis and Margiad Evans. Further tour details and other tour dates available by clicking here.
The Alun Lewis tour will start from the National Museum of Wales, Cardiff at 8:00am on Saturday 16 August 2008, returning to the same point at around 7:00pm that evening. Detailed timetables will be available from Academi. Tickets: £50, or £47 for Academi Members and Associates. Please note that the walking tours will often be over fields and the group will encounter a number of stiles along the way. For more information and to book your place contact Academi on tel: +44 (0)29 2047 2266 or e-mail: post@academi.org.
August 2, 2008 - Four Wilfred Owen Poems Feature in Three Choirs Festival Concert at Worcester, Saturday, 2 August 2008, 2.30pm.
A Musical Event and date for your diary: Saturday 2 August, 2.30pm., at Huntingdon Hall, Worcester:
Songs of War, four Wilfred Owen poems set to music by the distinguished composer Elaine Hugh-Jones, will be performed by tenor John Gilchrist at this year’s Three Choirs Festival. The distinguished pianist, teacher and composer developed her orchestral training for her composition of the settings, which were performed at her 80th birthday concert. Unusually, the songs are set for tenor (or soprano) with piano accompaniment, as on this occasion, or for voice and full symphony orchestra performance.
Reviewers have mentioned Elaine Hugh-Jones’s song settings as being ’… particularly notable for their richly imaginative piano parts allied to frequently memorable vocal lines’ and John Gilchrist as ’… now unsurpassed amongst lyric tenors in sweetness and technical security, and for his musical intelligence.’
For further information and on-line booking, visit: www.3choirs.org
August 1, 2008 - The Manchester Poetry Prize 2008 (Deadline: 1 August 2008)
Manchester Metropolitan University Writing School have announced The Manchester Poetry Prize 2008, with a First Prize of £10,000*. The deadline for entries is 1st August 2008.
The Manchester Poetry Prize* is a new literary competition celebrating excellence in creative writing and is open to writers internationally. It will award a cash prize of £10,000* to the writer of the best portfolio of poems submitted. In addition, a bursary for study at Manchester Metropolitan University will be awarded to an entrant aged 18-25, as part of the ‘Manchester Young Writer of the Year Award’*.
Entrants are asked to submit a portfolio of poetry (three to five poems; the total length of the portfolio should not exceed 120 lines). The poems can be on any subject but must be new work, not published elsewhere.
The Prize celebrates the substantial cultural and literary achievements of Manchester, building on the work of MMU’s Writing School and enhancing the city’s reputation as one of Europe’s most adventurous and creative spaces.
The Writing School will be launching The Manchester Fiction Prize in 2009.
Entrants can submit work via the competition website, or by post using an entry form. If you have any queries, or would like a printed entry pack, please contact:
James Draper
Project Manager: Writing School
Department of English
Manchester Metropolitan University
Rosamond Street West
Off Oxford Road
Manchester, M15 6LL
United Kingdom
Telephone : +44 (0) 161 247 1787
Email : j.draper@mmu.ac.uk
Writing School website
Poetry Prize website
*Terms and conditions apply. See: www.manchesterwritingcompetition.co.uk for details.
NB: The War Poets Association is publishing these details of this prize, which looks like an excellent opportunity for some of our members and readers. The WPA has no connection at all with the prize or its administration. Please contact Manchester Metropolitan University for any further details required. We hope there will be some war poetry entries!
June 9, 2008 - Siegfried Sassoon: 'The Ultimate Ambiguous Man', 9 June 2008, 8pm at Petworth, Sussex
The Petworth Festival this year will include an event about Siegfried Sassoon: Siegfried Sassoon: ‘The Ultimate Ambiguous Man’, will take place at 8pm on 9 June at Leconfield Hall, Market Square, Petworth, West Sussex, GU28 0AF.
Sassoon was one of the most significant poets and writers of the First World War. The War gave Sassoon a voice, which he was not afraid to use through his writing and through the place that he carved for himself in society. Petworth Festival president, Lord Egremont has written a widely acclaimed biography of Sassoon described by The Independent as ‘unmistakably the best thing anybody has ever written about Sassoon’. In this event he will be discussing Sassoon’s life and work with Dennis Silk who knew Sassoon personally. The esteemed actress Jill Balcon, who lives nearby and has been long associated with the Petworth Festival, will read some of Sassoon’s poetry. The event will be chaired by the poet, broadcaster and historian Phil Carradice.
Tickets, at £20 or £5 for those aged 16 or under, are available from the Petworth Fesitival Box Office, tel: 0871 271 6146, or visit Petworth Festival’s website for further information about this event or to book online.
May 17, 2008 - Ivor Gurney Society Annual Spring Weekend, Churchdown, Glos. 17/18 May 2008
THE IVOR GURNEY SOCIETY SPRING WEEKEND
SATURDAY 17 MAY AT ST ANDREWS CHURCH HALL, CHURCHDOWN, GLOUCESTERSHIRE.
2pm – Three Short Talks:
‘Gurney and Fritzy’ by Tim Kendall.
‘”Mother” England: Imagining the Soldier’s Relationship to the State in Gurney’s Poetry’ by Kate Kennedy.
‘“To More Moving Called”: An Existential Appreciation’ by Chris O’Reilly.
3.40pm – Tea and cakes.
4pm – Poetry Workshops:
No. 1: ‘Five New Gurney Poems’ led by Kelsey Thornton.
No. 2: ‘Favourite Gurney Poems’ led by Chris O’Reilly.
(Please note that the workshop groups take place concurrently and places will be limited to a maximum of 30 people per group. Workshop groups will also be allocated on a strictly ‘first come first served’ basis, so early booking is advisable.)
For those wishing to attend Chris O’Reilly’s workshop it is requested that you email him in advance at cb.oreilly@btopenworld.com with the title and text of your favourite poem. A selection of these poems will be used as part of his workshop.
5pm – End
MEMBERS OF THE IVOR GURNEY SOCIETY SHOULD PLEASE NOTE THAT THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING WILL BE HELD AT 12.30PM IN THE SAME VENUE.
SUNDAY 18 MAY – Graham Middleton will lead a Gurney Walk in the Gloucester area.
TICKETS for Saturday 17th cost £10 (adults) or £5 (students) and can be obtained from John Phillips, Fairfields, Clifford, Herefordshire, HR3 5HD (tel: 01497 831038, e-mail or by using the booking form below:
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Please send me ____ tickets for the Gurney Poetry Day on Saturday 17 May.
My/our workshop preference is for [No 1] .......[No 2] ....... (please tick)
A cheque for £......made payable to The Ivor Gurney Society is enclosed.
Please send me details of the Sunday Gurney walk [ ](please tick).
Name(s).................................................................................................Address…............................
.........................................................................Post Code:.................
Please return to John Phillips, Fairfields, Clifford, Herefordshire, HR3 5HD (tel: 01497 831038, jp-hay@beeb.net. A stamped, addressed envelope (s.a.e.) would be helpful.
April 26, 2008 - Organ Recital at St John's Church, Northington, Winchester, with readings by Robert Hardy of poems by Owen & Sassoon. Sat. 26/04/08 at 6.30pm.
Organ recital at St John’s Church, Northington, near Winchester, with readings mainly of poems of Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon, by actor Robert Hardy. Wilfred Owen Association Vice-President Robert Hutchinson will also read some poems. The Recital will be performed by Philip Berg, Master of Music, The Queen’s Chapel at the Savoy. An art exhibition of works by Sheena Clarke will also be on view.
This event is being held to raise funds for the Help for Heroes charity for wounded servicemen, including those injured in Iraq and Afghanistan. See www.helpforheroes.org.uk/events_listings.html#50 and scroll down the page, or use the ‘Find’ command ‘Ctrl-F’ to search for ‘Northington’, for further details. It is hoped to raise as much money as possible for the charity – St John’s Church Church has room for an audience of 200.
Northington is situated in the Candover Valley, a few miles east of Winchester, Hampshire.
Time of the event: Saturday, 26 April 2008 at 6.30pm.
Further details from: Katharine and Peter Campbell
Contact Number: 01962 734800
E-mail: k.campbell@ich.ucl.ac.uk
April 10, 2008 - New biography: Isaac Rosenberg: The Making Of A Great War Poet: A New Life by Jean Moorcroft Wilson published 10 April 2008
Isaac Rosenberg: The Making of a War Poet: A New Life Buy this book now for £11! (Amazon Price at 19 March 2008) Click on the title, left, to see further details provided by Amazon.co.uk. Visit the WPA's own bookshop at Amazon to benefit from the competitive prices provided there. The Association receives a small commission from each purchase made via this website. Alternatively, visit the store directly here or through one of the links below.
The WPA publishes an annual journal, War Poetry Review, which is sent to all members.
Visit the WPA's Amazon Book Store:
Use the search box below to search for books and other items, new or used, on or about war poetry or not, that can be supplied via Amazon.co.uk. Choose the 'All Products' box to search for DVDs and other publications or consumer items as well as books. Click here to visit the WPA Amazon Bookstore directly and see a selection of recent and standard publications recommended by the WPA.
April 8, 2008 - Isaac Rosenberg - A Celebration: WPA/BL event at the British Library, London, 8 April 2008, 6.30pm - 8.00pm
Presented in partnership with The British Library.
Equally able as a poet and artist, Isaac Rosenberg is now considered one of the most gifted voices of the First World War generation. His ‘Break of Day in the Trenches’ has been called ‘the greatest poem of the War’. Marking ninety years since his death on the Western Front on 1 April 1918, the evening of talks and discussion led by Rosenberg scholars Jean Liddiard and Dr Vivien Noakes will explore Rosenberg’s world, work and legacy and feature readings of some of his greatest poems, by actor Sam Dastor.
Event Time: 18.30–20.00 (6.30pm – 8.00pm)
Location: Conference Centre, British Library, Euston Road, London.
Price: £6 (£4 for concessions and WPA members)
Tickets from the British Library Box Office: Book online (scroll down the page and click ‘Book’; prices for concessions appear on the second page of the booking process. WPA members should select ‘War’.) Telephone (from the UK): 01937 546546 or (from abroad): + 44 1937 546546. E-mail bookings: boxoffice@bl.uk.
The leading speakers on 8 April will be Jean Liddiard - whose book of previously-unpublished letters by Rosenberg discovered at the British Library, Poetry Out of My Head and Heart , was published by Enitharmon earlier this year - and Dr Vivien Noakes, whose The Poems and Plays of Isaac Rosenberg: A Critical Edition was published in 2004. Tickets at £6 (£4 for WPA members) are available from the British Library’s Box Office, as the details above.
At a related event showing in London at the same time, fifty of Rosenberg’s artworks will be featured in Whitechapel at War: Isaac Rosenberg and his circle, an exhibition at the Ben Uri Gallery, London Jewish Museum of Art from 2 April – 8 June 2008.