Poetry Competition

Oxford International Women's Festival Poetry Competition

I am delighted to be involved with this fundraising event for Oxford International Women’s Festival:

Visit www.oxfordwomen.co.uk for more details about the festival, or find them on Facebook.

POEM THEME: Women and Wellbeing.

CLOSING DATE: Friday 5th November.

CATEGORIES: Open Category (all ages can apply), 3 prizes; Under 18s, 1 prize.

PRIZES: Perform your work at a local poetry event; win a creative writing tutorial, books by local authors and other great prizes. NB if you prefer not to perform your work in front of an audience on 17th November, you can nominate someone to do this on your behalf. The best 12 entries, in the opinion of the judges, will be published in an anthology, and will receive a copy. The 4 main prize winners will receive 5 copies each, and will have their work featured here on the eight cuts gallery website. Other featured poets will each get one copy.

ENTRY CRITERIA: The poem must be your own original work, and must be your interpretation of Women and Wellbeing (this can any interpretation as you wish). People may enter as many times as they wish, provided each entry is accompanied by the correct fee. Maximum length: 50 lines. Please do not write your personal details on the poem itself: provide a separate cover letter with your name, age (if entering the Under 18s category), and your preferred contact details. Entries cost £1.

Post your entries to Oxford International Women’s Festival, 25 East Street, Oxford OX2 0AU with payment by cheque or postal order. Cheques payable to Oxford International Women’s Festival, please. Alternatively, you can hand in your poem, cover letter and entry fee at the Albion Beatnik bookshop, Walton Street, Oxford.

Entries will be judged by local writers. Winners will be announced Monday 8th November.

Main event:

Poetry Performances and Prize-giving: Wednesday 17th November, 7pm- 10pm, East Oxford Community Centre. Winners from both categories can perform their poems as part of the event which will showcase poetry based on the theme, Women and Wellbeing.

Special performances from, amongst others,

Joan Barbara Simon, author of Mut@tus

Charlotte Geater

Ellie Tranter of Yak Shack

Christi Warner

+OPEN MIC

TICKETS: £4 per ticket for the event; competition winners get in free.

To sign up as a reader for the main event, please contact Anna Hobson annacreates@yahoo.com (ticket price will still apply, sorry!). Performances should not last more than 10 minutes and must be your own original work. NB please note that due to the under 18s category, all poems performed prior to 9pm must be suitable for this age group. If you require a later slot, please inform Anna.

Judges: Anna Hobson

Dan Holloway, founder, Year Zero Writers; owner, eight cuts gallery press

Ellie Tranter, poet in residence, YakShack

Head

head

bloodrush. milk. black.

head

diabetic priest. confessional chocolate. cunt cheese.

head

take it. whimper. gimp mask. lips.

head

bang. pottery. stairs. daddy. bang.

head.

choke. throttle. motor.

head

head

head

guitar. meth. monkey-wrench. chord.

head

wet. grey. in. pink. switchblade.

head

thrash thrash thrash thrash

thrash thrash thrash

head

there are these moments when everything is transparent and I'm seeing through me and you to the edge

head

ludicrous random

head

scab. linen. clot.

head

thrash

head

thrash

head

tulips. galileo. toner. glass.

head

glitter. snot. deelyboppers. halo.

head

thigh. neck. eyes. horizon.

head

through me and you to the edge

Year Zero (not) at the Oxford Literary Festival

Dropping the Beat: Year Zero Live at The Albion Beatnik, Walton Street, Oxford 24th March, 6pm, FREE

If you want to spend lots of money listening to the same old same old from the middle of the mainstream, then you may want to go to the official site for the Oxford Literary Festival.




But if you want to comeand hear the most exciting contemporary literature there is, FOR FREE, in Oxford, at Oxford’s best and coolest bookstore, The Albion Beatnik, then hang around here, learn about Year Zero Writers, the globally acclaimed international collective turning their back on the publishing world and delivering the very best literature, direct to readers. Stop and download all our books, including 6 full-length novels, FREE, then come along and hear.





reading from SKIN BOOK at the last Year Zero gig at The Albion Beatnik


Our very first gig was held at Oxford’s coolest shop, The Albion Beatnik, back last October. And we loved it there so much we’ve foisted ourselves upon poor Dennis once again.


The Albion Beatnik is everything an Independent bookstore should be – it serves coffee in mugs you can hand pick from the shelf (I always drink out of Sylvia Plath, and there’s not many can say that :p); it specialises in books on jazz and by and about the Beat Poets; it has an in-house artist; and it’s an incredible venue for reading and music.


This gig promises to be extra special because it’s slap bang in the middle of the Oxford Literary Festival, and Year Zero intend to show the literary establishment just what live literature SHOULD be, and put on a party that no one will forget. Oh, and there may just be a little announcement…


In keeping with the spirit of this fantastic venue, we will stuff the programme full of our work that’s been influenced by Beat culture:
Daisy Anne Gree – The Dead Beat
Dan Holloway – Songs from the Other Side of the Wall; A Life Drawn Freehand
Larry Harrison – Glimpses of a Floating World
Ali Cooper – The Girl on the Swing

STOP PRESS! Music and poetry will be provided by the amazing Christi Warner. Christi is a Namibian singer, songwriter, playwright & poet: “a wordsmith with a stylistic savvy and has a voice that can be gentle as an angel’s breath or on occasion, caustic as a lemon tart.” (Randall Parish, U.S based marketer & reviewer). Her music “isn’t fast-food R&B. It’s the underground nu-soul classic that your mother said you should put on repeat…” (Namibian Sun Newspaper).

You can hear Christi here.