Contains Strong Language LINE-UP
8th-11th September 2022
All events are FREE to attend but need booking!
Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the BBC Contains Strong Language Festival programme was suspended. It respectfully resumes at 7pm on Friday 9th September. Hippodrome Events only; those at the Mother Tree Stage at PoliNations are cancelled. Click through to the CSL Website for more details.
VERVE Poetry Festival is proud to be partnering with the BBC and B2022 Festival to bring you Contains Strong Language 2022, supported by Arts Council England, the British Council and PoliNations.
The Full Contains Strong Language Line-up & Tickets to in-person events are available on the CSL Website. We’re once again running a Digital Festival alongside our in-person one, the full line-up of which you can see below! We will also be running a Contains Strong Language/VERVE Indie Poetry Press Bookfair on the 11th which will include books not normally available in the UK!
In-Person Event Tickets (CSL)
Online Event Tickets
DOWNLOAD THE CSL PROGRAMME
OUR ONLINE EVENTS
September 2022
Sep
05
05
September
2022
Saradha Soobrayen Online Workshop: The Curiosity Toolkit: Embracing the Unknown in Poetry
Zoom,
“…poems are like dreams: in them you put what you don’t know you know.” Adrienne Rich This workshop explores how embracing the unknown can challenge our preconceptions and certainties, allowing […]
£10 – £15
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Sep
05
05
September
2022
Scarlett Ward Online Workshop: Space & space – the infinity of a blank page.
Zoom,
How can we as Poets approach the examination of both Space as in the galactic, and the space which occupies the small gaps or silences in between the spoken and […]
£10 – £15
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Sep
06
06
September
2022
Shivanee Ramlochan Online Workshop: Poetry as Ferocity: Writing your Truth with Radical Honesty
Zoom,
What truths are your poems telling? If not for your poems, what truths would never be spoken at all? In this workshop, we’ll chart a course for radical honesty in […]
£10 – £15
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Sep
06
06
September
2022
Dzifa Benson Online Workshop: The Gift
Zoom,
Gifts are often objects that are loaded with emotional weight and memory – the kind that can engender powerful lyric poetry, anchored in concrete detail. This workshop aims to harness […]
£10 – £15
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Sep
07
07
September
2022
Romalyn Ante Online Workshop: Legends and Myths in Mundane Life
Zoom,
This workshop looks at the art of revising myths through poetry, exploring the approach taken by poets such as Fiona Benson, Jericho Brown and Leila Chatti. Learn to find the […]
£10 – £15
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Sep
07
07
September
2022
Kostya Tsolakis Online Workshop: Language is a Queer Thing
Zoom,
In this session, Kostya will guide you through the labyrinth of possibilities when translating queer experiences across borders and between languages. Are there ‘untranslatable’ words? Can we translate non-English queer […]
£10 – £15
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Sep
09
09
September
2022
The Laurel Prize Giving Ceremony Stream
Youtube,
The Laurel Prize for eco and nature poetry is the world’s largest prize for best collection awarded annually. Join Prize Founder, Poet Laureate Simon Armitage and this year’s judges Glyn […]
Free
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Sep
09
09
September
2022
Fred D’Augiar and Linton Kwesi Johnson Feature Performance
Youtube,
Hosted by Roy Mcfarlane, this must-see reading accompanied by *sound-system* will be a lively celebration of these two giants of poetry. Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/fred-daugiar-and-linton-kwesi-johnson-feature-performance-tickets-396720550847
Free
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Sep
10
10
September
2022
Verve Press 5th Birthday
Youtube,
VERVE Poetry Press is five years old this year! Help us celebrate at this colourful and lively event hosted by Luke Kennard and Brum Poet Laureate Casey Bailey and featuring […]
Free
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Sep
10
10
September
2022
Language is a Queer Thing Showcase
Youtube,
Our Language is a Queer Thing project – funded by British Council and in partnership with The Queer Muslim Project (India) – pairs three queer UK poets with three queer […]
Free
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Sep
11
11
September
2022
Across Borders: Poems from the Commonwealth
Youtube,
Join all 18 of the poets involved in our Across Borders – Poems from the Commonwealth project, presented by Birmingham 2022 Festival, and help them launch their Across Borders anthology […]
Free
Find out more »