Jamaican Poet Laureate Mervyn Morris UK Visit
Speaking Volumes Live Literature Productions is delighted to announce a rare visit by Jamaica’s Poet Laureate Mervyn Morris to the UK this October. Professor Morris will be reading his poetry and also talking about Jamaican icon Louise Bennett in Bristol, London (various venues) and Kingston in Surrey, Norwich, Birmingham, Warwick and York from 10 to 25 October.
Bookings for each event can be made through the contact numbers/emails/links given for each event.
Mervyn Morris was born in Kingston in 1937. He studied at the University College of the West Indies and, as a Rhodes Scholar, at St Edmund Hall, Oxford. From 1966 – 2002 he was on the staff of the University of the West Indies, from which he retired as Professor of Creative Writing and West Indian Literature.
His books of poems include The Pond, Shadowboxing and Examination Centre, On Holy Week and I been there, sort of: New and Selected Poems. There is a Poetry Archive CD of Mervyn Morris Reading from his Poems. He edited Selected Poems by Louise Bennett, It A Come by Michael Smith and After-image by Dennis Scott. He is the author of Is English We Speaking and Other Essays, Making West Indian Literature and, in 2014, Miss Lou: Louise Bennett and Jamaican Culture.
Friday 10 October at 6.00pm – Reading at Bristol Poetry Institute
Venue: the Great Hall of the Wills Memorial Building, Bristol University, Bristol
Organised by the Bristol Poetry Institute, the University of Bristol and Bristol Institute for Research in the Humanities and Arts
Free but you must reserve a place -see http://www.bristol.ac.uk/arts/research/poetry-institute/events/2014/27.html or http://www.mervynmorris.eventbrite.com
Saturday 11 October at 7.00pm – ‘Jamaica Rising Speakeasy’ at the Watershed, Bristol with various writers
Venue: Watershed, 1 Canon’s Rd, Bristol, City of Bristol BS1 5TX with various writers
Organised by Bristol City Council, Government of Jamaica, Bristol Festival of Literature, Yardstick and Ujima Radio
Ticket prices: £7.00 (£5.00 concessions)
To book call the box office on 0117 927 5100
Monday 13 October at 6.30pm – ‘Is English We Speaking’ – Readings at British Library, London with John Hegley and Mimi Khalvati
Venue: the Conference Centre, British Library, London NW1
Organised by the British Library, New Beacon Books and the George Padmore Institute
Ticket prices: £10.00, £8.00 (over 60s), £7.00
To book, visit the British Library website at http://www.bl.uk/whatson/events/event165961.html or telephone +44 (0)1937 546546 (note there will be a £1.50 booking fee for all phone bookings)
Wednesday 15 October at 7.00pm – ‘An Evening with Mervyn Morris – A Reading at Kingston University, Surrey
Venue: Room JG0001, John Galsworthy building, Penrhyn Road campus, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey KT1 2EE
Organised by Kingston Writing School at Kingston University
Ticket prices: £4.00
To book see http://www.kingston.ac.uk/events/item/1171/15-oct-2014-an-evening-with-mervyn-morris/
Thursday 16 October at 7.30pm – Reading at The Birdcage, Norwich with supporting guests
Venue: The Birdcage, 23 Pottergate, Norwich, Tel 01603 633 534
Organised by The Birdcage, Writers’ Centre Norwich and Norfolk Black History Month
Tickets: £4.00 adv/£5.00 on the door
To book see http://www.thebirdcagenorwich.co.uk
Monday 20 October at 5.00pm – Reading at the University of Birmingham TBC
Venue:
Organised by the University of Birmingham
FREE but you need to reserve a place
Tuesday 21 October at 5.00pm – ‘Miss Lou: Louise Bennett and Jamaican Culture’ – Talk and Reading at Warwick University
Venue: Rm S0.10, the Yesu Persaud Centre for Caribbean Studies, University of Warwick CV4 7AL
Organised by the University of Warwick
FREE but you need to reserve a place, contact Fabienne Viala at F.Viala@warwick.ac.uk
Wednesday 22 October at 5.00pm – ‘In the Beginning’: Conversations and Readings at Goldsmiths, University of London with Louisa Adoja Parker, Vesna Goldsworthy and Minoli Salgado to celebrate 30 years of Wasafiri
Venue: Room 137, Richard Hoggart building, Goldsmiths, University of London, New Cross, London SE14 6NW
Organised by Goldsmiths and Wasafiri, the Magazine of International Contemporary Writing
FREE but you must reserve a place by emailing Maria MacDonald at M.Macdonald@gold.ac.uk
Thursday 23 October at 6.00pm – ‘Miss Lou, Jamaican Culture and Mervyn Morris’ talk and reading at University of York
Venue: The Treehouse, the Berrick Saul Building, University of York, Heslington West Campus, York
Organised by the University of York ‘Writers at York’ series
FREE but you must reserve a place, see http://www.york.ac.uk/news-and-events/events/public-lectures/autumn-2014/mervyn-morris/
Saturday 25 October at 6.30pm – ‘Miss Lou’ talk at the Tabernacle, west London
Venue: The Tabernacle, Powis Square, London W11 2AY
Part of the London is the Place for Me weekender organised by Renaissance One and Tilt
Tickets: various prices
See http://www.renaissanceone.co.uk/London-Is-The-Place-For-Me-2014 for more information
The Mervyn Morris UK tour is organised by Speaking Volumes Live Literature Productions
See https://www.facebook.com/SpeakingVolumesLiveLiteratureProductions
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