An Evening with Parwana Fayyaz

Our contemporary poetry reading series ‘Go to the poets, they will speak to thee’ returns in 2022, curated and hosted by poet Kim Moore. We will be listening to what poets have to say about our turbulent times, and how poetry can cross borders to challenge, delight and inspire us. Each event in the series is part reading, part open mic – and the theme of the open mic changes every month!

William Wordsworth was determined to tell the stories of ‘real people’ in his work – whether this was a leech gatherer or a beggar. He believed that their lives were worthy of poetry, but also that their story could illumine wider historical, cultural and social truths. Our guest poet this month is Parwana Fayyaz who seems to embody a similar commitment to tell stories not often heard. In her debut collection 40 Names, published by Carcanet in 2021, she sets out to tell the stories of Afghan women and the matrilineal heritage of her family. These are remarkable stories that also explore history, gender, society and the development of a political consciousness.

Our open mic theme this month is storytelling. We would like to invite you to bring a poem that tells the story of someone you know – whether this is a family member or a friend, a stranger you meet on a bus or someone you have loved your whole life.

Open mic slots are limited and must be booked in advance (update: open mic is FULL). Each open mic poem should be no longer than two minutes.

How to book and attend

Please read our guide to booking and attending online events before you purchase a ticket.

This event is a Zoom Webinar and the audience will not appear on screen. If you have bought a ticket and signed up to the open mic your audio and video will be enabled during the open mic.

Five free tickets are available for each session for those experiencing financial hardship that would otherwise not be able to attend. This is on a first come first served basis with no questions asked about your situation. Please email Hannah at h.catterall@wordsworth.org.uk.

Live captions will be provided by Otter.