An Evening with Roy McFarlane

Our 2021 contemporary poetry reading series, “Go to the poets, they will speak to thee”, is 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!

Our guest poet this month is the wonderful Roy McFarlane, who has kindly stepped in to take the place of Tishani Doshi, who is now sadly unable to read at this event.

In his Preface to the Lyrical Ballads, Wordsworth argues that “the Poet is the rock of defence of human nature; an upholder and preserver, carrying everywhere with him relationship and love”.

We felt that Roy was the perfect poet to step into this space and explore what a Poet is, or can be.  His work blends poems of witness and activism, balancing between lyricism and the need to tell a story.  His poetry is not afraid to ask difficult questions about power – who has it, and who doesn’t, all whilst infusing his language with the rhythms of jazz to create poems which feel like objects you can hold in your hands, as well as something you can carry away in your heart.

We are looking for open mic poets to take on that line from Wordsworth “the poet is….” and make it their own – email host Kim Moore wordsworthreadingseries@outlook.com for a spot (limited places available).

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.