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Adventures In Poetry: Andrew Duncan and Rod Mengham

Country Rocks Party @ Southbank Bar Notts

Country Lives Exploring the English Countryside From 1800

John Harvey and Rob Etty, a Shoestring Press Poetry Reading

Overheard in Notts: March 2025

Slippers, stand-up and Sleazy Stu, here's what you've overheard in Nottingham this month... 

From The Jam

Screen Sounds: With Musicians From the Bbc Concert Orchestra, University Of Nottingham, and Ntu

Notts writer Hongwei Bao on the poetics of queer and diasporic experiences

Raised in Inner Mongolia, Dr. Hongwei Bao is now a Director of Research at the University of Nottingham and the industrious community organiser of events like the Queer Chinese Arts Festival, Poetics of Migration, Ode to Notts, plus many more. He’s also one of our most exciting creative writers, so we decided to invite him for a coffee…

Market economy: could stallholder markets revive independent retail in Notts?

The decline of the high street and independent retail is an issue that weighs heavily on the UK, as grassroots traders often lose money and shut shop just as quickly as they open for business.

However, with recent research, and examples available here in Nottingham, there’s a case to be made for stallholder markets as a saviour of independent businesses, providing that reliable sense of community and authenticity in shopping that so many of us look for today. Assistant Editor Caradoc Gayer takes a look at Nottingham’s history of markets, and how it could serve as an example for today.

Macbeth as it was meant to be

Nottingham Shakespeare Company has conjured the world of Macbeth with a tragic, rugged intensity that grips the audience from the first words to the final clash of swords. This is Shakespeare stripped bare and raw, each word spoken with purpose...

Mancunian indie-rockers Doves talk past gigs in Notts and their brand new sixth studio record

When people think of great Manchester bands, alt-rockers Doves can often be overlooked. But across their six albums and multiple decades together, the band have rarely put a foot wrong. With their latest opus Constellations of the Lonely just released – their first in five years - and a show at Rock City on the horizon, we sat down for a catch up with drummer Andy Williams.

Dark Laboratory, From Columbus to the Climate Crisis.

Film review: 1% of War, a new documentary reveals harrowing details from the frontline in Ukraine

Ukraine war three years on: new documentary, 1% of War reveals harrowing details from the front...

Overheard in Notts: February 2025

This month's Overheard in Notts features cacti and broken escalators...

LeftLion's Latest Listens #16: Notts music we're currently spinning

In this edition of LeftLion's Latest Listens, our music team reviews new releases from Otala, Sam Shaw & The Real Eyes, Green Grango, Fallowed and Divorce...

Independent Advisory Group - Notts Police Q&A

How Sarah Bard went from battling chronic illness to breaking through in wheelchair tennis

Wheelchair Tennis player and Nottingham resident Sarah Bard is nothing less than a soldier. Having fought through lifelong chronic pain and mobility problems, which peaked after an accident she suffered at age thirty, she’s cemented her position as one of our city’s most admired sportspeople. Back in 2018, LeftLion joined other local media in promoting Sarah’s story, and ‘Go-Fund-Me’ for a new wheelchair to help her travel to national tournaments. Here we pass Sarah the pen to tell her inspiring story.

From Masterchef to Market Street: Vanilla Bean bakery and café opens in Bingham

Opened by former MasterChef contestant Amy Vyse, Vanilla Bean is an artisan bakery, café and patisserie in Bingham, which doubles as the new residence for popular Nottingham supper club Incognito Club. Lucy Campion, food co-editor, chatted to Amy about her culinary journey so far and tried a selection of the baked goods on offer.

Nowhere - Presented by Queer Notts

We hear from GOBs Poetry Collective on their fifth anniversary

One of Nottingham’s leading poetry groups, GOBS Collective, turns five this year. With an impressive list of publications, events and live showcases under their belts, our Literature Editor Andrew Tucker talks about the need for such creative communities that help people find their poetic voice.

Hips Don’t Lie: we hear from belly dancer Marija Zinkevica about the upcoming Belly Dance Festival and building connection with the body through dance

After a career in computer science, Marija Zinkevica swapped life behind the screen for days onstage: teaching belly dance in Nottingham and performing in competitions around the world. Ahead of the first Belly Dance Festival at the start of March, we caught up with Marija to hear how this ancient dance can build confidence, community and a deep connection with the body.

LeftLion's Latest Listens #15: Notts music we're currently spinning

In this edition of LeftLion's Latest Listens, our music team reviews new releases from Confyde, Idolvein, Cara Flynn, Marseille and ALT BLK ERA...

We hear from The Sherwood People’s Forest who are bringing the greenery of our northern woodlands a bit closer to the city

“A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit,” so goes the Greek proverb. Nottingham is a county known worldwide for the leafy Sherwood Forest, but for several years plans have been afoot to create the Sherwood People’s Forest to bring the greenery of our northern woodlands a bit closer to the city. Organiser Sarah Manton tells us more…

The Beautiful Game: Notts County through the photographer’s lens

John Anderson is a professional photographer with a passion for Notts County FC. After years of corporate jobs and taking photos of Queen Elizabeth, in 2016 he decided to pursue a passion project and take photos at Meadow Lane. However, his focus is usually on the crowd rather than on the pitch… 

Notts actress Aisling Loftus talks about her one-woman play Girls and Boys currently at Nottingham Playhouse

Nottingham’s own Aisling Loftus comes to Nottingham Playhouse with one-woman play Girls and Boys, an award-winning depiction of how love can go badly wrong. She shares her journey with LeftLion…