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Notts poet Marjie Griffiths on reaching the final of spoken word contest Slamovision

Marjie Griffiths has been enriching Nottingham’s literary scene with her poetry since her debut at Crosswords Open Mic in 2017. Now, she’s a finalist at Slamovision – the international spoken word version of Eurovision, hosted by the UNESCO Cities of Literature. She tells us about her Slamovision journey, her passion for Nottingham’s literary community, and the surprising dinner party conversation that inspired her Slamovision poem.

Ncf Comedy Presents Sachin Kumarendran: New Word Order

Neurodivergent and Learning Disability-friendly book club with Books Beyond Words

Words On Ice: a Refreshing Literary Workshop for Summer

Words to live by: marking one decade of the Nottingham Poetry Festival with poet Ben Macpherson

This month marks the tenth anniversary of Nottingham Poetry Festival - a kaleidoscopic set of events that sees poetry collide with activities like musical open mics, meditation and arts and crafts, all the while celebrating the art form, and its age-old centrality to the city of Nottingham. To mark the occasion, festival producer and local poet Ben Macpherson told us about the festival’s importance to Nottingham, and what people can expect from this year. 

Fifth Word Theatre Call-Out For Pop-Up Plays

Calling Nottingham's playwrights! Pop-up plays will soon be, well, popping up across the region from car parks to libraries and beyond. But first someone has to write them!  It's a bold new idea from theatre group Fifth Word. And Artistic Director Laura Ford tells us more...

Wor(l)ds: Words Create Worlds

Comedian Pierre Novellie talks about autism, the Isle of Man and his dislike of mouth noises

Acclaimed comedian, Pierre Novellie, returns to Nottingham for a gig at the Canalhouse. Leftlion caught up with Pierre recently to find out more about his recent autism diagnosis and his new act. 

World Garden Words Celebration

Spoken word, album launches, restaurant week and the Castle Rock Yard Party: Here’s what’s on in Nottingham this week: 3 – 9 June 2024

As Above, So Below – Two Wordy Workshops

Beyond Caring, Trish Kerrison Reading at Word Wise In Derby

World Jam September Jam and Workshop: a Spoken Word

An Evening Of Words & Music With Dan Stuart (USA)

Moving Mouth Pop-up Puppet Dinosaur Workshop

Moving Mouth Pop-Up Puppet Dinosaur Workshop

We Hear All About Global Wordsmiths, the Inclusive Community Project Empowering Their Writers

Meet Victoria Villasenor and Nicci Robinson. In 2014, the couple first met at a literature event at Waterstones on Bridlesmith Gate. The two ended up connecting and went on to work on community projects together; they had a passion for mentoring authors in the beginning stages of their careers. They took these values and focused them on Global Wordsmiths - a community interest company Victoria established in 2012 that seeks to help writers realise their dreams. Our own writer (and creative behind Queer Notts) Jade Bramley sits down with Victoria and Nicci at the very same Waterstones where they met almost a decade prior, to discuss the work they do in the literature world and how they incorporate queer activism into it…

25 Years Later: Nil By Mouth

Gary Oldman's sole directorial feature is a film that exuberates hostility in every frame, putting him in the same league as the likes of Ken Loach, Mike Leigh and Alan Clarke.

Author Julie Malone Talks Us Through Middleway Words Festival

Middleway Words is a new festival with ambitions to share Midlands authors with the world. A mix of online and live events, the jewel in Middleway’s crown is a celebration at Waterstones for Nottingham’s literary talents. Ahead of the event, LeftLion talks to Julie Malone, one of the festival organisers, about her personal journey to authordom…

Diana Ali Opens Up on Studying at Nottingham Trent, Being On TV and Wanting a Word With the Government

Since moving to study Fine Art at Nottingham Trent University, Diana Ali has established herself as a key figure in the city’s art scene - and has also featured in TV shows including the BBC’s Big Painting Challenge and Inside Museums, which she wrote and presented. We hear from the artist, curator, lecturer and mentor about her time at Trent, promoting the arts on TV, and why she’s hoping to have a strong word with the Government… 

Word Up: Young Creatives Do Poetry at Bluecoat Academy

Young Creatives Nottingham has teamed up with local poet (and former LeftLion Editor) Bridie Squires to deliver a series of poetry workshops with young people at Bluecoat Beechdale Academy...

Words for Wellbeing Coach Samantha Gray on Her Work With Nottingham Writers’ Studio and Why You Should Get a Journal

Writing can be a transformative experience. For this month’s Wellness Section, we chat with Words for Wellbeing coach Samantha Gray about therapeutic writing, her work with Nottingham Writers’ Studio, and why you should get a journal…

Preview: Middleway Words Book Festival

Churning out authors like Alan Sillitoe and D.H. Lawrence, the Midlands has a long history with literature. It’s therefore unsurprising (but still exciting) that we have a Midlands book festival to look forward to this September. 

GOBS: Notts Spoken-Word Collective set for Live Digital Showcase

The dynamic collective of twenty spoken-word artists will be joined by Birmingham Poet Laureate Casey Bailey this Saturday...

Spoken Word Poet Bridie Squires on Her Upcoming One-Woman Show, Casino Zero

Bridie Squires has certainly been keeping herself busy since stepping down as our Editor last year. Not only was she Nottingham Trent University’s first ever Writer in Residence, but she’s been quietly working away on a one-woman show based on her experiences as a croupier. With a performance scheduled for later this month, she told us what to expect from Casino Zero…