News

EVENTS

LEDBURY POETRY FESTIVAL, UK: 27th June – 6th July 2025

Reading with Molly Twomey, Maya Popa and Alicia Rebecca Myers. Receiving first prize in the Ledbury Poetry Competition (and an English Oak sapling).

THE LITTLE REVIEW LAUNCH, LONDON, UK: July 8th 2025

Reading at launch of Tristram Fane Saunders’ new journal with Luke Kennard and Anja Konig among others.

THE LONDON MAGAZINE SUMMER LAUNCH, TRISTAN HOARE GALLERY, LONDON July 9th 2025

Contributor invitation to hear Kevin Graham read his London Magazine Poetry Prize-winning poem.

THE JOAN DUCH PRIZE, JUNEDA, CATALONIA, SPAIN: 19th August 2025

With Editorial Fonoll and winner Maria García Garau.

THE PLAZA INTERNATIONAL POETRY PRIZE: August 2025

First Prize awarded for poem ‘The tank who fell in love with a village’. Many thanks to judge George Szirtes.

THE McLELLAN ENGLISH POETRY AWARD, ARRAN ARTS: September 2025

Highly Commended for poem ‘The men who watch geese’. Much obliged to judge Jim Carruth.

PUBLICATION OF ‘ECHOES’ FROM WRITE OUT LOUD: September 2025

Anthology launch with recent poem ‘As it must have been’. Selected by Bloodaxe’s Neil Astley.

LAUNCH OF ‘THEN AND NOW’ FILM FOR THE POETRY SOCIETY: 20th September, 2025

Commission from the UK’s Poetry Society to film 2 poems: National Poetry Competition Prizewinner ‘Polite Safety Notice’ and this year’s ‘Stop. Go. Orange Blossom.’

EMIRATES LITERATURE FOUNDATION: 18th October, 2025

Reading at the Community Night with Danabelle Gutierrez, Dania Dawn, Jared Maxilom and Lori Zakariyya King (with Q&A session) in Dubai’s historical Dar Al Adaab, Al Shindagha.

READING AT THE STORY PARLOUR LXXXI: 23rd October, 2025

Invited by the ‘Story Doctor’ Dr James McCabe to join his online gathering to read a selection of new work.

LAUNCHING THE EMIRATES LITERATURE FESTIVAL, 25th November, 2025

Pre-launch performance for the Festival at TODA (Theatre of Digital Art) in Dubai. (In disguise as ‘The Traveller’.) Over 200 writers from 40 countries starting 21.1.26 – look out for my gig at Festival City with Hesa M. Aldahel on 24.1.26.

CONTRIBUTION TO THE BLACK BOUGH WINTER ANTHOLOGY: December, 2025

Poem ‘The Solstice Kid makes another Birthday Wish’ kindly selected by editor Matthew C. Smith.

EMIRATES LITERATURE FESTIVAL, ‘FRESH AIR, FRESH LYRICS’ 24th January, 2026

Reading with Chandrama Deshmukh, Jared Maxilom, Nima Elnour and others.

INTERVIEW ON TALK FM (100.3) WITH SOBIA AND MURIEL, 30th January, 2026

Discussion on the role of poetry writing and reading as an antidote to social media stress among children and young adults.

CONTRIBUTION TO BERLIN LIT (ISSUE 10), January, 2026

Kindly included by editor Matthew McDonald – my poem ‘Ontology’ about the removal of statues and academic persiflage – along with these wonderful poets.

POETIC HEART ‘CONNECTING HUMANITY’ 15TH ANNIVERSARY, 6th February, 2026

Reading with Dr. Shihab Ghanem (Arabic), Vashistha Anoop (Hindi), Peter Milčák (Slovakian), Fatemeh Ghattali (Farsi) and others in an international celebration of words and music that bring us closer.

CONTRIBUTION TO THE MARROW (ISSUE 6), February, 2026

Special thanks to editor Judith Beveridge for selecting my poem ‘Qamar’ (Moon) about the connection between ritual and memory. Some wonderful work in this issue.

IN PRODUCTION…

• New collection with Broken Sleep, currently titled Hotel Petroleum, for launch in June.

• World Premiere of Threadlands 29th May, 2026 at The Pierre Boulez Saal, Berlin – libretto co-written with leading choral composer Joanna Marsh. https://www.boulezsaal.de/en/event/rias-kammerchor-berlin-ensemble-resonanz-593121

• UNESCO City of Literature Prague Residency planned for September/October 2026 to celebrate 90th Anniversary of Vaclav Havel’s birth.