Carcanet New Poetries at Blackwell’s

Manchester-based poetry publisher Carcanet Press has a new anthology out, which it’s celebrating by holding a special free launch party with refreshments, and readings from some of the contributors. Edited by Carcanet’s own grand fromage, Michael Schmidt, New Poetries VII is the latest tome in the series showcasing emerging voices, and we’re told it’s the most diverse volume so far. Featuring a number of promising, upcoming poets from a range of backgrounds, some are reading at tonight’s event.

Managing editor of Carcanet Press since 2015 and co-editor of PN Review, among other magazines, Luke Allan’s pamphlet, Minimum Soft Exchange, was published in 2016. A previous Verbose headliner, Rachel Mann is an Anglican parish priest and honorary canon of Manchester Cathedral, and was poet-in-residence at Manchester Cathedral. Vala Thorodds (Valgerður Þóroddsdóttir) is an Iceland-born poet, publisher, editor, translator and literary curator, and founding director of Partus, a dual language literary press operating in Reykjavík and Manchester. Her poetry has recently been published in The White Review online, Ambit, Poetry Wales, Tongue and Magma.

Also on the bill are Rebecca Cullen, whose poems have appeared in journals such as PN Review, The North and New Walk; University of Birmingham lecturer Isabel Galleymore, Eric Gregory Award winner last year and published by Poetry, Poetry London and Poetry Review, and, just confirmed, poet and potter Katherine Horrex, with pottery available online and at markets and poetry available at the Times Literary Supplement and Poetry London, among others.