Carol Ann Duffy & Friends: Laureate’s Choice Special at Royal Exchange
Sarah-Clare Conlon, Literature Editor
Poet Laureate (and head of The Manchester Writing School) Carol Ann Duffy is back with her Friends series in the round at the Royal Exchange Theatre. This is “the one where Carol Ann showcases this year’s Laureate’s Choice pamphleteers”. She will also be reading from her own world-renowned work and introducing daughter Ella Duffy, who will perform her one-woman monologue Wife (based on Carol Ann’s acclaimed poetry collection The World’s Wife), following wives through history art and legend.
There will be readings from some of the country’s most exciting new poetry voices, all with pamphlets out with The Poetry Business as part of the Laureate’s Choice scheme. All Manchester Writing School alumni, three of the four 2018 pamphleteers putting in an appearance will be Natalie Burdett, whose Urban Drift is Birmingham based, John Fennelly with Lit Up’s Helen Mort and Chris Nielan-championed Another Hunger, and Keith Hutson, reading from Troupers. Pamphleteer of the school of 2016 Mark Pajak will make up numbers, while the fourth star of this year’s show, Hera Lindsay Bird, will pop up at Man Met separately on the evening of 21 May, when she can get over from New Zealand and read from Pamper Me To Hell And Back – watch this space for details on that event.
