Chelping at The Leeds Library

Sarah-Clare Conlon, Literature Editor
Cecilia Knapp
Poet and novelist Cecilia Knapp.

Chelping @ The Leeds Library at The Leeds Library, Leeds 17 November 2022 Tickets from £5.00 — Book now

Head to the stunning surrounds of 254-year-old The Leeds Library for one of Leeds’ leading poetry nights – now on its 18th instalment, this month is the last Chelping helping (sorry) of the year, and welcomes guest readers Cecilia Knapp and Rommi Smith, alongside the open mic hosted by poet Matt Abbott.

This month is the last Chelping helping (sorry) of the year, and welcomes guest readers Cecilia Knapp and Rommi Smith, alongside the open mic hosted by poet Matt Abbott.

Previous Chelping headliners have included renowned performers such as TS Eliot Prize winner Joelle Taylor and Helen Mort, shortlisted in the Forward Prizes 2022 with her third poetry collection The Illustrated Woman. Anthony Anaxagorou, Toby Campion and Matthew Hedley Stoppard have also read at the night, as have Jess Green, Theresa Lola and Sabrina Mahfouz.

Cecilia Knapp is a poet and novelist and the Young People’s Laureate for London 2020/21. She is on the shortlist for the 2022 Forward Prize for Best Single Poem. She is the winner of the 2021 Ruth Rendell award and has been shortlisted for both the Rebecca Swift Women’s Prize and the Outspoken Poetry Prize. She curated the anthology Everything is Going to be Alright: Poems for When you Really Need Them, published by Trapeze in 2021. Her debut novel Little Boxes is published by The Borough Press and her debut poetry collection Peach Pig was published by Corsair Books on 6 October.

Dr Rommi Smith is a multi-award-winning poet, playwright, theatre-maker, performer, scholar and Cave Canem Fellow. Winner of numerous prestigious residencies and commissions from institutions ranging from the British Council to the BBC, Rommi is the inaugural British Parliamentary Writer-in-Residence and inaugural Poet-in-Residence for Keats’ House, Hampstead. She is winner of the Northern Writers Prize for Poetry and you might have just spotted her in conversation with artist Charmaine Watkiss at Leeds Art Gallery.

Matt Abbott is a poet, educator and activist from Wakefield. His debut poetry collection Two Little Ducks was published by Verve Poetry Press in 2018 and includes poems from his one-man show, which earned a string of 5* reviews at Edinburgh Fringe 2017 and on a 2018 UK theatre tour. His kids’ poetry collection A Hurricane In My Head was published by Bloomsbury in 2019 and was a National Poetry Day selected title. He formed Nymphs & Thugs, the UK’s leading spoken word record label, in 2015, and he fronts indie outfit Skint & Demoralised. What’s more, he runs the regular Farsley night Tubthumping and notable commissions include TV ads for Nationwide Building Society and Leeds United FC’s centenary kit launch.

Chelping @ The Leeds Library at The Leeds Library, Leeds 17 November 2022 Tickets from £5.00 Book now

Where to go near Chelping at The Leeds Library

Leeds
Shop
Artsmix

Artsmix is a arts and crafts market in the centre of Leeds that has been supporting the creativity of artists and designers for more than a decade. T

Cinemas in Leeds Everyman Leeds
Leeds
Everyman Leeds

Located in Trinity Leeds, expect comfy seating, posh snacks and an experience altogether more luxurious than your average multiplex.

Hepworth's Deli Leeds
Leeds
Hepworth’s Deli

Although the venue is on the small side, they have utilised the space to give the diner a more intimate experience with quality produce.

Olive and Rye Leeds
Leeds
Restaurant
Olive & Rye

Olive & Rye is a restaurant deli in Queen’s Arcade, Leeds, specialising in top-class sandwiches.

Leeds Farmers Market
Leeds
Shop
Leeds Farmer’s Markets

Leeds Farmer’s Market is a food market featuring the best local produce in Yorkshire. Whether it’s game or farmed foods, its shoppers can be certain of freshness and quality.

OK Comics Leeds
Leeds
Shop
OK Comics

OK Comics is Leeds’ leading comic book shop, with everything from classic items to obscurities. Their modest shop is designed with ease of use in mind.

Village Bookstore Leeds
Leeds
Shop
Village Bookstore

Leeds’ Village Bookstore is a classic-style bookshop, with a neat line in self-published zines.

Marriot Leeds
Leeds
Hotel
Marriott Hotel

Marriott Hotel is a contemporary hotel in the city centre of Leeds. It boasts the largest indoor swimming pool in Leeds, a well-equipped fitness centre, and a sauna.

drinks at Kapow Coffee Leeds
Leeds
Café or Coffee Shop
Kapow Coffee

Kapow Coffee is an independent coffee shop located in Thornton’s Arcade in the heart of Leeds City Centre, serving cakes, sandwiches and delicious coffee.

City Varieties Music Hall
Leeds
Theatre
City Varieties Music Hall

Established in 1865, City Varieties Music Hall is Leeds’ hidden gem, and holds a record as the nation’s longest-running music hall.

What's on: Literature

Writer Nicholas Royle. Photo by Zoe McLean
Until
LiteratureManchester
Ghosts at the Old Library

Levenshulme Old Library has commissioned brand-new festive ghost stories from six writers for three special atmospheric lantern-lit reading events after hours in the Carnegie building.

from £10
LiteratureWest Yorkshire
Poetry at the Dusty Miller

Poetry at the Dusty Miller is a brand-new night with invited readers, organised by Carcanet-published Carola Luther and Judith Willson in the Coiners’ Room in the Mytholmroyd pub.

free entry
Nathan Parker
LiteratureManchester
Verbose at The King’s Arms

One of Manchester’s longest-running monthly spoken word and live literature events, Verbose welcomes two invited headliners to the stage each month, plus a selection of open mic performers.

free entry

Culture Guides

Music in Manchester and the North

Spotlighting global artists who all, in one way or another, break the mould, we preview the best gigs happening this side of Christmas and beyond.