Oliver James Lomax at The Portico Library
Sarah-Clare Conlon, Literature Editor
If you missed Oliver James Lomax at Word Central recently, then, fear not, as he’s appearing at The Portico Library to read some of his latest poetry.
A poet, educator and trustee of the Working Class Movement Library in Salford, having been poet-in-residence there, Oliver James Lomax passionately believes in cultural equality and the power of the arts to enable everyone in society to have a voice.
Bolton-born Oliver James Lomax first came to WCML’s attention when he visited the library’s reading room to read the first-hand accounts of the Peterloo Massacre of 1819 held in the collection. Some of his resulting Peterloo poems were performed by Maxine Peake at the Radical Readings commemorative event (she calls his work: “Beautifully written poems from a unique voice of integrity and spirit”) and when he supported Billy Bragg at Manchester Central Library a few years back.
He has published five collections of poetry including 2017’s 18 Poems, illustrated by the artist Dan Llewellyn Hall and garnering praise from the likes of Mike Garry and even Cerys Matthews on BBC 6 Music, and The Dandelion Clock (Cityscape Records, 2020). Last year, Working Class Movement Library published Oliver James Lomax’s latest tome, Burial of the Cameo, which he read from at one of Dave Haslam’s recent Art Decades book launches. Ian Rankin said: “Damned fine poems, full of emotional resonance and vivid imagery; the world made fresh to the eye and ear.”
As well as at the Working Class Movement Library, Lomax has been poet-in-residence with Dylan’s Book Bus at The Laugharne Weekend, Latitude Festival, Do Not Go Gentle and The Goodlife Experience, and was poet-in-residence at the Dylan Thomas Birthplace in Swansea, where he also performed alongside Simon Armitage and Daljit Nagra. Lomax has written poetry for film and television and is currently touring his debut album Working-Class Love Poem (Shadrack and Duxbury, 2023) across the UK. His poems are now taught in schools.
Support comes from Barney Rule, an English Literature student at the University of Manchester.
