Poets & Players at Burgess Foundation OLD

Sarah-Clare Conlon, Literature Editor

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Poets & Players

27 April 2024

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Carrie Etter
Carrie Etter
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It’s the second Poets & Players of 2024, back at the International Anthony Burgess Foundation with an afternoon of words and music, featuring readings by Peter Sansom, Carrie Etter and Anita Pati.

“Mr Poetry”, according to the Poet Laureate, Peter Sansom is co-director – along with the poet Ann Sansom – of The Poetry Business, based in Sheffield, where they run courses and edit The North magazine and the independent publisher Smith|Doorstop Books. As a poet himself, Peter Sansom’s books include a Selected Poems published by Manchester’s Carcanet Press and, more recently, Lanyard. Bloodaxe publish his best-selling “how to” guide Writing Poems. Sansom has been company poet with M&S and the Prudential, and Fellow in Poetry at universities in both Leeds and Manchester, so, in a sense, he’s back on home turf. Simon Armitage says: “In my view, the UK’s most astute and effective tutor, a guiding light through his deft criticism and the example of his own work.”

American expatriate Carrie Etter’s fifth collection of poetry, Grief’s Alphabet, is published by Seren this month to critical acclaim. Her poems have appeared in The Guardian, The New Republic, The New Statesman, The Times Literary Supplement and The Penguin Book of the Prose Poem, among many other journals and anthologies internationally. She also writes short stories, flash fiction, essays and reviews. In 2022 she joined the creative writing faculty at the University of Bristol.

In The Guardian, Rishi Dastidar described Grief’s Alphabet as “an impassioned reckoning” and said: “Etter has the ability to floor you as she explores guilt […] and makes everyday observations that are anything but banal […] She is particularly good at showing how finding a language for grief is close to impossible.”

Born and raised in a northern coastal town, Anita Pati now lives in London and has worked at various points in journalism and libraries. Hiding to Nothing, her debut poetry collection, was published in April 2022 by Liverpool’s Pavilion Poetry and was shortlisted for the Jhalak Prize, with work highly commended in the Forward Prizes. Her first poetry pamphlet, Dodo Provocateur, won The Rialto Open Pamphlet Competition (2019) and was shortlisted for the Michael Marks Awards.

Music this month comes courtesy Arian Sadr, an amazing musician whose focus is Persian percussion instruments.

Everyone is welcome and, as always, the event is free (no need to book tickets) – show your appreciation by buying books and CDs from the performers on the day (please note only cash payments are accepted).

Accessibility

  • Dementia-friendly

Where to go near Poets & Players at Burgess Foundation OLD

Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
Burgess Cafe Bar
at IABF

Small but perfectly-formed café – which also serves as the in-house bookstore, stocking all manner of Burgess-related works, along with recordings of his music. It’s a welcoming space, with huge glass windows making for a bright, welcoming atmosphere.

Dog Bowl bowling alley and restaurant Manchester.
Manchester
Bar or Pub
Dog Bowl

A bar and 10-pin bowling alley combined, Dog Bowl is a neon-lit venue that serves up cocktails and Tex-Mex food to go with your time on the lanes.

The Ritz Manchester live music venue
Manchester
Music venue
The Ritz

The Ritz was originally a dance hall, built in 1928, has hosted The Beatles, Frank Sinatra and The Smiths and is still going strong as a gig venue now.

Gorilla, Whitworth street Manchester
Manchester
Bar or Pub
Gorilla

Gorilla is a good choice for breakfast, lunch or dinner. From a hearty full English to meaty burgers via good vegan and veggie options. It also hosts some of the

HOME Manchester
Manchester
Theatre
HOME Manchester

Offering a packed schedule of events and things to do, HOME Manchester is one of the city’s leading hubs for arts and culture.

Manchester
Restaurant
Indian Tiffin Room, Manchester

Indian Tiffin Room is a restaurant specialising in Indian street food, with branches in Cheadle and Manchester. This is the information for the Manchester venue.

The Modernist shop
Manchester
Shop
Modernist Society

The bricks and mortar The Modernist shop opened in May 2019 in the Northern Quarter and is the only bookshop in Manchester specialising in architecture and design.

Rain Bar pub in Manchester
City Centre
Bar or Pub
Rain Bar

This huge three-floor pub, formerly a Victorian warehouse, then an umbrella factory (hence the name), has one of the city centre’s largest beer gardens. The two-tier terrace overlooks the Rochdale canal and what used to be the back of the Hacienda, providing an unusual, historic view of the city.

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