Poets & Players at the Whitworth

Following a well-attended return to the Whitworth Art Gallery in February, March and April for Poets & Players, the monthly Saturday afternoon words and music showcase is back to its pre-pandemic regularity, continuing the female headliner theme by following Jo Bell, Liz Berry and Kim Moore with Hannah Lowe.

Award-winning writer Hannah Lowe is joined on 14 May by two other writers: Richard Scott and Creative Tourist‘s very own Literature Editor, Sarah-Clare Conlon.

Hannah Lowe is a poet, memoirist and academic. Her latest book, The Kids, a Poetry Book Society Choice for Autumn, won the Costa Poetry Award and the Costa Book of the Year in 2021. Her family memoir Long Time, No See (Periscope, 2015) featured as Radio 4’s Book of the Week. Her first poetry collection Chick (Bloodaxe, 2013) won the Michael Murphy Memorial Award for Best First Collection; her second collection, Chan, was published by Bloodaxe in 2016. In September 2014, she was named as one of 20 Next Generation poets. She teaches creative writing at Brunel University.

Award-winning writer Hannah Lowe is joined on 14 May by two other writers: Richard Scott and Creative Tourist‘s very own Literature Editor, Sarah-Clare Conlon.

Richard Scott’s first book Soho (Faber & Faber, 2018) was a Gay’s The Word book of the year and was shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize. Recent works include ‘Quartz’, published in the Poetry Review, and ‘Amethyst’, in the anthology Queer Life, Queer Love (Muswell Press). Richard’s poetry has been translated into German and French. He is a lecturer in creative writing at Goldsmiths, University of London, and he teaches poetry at the Faber Academy.

Sarah-Clare Conlon is an editor and copywriter based in Manchester, where she is Victoria Baths’ inaugural Writer-in-Residence. She studied French and Creative Writing at the University of Manchester, and had work in the Manchester Open. Shortlisted for the Bridport Prize and a Salt Prizes winner, her prose and poetry has appeared in anthologies from Dostoyevsky Wannabe, Dunlin Press and Speculative Books, and journals including Lighthouse, PN Review, Poetry Scotland and Stand. This year, Sarah-Clare has three books out: poetry pamphlets cache-cache with Contraband Books and Using Language with Invisible Hand Press, and prose pamphlet Marine Drive with Broken Sleep Books.

Music is provided by The Aaben Duo, made up of Nathan Holroyd on saxophone and Jess Hughes on harp, both of whom are studying at the Royal Northern College of Music. The saxophone and harp duo community is an exciting up-and-coming genre, which is internationally recognised, but also spearheaded by Manchester musicians. Expect a mix of new and traditional works, including, possibly, pieces which they arranged themselves.

The event is free and everyone is welcome.

Prior to the afternoon readings, Richard Scott will be running a workshop on Saturday 14 May 2020, 10.30-12.30 at the gallery. The fee is £20 – see the Poets & Players website for details of how to book your place.