Carcanet online book launch: Rookie by Caroline Bird

Sarah-Clare Conlon, Literature Editor

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Rookie: Selected Poems by Caroline Bird

13 July 2022

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Poet Caroline Bird
Poet Caroline Bird
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We’re excited for the launch of Rookie: Selected Poems by Forward Prize-winning poet Caroline Bird, when she will be reading from the new collection, out with Manchester-based Carcanet Press, and chatting about it with fellow poet Rachel Long, author of Forward Prize-shortlisted My Darling From The Lions.

Caroline Bird’s most recent collection, The Air Year, was awarded the prestigious Forward Prize for Best Collection in 2020. It was also shortlisted for the Polari Book Prize and the Costa Poetry Prize, and it was a “book of the…” in the Telegraph, Guardian and The White Review.

Starting with Looking Through Letterboxes in 2002 when she was just 15 years old (followed up with Trouble Came to the Turnip, 2006, then Watering Can, 2009), Caroline Bird has published six books with Carcanet, and is one of the publishing house’s most popular poets. Her fourth collection, The Hat-Stand Union, was described by Simon Armitage as “spring-loaded, funny, sad and deadly”.

Caroline Bird’s most recent collection, The Air Year, was awarded the prestigious Forward Prize for Best Collection in 2020. It was also shortlisted for the Polari Book Prize and the Costa Poetry Prize, and it was a “book of the…” in the Telegraph, Guardian and The White Review. She was shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize 2017 and the Ted Hughes Award 2017 for her fifth collection, In These Days Of Prohibition (published July 2017), and she has previously been shortlisted the Dylan Thomas Prize – twice, in 2008 and 2010.

Rookie: Selected Poems came out earlier this year and presents a formidable body of work composed over two decades from one of the poetry world’s most energetic and consistently compelling voices. Carcanet say: “Her startling instinct for metaphor, the courage of her choice of subjects and the integrity of her witness, set her apart: a poem is a risk, and it has to be a risk worth taking for the poet and for the reader.”

Caroline Bird’s poems have been published in several anthologies and journals including Poetry Magazine, PN ReviewPoetry Review and The North magazine. Several of her poems and a commissioned short story, ‘Sucking Eggs’, have been broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 3. She was one of the five official poets at London Olympics 2012. Her poem ‘The Fun Palace’, which celebrates the life and work of theatre director Joan Littlewood (Caroline hails from a theatrical background and also writes plays), is now erected on the Olympic Site outside the main stadium.

As always with Carcanet Press events, extracts of the text will be shown during the reading so that you can read along, and audience members will have the opportunity to ask their own questions. Registration for this online event is £2, redeemable against the cost of the book – attendees will receive a discount code and details of how to get hold of the new book during and after the event.

Rookie: Selected Poems by Caroline Bird
Rookie: Selected Poems by Caroline Bird

Where to go near Carcanet online book launch: Rookie by Caroline Bird

Morning Glory - Coffee Cup
Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
Morning Glory

Morning Glory positions itself as a grab-and-go spot, with just 12 seats inside serving coffee, bagels and sweet treats.

The Warehouse In Holbeck
Leeds
Event venue
The Warehouse In Holbeck

Run by acclaimed theatre company Slung Low, The Warehouse in Holbeck is home to boundary-pushing performance and community projects.

Leeds
Event venue
The Attic

Tucked away above the bustle of Merrion Street, The Attic is one of Leeds’ most distinctive small venues – intimate, unpretentious, and steeped in DIY spirit.

The Chevin is a great place for visitors to do lots of different activities and is open all year round with 5 free car parks. To help you find out whatís best for you we have divided this section up into some of these different activities.Please be aware that The Chevin is a working estate so you may see vehicles including timber-extraction lorries using some of the tracks.Self-guided WalksThe Chevin is a big place and there is a good network of paths to make your own circular walk, but if you want to follow a themed trail there is a Geology Trail, Heritage Time Trail and a route for Tree Spotters.Bikes & HorsesThere is an extensive bridleway network on the eastern parts of The Chevin that caters for a range of abilities.Orienteering and GeocachingTwo orienteering courses and a number of geocache sites are waiting to be discovered.Climbing & BoulderingThere are many fantastic crags for climbing and boulders for bouldering.Mobility Scooters & Wheelchairs
Leeds
Restaurant
Oporto

For many years, Oporto has been a beacon of alternative energy on Leeds’ Call Lane – serving up great food and drink alongside resident DJs and live music.

Manchester
Gallery
Black Redstart Gallery

Black Redstart Gallery is located in the Northern Quarter and runs a busy programme of exhibitions from emerging and established artists.

RJC Dance Xmas Show
Leeds
RJC Dance

RJC Dance, based in Chapeltown, Leeds, champions youth and education, leading inclusive Black dance in the North through national partnerships.

Manchester
Gallery
texture mcr

Possibly one of the city’s most mysterious art galleries, texture is a small and perfectly-formed independent space in Ardwick.

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