Virtual Verbose

Sarah-Clare Conlon, Literature Editor

Visit now

Virtual Verbose

28 September 2020

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

Poet Amy King.
Book now

Following a short summer break after successful forays into the online live lit world in May, June and July, Manchester regular Verbose is back on the internet for a fourth time, touting “a trio of exciting young poets” taking on headline duties, plus the usual packed bill of open micers.

First on the featured performer line-up is Amy King, a queer, northern spoken word poet currently based in Manchester. She is a co-founder of the Sheffield open mic night All Mic Long, a Great Northern and Say Owt slam winner, and she has supported poets such as Jackie Hagan and World Poetry Slam Champion Harry Baker. Amy has featured on BBC Sounds and her poetry explores topics such as sexuality, feminism and her undying love for Kate Nash.

Verbose is back on the internet for a fourth time, touting “a trio of exciting young poets” taking on headline duties, plus the usual packed bill of open micers.

Also adding to the Manchester madding crowd, Reece Ayres, aka The Fragile Poet, has been enjoying the local poetry scene since moving up from Cambridge. Having been putting pen to paper for many years, he is actually fairly new to performance (hence the moniker, we assume), and this event will see him share a mixture of emotional verse and political poetry.

Last of the three, Antony Szmierek has two novels Albatross Point and The Hypocrite – under his belt, along with a collection of short stories and poetry, Ultimate Denim Concert USA. He has performed at Didsbury Arts Festival, Switchblade Poetry and the BBC Upload Festival Comedy Tent, after his work was featured on BBC Radio Manchester. Antony’s most recent project has been setting his poetry to music, and his debut EP Some Worries I Had At The Party is avilable on Spotify.

Sign up to attend Virtual Verbose #4 via Eventbrite for free and you will receive a confirmation email with a link to the online event page, where you will find a Zoom meeting link – follow this on the night to join the event. If you fancy sharing your own poetry or prose via the open mic, details for how to sign up for a three-minute slot are available on the Eventbrite page – click the “Find Out More” button to find out more.

 

Where to go near Virtual Verbose

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.

What's on: Literature

LiteratureWest Yorkshire
Poetry at the Dusty Miller

Poetry at the Dusty Miller is a now regular night with invited readers, organised by poets Carola Luther and Ian Humphreys in the Coiners’ Room in the Mytholmroyd pub.

Free entry
Lorna Goodison
LiteratureManchester
Poets & Players at Burgess Foundation

Poets & Players is a must-go for lovers of words and music, presenting poets established and emerging, with the autumn season kicking off with headline poet Lorna Goodison.

Free entry
LiteratureManchester
Nikita Gill at Feel Good Club

Enter the Underworld with internationally bestselling poet Nikita Gill as she discusses her “propulsive, electrifying and enraging” new book Hekate.

From £18.99
Dan Coxon.
LiteratureLiverpool
Writing The Magic launch at Dead Ink Bookshop

Writing the Magic (Essays on Crafting Fantasy Fiction) is the fourth in Liverpool-based publisher Dead Ink Books’ award-winning series of guides, and this launch event hears from editor Dan Coxon.

From £5.00

Culture Guides

Detail of an abstract sculpture, with burned materials and rusty chicken wire at the centre, with rusted metal bars bent around it.
Exhibitions in the North

Chocolate fountains, beautiful batiks and medieval marginalia - this month's supersized Exhibitions Guide has it all.

Literature Events in the North

The autumn leaves might be falling already, but the harvest is plentiful as the live literature scene gets back into the swing of things after a summer break...

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

This season’s theatre is gloriously eclectic: from radical cabaret and reinvented classics to new musicals and boundary-pushing performance.

Cinema in the North

This month we recommend a season of Film noir, cult Australian movies and a huge celebration of DIY community cinema.