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< Back Quite simply simile in Poetry. Sunday - 9:30am THE WALL AS THIN AS A WREN's BONE Hippodrome Theatre, Hurst Street, Birmingham, UK Part of our attraction to poetry is our attraction to figurative language in the form of similes and metaphors, and here we'll focus on similes, beginning with Dylan Thomas's 'wall thin as a wren's bone'. We'll analyse what makes similes effective by looking at examples from a wide range of examples, then use our own to draft a new poem. ABOUT THE POET American expatriate Carrie Etter has published four collections of poetry, including The Tethers (Seren, 2009), winner of the London New Poetry Prize, and Imagined Sons (Seren, 2014), shortlisted for the Ted Hughes Award for New Work in Poetry. She also edited Infinite Difference: Other Poetries by UK Women Poets (Shearsman, 2010), a TLS Book of the Year, and Linda Lamus’s posthumous collection, A Crater the Size of Calcutta (Mulfran, 2015). Individual poems have appeared in The Guardian, The New Republic, The New Statesman, The Penguin Book of the Prose Poem, Poetry Review, and The Times Literary Supplement. She also writes short stories, essays, and reviews, and has received grants from Arts Council England and The Society of Authors. After many years teaching at Bath Spa University, in 2022 Etter joined the creative writing faculty at the University of Bristol. WORKSHOP £24.50 / £18.50 Sunday - 9:30am Book Tickets

The winning July poem for VERVE Poetry Festivals monthly poetry competition, Poem of the Month. KAT DIXON WORDS FALL OUT OF MY MOUTH LIKE TEETH, CRUMBLING The grappa’s made from cumin here. La Trebbia bursts its banks three times a year. Mountains disgust themselves, shed rocks, fill roads. I haven’t understood a word since Tuesday, aspetta , Monday afternoon. The longest conversation is with Mina, who asks how many times I’ll throw her ball. Dov’è la pallina, Mina, dov’è? Fortunately, I speak the language of focaccia well. When the table laughs in unison, I bite my cheek, sip salt, lick blood, snort rosemary. Really, I could spit. A line of mountain is unbothered by a line of cloud. That mountain has been there for centuries. To the mountain, the cloud is a few half-seconds of vapour, indistinguishable from sky. To the mountain, the cloud is just the English girl who eats too much cheese, then vanishes. An impression is being made. This morning I almost talked about lunch. Your mother cuts me off if I’m not quick enough. The prosciutto knife does conversation too. Eyebrows can be noisy. Your father’s across a dinner table. Voices are raised and I cannot tell if it is a real fight or too much salt in the soup. He points to my empty glass of beer. Sì, grazie. At night, I walk barefoot on stone. The air gets slicker deeper in the forest. I catch my toes in soil, falter, chase sparks that vanish. On leaving, I learn it is the time of year. Lucciole, ma certo. Fireflies taste of sour pears and swallowed words. SHORTLIST Loneliness of the Fold by Jane Burn. You Know I Don't Like Grapefruit by Dean Atta. Mister by Alexandra Corrin-Tachibana. In This Classic Lesbian Love Story by Laura Stanley. Birds in the Flame Tree by Mark Fiddes. READ ALL SHORTLISTED ON OUR SUBSTACK The Winning Poet Kat Dixon is a queer writer based in London. Her poetry explores the intersections of modern life, social justice, and queer identity in a rapidly changing world. Kat’s debut poetry book eat the glitter is published with Broken Sleep Books. She performs regularly at theatres, pubs and festivals. You can find Kat’s writing in The Rialto, Magma, fourteen poems, Butcher’s Dog, Queerlings, Mslexia, The Letters Page, Southbank Poetry, Perverse, Sideways Poetry Magazine, Tears in the Fence, New Boots and Pantisocracies, Ink Sweat & Tears, Impossible Archetype, Bluebird and others; Her work has been published in anthologies such as Spectrum Anthology, Re:Creation Anthology and 10 Poets Travel to the Dark Side of the Moon with Sidekick Books. Kat’s work has been shortlisted for various prizes, including the Café Writers Prize, Verve Poetry Prize, the Rialto Pamphlet Prize, Sentinel Prize, Mslexia single poem prize, Waltham Forest Poetry Prize and the Ver Prize. Her poetry has been nominated for a Forward Prize for Best Single Poem. Kat has taught at festivals and events including the Aldeburgh Poetry Festival, Oxford Poetry Library and The Poetry School, sharing ideas on the role of AI tools in the creative process. She enjoys working in multimedia and produced poetry-objects such as fortune cookies filled with poetry and hand sanitiser poetry labels. Her poet-sculptor collaboration at APT Gallery with Dexter Dymoke explores how words intersect with visual play.

A free guide to reading and writing poetry on the theme of poets and poetry for young poeple aged 11-17 to enter our competition! POETRY RESOURCE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE We've created a document for young people to assist in reading poetry, finding the themes, tone and elements within poetry and a guide on how to write a poem! DOWNLOAD HERE SUBMIT YOUR POEMS HERE

VERVE POEM OF THE FESTIVAL SUBMISSION FORM First name(Required) Last name(Required) Email(Required) Which category?(Required) Adult Competition (Pay to enter) 11-17 Category (Free to enter) Receipt ID of PayPal Transaction, or Submission Password from Substack subscription (one entry only). 11-17 Category entries, please write FREE.(Required) If you attended the current months Writers Hour or are a paid Subscriber to our Subsack, you receive 1 free submission to the competition. New passwords will have been shared with participants and subscribers. How Many Poems(Required) 1 Poem 3 Poems 5 Poems Poem Upload(Required) Upload Poems I confirm this is my original work and not generated by AI. (Required) Anything else you’d like us to know? Tick this box if you would NOT like to join our mailing list. Submit

We love to hear from poets of all genres. Join our poetry community via our newsletter for Online Poetry Workshops, annual Poetry Festival Line-Up, and poetry development opportunities. HELLO Contact Us See below for more information on volunteering, press, and sponsorship. If you have a proposal for the festival, get in touch via the form below. PRESS ENQUIRIES Get in touch with Stuart, our festival director for any press or media enquiries. We are happy to collaborate and are always looking to build relationships with content creators, editors, zines, publications, newsletters and independent writers. Mail PRESS ENQUIRIES mail@vervepoetryfestival.com VOLUNTEER WITH US Every year, Verve recruits a tightly knit group of volunteers who help us run the show. The opportunity is for absolutely everyone, whether you have volunteering experience or not; whether you spend 18/24 hours a day reading poetry or have only read one poem on the back of a napkin in cafe! It’s a great opportunity if you are looking to build a career in the arts, make new friends or explore something new. Mail VOLUNTEERING hayley@vervepoetryfestival.com REACH OUT First Name Last Name Email Message Send Thanks for submitting! JOIN OUR MAILING LIST

VERVE FESTIVAL of POETRY & SPOKEN WORD Experience more poetry for your money with one of our FESTIVAL PASSES . £60/£45 (cons) FESTIVAL PASS £35/£26 (cons) SATURDAY PASS £20/£15 (cons) SUNDAY PASS £50/£35 (cons) ONLINE PASS FEBRUARY 13th - 16th 2025 FULL LINE-UP & EVENT PROGRAMME BELOW ALL EVENTS POETRY SPOKEN WORD WORKSHOPS YOUNG PEOPLE WORKSHOP SPEAKING THE SILENCES : language of the lacuna Scarlett Ward Friday - 1pm Book Tickets More Info WORKSHOP TURNING MOVEMENT INTO POETRY Dzifa Benson Friday - 4pm Book Tickets More Info WORKSHOP ANCESTRY, INTERTEXTUALITY & GHOSTS Richard Scott Saturday - 12:00pm Book Tickets More Info WORKSHOP THE SWERVE Ruth Padel Saturday - 3pm Book Tickets More Info WORKSHOP VALENTINES HOT & COLD Anthony Vahni Capildeo Sunday - 12pm Book Tickets More Info WORKSHOP WHICHING AND PITCHING The Emma Press Sunday 4pm Book Tickets More Info WORKSHOP YOU WOULDN'T STEAL A POEM – a playful revolution Ellora Sutton Friday - 1:30pm Book Tickets More Info WORKSHOP MAKING THE ORDINARY EXTRAORDINARY Laurie Bolger Saturday - 9:30am Book Tickets More Info WORKSHOP AFTER POEMS Theresa Lola Saturday - 12:30pm Book Tickets More Info WORKSHOP THE WALL AS THIN AS A WREN's BONE Carrie Etter Sunday - 9:30am Book Tickets More Info WORKSHOP A FAMILY AFFAIR Victoria Kennefick Sunday - 12:30pm Book Tickets More Info WORKSHOP LYRIC SHAME Susannah Dickey Friday - 3:30pm Book Tickets More Info WORKSHOP THE SONNET: INSIDE & OUTSIDE FORM Anthony Joseph Saturday - 10:00am Book Tickets More Info WORKSHOP FINDING MARY: IRISH ANCESTRY Helen Calcutt Saturday - 2:30pm Book Tickets More Info WORKSHOP YOU. YOU. YOU. The Lyric Address in Poetry Padraig O Tuama Sunday - 10am Book Tickets More Info WORKSHOP SOUNDSCAPE IN POETRY Aoife Lyall Sunday 2:30pm Book Tickets More Info

Poem of the Month, VERVE Open Door Free Poetry Open Mic, Free Young Person Poetry Programme at VERVE Spoken Word Festival, Mentorship and Supporting National Grass Root Poetry Nights. * for real * COMMUNITY POETRY PROJECTS If you don't know, now you know we run a series of free poetry events, actitivities and opportunities as VERVE Poetry Festival. We make zero profit. Everything we do goes back into poets and poetry culture. Take a look at what we do below. VERVE OPEN DOOR On the third Tuesday of every month we host an entirely free open mic at THE HIVE in Birmingham with a FREE poetry workshop in the day. We'd say it sells out every time but its free so selling out make no sense at all! There's free hot drinks and our founder (also the founder of VERVE POETRY PRESS) is almost always in attendance, you might say he's scouting for poetry talent. We've seen a few poets make there way from beginners to published poets. We do it because we love it! THE COLLECTIVE The Collective is a circular initiative developing 12 newbie poets into practicing artists. We ran it with no funding, no money, entirely for free from 2023-2024. The Collective Included; 2x poetry retreat days. 1-2-1 mentorship with a poetry publisher. Monthly writing circles. Monthly workshops. 4x Sharing events at venues in the city. We're strategising the next cohort and will create a dedicated page once we've got our ducks in a row. Previous cohort members have gone on to publish books, feature at international poetry festivals and national events. SUPPORTING NATIONAL GRASS ROOT POETRY & SPOKEN WORD NIGHTS We support grass root poetry and spoken word nights by paying them to feature at our festival INCLUDING; Empower Poetry The Big Gay Poetry Night I AM LOUD Scottish Poetry Slam Run Your Mouth Tell it to the Music We're structuring a funding stream from VERVE to support grass root events within their community, money to help with running costs, paying poets and marketing - with your help of course. Watch this space! YOUNG PPL & CHILDREN We host free activities including workshops, performances and reading opportunities in partnership with Writing West Midlands, The Poetry Society and The Poetry School. This is our initiative to support the NEXT GEN of poets via a free young persons event programme as part of the VERVE POETRY AND SPOKEN WORD FESTIVAL.

YOUNG PEOPLE POETRY SOCIETY YOUNG POETS OPEN MIC LOCATION BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME ABOUT THE EVENT TIME Saturday - 11:00am PRICE FREE Book Tickets Book Stream A space for up-and-coming young poets and performers to meet one another and share their work on stage. This Poetry Society Young Poets Takeover will feature headline sets from Foyle Young Poets Yousef Alawi , Lauren Lisk , and Tilly Wiggins . If you’re aged 25 or younger, we want to hear from you, too! Bring a poem and arrive early to sign up for our open mic. And join the community! We invite you to stay on afterwards for free refreshments and a chance to meet other young poetry lovers and find out more about Young Poets Network ! Learn more about Poetry Society Young Poets Network here: Young Poets Network – The Poetry Society. The Poetry Society is a celebrated partner of VERVE Poetry Festival.

WORKSHOP THE SONNET: INSIDE & OUTSIDE FORM Anthony Joseph LOCATION BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME ABOUT THE EVENT TIME Saturday - 10:00am PRICE £24.50 / £18.50 Book Tickets Part of the sonnet’s resilience lies in its somewhat metaphysical debt to structures found universally in nature and human experience. Taking this as a starting point, this workshop explores the ways in which poets can find a personal affinity with the sonnet. Through reading and group exercises poets will uncover ways in which the rigidity of the sonnet can also be intimate, resonating with their individual voices. Everyone welcome to this inspiring workshop from a TS Eliot Prize-winning poet. ABOUT THE POET Dr Anthony Joseph F.R.S.L. is an award winning Trinidad-born poet, novelist, academic and musician. He is the author of five poetry collections and three novels. His 2018 novel Kitch: A Fictional Biography of a Calypso Icon was shortlisted for the Republic of Consciousness Prize, the Royal Society of Literature’s Encore Award and the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Fiction. His most recent fiction publication is the experimental novel The Frequency of Magic . In 2019, he was awarded a Jerwood Compton Poetry Fellowship. As a musician, he has released eight critically acclaimed albums, and in 2020 received a Paul Hamlyn Foundation Composers Award. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and a Lecturer in Creative Writing at Kings College, London. His 2022 collection Sonnets for Albert won the T.S. Eliot Prize for Poetry 2022 and the OCM BOCAS Prize for Caribbean Poetry.

SPOKEN WORD POETRY UNBOUND SPECIAL Imtiaz Dharker with Padraig O Tuama. LOCATION BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME ABOUT THE EVENT TIME Saturday - 4:30pm PRICE £8 / £6 Book Tickets Book Stream Poetry Unbound is an immersive exploration of a single poem, hosted by Pádraig Ó Tuama. Short and unhurried, Poetry Unbound is an immersive exploration of a single poem, hosted by Pádraig Ó Tuama. Pádraig Ó Tuama greets you at the doorways of brilliant poems and walks you through — each one has wisdom to offer and questions to ask you. Imtiaz Dharker is a recipient of the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry and her most recent collection, Shadow Reader. was published to great acclaim by Bloodaxe in 2024. Padraig O Tuama's new collection is out in January 2025 and he hosts the celebrated podcast, Poetry Unbound, in which he reads and explores some of his favourite poems. What better than to bring these two together to discuss Imtiaz's poems and talk about her poetic journey to this point? And celebrate the work of one of the nation's favourite poets. Read about POETRY UNBOUND here.

POETRY THE PAMPHLET HOUR Laurie Bolger, Troy Cabida, Betty Doyle, Ellora Sutton LOCATION BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME ABOUT THE EVENT TIME Friday - 7pm PRICE £8 / £6 Book Tickets Book Stream BRAND NEW at VERVE is this pamphlet focussed event which brings four stellar pamphleteers from some of our favourite indie poetry presses together to chat about this glorious format and read some of their poetry! Laurie Bolger will read from Makeover (Emma Press, 2024), Troy Cabida will read from Symmetric of Bone (Fourteen Poems, 2014), Betty Doyle from her second pamphlet Fruits of Labour (Seren, 2024) and Ellora from her second pamphlet, Artisnal Slush (VERVE Poetry Press, 2023).

WORKSHOP MAKING THE ORDINARY EXTRAORDINARY Laurie Bolger LOCATION BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME ABOUT THE EVENT TIME Saturday - 9:30am PRICE £24.50 / £18.50 Book Tickets Bring your writing home & write the ordinary extraordinarily 🪑✨ ✍️ During this session we'll be looking at writing inspired by The Everyday. This is a chance to work in a close & relaxed group & mix up your writing with some lovely prompts & surprises. Perfect YOU time to get cosy & open those notebooks. All levels welcome! 🏡🥄 🍽 ABOUT THE POET Laurie Bolger is an acclaimed English poet, stand-up and presenter based in London. She was shortlisted for Young Poet Laureate of London in 2014 and won the 2023 International Book & Pamphlet Competition judged by Hannah Lowe. Bolger tours her writing, including her debut pamphlet collection 'Makeover, Spin and Box Rooms', and has performed at prestigious venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, Old Vic Theatre, and St Paul's Cathedral.