Seren First Thursday October | In person and online

Join us on National Poetry day for readings by poets Hilary Llewellyn-Williams and Rhiannon Hooson. This month we’re back at Chapter but will once again be streaming via Facebook live!

To celebrate National Poetry Day’s theme of The Environment, we’re welcoming Hilary Llewellyn-Williams and Rhiannon Hooson as our guest readers, both of whom find inspiration in nature. Hilary will be reading from her New and Selected Poems: The Little Hours, whilst Rhiannon will read from her brand new (hot-off-the-press) collection Goliat.

The main readings will be followed by our usual open mic. Unfortunately, this month only those attending in person will be able to read. You can email sarahjohnson@serenbooks.com to sign up in advance, or put your name down on the night.

To watch the live stream, join our Facebook event www.facebook.com/events/3312136305729675 (you don’t have to have a Facebook profile to watch the stream).

For those joining us at Chapter, entry will be £3.00 on the door (cash only). £2 of the ticket price will be redeemable against any Seren book bought at the event.

About the books

The Little Hours: New and Selected Poems collects key poems from the career of Hilary Llewellyn-Williams from early work such as the classic sequences ‘The Tree Calendar’ and ‘Book of Shadows’ to ‘The Little Hours’, a new sequence arranged according to the traditional monastic hours. Llewellyn-Williams is one of the earliest environmental poets; her response to nature always profound, passionate and keenly observed. The Little Hours reminds readers of her many strengths and beauties, highlightinh the breadth and talent of a writer whose eye for vivid imagery and startling detail has always astounded.

Goliat is the second collection by Rhiannon Hooson, a follow-up to her Wales Book of the Year nominated debut, The Other City. An intelligent and beautiful book, Goliat offers absorbing stories of a precarious world on the brink of climate emergency. Employing startling imagery and a deep sense of history, these poems explore the irreplaceable beauty of a wild world, and the terrible damage that humans might do to each other and the earth.

Please feel free to wear a mask if it would make you more comfortable attending in person. We will open the windows in the room and there is usually space to social distance.

Please contact sarahjohnson@serenbooks.com if you would like to talk further about access requirements.