Seren Events Archive
The latest news on Seren’s books, authors, events and prizes.
Jayne Joso launches her spellbinding short story collection Japan Stories. Japan Stories is a collection of stories and short fiction set in Japan by author Jayne Joso. Each piece centres on a particular character – a sinister museum curator, a son caring for his dementia-struck father, a widow in the far north reflecting on her provincial life, a young woman who returns to haunt her killer. Together, these compelling narratives become a mosaic of life in contemporary Japan, its people, its society, its thinking, its character, providing a window into a country we would all love to know more...
Join Cath Drake for a one hour, online, monthly poetry reading group or you can choose the longer reading and writing poetry session monthly. In the first part of the workshop we will tackle a theme each month with an inspiring batch of poems sent in advance. We'll look in depth at the poems, poets and poetic technique with expert guidance. If you are interested in writing poetry as well, then after a 15mins break we write together and share our writing for 1.5 hours. Each week we will discuss approaches and techniques to writing poems, share our writing and you'll be given an assignment...
Sue Gee launches her new book Just You and the Page: Encounters with Twelve Writers Just You and the Page opens in 1971, with the dramatist Michael Wall hammering out his plays on a portable typewriter. It concludes in 2020, when the novelist and academic Josie Barnard is teaching students to compose novels on Instagram. Between them are Booker prize winners; a poet whose life was changed by a profound religious conversion; a translator for whom Pushkin has meant everything; a distinguished environmental journalist; a famous diarist; a nature writer who restored a wood, and a political...
Subject to restrictions, Welshpool Poetry Festival are running a small in-person event on Saturday 5th June. Jonathan Edwards is taking part in two events. Find the full details, including steps they are taking to protect attendees, on their website www.welshpoolpoetryfestival.org.uk. 10.30-12.30 Saturday Surgery with Jonathan Edwards – limited to 10 participants£12 (inc tea/coffee/biscuits)After the popularity of this feature in 2019, Jonathan returns to host a poetry sharing and feedback session for just ten participants. Poets submit one poem each in advance for scrutiny and constructive...
Virtual First Thursday returns in June with guests Christopher Meredith and Abeer Ameer. Christopher Meredith will read from two new books, his latest poetry collection Still, and tragicomic short novel Please. Meanwhile Abeer Ameer will read from her debut collection Inhale/Exile. As usual, our main readings will be followed by our popular open mic. There is no theme, but readers are asked to stick to one A4 page of poetry or prose to give everyone an equal chance. Please email sarahjohnson@serenbooks.com to sign up. Tickets are £2 plus admin fee (£2.74), available through Eventbrite here ...
Rhythm is a crucial component in poetry and metre is a vital tool in the poet’s toolbox. And even if you don’t want to write in metre, understanding and hearing metre, enhances the writing and reading of poetry. Join Cath Drake to cover the foundations of poetic metre: the main kinds of metre, focusing in particular on accentual-syllabic metre (such as iambic pentameter). Learn how to scan a poem for its metre and hone your poet’s ear. We’ll also try our hand at writing in metre too. This is an introduction for those new to poetic metre or those who want a refresher. Numbers are limited to 14...