What’s On

Ledbury Festival: Polar Bear and Zena Edwards - The spell binding jazz sounds of Polar Bear will be combined once again with the soulful poetic tones of Zena Edwards. This was a 2009 Ledbury Poetry Festival commission, so we urge you to check it out. At the South Bank Centre, London. Tickets are £10. For bookings go to the Southbank Centre website. http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/find/literature-spoken-word/tickets/zena-edwards-and-polar-bear-50503

Ledbury Festival:  Lemn Sissay - Ledbury Poetry Festival is working with Arts Alive to welcome Lemn Sissay, who is on tour at the moment, with his piece based on the lyric “Why I don’t hate White people”. At The Ledbury Market Theatre, Ledbury. Tickets are £10 for adults and £8 for children. For enquiries about ticket purchase and the venue itself phone 01531636147.

Friends of Amari: Mixing the Muses: A Storytelling Course for today with Michael Harvey. In the spirit of the drama festivals of Ancient Greece that staged the best of ‘high' and ‘low' art side by side we will explore the place of high tragedy and broad comedy in our storytelling. We will aim to bring together both the sublime and the earthy in our telling in a celebration of the fullness of life, our own unique individual voices and the audience's engagement and response. The work will be practical with ample opportunities to prepare material, work individually and in groups, share work in progress and receive constructive feedback. This course aims to find a place for both catharsis and the belly laugh in contemporary storytelling. Please bring stories that reflect these two qualities to work on and share. In Amari, Cyprus. For further details go to: http://www.friends-of-amari.org/programme

Wenlock Poetry Festival: Welsh Poets at Wenlock - Gillian Clarke, John Barnie, Menna Elfyn and Paul Henry will take part in the first Festival in the Shropshire town, giving readings and hosting a group discussion. Held between 09/04/10 - 11/04/10, in Wenlock, Shropshire. For further information visit: www.wenlockpoetryfestival.org.uk or contact Anna Dreda: 01952 727877

Academi: Wales Book of the Year 2010. The 2010 award will be launched with the announcement of the Long List of ten titles in each language. The evening will be held in parntership with the School of Welsh, Bangor University. Beth Angell will compere, with Manon Wyn Williams and Rhodri Llyr Evans reading extracts of some of the finalists' work. 6.00 pm at The Management Centre, Bangor. For further information, contact Academi: 029 2047 2266.

Academi: Announcement of the Short List for Wales Book of the Year 2010 at The Guardian Hay Festival, Hay-on-Wye. Further details will follow shortly.

Anne Aylor Creative Writing Courses: Writing retreat - Write Now! in Catalonia at La Torre de Dalt, Camós. Course Fee: £790 including tuition, full board, single room accommodation with en suite bathroom and the exclusive use of a swiming pool. For full information, click here:  http://www.anneaylor.co.uk/NovelWritingInSpain.htm or contact Anne on anne@anneaylor.co.uk

Cinnamon Press: Writers Retreat with Jan Fortune-Wood, at Gardoussel, France. Full details to follow. For further details contact jan@cinnamonpress.com

Ledbury Poetry Festival: The Ledbury Poetry Festival is the biggest and best poetry festival in the UK. This year's programme is filled with an eclectic and exciting array of events, featuring poets and performers from all over the world. If you think you know what poetry is, come along and we’ll surprise you. There are live readings, performances, workshops, open mics, music, exhibitions, films, family events, street events, the slam, and much more. Held in Ledbury, Herefordshire. For further details go to: http://www.poetry-festival.com/index.html