Past events:


Friday 25 October:
Carcanet at 50: Poetry Ireland
The first in our series of celebratory symposia, an afternoon of presentations, discussions and poetry readings, followed by evening readings at Poetry Ireland, Dublin. Two panels will explore Carcanet’s core Irish poets and Irish poetry beyond Ireland. Confirmed speakers include Carcanet poets Sinéad Morrissey, Tara Bergin, John F. Deane, Mary O’Malley, Martina Evans and Moya Cannon; Gerard Smith, Eilean Ni Chuilleanáin and John McAuliffe of The Irish Times, Sarah Byrne of The Well Review and Colette Bryce.

November 8 - 10:
Poetry in Aldeburgh
Join us at Poetry in Aldeburgh for the first literary festival edition of Carcanet at 50 events. On Saturday afternoon, 5:30-6:30pm, join us for Carcanet at 50 - Launch of Fifty Fifty: Carcanet's Jubilee in Letters with Robyn Marsack and Michael Schmidt. Then, on Sunday afternoon, 1-2pm, join us for Carcanet at 50: Poets Through the Generations for readings from Alison Brackenbury, Peter Sansom, Julia Blackburn, Mina Gorji, Lisa Kelly, John Greening and Jamie Osborn.

Thursday 21 November:
Annual John Rylands Reading
The esteemed readers at the historic John Rylands Library, Manchester, will be Kei Miller, Sinéad Morrissey and Matthew Welton. The event will be accompanied by a Collection Encounter, in which guests can look at specially selected items from Carcanet’s archive, which is held in the library. The readers will offer creative writing workshops earlier in the day.

Saturday 23 November:
Poets & Players
A special edition of Poets & Players, Manchester’s long-running poetry & music performance series, at the Whitworth Gallery.

Sunday 24 November:
Carcanet at 50: Poem of the Week with Carol Rumens
The weekend’s celebrations will close with a special Sunday afternoon event at Chetham’s Library, from 3pm to 4.30pm, in collaboration with Manchester Literature Festival. Carol Rumens’s popular ‘Poem of the Week’ blog has been featuring in the Guardian for more than a dozen years. Join her and Carcanet’s Michael Schmidt for a wide-ranging conversation about poetry and participate in the launch of Smart Devices: 52 Poems from the Guardian 'Poem of the Week'. We are joined by local writers and literary figures including Simon Armitage, Helen Mort, SuAndi, Afshan D’souza Lodhi, Stephen Raw, Matthew Frost and Zaffar Kunial, who will read their favourite Carcanet poems from the blog.

Wednesday 4 December:
Carcanet at 50: Five Leaves Bookshop, Nottingham
Join four Nottingham-based Carcanet poets for a night of readings and celebration, in association with the Nottingham Creative Writing Hub. A free, celebratory, limited-edition pamphlet will be available for all who attend the event. With Rory Waterman, Matthew Welton, Gregory Woods and Rebecca Cullen. See the shop's event page for more information, here.

Saturday 25 January:
Carcanet at 50: National Centre for Writing
Carcanet's second symposium took place at the National Centre for Writing in Norwich. The day comprised two afternoon sessions, the first: some of Carcanet's core poets with Laura Scott, Mimi Khalvati, Caroline Bird, Alison Brackenbury, Philip Terry, Rory Waterman and Peter Scupham; the second: indie poetry publishing today with Carcanet’s Michael Schmidt, Nine Arches’ Jane Commane, Nathan Hamilton of Boiler House Press, Bridget Shine who is Chair of the IPG, and Neil Astley of Bloodaxe Books. The second session was chaired by Arts Council England’s Director of Literature, Sarah Crown, and was followed by a celebratory reading later in the evening with Carcanet poets Sasha Dugdale, Julia Blackburn, Sophie Hannah and Miles Burrows.

Tuesday 4 February:
Carcanet at 50: Half a Century of Poetry at Blackwell's, Edinburgh
Join three Carcanet poets with a Scottish connection for an evening of poetry and reflection on all that Carcanet has achieved: Frank Kuppner, Lucy Burnett and Oli Hazzard. The event will be chaired by Robyn Marsack, who is also the editor of Fifty Fifty: Carcanet's Jubilee in Letters.