A series of avant-garde poetry performances is being brought to Southampton by Wire Wool Events and Placeholder Poetry, beginning this month.
The first event takes place on Thursday 25th January and will see the basement room of The Bookshop Alehouse, Southampton transformed into a world of words. Three outstanding poets will be reading their own fierce work, to challenge and inspire all in attendance.
Placeholder is home for poetry readings of the avant-garde, queer and radical. Following their success in Brighton, Wire Wool Events and Placeholder are collaborating to bring this unique experience to Southampton.
Reading their work at this first event are Kat Addis, Joanna Nissel and AJ Hardingson (pictured top).
Kat Addis has written The Song of the F***ing Rose (slub press, 2023) and Space Parsley (the87press, 2021) and has poems published in Blackbox Manifold, Chicago Review, Poetry and other poetry magazines. She is currently undertaking a British Academy postdoc at Sussex university, researching sixteenth-century epic poetry.
Joanna Nissel was longlisted in National Poetry Competition 2023, and is completing a PhD on poetry mentorship at the Universities of Southampton and Bath Spa. Her work has appeared in publications such as The Interpreter’s House, Fourteen Poems, and Under the Radar. Her debut pamphlet, Guerrilla Brightenings, is out now (Against the Grain)
AJ Hardingson is a mixed-race, non-binary poet, writer and storyteller from Southampton. They are a 2023/24 mentee of the international literature development project Write Beyond Borders, where they are working on a historical fiction novel about the queer renaissance writer and spy Christopher Marlowe.
Amy Juliet Brown of Wire Wool Events said: “I’m really excited to be teaming up with Placeholder for this series of experimental poetry events. Poetry is often written off as an inaccessible artform, which doesn’t have to be the case – it’s an effective vehicle for conveying big ideas and shared experience.
“Kat from Placeholder has curated an incredible line-up of poets for us – all of whom have written compelling and powerful work. We’re keeping the ticket price low for these events to encourage people from all backgrounds to come along and experience something new and hopefully spark some interesting conversations. Let’s get weird!”
Doors are at 6.45pm, for a 7pm. The evening will feature three 2o minute readings. Limited tickets priced £5 arfe available from wirewoolevents.com
This event is a toiletries donation point for Basics Bank – please bring toiletries, tampons and towels if you are able.
A raffle will be drawn, with all proceeds going to Yellow Door.
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