City Arts Nottingham

City Arts are pleased to host DIY Poets, who bring their eclectic style to an online/offline hybrid event from our building in Hockley, Nottingham. Poetry of all kinds, from diverse view points.

The featured act is Caroline Stancer. There will be poetry from DIY Poets.

It will make you think, it may make you cry, but it will certainty make you laugh.

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First Prize: £150, Second Prize: £75, Third Prize: £25

Catherine Fenerty Humour Prize: £25 (Put H in top left of page)

Guest Judge – Eleanor Rees (Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing, Liverpool Hope University)

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This year, Nottingham Poetry Festival celebrates local, national and internationally acclaimed artists that align with our community values.

We are passionate about strengthening our partnerships as we invite you to organise performances, workshops, debates, and any other poetry-related activity as part of our 2025 programme.

Submit Your 2025 Festival Event

One of Nottingham’s leading poetry groups, GOBS Collective, turns five this year. With an impressive list of publications, events and live showcases under their belts, our Literature Editor Andrew Tucker talks about the need for such creative communities that help people find their poetic voice.

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Submit your short stories, poems and non-fiction pieces for a chance to win a kindle and national book tokens.

To celebrate World Book Day on 6 March 2025, the D.H. Lawrence Birthplace Museum launched this year’s writing competition. The competition's theme is 'Animals', taking inspiration from D.H. Lawrence’s Lawrence’s collection of animal poetry such as ‘Snake’ and ‘Baby Tortoise’, entrants are invited to write a short story or poem or centered around the theme ‘Animals’.

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Lawrence is never that keen on returning to Blighty, but ‘this time I really want to get back to Europe, for this sickness has taken all of the energy out of me,’ he informs Idella Purnell.

Perhaps it is the thought of escaping Mexico by sea that leads him to begin the unfinished play Noah’s Flood. But it is not to be. After ‘various examinations and blood tests,’ the doctor informs him that he cannot risk a sea voyage as he is too ill and that he must remain on the continent.

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DIY Poets Nottingham ‘We’re nice and we are sometimes on line’

DIY Poets Nottingham poetry collective has been in existence for over ten years. The aim of DIY Poets is to give budding poets the opportunity to perform their work in public and get their work published. We want to create an atmosphere where poets feel confident about performing their work in public. We also want to get the public to see that poetry can be exciting and relevant. DIY Poets Nottingham produce an A6 free poetry magazine that is distributed in shops, cafes and bars in Nottingham city centre. We have ran spoken word nights in a variety of venues throughout Nottingham. We have quarterly showcase nights at City Arts on Mansfield Road. Perhaps you might see us there.

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Nottingham is famous for its rebel writers but one local writer and illustrator pair wondered what would happen if they remixed well known literary works into seventy-five word flash fictions.

Enter Clare Harvey and Hannah Sawtell.

Clare Harvey is an acclaimed historical fiction author and doctoral candidate. A chance discovery that her mother-in-law served in the British Army during WW2 set in train a fascination with writing about the overlooked stories of wartime women. The title of her PhD is ‘Co-authoring with Forgotten Voices’ and her research considers how text from old memoirs and diaries can be repurposed into authentic new biographical fiction.

Hannah Sawtell is a Freelance Illustrator and Educator, working at Nottingham Trent University alongside regional museums, schools and community settings. Commissioned projects have included working with The National Justice Museum, The National Trust and Nottingham Castle celebrating History, Heritage and Locality. Since completing a Masters degree in Children’s Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art, Hannah has begun to explore Visual Storytelling in her work, alongside documenting her surroundings through regular sketchbook practice.

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Rising Nottingham star Christian Weaver was named Legal Aid Newcomer of the Year in 2023 for his tenacious work addressing dangerous public housing. The Secret Barrister called his first book ‘exceptional‘ - we join him now as he releases his second, Your Right To Protest...

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Scott Coe is a performance poet and artist, and is the former Poet Laureate of Stamford

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Eventbrite is a global event ticketing and marketing platform, powering millions of events in nearly 180 countries. We empower event organisers with industry-leading tools and technology to create, manage, and promote unforgettable live experiences around the world.
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LeftLion is a monthly arts and culture magazine and website based in Nottingham, England. The publication takes its name from a stone statue in Nottingham's Old Market Square, also known colloquially as 'the left lion', which has served as a meeting point for city residents since Nottingham Council House was built in 1929.
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A network of black creatives with an aim to empower, encourage & support each other in Nottingham's bustling creative scene

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A Nottingham based poetry collective. Produces DIY Poets magazine and regular poetry events.

They also hold monthly meeting online where members share draft poems for positive feedback.

New members are welcome.

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Nottingham spoken-word collective GOBS host poetry performances, workshops, events, book clubs, masterclasses and education programmes. We meet on a quarterly basis (spring, summer, autumn, winter) with various projects and opportunities rolling out throughout the year.
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A HOME FOR ALL WRITERS

For absolute beginners and award-winners. Whether you’re a novelist or note-taker, a songwriter or scribbler, we welcome all lovers of the written word.
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A curated platform for spoken word and music. Available for festival and event bookings.
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A hub for all things Poetic in the great city of Nottingham. Events, Readings, Discussions, Publications - hear about it all here!
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We are a group of writers from all over the Vale of Belvoir and beyond. We meet every month in the Parish Room next to Bottesford library. Each meeting has an optional theme that you can use as a writing prompt. We also love to hear your works in progress and to meet anyone curious about writing.
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Nottingham’s global poetry and music community

The World Jam Collective-formerly known as Word Jam collective- was founded by a group of ESOL (English as a Second Language) students in 2012 and has been directed since by Mina Fatemi. The initial purpose of the group was to create a supportive network for non-English speaking poets and writers living in Nottingham.
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We believe in an open society, which for us means everyone should have equal access to the means of creativity and expression. These values inform the work we do, the areas we work in, the people we work with, and an ongoing dialogue with contemporary society through our programmes and projects.
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Beeston Tales is a monthly storytelling club night happening Beeston. Hosted by Tim Ralphs and Mike Payton, the club features themed nights, renowned guests and all the best of the most ancient and human artform. This is the group to join for updates on what's happening at the club.
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The Storytellers of Nottingham run an open mic traditional storytelling night.
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Dandelions Poetry: wild and unexpected

Dandelions grow in the cracks where we least expect them, forcing their way into our attention with moments of surprise and untidy beauty. The poetry featured at Dandelions Poetry will come from unexpected angles, and will focus on experiences of the world that might often be pulled up and discarded. Come along and appreciate some blooms in surprising places. Join in and read a poem if you want to.
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A Nottingham based poetry collective. Produces DIY Poets magazine and regular poetry events.
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Free Minds is a safe space for funky people at any and all writing and speaking levels to share their poetry and listen to others. We’ve had people perform ballads, raps and even stories at our lovely little room at the King Billy pub in Sneinton; and every night gets better and better !
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We host our own showcases, publish anthologies, and have performed alongside Yomi Sode, Randolph Matthews, Casey Bailey, and Debris Stevenson.

GOBS currently works in partnership with Apples and Snakes, Nottingham Playhouse and Nottingham Central Library.
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Come along to Pints n' Poets where you'll be treated to an electric evening of incomparable artists - Rockin' and Rollin' and Readin' - gonna be great!

Plenty of open mic spaces for musicians and poets alike - COME ON DOWN!
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Championing working class, marginalised & activist artists & creatives. Open mic, all artists welcome
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Real Talk is a spoken word night, featuring poets and performers from the Derbyshire area and surrounding counties.

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