Portsmouth Poetry
Web - portsmouthpoetry.org
Email - info@portsmouthpoetry.org
or - portsmouthpoetry@hotmail.com
Affiliate Email - awaywithwords@email.com
Portsmouth Poetry is a non-profit mixed arts organisation operating in the Portsmouth (UK) region with national and international affiliations.
We organise performance events; discussions; community and educational projects; support established and rising poets; occasional reviews of poets and works; podcast and publish new, rising and established poets.
Check out our Projects and Partners page for some of our achievements since 2016
We embrace all arts but everything we do is built around the power and beauty of the word. Since 2016, we have built a reputation for exciting and innovative heritage, community and educational projects which have won us national and international recognition. We were guests of HM Government at the 2018 WW1 Commemoration service at Westminster Abbey for our 2017 Passchendaele project in partnership with Portsmouth Cathedral now in the archives of Queens University Belfast. We curate poetry events with/for Ports Fest who hosted the launch of our first publication 'Ecstasy & Grief' and work with the Open Ya Mouth collective on our Power of the Beat poetry and rap project with Park Community School. Our pandemic lockdown poetry competition 'CoronaVerses' drew contributions from poets in the UK, Africa, India and the USA. We partner with local and regional community, education and cultural organisations including Ports Fest, Portsmouth Cathedral, Park Community School, Portsmouth Education Partnership. Portsmouth Creates, The New Theatre Royal, Groundlings Theatre, the Guildhall and many others. Our work has been funded by Heritage Lottery, Arts Council England, Big Ideas Community Interest Company, Ports Fest, and private donation.
Guide to the Website
This site has the following pages --
Page 1
Projects and Partners
A selection of some of the exciting projects and events we have organised since 2016, local and national partners we have worked with and funding bodies including Heritage Lottery and Arts Council England
Page 2
What's Up? - News
The latest activities, projects and happenings in the arts in the Region and beyond
Page 3
Shop
Since our first venture into publishing, we and our affiliate body Away With Words Press have produced two books for sale. 'Ecstasy & Grief' (2022) is a collection of 15 poets including big names lke Brian Bilston and 'Unjudging Love: The Enigma of Dylan Thomas' is a challenging g look at the compassionate genius beneath the rock n roll poet cliche.
Page 4
Podcasts
A guide to our podcasts and where you can access them
Page 5
New Poetry & Reviews
New work by rising and established poets and reviews of new publications we like to support
Page 6
The Power of the Beat
Our ground-breaking project with local schools using rap and performance poets to introduce pupils to poetry and Shakespeare on the GCSE sylllabus
Page 7
New page
Coming Soon ....
Who We Are
Portsmouth Poetry is the dynamic outcome of two people dedicated to the Arts
Liz Weston
Educationalist and Arts Administrator
Liz Weston has a background in a wide range of arts - from fringe theatre in the 1970's to, more recently, Education and Outreach Manager at the New Theatre Royal. She was one of the team who set up the street theatre in Covent Garden; ran a cabaret circus and managed Covent Garden Community Theatre. In the 80's she was the founder director of the Hornpipe Arts Centre in Portsmouth, bringing such companies as Gay Sweatshop and Spare Tyre to the city. She believes in the power of live arts - the dynamics created when performer and audience share a space.
Josh Brown
Teacher and Author
With a lifelong love of theatre and the arts, Josh was a lecturer in business and management and from 2009-2015 as Chair of the Trust oversaw the rebuilding of the New Theatre Royal in partnership with the University of Portsmouth. In 2003 he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts, Commerce & Industry (RSA). He is the author of 'Unjudging Love: The Enigma of Dylan Thomas'
Legal Statement
Portsmouth Poetry is a non-profit voluntary organisation largely funded by grants and donations. We are not affiliated to any corporate or NGO organisation. Any income we do generate is used to create and fund future projects and activities. Our Mission and objectives are available on request. Persons and organisations wishing to work with us are welcome to inspect our financial records, current and past projects and partner organisations.
We are passionately committed to the importance of culture to the social, educational and economic well being of the region and its people. We believe in the freedom of writers, performers and audiences to free expression and the right to be challenging and controversial whilst committed to inclusivity and participation irrespective of ethnicity, religious or non-religious affiliation, gender and sexual orientation.
If you require more information or guidance on participating with us please get in touch by email - info@portsmouthpoetry.org (or alternatively portsmouthpoetry@hotmail.com) or via the contact portal on this website. You may also contact us and keep updated about what we are doing on Facebook, & X[Twitter]
Copyright Statement
Copyright is of critically important to all aspects of the cultural and creative sector and those persons and organisations working within it. Please read the copyright statement below -
Information, reviews and articles published on this website are [ unless otherwise stated] in the public domain. You are free to copy or forward them. You may use anything we produce for educational or academic purposes following 'Harvard Referencing' guidelines. However, should you wish to use anything for publication or any income generating activity we request that you seek permission to do so.
Images and quotations are employed here in accordance with the Copyrights, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and international IP legislation and belong either to Portsmouth Poetry or are the property of another. We are not authorised to grant permission to use material belonging to other persons or organisations. You should seek permission from them or their agents.
If you need further information regarding our website and publications please contact us by email or the portal below.
© Copyright. All rights reserved.
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