Events

Join us for the first in a series of poetry readings. We are kicking off with local poet Bob Walton, author of the marvellous Sax Burglar Blues. Bob was born in Cardiff but has lived in Bristol for decades and in Hotwells for 18 years. He has a PhD from Cardiff University, where he taught Creative Writing until last year. In 2020 and 2021, he won the North American Festival of Wales Poetry Prizes and was highly commended in the Troubadour International Poetry Competition, also being highly commended in the Desmond O’Grady International Award 2022. A member of The Spoke poetry collective, he has read at a wide range of venues and festivals and often performs in collaboration with musicians and other artists. Bob also facilitates community workshops and hosts poetry events such as the monthly ‘Under the Red Guitar’ at El Rincon in Southville and the bi-monthly on-line Speakeasy Poetry Nights. His second collection, Sax Burglar Blues (Seren) was shortlisted for Wales Arts Review’s Book of the Year 2018 and he is currently working towards his third collection. Entry is free and all are very welcome.

Our poetry series continues with Sarah Hemings, author of Night after Night in the Quiet House, and Nina Parmenter, author of Split, Twist, Apocalypse. They will read some of their poems for around 15 minutes each, followed by an opportunity to ask questions or have copies of their books signed. Entry is free and all are very welcome. Please RSVP to read@heronbooks.mom or on social media so that we can keep track of numbers. -- Sarah Hemings is a poet and chartered librarian from Bristol. She has twice won First Prize in the Gloucestershire Writers' Network Poetry Competition. Her work has appeared in various journals, anthologies and podcasts. In 2021 she was mentored by Fiona Benson, under the Dialect Mentoring Scheme (a competitive scheme funded by Arts Council England). Sarah's first pamphlet, Night after Night in the Quiet House, was published by Maytree Press on National Poetry Day 2022. She tweets at @SarahHemings1. -- Nina Parmenter is a poet and mum from Wiltshire. Her poems have appeared in numerous journals, anthologies and websites. She has been nominated for the Forward Prize and the Pushcart Prize. Split, Twist, Apocalypse (Indigo Dreams) is her debut collection. About Split, Twist, Apocalypse: Where the world sits on the cusp of waking and sleep, where chance, gods, magic and the whims of the universe are just a step away, Split, Twist, Apocalypse allows us to explore the collage of the possible and impossible. Sometimes humorous, sometimes dark, in traditional form and in free form, the poems celebrate the rich and surreal nature of living on this painful, beautiful Earth. www.ninaparmenter.com