River Voices: Poetry with Robert Powell & Friends
A lively reading from a range of writers inspired by the Ouse and Foss, rivers, streams, canals, rain, and all things watery! Co-hosted by York poets Robert Powell and John Gilham, with Penny Boxall, Carole Bromley, Katherine Crocker, Rose Drew, Katie Greenbrown, and Oz Hardwick.
Robert Powell was born and raised in Canada and now lives in York. He has produced four poetry collections - Harvest of Light, All, Riverain, and Aura, as well as A Small Box of River with artist Jake Attree, and two short films - The River Speaks, with Ben Pugh, and Source, with Jan-Erik Andersson.
John Gilham is a York-based poet whose work has appeared in many magazines and has two published books: “Fosdyke and Me and Other Poems” and "Learning to Breathe”. From 2014 to 2018 he edited “Dreamcatcher” poetry magazine. His enthusiasms include railways, London, pubs, poetry, jazz, cycling, European travel and his grandchildren. He has walked the length of the River Foss and cycled long distances beside the Rhine, Neckar and Danube.
Penny Boxall has won the Edwin Morgan Award, Mslexia Poetry Competition and a Northern Writers’ Award, and held residencies at Gladstone’s Library, Hawthornden Castle and Chateau Lavigny. This autumn she will be Visiting Research Fellow at Merton College, Oxford. Her collections are Ship of the Line and Who Goes There?.
Carole Bromley is a York poet with three books from Smith/Doorstop. Winner of many prizes including the 2019 Hamish Canham Award, she is currently working on a second collection for children as well as a pamphlet about recent brain surgery. She was surprised how many poems she has written about water!
Katherine Crocker lives in York and has published two collections of poetry. A selection from her latest book, Breathing under Water, was shortlisted for the Poetry School/Pighog Press Pamphlet Competition in 2013. The extended collection was published by Indigo Dreams Publishing in 2017.
Rose Drew is an immigrant from America. She co-hosts monthly open mic York Spoken Word and is editor/ events manager for Stairwell Books. Her creative work, mostly poetry, is in anthologies, newsprint, and journals. Rose’s book Temporary Safety (Fighting Cock Press) was No 9 on 2011 Purple Patch 20 Best Individual Collections.
Katie Greenbrown is a York-based spoken word poet and script writer sharing whimsical, beautiful and funny work at open mics and poetry events around the North. She is a Say Owt Slam winner, YorkMix Poetry Competition winner, and has performed live with the likes of Kate Fox and Hollie McNish.
Oz Hardwick’s work has been published and performed internationally in and on diverse media, and he has held residencies in the UK, Europe, the US and Australia. He has published eight poetry collections, most recently The Lithium Codex (Hedgehog, 2019), and has edited and co-edited several more.
River Voices is a Fundraising Event for The Arts Barge Project - many thanks to Robert Powell!
Tickets available from the Great Yorkshire Fringe website.
If you are unable to afford tickets, please contact hannah@artsbarge.com to apply for a discretionary 50% discount.
Disabled Access
Due to the ‘work in progress’ state of the Arts Barge at this year’s festival, we regret that wheelchair access down to the performance space is not possible.
Through Riverside 2019 we aim to raise interest and funds to return in 2020 with full disabled access lift and toilet facilities.
In the meantime, the gang-planks onto the barge are wide and wheelchair users are very welcome to enjoy the deck area. Our Riverside marquee (24th - 28th July) is free and accessible to all. Accessible toilet facilities in St. George’s Field car park, will be available during all Arts Barge Riverside Festival opening hours.