Please join us on Saturday 19 March, 2.30-4.00 at the Whitworth Art Gallery for a wonderful line-up of poets and musicians. You will find all the information you need regarding visiting the Gallery on the Whitworth’s website here. The event is free and everyone is welcome. Read all about the poets and musicians below: 

Liz Berry

Liz Berry at Verve, Birmingham by Thom Bartley

Liz Berry was born in the Black Country and now lives in Birmingham. Her first book of poems, Black Country (Chatto 2014), a ‘sooty, soaring hymn to her native West Midlands’ (Guardian) received a Somerset Maugham Award, the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Award and Forward Prize for Best First Collection 2014. Liz’s pamphlet The Republic of Motherhood (Chatto, 2018) was a Poetry Book Society Pamphlet Choice and the title poem won the Forward Prize for Best Single Poem 2018. Her latest collection is The Dereliction (Hercules Editions, 2021), a collaboration with artist Tom Hicks. 

Rishi Dastidar

A poem from Rishi Dastidar’s debut Ticker-tape was included in The Forward Book of Poetry 2018. A pamphlet, the break of a wave, was published by Offord Road Books in 2019. His second collection, Saffron Jack, is published in the UK by Nine Arches Press. He is also editor of The Craft: A Guide to Making Poetry Happen in the 21st Century (Nine Arches Press), and co-editor of Too Young, Too Loud, Too Different: Poems from Malika’s Poetry Kitchen (Corsair).

Natalie Rees

Natalie Rees published her debut pamphlet ‘Low Tide’ with Calder Valley Poetry in 2020. She was placed 2nd in the Poets & Players competition the same year by Sinead Morrissey. She has an MA in Creative Writing from the University of Manchester, and has been published and won prizes in the PENfro Poetry Competition, Flambard Press Poetry Prize, The Interpreter’s House, Ink, Sweat & Tears, and Prole. Originally from Ireland, Natalie now lives and works in Bradford, where she runs a private practice as a Play & Creative Arts Therapist.

Arian Sadr

Arian is an internationally recognised percussionist based in Manchester.  He has performed widely as a solo artist, as well as collaborating with artists locally and internationally including performances with the BBC Philharmonic for BBC Music Day, a collaboration with musicians from Royal Northern College of Music Manchester, performance as Part of Edinburgh International Festival and others.

Arian currently teaches Persian drumming skills as well as other hand drums/Percussion instruments through workshops, one-to-one, and increasingly through schools and community groups.  He has hosted many dynamic educational drumming workshops including ‘Drum and Paint’, the combination of experimental music and art, giving an opportunity to the
audiences to experience and absorb the process of creation and improvisation.”