Isobel’s work is gently pervasive. She reads with a confidence and firmness that belies the lyrical lilt of her poetry. Every consonant of her finely-tuned lines is articulated.—Tom Chivers, writer, editor and poetry promoter, on This is Yogic
COMING UP:
Wednesday 31 March 2010, Three Graces at the Wheatsheaf
Three poets join forces for poems both graceful and disgraceful... Readings from Roisin Tierney, Sally Read and Isobel Dixon. Introduced by gracious host Simon Barraclough.
7:00 p.m. The Wheatsheaf, 25 Rathbone Place, London, W1T 1JB.
Nearest Tube, Tottenham Court Rd. £3 at the door.
Saturday 10 April 2010, Psycho Poetica #1 at the British Film Institute, London
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Hitchcock's seminal slasher and its influence on many art forms, twelve poets have carved up the film between them and created a new poetic interpretation. Their collective re-imagining will be performed presently in the Delegate's Room at the BFI, and some of the poets will introduce screenings of the original feature in April. What rich and strange new version of ‘Psycho’ will twelve distinctive poetic visions produce?
Devised by Simon Barraclough with support from LOVEFiLM and featuring Simon Barraclough, Jane Draycott, John Stammers, Annie Freud, Matthew Welton, Isobel Dixon, Roddy Lumsden, Dzifa Benson, Chris McCabe, Luke Heeley, Heather Phillipson and Joe Dunthorne.
7.30 p.m., BFI Delegates Centre, £5 entry fee. Map here.
Monday 19 April 2010, Soweto Kinch and Bra Willie present Salon Shebeen, Queen Elizabeth Hall, South Bank, London
A night of words and music with an eclectic constellation of South African talents. Southbank Centre's Salon Shebeen features an unmissable collaboration across generations between jazz saxophonist Soweto Kinch and South African Poet Laureate Keorapetse Kgositsile (Bra Willie); an audience with living legacy Mrs Evita Bezuidenhout (Pieter-Dirk Uys); and poetry, readings and performance from Malika Ndlovu, Ndumiso Ngobo, Isobel Dixon, Sihle Khumalo and Nadia Davids.
In partnership with the South African Department of Arts and Culture, British Council, and London Book Fair as part of the One Nation, Many Voices Programme.
7.30 p.m. Queen Elizabeth Hall. Venue info here. Tickets £12. Book here.
Wednesday 21 April 2010, Andre Brink In Conversation with Isobel Dixon, Foyles Bookshop, London
6.30 - 8.00 p.m. Foyles, Charing Cross Road. Map and info here.
Wednesday 28 April 2010, 'Food Junction' reading as part of the Kings Cross Reveal Festival, London
Details to follow.
14-16 May 2010 Franschhoek Literary Festival
Details to follow.
21 - 26 June 2010, Worlds Literary Festival Norwich
Details to follow.
Been and gone in 2010:
Monday 8 March 2010, Magma 46 launch at The Troubadour
Celebrating the launch of Magma 46, edited by Jacqueline Saphra and Norbert Hirschhorn, with a wide selection of Magma 46 contributors and two guest poets, Anne-Marie Fyfe and Penelope Shuttle.
8:00 - 10:00 p.m. Downstairs at The Troubadour, 263-267 Old Brompton Road, London, SW5.
More event info here and venue and map here.
Tuesday 9 February 2010, CB1 Reading at Michaelhouse
with Richard Berengarten.
8:00 p.m., Michaelhouse Cafe, Trinity Street, Cambridge, CB2 1SU.
More info and map here.
Thursday 28 January 2010, Succour Salon at the Betsey Trotwood
8:00 p.m. at the Betsey Trotwood Pub, 56 Farringdon Road, EC1R 3BL. Free entry.
A night of readings from Succour Issue 10. Featuring poetry and fiction from a line-up including Lee Rourke, Abi Curtis, Cherry Smyth, Gary Cansell, John Clegg, Isobel Dixon and Judy Brown. Map here.
Readings in 2009:
Tuesday 1 December 2009, Winter Fuel
7:00 p.m., The Duchess, 101 Battersea Park Road, London, SW8 4DS.
Map here. £4 entry.
A spicy mix of voices to warm the winter chill, with readings from Simon Barraclough, Emily Berry, Isobel Dixon, Chris McCabe, Heather Phillipson and Richard Price.
Wednesday and Thursday 28 and 29 October 2009, Durham Book Festival
Wednesday 13:00 - 'Intellectual Property and Agenting' event at the Marriott Hotel.
Thursday 10:00 - Poetry Workshop at the Library.
Monday 26 October 2009, Mesoteric
7:30 p.m. Chez Kristof, 111 Hammersmith Grove, W6 0NQ
An evening of poetry at the Chez Kristof restaurant, hosted by Betsy de Lotbiniere. With Adam O'Riordan, Annie Freud, Isobel Dixon and Betsy de Lotbiniere.
Map here.
Tuesday 29 September 2009, (in)Dignity - Spoken Word in Support of Amnesty International
7:30 p.m., The Castle, 15 Grosvenor Rise East, Walthamstow, London, E17 9LB.
Waltham Forest Amnesty International is proud to present a fantastic evening of spoken word performances - from the tender to the tragic, the serious to the absurd, with poetry, humour and killer ukulele tunes, all in support of Demand Dignity, a global Amnesty International campaign that aims to stop the human rights abuses that keep people poor.
Featuring Darren Hayman, Waen Shepherd, Isobel Dixon, Makola Mayimbika, James Peake, Dan Lewis, Jim Dunk and Ken Barlow.
All proceeds will go towards the Waltham Forest Amnesty International Group.
Thursday, 23 July 2009, On a Trip to Cirrus Minor - Pink Floyd-inspired poetry
7:00 p.m., The Duchess, 101 Battersea Park Road, London, SW8 4DS. Map here. £3 entry.
A rich mix of poetic voices with new work inspired by Pink Floyd albums, read in the shadow of the iconic Battersea Power Station. Featuring Simon Barraclough, Julia Bird, Jude Cowan, Claire Crowther, Isobel Dixon, Katy Evans Bush, Luke Heeley, Patrick Brandon, Amy Key, Roddy Lumsden, Lorraine Marriner, Chris McCabe, Jon Morrison, Helen Mort, Dave Palmer, Heather Phillipson, and George Ttoulli.
Tuesday, 9 June 2009, Verbatim Book Store, Stellenbosch.
Photos for LitNet by Melt Myburgh here.
Saturday 2 May 2009, The Sampler:1
16:30 - 17:30 p.m, The Wilberforce Theatre, Museum of London in Docklands
New afternoon event hosted by Chris Horton, and featuring Simon Barraclough, Isobel Dixon and Roddy Lumsden. Directions to Museum in Docklands here.
Friday 24 April 2009, St George's Day Reading #2
7:30 p.m. The Maypole, Cambridge.
24 poets read new poems on England's ceremonial counties - the second of two events.
Thursday 23 April 2009, St George's Day Reading #1
7:30 p.m. The Camden Head, Camden.
24 poets read new poems on England's ceremonial counties - the first of two events.
Wednesday 22 April 2009, Shakespeare Birthday Reading, Stratford-upon-Avon Poetry Festival
7:30 p.m. The Shakespeare Centre, Shakespeare's Birthplace Trust, Henley Street, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV37 6QW.
A celebration on the eve of Shakespeare’s birthday, hosted by, and in aid of, Oxfam Stratford-upon-Avon and the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Hosted by trustee Paula Byrne, with Isobel Dixon, Katy Evans-Bush, and Nigel Mcloughlin.
Thursday 5 March 2009, Manhattan Review Launch at Oxfam Marylebone
7:00 p.m. at the Oxfam Books and Music Shop, 91 Marylebone High Street, London, W1U 4RB.
Celebrating the The Manhattan Review Fall/Winter 2008-09 issue. Guest readers included the editor, New York poet Phil Fried, Penelope Shuttle and some of the poets featured in the Young British Poets section, selected by Todd Swift, including: Chris McCabe, Zoe Brigley, Jacob Polley, Daljit Nagra, Luke Kennard, Kathryn Simmonds, Emily Berry, Joe Dunthorne, Ben Wilkinson, Sally Read, Isobel Dixon, Jack Underwood, James Byrne, Melanie Challenger, Alex McRae, Helen Mort, and Nathan Hamilton.
Free, but donations to Oxfam encouraged. Map here.
Friday 27 February 2009, Salt vs Donut at the Betsey Trotwood
7:00 p.m. at the Betsey Trotwood Pub, 56 Farringdon Road, EC1R 3BL.
Simon Barraclough, Isobel Dixon and Mark Waldron battled it out for Salt, vs Tim Turnbull, Tim Wells and Liane Strauss for Donut. Map here.
Thursday 26 February 2009, London Irish Centre, Camden
8:00 p.m. 50-52 Camden Square, London, NW1 9X.
With Gill Andrews, Alan Brownjohn, Marianne Burton, Isobel Dixon, John Mackay and Liane Strauss.Map here.
Monday 26 January 2009, Mesoteric
8:00 p.m. Chez Kristof, 111 Hammersmith Grove, W6 0NQ
An evening of literature and art downstairs at the Chez Kristof restaurant, hosted by Betsy de Lotbiniere. With Matt Cook, Isobel Dixon, Betsy de Lotbiniere, Mischa Haller, and Jamie Warde-Aldam.
Email mesoteric.hq@googlemail.com. Map here.
Readings in 2008:
Tuesday 18 November 2008, Poetry and Publishing
Talk and reading to students at Bath Spa University.
Thursday 13 November 2008, Poetry and Space
6:30 pm, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ
Part of Poet in the City’s ‘Escaping the Matrix’ series at Imperial College. Featuring Diana Syder, Mario Petrucci, Inua Ellams and Isobel Dixon, reading poems on astronomy and space.
Monday 10 November, Lee Rosy's Tea Shop, Nottingham
7:00 p.m. Lee Rosy's Tea Shop, 17 Broad Street, Hockley, NG1 3AJ.
Nottingham University English Society and Creative Writing Society host a reading by Simon Barraclough and Isobel Dixon.
Saturday 25 October 2008, The Shuffle at the Poetry Cafe, Covent Garden
7:30 pm, The Poetry Cafe, 22 Betterton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2.
Featuring Isobel Dixon, Beatrice Garland, Marianne Burton, Judy Brown, and Christine Webb.
Saturday 11 October 2008, La Langoustine est Morte at the Poetry Cafe
7:30 pm, The Poetry Cafe, 22 Betterton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2.
Anthony Joseph and Sascha Akhtar's series, featuring Chris Emery, Graham Buchan, Aymeric Hainaux and Isobel Dixon.
Tuesday 7 October 2008, Merchant Taylors' School
Reading at Merchant Taylors' Independent School for Boys. See photos and info on the event here.
Wednesday 24 September 2008, Ride the Word III: Prose and Poetry at Borders
7:30 - 9:00 pm, Borders, 203-207 Oxford Street, London W1D 2LE.
Featuring novelist and short story writer Charles Lambert, poet Vincent De Souza, Isobel Dixon, short story writer Jay Merrill and Forward short-listed poet Simon Barraclough.
Saturday 13 September 2008, Bristol Poetry Festival
Gabeba Baderoon, Isobel Dixon and Rustum Kozain.
8:00 pm Arnolfini, 16 Narrow Quay, Bristol, BS1 4QA.
Friday 5 September 2008, 'Unspeakably Toothsome' - poems about food at the Betsey Trotwood
8:00 pm, The Betsey Trotwood, 56 Farringdon Rd, Clerkenwell, London EC1R 3BL.
I will be reading two food poems by other poets, two of my own, along with Julia Bird, Simon Barraclough, Annie Freud, Susan Grindley, Angela Kirby, Roddy Lumsden, Heather Phillipson, John Stammers, Mark Waldron and Tim Wells.
Tuesday 15 July 2008, Clare Hall Literary Society Reading
With Simon Barraclough. 8:00 pm, The Anthony Low Building, Clare Hall, Herschel Road, Cambridge, CB3 9AL, Tel. +44 (0) 1223 332360. Map here.
Saturday 5 July 2008, London Magazine Readings at the O2 Wireless Festival, Speakers’ Corner, Hyde Park
4-6pm, O2 Wireless Festival, Speakers’ Corner, Hyde Park, London.
Readings by London Magazine contributors. With Roddy Lumsden, Katy Evans-Bush, Paul Birtill, Maureen Jivani, Ruth O'Callaghan, Naomi Woodis, Tom Chivers and Aoife Mannix.
Saturday 5 July 2008, Succour Magazine Reading at the Poetry Cafe, Covent Garden
8:00 pm, The Poetry Cafe, 22 Betterton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2. With Lee Rourke, William Chadwick and Joe Dunthorne. See some photos from the evening on Lee Rourke's site.
Friday 4 July 2008, Broadcast 50 States Project Readings at the Betsey Trotwood
8:00 pm, The Betsey Trotwood, 56 Farringdon Rd, Clerkenwell, London EC1R 3BL.
The second of two nights of new poems on America's States, hosted by Roddy Lumsden (following Thursday's event at the Scooterworks Cafe). The Friday 4 July event featured Emily Berry, Luke Heeley, Amy Key, Helen Mort, Ben Morris, Heather Phillipson, Camellia Stafford, Mark Waldron and Tamar Yoseloff, among others. I read a new poem on Washington.
CAPE TOWN BOOK FAIR:
Saturday 14 June 2008, on the Jacana Stand
2:00 pm, Book signing on the Jacana stand.
5:00 pm Jacana New Books Celebration, with Eric Miyeni. Photos on on Book SA.
Sunday 15 June 2008, Interview with John Maytham of Cape Talk
12:00 noon, The Forum, Cape Town International Convention Centre.
A Fold in the Map on Bookworm Books of the Week
Wednesday 11 June, Book Lounge, Cape Town with Rustum Kozain and Kelwyn Sole
6.30pm, at Book Lounge, corner of Roeland and Buitenkant Streets, Cape Town.
Monday 9 June, Off-the-Wall at A Touch of Madness
8 pm, at Off-the-Wall series venue A Touch Of Madness bar/restaurant, Observatory, Cape Town.
Thursday 5 June, 'Let There Be Light' - New Works by Candlelight at ArtKaroo, Oudtshoorn
6:30pm, ArtKaroo gallery, Oudtshoorn. A candelit evening of poetry (from A Fold in the Map and new poems), with an exhibition of new works by ceramicist Thijs Nel. See report in Die Hoorn. janet@artkaroo.co.za
Wednesday 30 April 2008, Salt Reading at Borders
Also featuring Mike Barlow, Simon Barraclough, Vincent De Souza and Anthony Joseph.
Wednesday 5 March 2008, St Edmund College Book Week
Reading at St Edmund's College.
Monday 4 February 2008, Salt Reading at the Troubadour
Also featuring Sascha Aurora Akhtar, Vincent de Souza, Tim Dooley, Tobias Hill, Luke Kennard, Chris McCabe, Eleanor Rees and Tamar Yoseloff. See photos and read more about the night.
Friday 25 January 2008, Ask for It by Name pamphlet launched at the Melton Mowbray
A gorgeous new pamphlet with work by myself, Simon Barraclough, Olivia Cole, Luke Heeley, Liane Strauss and Roisin Tierney. Design by Lynne Stuart. Available at readings, select book stores and Amazon, or contact me via the website. £5 a copy.
Readings in 2007:
Thursday 29 November 2007, Salt Autumn Party at Foyles Charing Cross Road
Readings with other Salt poets and short story writers, among them Alexander Hutchison, Carys Davies, John Hartley Williams, David Grubb and Shamshad Khan.
Friday 16 November 2007, African Writer's Evening, with Nii Parkes and Biram Mboob
The African Writers' Evening is held on the third Friday of every other month at The Poetry Café, 22 Betterton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2. Read more on the African Writers' Evening website.
Saturday 6th October 2007, O Dreamland! Film Poems at the BFI
Coinciding with National Poetry Day, ten poets read poems in response to the BFI Mediatheque's archive 'Essentially British', along with film clips. Poems from myself and writers including Simon Barraclough, Roddy Lumsden, Jane Draycott, Heather Phillipson, Luke Heeley and Olivia Cole.Delegates Room at the BFI London.
Thursday 27 September, London launch of A Fold in the Map
Launch of my new collection in the Gallery, Foyles Bookshop, Charing Cross Road.Photos here
.If you missed it, see what others thought here: