LAUNCH PARTY!

First of all, thanks to everyone who came to hear Luke Wright's incredible performance poetry on Thursday, it was a great evening!

But sadly time moves on and we must look to new and stranger things, such as...

THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY POETRY SOCIETY LAUNCH PARTY

To celebrate the kicking off of the term with Luke Wright and the amazing poets still to come (note: Simon Armitage on Thursday 5th November, put it in your diaries now...), join the committee and lots of other poetry-minded souls at The Wheatsheaf (129 High St), from 8pm on TUESDAY 3rd NOVEMBER.

There will be *live poetry and music* but also just a chance to mingle, drink, hook up, discuss the respective merits of Motion and Duffy, whatever floats your poetry boat.

See you there! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Events Updated!

Here are the updated events and NEW VENUES for our Michaelmas readings, plus a LAUNCH PARTY!

Thursday 29th October - 3rd Week
Luke Wright (plus guests), upstairs at the Big Bang Restaurant in Jericho. 8pm.
Map: http://www.thebigbangrestaurants.co.uk/contactus.htm

Tuesday 3rd November - 4th Week
Oxford University Poetry Society Launch Party, plus poetry and music. At 'The Wheatsheaf' pub. 8pm.
Map: click here

Thursday 5th November - 4th Week
Simon Armitage (plus live band) upstairs at the Jericho Tavern. 8pm.
Map: click here

Thursday 12th November - 5th Week
Lemn Sissay (plus guests) downstairs at the Big Bang Restaurant in Jericho. 8pm.
Map: http://www.thebigbangrestaurants.co.uk/contactus.htm

Thursday 19th November - 6th Week
Glyn Maxwell (plus singer-songwriter). Venue TBC

Thursday 24th November - 7th Week
Roger Mcgough (plus guests) downstairs at the Big Bang Restaurant in Jericho. 8pm.
Map: http://www.thebigbangrestaurants.co.uk/contactus.htm


see. you. soon!

x

1st Wednesday Workshop of Term!

This from our Live Events officer, Nanette:
---
Budding/Aspiring/Tentative Poets come one and all to the first OUPS Wednesday workshop of the term. If you like to write, but you need some motivation, this is a great way to get the juices flowing.

Optional Prompt: Write a poem using an object for inspiration. Help us see
this object in a new or unusual way.
(stolen from: http://blog.32poems.com/701/oh-no-i-have-no-time-to-write)

Meet: at Turl Street Tavern, Turl Street, every Wednesday night at 7.30

Bring: Your articulate badass self. Open mind. A few copies of the poem you are working on, including the prompt if you like.

We'll grab a drink and peer-review your work for style, content, form, whatever you would like help with.

Hope to see some of you there.
Nanette
--

Go forth and create!

London Poetry Systems comes to Oxford

OUPS joins up with the London Poetry Systems for their Oxford promotion event; come see our own Oxford talent, incl. President Caroline Bird!

Michaelmas 09 Readings

What we have got lined up for you this term:

FABER NEW POETS TOUR
Wed 14th Oct - 1st Week
Old Dining Hall, Teddy Hall, 8pm
---

LUKE WRIGHT
Thu 29th Oct - 2nd Week

SIMON ARMITAGE
Thu 5th Nov - 4th Week

LEMN SESSAY
Thu 12th Nov - 5th Week

GLYN MAXWELL
Thu 19th Nov - 6th Week

ROGER MCGOUGH
Thu 26th Nov - 7th Week

Venue TBC - doors will open at 8pm, readings start at 8.30pm and last about an hour.

We'll also have supporting music acts for some of these - more news on this soon!

Join our Facebook group to get news and handy event invites direct to your profile!

New Term, New Year, New Committee!

Welcome to a new academic year at Oxford with OUPS!

We'll have poetry recitals, visiting poets, workshops galore - keep visiting the website for updates, syndicate our newsfeed on RSS, or get your dose of OUPS the old-fashioned way via our maillist.

For now, here's the list of our new band of crusading committee-members, ready to bring a rhyme to your life:

President MT09-HT10 - Caroline Bird (caroline.bird at stcatz.ox.ac.uk)
Presidential Secretary - Tess Somervell (President TT10)
(tess.somervell at chch.ox.ac.uk)
Secretary - Sophie Salamon (sophie.salamon at lincoln.ox.ac.uk)
Ash Editor - Sophie Yeo (sophie.yeo at ccc.ox.ac.uk)
Publicity (Web) - Yuan Yang (yuan.yang at balliol.ox.ac.uk)
Publicity (Print) - Joe Lloyd (joe.lloyd at some.ox.ac.uk)
Live Events - Nanette O'Brien (nanette.obrien at st-annes.ox.ac.uk)
Fund - Laura Marsh (laura.marsh at chch.ox.ac.uk), Eloise (eloise.stonborough at seh.ox.ac.uk)

If you have any ideas for how you'd like the above things to be done better, don't hesitate to get in contact with the appropriate person. And we always like hearing from you...


See you soon!

Next term!

Our brand new term card has arrived...and there are LOTS of treats in store...


THURSDAY READINGS:

Wk 1 (22/01) - Burns' Night Winter Warmer reading by RODDY LUMSDEN

Wk 2 (29/01) - TRANSLATION FESTIVAL featuring David Constantine, editor of 'Modern Poetry in Translation' magazine, as well as Simon Smith, poet-translator of Catallus.

Wk 3 (05/02) - Tall Lighthouse's PILOT POETS Emily Berry, Camellia Stafford, Vidyan Ravinthiran

Wk 4 (12/02) - poet laureate ANDREW MOTION

Wk 5 (19/02) - JAMIE MC KENDRICK

Wk 6 (26/02) - RUTH PADEL

Wk 7 (05/03) - FRANCES LEVISTON

Wk 8 (12/03) - JOHN SIDDIQUE

*

WORKSHOPS

Our regular workshops meet, as last year, on Wednesdays in The Mitre, starting promptly at 8pm, so please come along and meet some of Oxford's young and decidedly alcoholic poets!

And aside from our wednesday workshops, we've ALSO got these masterclasses:

Wk 3 (06/02) - a special pre-Valentine's Day Sonnet Workshop at Christ Church in Lecture rm 1.
Wk 5 (20/02) - Translation Workshop to hone your skills and follow up the festival in second week.

*

COMPETITION

OUPS will administrate the Martin Starkie Poetry Competition, as well as the Declamation Competition during Hilary 2009.

*

--MEMBERSHIP: £10 termly or £25 yearly including entry to all events, so very good value! Readings are £3 each to non-members. Wine is included.

Don't forget to join our mailing list if you'd like to receive updates on the readings and events that we are running as well as other ways to get involved. Email eloise.stonborough@seh.ox.

ac.uk to sign up.