A Black History Month Special with John Agard

Join us for a very special evening celebrating the poetry and words of international poet John Agard and local poet sensations brought to you through a collaboration between renaissance one and word! We'll offer a space for conversation, performance and a Caribbean-style lime.

John Agardis a poet, playwright and short story writer who grew up in Guyana, where his love of language stemmed from listening to cricket commentaries on the radio. He has won many prizes, including the Smarties Book Prize and the Queen’s Gold Medal and in 2021 was awarded the prestigious BookTrust Lifetime Achievement Award for an outstanding contribution to children’s literature. John is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and his work appears in an AQA anthology for GCSE English Literature. With his wife, the poet Grace Nichols, John has edited the Walker anthologiesA Caribbean DozenandUnder the Moonand Over the Sea, and he is the author of the Carnegie-longlistedMy Name Is Book. John lives in Lewes, East Sussex.

THERE ARE 2-FOR-1 STUDENTS TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR THIS SHOW, JUST ADD 2 STUDENT TICKETS TO YOUR CART AND THE DISCOUNT WILL AUTOMATICALLY APPLY

"HIS POEMS ARE DIRECT AND ARRESTING, PLAYFUL, FULL OF STARTLING IMAGERY, AND ARE HILARIOUS, PASSIONATE AND EROTIC AS OFTEN AS THEY ARE POLITICAL - OFTEN MANAGING TO BE ALL THESE THINGS AT ONCE" - MAURA DOOLEY

“A UNIQUE AND ENERGETIC FORCE IN CONTEMPORARY BRITISH POETRY, JOHN AGARD’S POEMS COMBINE ACUTE SOCIAL OBSERVATION, PUCKISH WIT AND A RIOTOUS IMAGINATION TO THRILLING EFFECT.” - POETRY ARCHIVE

“A WONDERFUL AFFIRMATION OF LIFE, IN A LANGUAGE THAT IS VITAL AND JOYOUS”— DAVID DABYDEEN

“JOHN IS ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING, ENERGETIC AND SPELLBINDING READERS YOU’LL HEAR, BREATHING PASSION AND ENERGY INTO EACH OF HIS POEMS WHEN HE SPEAKS THEM ALOUD.” - POETRY ARCHIVE

“SURREAL AND PLAYFUL, JOHN AGARD’S STORIES REVEAL HIDDEN TRUTHS THAT SUBTLY CHANGE OUR VIEW OF WHO WE ARE AND WHERE WE COME FROM.”

— HOPE PUBLISHING

“AGARD RECEIVED THE QUEEN’S GOLD MEDAL FOR POETRY IN 2012, BUT HE IS NONETHELESS A POET OF THE PEOPLE; OR, BETTER STILL, THE NATION’S JESTER, SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER IN MANY REGISTERS.” FRED D’AGUIAR, TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT.

AGE GUIDANCE:16+

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