Off the Shelf Festival of Words 2023
From 13th October it’s… the Off the Shelf Festival of Words and we’re very excited to have Hive-related happenings at the festival again this year!
HIVE RELATED EVENTS
On Saturday 14th October, Sheffield Poet Laurate and Hive alumnus Danae Wellington is reading with award-winning author, poet and broadcaster Selena Godden. Selena will be reading from Pessimism For Lightweights: A collection of 30 pieces of courage and resistance inspired by protests and rallies. Catch these incredible poets at Sheffield University Darma Studio at 7pm.
On Sunday 15th October there’s a showing of the commissioned Poetry film: Who We Were; Who We Became, created by Sheffield Poet Laurate and Hive alumnus Danae Wellington in collaboration with Darshan Gajjar. The film is a poetic love song threading together the memories, faith and culture of the Windrush generation. It captures their final moments before embarking on a journey in pursuit of a new life. Catch the film at 4pm at SADACCA, Sheffield (FREE, no need to book). The film will also be projected on the back of the Town Hall on Saturday 28th October at 7.30pm
On Friday 27th October, there’s a launch reading of Spit Out the Myth, a joint mini poetry collection from Hive alumnus poets Silé Sibanda, Warda Yassin and current Sheffield Poet Laureate Danae Wellington. The poems in this collection bring to life stories of migration and change, explored through family roots, mythical tales and life in the north of England. Come along to this wonderful launch reading at Millenium Gallery at 6pm. Désirée Reynolds will introduce the event and Suzannah Evans will talk about the publishing process. Spit Out the Myth is a collaborative project between Off the Shelf & The Poetry Business.
On Saturday 28th October you can drop in to the Millennium Gallery to catch a little slice of poetic life through the film installation – Ear to the Streets: 24hrs in the life of South Yorkshire – an audio-visual love letter to the urban and rural life of South Yorkshire, featuring the words and voices of over 40 young writers from across the region’s cities, towns and villages, working with poet Vicky Morris through Hive Young Writers Network. The film has been created in collaboration with digital content producer and musician Kitty Turner. This site-specific installation is designed to be happened upon in a transitory way. You can drop in any time from 11-1pm at the Millennium Gallery (FREE)
On Saturday 4th Nov you can join Warda Yassin for a poetry open mic night with a polylingual flavour. We are looking for poems written in all languages from Arabic to Zapotec, including English, Somali and every other language spoken in Sheffield. This is an open mic night where English is not the default and all languages are welcome. Poems you have written yourself, poems mixing your mother tongue with the latest online slang, verses from your grandmother’s hometown, your favourites from Instagram or the wisdom of your forefathers in rhyming couplets, even your own English language compositions. More info here.
And on Friday 17th November join us for a Young Writers’ Open Mic & anthology launch in partnership with the Department of Media & Culture at Sheffield Hallam University. All welcome, but the stage belongs to young people (aged 14-30) from across South Yorkshire & beyond. If you write poems, tell stories, compose lyrics, spit bars, or have anything to say out loud to a supportive audience, this is an evening to celebrate your words in a warm, inclusive atmosphere. Find out more here.