Welcome
Fire River Poets is a small group of Somerset poets who share their work in monthly meetings.
We also organise public poetry events and work with schools.
Read more in About Us
Please note, our Guest Readings and Open Mic events will continue on Zoom for the present.
Visit our Event Registration page to register for any of these events and to see joining instructions.
Most of our Guest Reading Evenings allow space for limited Open Mic slots. You can request this when you register to attend. (Only one poem per poet, please, or two provided they fit one side A4.)
News
December 7th, 2023: PHILIP GROSS
Philip Gross has published 25 collections, for adults and for young people, over 40 years of publication; his latest, The Thirteenth Angel (Bloodaxe, 2022), a PBS Recommendation, was shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize. He won the T.S. Eliot in 2009 and a Cholmondeley Award in 2017.
He is a keen collaborator, e.g. with poet Lesley Saunders on A Part of the Main (Mulfran, 2018), with scientists on the young people’s collection Dark Sky Park (Otter-Barry, 2018) and with artist Valerie Coffin Price and Welsh-language poet Cyril Jones on Troeon/Turnings (Seren, 2021). www.philipgross.co.uk
Poetry at Taunton Literary Festival
Do check out these three Poetry Events (below) at Taunton Literary Festival (BrendonBooks)
Tue 14 Nov 2023, 7 PM
An Evening With the Fire River Poets – The Thought of the Heart – Tickets £5
Sat 18 Nov 2023, 7 PM
Readings from Three Live Canon Poetry Competition Winners: Josephine Corcoran, Matt Bryden and Isabella Mead – Tickets £5
Tue 21 November 2023, 6.30 PM
Kalevala – Land of Heroes with Graham Fawcett – Tickets £12.50
Tickets can be obtained from: Brendon Books, Bath Place, Taunton TA1 4ER, Tel: 01823 337742, email brendonbooks@gmail.com
Or online directly from TicketSource
In Memoriam, Derek Power
We regretfully announce the death of our friend and former FRP member, Derek Power, who died in Musgrove on Monday 9th October, following surgery on his hip.
Derek was born in Oldham in 1932, but later moved to Falmouth, where he lived for fifteen years. Whilst there, he joined Falmouth Poetry Group and became Chairman and Secretary. Other members of that group, whom Derek got to know include such well-known names as Penelope Shuttle, Peter Redgrove and future Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy. Later, he moved to Taunton, where he worked as a pharmacist until his retirement. Derek joined the Fire River Poets in 1989. At that time and for some time after, the group was meeting at a series of venues, none of them ideal, until Derek took pity on us and offered his home. From then on, for many years, he and his wife Eileen hosted our meetings and always made us most welcome (drinks were free, until we insisted on leaving a monetary contribution on the table). We continued to enjoy Derek’s hospitality until early in 2017, when Eileen’s ill health and other factors made it impractical.
Planned Events
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