Poetry Hour with Henry Normal & Ruth Hobson

Welcome to Poetry Hour! A chance for you to enjoy some wise and witty words from the wonderful Henry Normal and his special guests, in thirteen libraries around the city, completely free, as part of Nottingham Poetry Festival. No registration required – just show up.

Audience members are encouraged to bring a poem to read or simply to come and enjoy the poetry.

Festival founder, the Nottingham-born Henry Normal, began his career as a stand-up poet and went on to become a co-writer of award-winning TV and film hits including The Royle Family, The Mrs Merton Show and Coogan’s Run, and producer of Gavin and Stacey, Alan Partridge and the Oscar-nominated film Philomena.

On his stop at Bilborough Library, Henry will be joined by Ruth Hobson. Ruth is a poet and writer who has been steadily published for thirty years by literary magazines and journals e.g. Ambit, Magma, The Wide Skirt, The Delinquent and ‘Theology’ Journal. She has designed and led countless poetry writing courses and sessions in a wide variety of contexts, including HMP Nottingham and an outer-estate laundrette. She currently works with Inspire Learning and Culture, leading poetry writing workshops and teaching literature. Her first full-length collection Arthur Talks, was published by Palewell Press in 2019.

She will read from her collection Arthur Talks telling stories and making connections along the way. Ruth worked for many years with homeless people and says it is always poignant to see and sense how members of the audience connect with deprivation and marginalization. The world of Arthur is full of bravura and dash, so she hopes there will be a lot of laughs.

Check the library website for access information: https://www.nottinghamcitylibraries.co.uk/find-a-library/

(organised in association with NPF)