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A Poet Laureate’s Peterloo
Starts: Tue 30th July 7:15PM
Ends: Tue 30th July 8:15PM
Venue: Friends Meeting House, 6 Mount Street, M2 5NS
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This event is free. Booking is required.
Access information: Fully accessible venue
Event organisation: BBC Radio 4
Tue 30 Jul, 7.15pm
Free, booking required
BBC Radio 4 commemorates the 200th anniversary of the Peterloo Massacre.
Be in the audience to hear the outgoing Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy as she is joined by some of the most engaging poets and performers of our time, to offer 21st-century responses to the Peterloo massacre – exploring the resonance of Peterloo for our own divided times.
On 16 August 1819 a peaceful pro-democracy rally, made up of thousands of men, women and children, was attacked by an armed cavalry. 18 people were killed, and hundreds injured. The massacre inspired writers even when it was reported, including the Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley who produced ‘The Masque of Anarchy’, which is still quoted today by our politicians:
“Ye are many – they are few!”
Ian McMillan presents this landmark programme, with guest and historical guide Professor Robert Poole, with brand new commissions for Radio 4 from the Mercury nominated singer-songwriter Kathryn Williams, the poets Clare Shaw and Mark Pajak, and from Carol Ann Duffy herself.
The programme will be recorded at Friends Meeting House, Mount Street, Manchester, where you can still see a wall that witnessed the massacre, a testament to the violence that took place.
Guests:
Carol Ann Duffy has been widely acclaimed for her 10 years tenure as Poet Laureate, particularly for nurturing other poets.
Ian McMillan is a poet, radio presenter and writer, and long-time voice of BBC Radio 3’s The Verb.
Kathryn Williams was Mercury Prize nominated for her album ‘Little Black Numbers’, and recently released the ‘Kathryn Williams Anthology’ which includes songs from her work inspired by Sylvia Plath.
Mark Pajak grew up in Merseyside and he recently published a poetry pamphlet ‘Spitting Distance’.
Clare Shaw comes from Burnley. She has published three poetry collections, the most recent called ‘The Flood’.
Robert Poole is Professor of History at the University of Central Lancashire and author of ‘Peterloo’.
Please remember that all ticket holders and their guests must bringvalid photo ID.
Photo: Carol An Duffy, Jemimah Kuhfeld