Royal Society of Literature Events

RSL Event: Monday 20 February at 7pm

Lavinia Greenlaw, David Harsent, Emma Jones & Ahren Warner
Being a poet
Chaired by Anne Chisholm

THE T.S. ELIOT MEMORIAL LECTURE

T.S. Eliot once said that he could understand wanting to write poetry, but not wanting to 'be a poet'. With this observation in mind, two well-established poets, David Harsent and Lavinia Greenlaw, introduce two of the younger poets they most admire. Emma Jones grew up in Sydney, and her first book, The Striped World (Faber, 2009), won the Forward Prize for First Collection and the Queensland Premier's Literary Award. Ahren Warner's first collection, Confer (Bloodaxe, 2011), was shortlisted for the Forward Prize for Best First Collection, and was a Poetry Book Society recommendation. In an evening combining reading and discussion, they reflect on who and what first drew them to poetry, and whether their work relies more on discipline or inspiration. And they ask tough, practical questions: how does a young poet go about getting work published? How important is it to have an agent? What are the pros and cons of self-publishing? And is it possible to make a living from poetry?

Venue: Kenneth Clark Lecture Theatre, The Courtauld Institute of Art, Somerset House.

Fellows and Members: book your seats online or by ringing Hazel on 020 7845 4676. Seats for guests (one per meeting) must also be booked in advance. 

A limited number of tickets will be sold on the door, from 6pm, on a first come, first served basis (£8/£5 conc).

Visit www.rslit.org to view our full Spring programme.

 

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 RSL/Man Booker Masterclasses 2012

We are delighted to announce that, in collaboration with the Booker Prize Foundation, we are holding our second series of Masterclasses during 2012. The masterclasses will be given by four Fellows: David Almond and Hanif Kureishi in the spring, and Adam Foulds and Tessa Hadley in the autumn.

Hanif Kureishi on The art of writing fiction (14 April)
 David Almond on Crossover fiction (26 May)

Booking for Spring 2012: 

Applicants should email their names to Rachel Page (rachel@rslit.org) before the closing date, after which selection of places will be made by ballot. Closing date: Friday 2 March at 6pm.

For more details, visit our Masterclass page.