Southampton's spoken word Festival

Southampton is holding a writers and writing stuff festival - the  So: To Speak festival; from October 23 - November 1; and it looks amazing. Have a browse through the programme where  the mix of events is unique and imaginative and unexpected. Excellent writers like Philip Hoare and Ali Sparkes will be appearing (book tickets!!) I like the sound of the celebration of the Spitfire with performance poet Matt West and musical contribution from the Spitfire Sisters. And where else would you have the venue for that, but an aircraft museum with a Spitfire in it...

The Spitfire Sisters

Another first for Southampton which will be part of the action is a celebration of Persian poetry, film and music.

I shall definitely be going to hear acclaimed biographer Ray Monk's talk at October Books in Portswood High Street. It is at 7.00pm on Friday 30 October. Another not-to-be-missed author who is speaking at another Portswood High Street event (The Library this time) is Rebecca Smith. Rebecca's talk, which marks the centenary of Portswood Library, is called 'Writing Southampton' and is on Thursday 29 October at 7.00pm.

The Dancing Man Brewery at 1 Bugle Street (in the building formerly known as the Wool House), will host many of these events and Arts Organisation, Element Arts,  will be putting on  ‘Transported’, a collection of art installations and performances which will be inside a specially built village of shipping containers in Guildhall Square. Element Arts have collaborated  with Williams Shipping and the shipping container village will be there for people to explore for the whole week.