Poets find artistic outlet under a new regime

A unique event is taking place which will allow people to hear a poetic response to the 2015 General Election.

Over 100 of the UK’s most compelling and distinguished poets published daily poems for a blog reacting to the Conservative Government and life under the new regime.

Contributors to the blog, titled New Boots and Pantisocracies, included Michael Rosen, Ian McMillan, Sean O’Brien and Polly Clark.

The blog has since been turned into a book and a special reading is taking place at Teesside University’s Students’ Union as part of the Poetry on Campus series.

The University teamed up with Middlesbrough’s Smokestack Books, an independent publisher of radical and unconventional poetry, to host a regular series of poetry events for the whole community.

Taking place in the Terrace Bar at 8.00pm on Tuesday 29 November, the free New Boots and Pantisocracies reading will bring to life some of the polemics, contraries, refusals and rants from the book.

It will feature readings from Bill Herbert, who decided to document the response to the 2015 general election through the daily publication of poetry. There will also be readings from fellow contributors and Teesside University creative writing lecturers Bob Beagrie and Andy Willoughby, among others.

Smokestack Editor, Middlesbrough-based poet Andy Croft said: 'The poet Bertolt Brecht once asked, ‘Will there be singing in the dark times?’ His answer was that in the dark times poets should sing about the ‘dark times’. New Boots and Pantisocracies, is a book about our darkening times.'

People are encouraged to book for the event, but are also welcome to turn up on the evening.

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• Poetry on campus
• creative writing