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Chelping returns for 2023 with its 20th installment, starring Clare Shaw and Nafeesa Hamid on Thursday 16 March! join us in the breathtaking 255-year-old The Leeds Library for one of the city’s leading poetry nights.
unfortunately, at the time of typing, all of the open mic slots have gone. apologies for any disappointment caused.
our final Chelping event of 2022 takes place at The Leeds Library on Thursday 17 November, and our feature poets are Cecilia Knapp and Rommi Smith! there’ll also be open mic hosted by Matt Abbott, with slots available on a first-come, first-served basis.
tickets are available here for £5.
our 18th installment of Chelping at The Leeds Library sees a Chesterfield-themed line-up, with Helen Mort and Matthew Hedley Stoppard occupying the feature slots! we’re convinced that the stunning 254-year-old library is one of the best poetry venues in the country and love bringing our favourite poets to wow audiences there.
Join us in the stunning surrounds of 254-year-old The Leeds Library for one of Leeds’ leading poetry nights! The 17th installment of ‘Chelping’ stars Amy Acre and Abdullah Adekola, plus open mic hosted by Matt Abbott.
Previous headliners have included internationally renowned performers such as recent T.S. Eliot Prize winner Joelle Taylor, Sabrina Mahfouz, Anthony Anaxagorou, and Theresa Lola. We’ve also had nationally renowned poets including Cecilia Knapp, Jess Green, and Toby Campion.
Tickets are available here for just £5.
Continue reading “Chelping #17 | Amy Acre & Abdullah Adekola on 16 Jun”Join us in the stunning surrounds of 254-year-old The Leeds Library for one of Leeds’ leading poetry nights! The 16th installment of ‘Chelping’ stars Casey Bailey and Ella Otomewo, plus open mic hosted by Matt Abbott.
Continue reading “Chelping #16 | Casey Bailey & Ella Otomewo on 28 Apr”As I’m sure you’ll have gathered, we’re having to postpone our spring events for the foreseeable future as a result of the COVID-19 pandemics. Obviously on the one hand we’re gutted about it, but at the same time, it’s clearly the safe and responsible thing to do.
To confirm, the postponed events are as follows:
At this stage it’s impossible to say when we’ll be able to reschedule these, and as you know, the situation is changing drastically on a daily basis at the moment. My gut instinct would say that these will be in the autumn.
If you’ve bought a ticket for LIVEwire Leeds No.4, you’ll have already received an email from me with your options. I know that The Leeds Library are offering refunds for Chelping ticket holders, and you’ll have to contact Colchester Arts Centre directly regarding LIVEwire there.
As soon as we have a confirmed date for either of these events we’ll announce it, and fingers crossed we’ll be able to celebrate with a nice (safely) packed room!
Finally, an awful lot of artists are suffering really badly as a result of so many event cancellations, so if you can, please support them by buying their merch, sharing their work and maybe event donating to their various pages.
Stay safe and take care,
Matt x
The 11th instalment of ‘Chelping’ at The Leeds Library and the final event of 2019 takes place on Wednesday 20 November, with guest slots from Molly Naylor and Joe Williams.
Our September event had a fantastic review in Leeds Living, with guest slots from Hannah Lowe and John Darwin, plus the open mic acts. Click here to book tickets for November’s event.
Continue reading “Chelping #11 | Molly Naylor & Joe Williams on 20 Nov”Leeds’ most innovative spoken word night, Chelping at the Leeds Library, will be celebrating its 10th edition with nationally acclaimed poet, Hannah Lowe.
Since launching in April 2018, Chelping at The Leeds Library has firmly established itself as the leading spoken word poetry night in Leeds. Taking place in the stunning 251-year-old subscription library, the event has consistently attracted nationally acclaimed poets from around the UK.
Continue reading “Chelping #10 | Hannah Lowe & John Darwin on 25 Sep”This month I explain why I’m determined to programme poets from all over the UK at my semi-regular nights in Leeds. I also preview two Essex-led events; Hannah Lowe at Chelping on 25 Sep and Maria Ferguson’s ‘Essex Girl’ on 26 Sep. Click here to have a read!
Nymphs & Thugs 