Please join Poets & Players on Saturday 27 April 2024, 2.30-4.00 at the International Anthony Burgess Foundation for a wonderful line-up of poets and musicians.

You will find all the information you need regarding visiting the IABF on their website here. The event is free and everyone is welcome (no need to book tickets). Performers often bring along books and CDs to sell, please note we are only able to accept cash payments.

Peter Sansom

Peter Sansom’s Carcanet books include a Selected Poems and more recently Lanyard (‘It is kind. It is strong. It is beautiful’ — MIR). Bloodaxe publish the best-selling Writing Poems. He is co-director with the poet Ann Sansom of The Poetry Business in Sheffield, where they run courses and edit The North magazine and Smith|Doorstop Books. Peter has been company poet with M&S and the Prudential, and Fellow in Poetry at both Leeds and Manchester Universities.

“In my view, the UK’s most astute and effective tutor, a guiding light through his deft criticism and the example of his own work. Peter Sansom is Mr Poetry.” –Simon Armitage.

Carrie Etter

American expatriate Carrie Etter’s fifth collection of poetry, Grief’s Alphabet, is published by Seren in April. Her poems have appeared in The Guardian, The New Republic, The New Statesman, The Penguin Book of the Prose Poem, and The Times Literary Supplement, among many other journals and anthologies internationally. She also writes short stories, essays, and reviews. In 2022 she joined the creative writing faculty at the University of Bristol.

Anita Pati

Anita Pati was born and raised in an English northern coastal town and currently lives in London. Hiding to Nothing, her debut poetry collection, was published in April 2022 by Pavilion Poetry and was shortlisted for the Jhalak Prize, with work highly commended in the Forward Prize. Her first poetry pamphlet, Dodo Provocateur, won The Rialto Open Pamphlet Competition (2019) and was shortlisted for the Michael Marks Awards. Anita has worked at various points in journalism and libraries.

Arian Sadr

Arian Sadr is an international Artist and a percussionist. Arian started learning Tonbak (Persian goblet drum) and Daf (a circular frame drum) when he was seven. He moved to England from his home country Iran to study in music and music production in 2003. During this time, he became interested in many styles of music that influenced him to create his own original fusion style. He performs solo and for leading bands.
Arian’s performances include with collaboration on The Wind Project with Opera North Leeds, Arian has also performed with musicians from the BBC Philharmonic for BBC Music Day (live on BBC Radio 3 in 2015). Manchester Imperial War Museum as Part of Asia Triennial, and also a collaboration with Royal Northern College Of Music Manchester.

Arian currently teaches Persian drumming skills through workshops, one-to-one, and increasingly through schools and community groups. His focus is Persian percussion instruments. He has hosted many dynamic educational drumming workshops including ‘Drum and Paint’, the combination of experimental music and art, giving an opportunity to the audiences to experience and absorb the process of creation and improvisation.

Peter Sansom photograph credit: Steve Dearden