A event on Thursday 12th February. The event starts at 19:00.
Gloucester Road Books presents Matthew Rice in conversation with acclaimed author, Ralf Webb, about his latest work, Plastic, a book-length poem set during a twelve-hour factory shift. Based on Rice's ten-year stint working at a plastic molding factory in Belfast, Plastic, published by leading indie outfit, Fitzcarraldo Edtions, is a rich examination of the workplace, menial labour, community, individuality, the art of poetry itself and much more besides.
This is a great chance to hear from two leading UK poets and encounter what is set to be one of 2026's standout poetry publications.
'Matthew Rice's Plastic goes where poetry seldom does: the factory floow, the canteen, the night shift, and it does so astutely and with insight and grace. This is real and vital work.' - Nick Laird, author of Up Late
‘Plastic confronts the daily realities of work and labour, revealing how the body endures the relentless grind. Yet within these poems are flashes of light, moments of grace and a quiet, fond sensibility. This continuous narrative offers a hopeful, heartfelt reorientation, reminding us of the vitality found in the overlooked lives of many. Surprising, tender and true.’
- Hatty Nestor, co-author of The Aching Poem
---
Matthew Rice was born in Belfast. His poems have been widely published including in The Poetry Review, Poetry Ireland Review and The Tangerine, and in the anthologies The Best New British and Irish Poets 2017 (Eyewear) and The Forward Book of Poetry 2022 (Faber). He holds an MA in Poetry from Queen's University, Belfast, and a PhD from The Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen's. His debut collection, The Last Weather Observer (Summer Palace Press) was published in 2021 and was included on the Arts Council of Northern Ireland's top ten books of the year.
Ralf Webb is the author of the poetry collections Rotten Days in Late Summer and Highway Cottage, and the non-fiction book Strange Relations, which was shortlisted for the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award. His poems, essays, and fiction have appeared widely, including in the London Review of Books, Fantastic Man, Granta and the Guardian.
Photo credit: Matthew Rice by Sohaib Syed
Entry requirements: 16+, any under 18s accompanied by 21+ adult 1:1 ratio
This is a great chance to hear from two leading UK poets and encounter what is set to be one of 2026's standout poetry publications.
'Matthew Rice's Plastic goes where poetry seldom does: the factory floow, the canteen, the night shift, and it does so astutely and with insight and grace. This is real and vital work.' - Nick Laird, author of Up Late
‘Plastic confronts the daily realities of work and labour, revealing how the body endures the relentless grind. Yet within these poems are flashes of light, moments of grace and a quiet, fond sensibility. This continuous narrative offers a hopeful, heartfelt reorientation, reminding us of the vitality found in the overlooked lives of many. Surprising, tender and true.’
- Hatty Nestor, co-author of The Aching Poem
---
Matthew Rice was born in Belfast. His poems have been widely published including in The Poetry Review, Poetry Ireland Review and The Tangerine, and in the anthologies The Best New British and Irish Poets 2017 (Eyewear) and The Forward Book of Poetry 2022 (Faber). He holds an MA in Poetry from Queen's University, Belfast, and a PhD from The Seamus Heaney Centre at Queen's. His debut collection, The Last Weather Observer (Summer Palace Press) was published in 2021 and was included on the Arts Council of Northern Ireland's top ten books of the year.
Ralf Webb is the author of the poetry collections Rotten Days in Late Summer and Highway Cottage, and the non-fiction book Strange Relations, which was shortlisted for the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award. His poems, essays, and fiction have appeared widely, including in the London Review of Books, Fantastic Man, Granta and the Guardian.
Photo credit: Matthew Rice by Sohaib Syed
Entry requirements: 16+, any under 18s accompanied by 21+ adult 1:1 ratio
Tickets for similar Bristol events.
