St George's Bristol

Sell out warning! Canadian-American experimentalist claire rousay shapes extended soundscapes from field recordings, found sounds, and ethereal autotuned vocals, mining deep emotion from minimal materials. With stunning support from Lucy Railton’s unsettling electronic-flecked cello carvings, this is a no-brainer FFO: Laurel Halo, Kali Malone, KMRU, Tim Hecker. BNM returns in late April for five nights and days of rolling concerts, performances, audiovisual works and installations in exhibition spaces, venues, concert halls and unusual locations around the city, traversing the outer realms of contemporary music, sound and visual arts.

Poets from Gaza and the UK come together in grief, resistance and solidarity in this Lyra Fest showcase: Palestinian authors Haia Mohammed and Batool Abu Akleen share work from their acclaimed debut collections, while writers including Joelle Taylor, Zaffar Kunial and Alice Oswald give voice to poems written by children living under siege in Gaza. A powerful, moving and urgent hour of poetry from young Palestinian voices, whose poems centre hopes, dreams and unspeakable struggles and losses. Headlined by Haia Mohammed and Batool Abu Akleen, and featuring live readings from Alice Oswald, Peter Oswald, Zaffar Kunial, Ahmed Alnaouq and Joelle Taylor.

Sell out warning! Acclaimed ‘Transgender Issue’ author, intellectual heavyweight of the activism world, and now radical memoirist, Shon Faye joins Bristolian poet Vanessa Kisuule to discuss her new work. ‘Love In Exile’ is a manifesto for anyone who’s ever longed for a Carrie Bradshaw/Mark Fisher crossover, dissecting the politics of love with wisdom, wit and candour. Love in Exile launch with Shon Faye in conversation with Vanessa Kisuule

The late, great anarchic visionary Benjamin Zephaniah is in the spotlight for Lyrafest’s flagship event. Celebrating his dub poetical works with performances from Brummie Laureate Casey Bailey alongside recollections from friends and family on the Brixton Riots, Peaky Blinders and his historic OBE snubbing. There’ll never be another like him, rest in power! This special Bristol tribute to Benjamin Zephaniah will celebrate his extraordinary work and enduring legacy. The event will feature readings of Zephaniah’s iconic poems by renowned figures in UK poetry, including his 'Poem for St Pauls' performed in Bristol in 1983 for the BBC, as well as talks, personal stories and reflections from Benjamin’s friends and family members. Hosted by Professor Shawn Sobers.

Sell out warning! Lyrafest presents a sensational reading and book signing from the crowd-crowned Poet Laureate of Twitter. Brian Bilston’s viral online verse and pithy humour took a 140 character mallet to the literary mould, ushering in a quiet, unintentional revolution in contemporary poetry consumption. Sometimes referred to as the Banksy of poetry, Brian Bilston has generated a huge social media following of more than 500,000 loyal fans, drawn to his witty, powerful, and accessible work. This show will see him reading a selection of much beloved poems from across his bestselling collections, while showcasing new poems destined to take their place in books to come.