Watershed

Sell out warning! Free entry! Is this the dawn of bionic bardism!? Lyra Fest goes deeper down the rabbit hole with their investigation into the interplay between creative writing and technology, and the possibilities and pitfalls of their co-existence. Featuring presentations pairing poets with AI researchers to try and accurately model our inner lyrical experiences. The UK's first ever AI and Poetry symposium, as poets, technologists and creatives share their work, ideas and research. Everyone is welcome to attend this free event (advance booking essential) and to join the conversation around AI, poetry and creativity in a relaxed, fun and friendly environment.

The Ukrainian writer, translator, and critic Ilya Kaminsky took the literary world by storm in 2019 with his internationally exalted “fairy tale in verse” ‘Deaf Republic’. He joins Lyrafest for an intimate reading and book signing – a rare chance to see this genuine poetry master at work. An exclusive Bristol reading from international guest poet Ilya Kaminsky, author of Deaf Republic (Graywolf Press, 2019), Dancing in Odessa (Tupelo Press, 2004), and co-editor and co-translator of many other books. Plus support from Charlotte Shevchenko Knight. Followed by a book signing.

Free entry! Reclaiming Scots lexicon for a new generation of queer and trans voices, Harry Josephine Giles makes a subversive, lyrical noise for our troubling times. Alongside our beloved City Poet Caleb Parkin, she’ll host an unmissable reading using weird lit as a lens to peer into the deep vortex of climate collapse. Join Harry Josephine Giles and Caleb Parkin for a vibrant afternoon reading from their newly published books, both with themes around ecosystems, technologies, and singing of new possibilities. Them! by Harry Josephine Giles is an exuberant collection of poems about trans life as it is lived today. Caleb Parkin’s second poetry collection Mingle stirs up the toxicities between landscapes, ecosystems and bodies.

Stories of displacement, resilience and hope take centre stage as Bristol City of Sanctuary joins forces with oral history project Child Migrant Stories, sharing the voices of those who escaped war and oppression to build new lives in the UK. With short films, in-person testimonies, and a stirring live performance from local refugee-led ensemble Dovetail Orchestra. Join us for an evening of powerful oral histories, short films, and live music that share the stories of child migrants who made the UK their home. Hear from those who fled war, oppression, and hardship, and learn about their journeys and the impact of migration on their lives.

Free entry! Life goes on in the post-nuclear exclusion zone, but this isn’t science fiction, it’s Fukushima. French filmmaker Keïko Courdy gained unprecedented access to the surreal reality that lingers after the accident, capturing the fragile spirit of this isolated place with music by the late, great, Sakamoto and David Sylvian. Documentary Screening and Q&A