Join us for this brilliant double-header as two truly distinct and unflinching voices, Rob Miles and Kath McKay, read from their new collections, and explore the creative process in conversation with writer and Senior Librarian Stu Hennigan.

Both Kath and Rob are teachers and will also be keen (indeed nosey) about attendees sharing their own experiences of reading and writing poetry, so there will be a chance for questions from the floor too.

Rob Miles is from South Devon, and he lives in Leeds, and he teaches at The University of Leeds. His poetry has appeared widely in magazines and anthologies, recently in Stand, New Welsh Review, The Scores, Spelt, 14 Magazine, Ink, Sweat and Tears, One Hand Clapping, Poetry Wales, and four Candlestick Press pamphlets. He has won various awards including the Philip Larkin Prize, judged by Don Paterson, the Resurgence International Ecopoetry Prize, judged by Jo Shapcott and Imtiaz Dharker, and the Poets & Players Prize, judged by Sinéad Morrissey. His recent collection, Dimmet, is published by Broken Sleep Books. Of Dimmet, Katharine Towers notes: ‘These are poems of great precision and delicacy’; Lucy Newlyn describes it as ‘[t]he best collection of contemporary poetry I have read in a long while’, and John Glenday writes: ‘When it’s done as well as this, there’s nowhere on earth poetry can’t go.’

Kath Mckay was born in Liverpool, studied at Queen’s, Belfast, and Goldsmith’s, London, and lives in Leeds. She previously worked for Leeds University Continuing Education Department, the WEA and at the University of London. Since 2008 she has taught fiction and poetry at the University of Hull. She writes poetry, fiction and non-fiction. She has published two full poetry collections, Anyone Left Standing, Smith Doorstop, winner of the 1998 Poetry Business competition and Collision Forces (Wrecking Ball Press, 2015), and a booklet, Telling the Bees, Smiths Knoll, 2014. She has also published two novels: Waiting for the Morning, (The Women’s Press, 1991) and Hard Wired, (Moth/ Mayfly Press 2016), winner of the Northern Crime Novel Writing Competition. Her short stories have gained Arts Council awards, been broadcast on Radio 4 and published in anthologies and magazines. Kath’s collection, Moving the Elephant, is published in 2024 by The Garlic Press.

This is a wonderful opportunity to hear both poets read from their collections and talk about their work. Tickets are Pay What You Can Afford, with a suggested donation of £3.00.