Our first ever poetry event! Plus May event reminders

7pm, Wednesday 29th May, Gloucester Road Books

Baby Schema is a 2024 Poetry Book Society Choice and opens up several worlds at once; from the impact of climate and nature degradation to species extinction, in part seen through the lens of ‘cuteness’ and what it reveals about our place in the disconcerting world of hyper-capitalism. The title refers to the anthropologist Konrad Lorenz’s description of what makes babies of many species appealing – the big eyes, small chin etc. Some of the poems ask whether this is the kind of world to bring a child into.

Reviews of Isabel’s work:

‘This sage ecopoetry holds humanity at its core and vitally, to account. Galleymore attends to the subjects of extinction, overpopulation and capitalism. The syllabically controlled sucker punch sequence ‘Disneyland’ melds all three in its conclusion… Full of electric shocks and welcome reassurances, Baby Schema is a triumph.’ Jo Clement, The Poetry Book Society

‘Galleymore sees the natural world through spectacles that seem sharper than those the rest of us use.’ Leaf Arbuthnot, Ambit

‘Attentive to the natural world through imagistic lyrics these abundant poems recall the work of Jen Hadfireld and Alice Osward, but Galleymore can also be distinctive’ Ben Wilkinson, The Guardian

Isabel Galleymore

Isabel Galleymore’s debut poetry collection collection, Significant Other, won the John Pollard Foundation International Poetry Prize and was shortlisted for the Forward Best First Collection Prize and Seamus Heaney First Collection Prize. Her poems have featured in Poetry, Times Literary Supplement, the New York Review of Books and the London Review of Books and been broadcast on BBC Radio 4. She is an Associate Professor in Creative Writing at the University of Birmingham and last year was a Walter Jackson Bate Fellow at Radcliffe Institute of Advanced Study, Harvard University.

Mark Smalley

Mark Smalley is a freelance radio producer, editor, creative writing facilitator and activist. His BBC Radio 3 series of talks ‘Cornerstones’ about rocks, landscape and deep time by writers ranging from Helen Mort to Linda Cracknell, Sarah Moss, John Burnside and Alan Garner is published by Little Toller. His next Deep Time Walk at Ashton Court (including a creative writing element) co-hosted by Mathilde Braddock is being held on Saturday 13th July.

7pm, Thursday 16th May, Gloucester Road Books

We all love the idea of foraging – as a way of being connected to nature and discovering new tastes. But in reality, most of us are very wary, and sometimes a bit underwhelmed when we do try. What’s needed is this totally honest, safety-first guide for first-time foragers. This book concentrates on 40 plants that are easy to identify and worth the effort – plants that are tasty and abundant in the wild or in gardens and parks. There are simple recipes to try as well. This isn’t an armchair guide for people dreaming of being Ray Mears or Bear Grylls. It’s for everyday people who lives in towns and suburbs as well as the countryside, and who want to get a little closer to nature and discover new tastes, without stress.

Jane will be in conversation with Bristol-based publisher, writer and academic, D-M Withers.

7pm, Tuesday 21st May, Gloucester Road Books

The captivating true story of an underdog business – a feminist bookshop founded in Thatcher’s Britain – from a woman at the heart of the women’s liberation movement.
Silver Moon was the dream of three women – a bookshop with the mission to promote the work of female writers and create a much-needed safe space for any woman.

Founded in 1980s London against a backdrop of homophobia and misogyny, it was a testament to the power of community, growing into Europe’s biggest women’s bookshop and hosting a constellation of literary stars from Margaret Atwood and Maya Angelou to Angela Carter. While contending with day-to-day struggles common to other booksellers, plus the additional burdens of misogyny and the occasional hate crime, Jane Cholmeley and her booksellers created a thriving business. But they also played a crucial and relatively unsung part in one of the biggest social movements of our time.