Gate Late: Island Poetry on Stage

Gate Late: Island Poetry On Stage

I read, I travel, I become – Derek Walcott

A live online discussion exploring the power of poetry in performance, the Gate’s upcoming production of Omeros and the legacy of Nobel-prize winning poet Derek Walcott, the brilliance of contemporary Caribbean poetry, and the influence of island voices in Black British literature today.

Island Poetry on Stage bridges the gap between our online production of Letters, in which performers shared poems with one another during lockdown, and our postponed production of Omeros. Coinciding with Black history month, this Gate Late is an exciting introduction to new Black British and international voices as well as a celebration of renowned artists.

Speakers 

Malachi McIntosh is editor and publishing director of international contemporary writing magazine Wasafiri. He previously co-led the Runnymede Trust’s award-winning Our Migration Story project and spent four years as a lecturer in postcolonial literature at the University of Cambridge. He is the author of Emigration and Caribbean Literature (2015) and the editor of Beyond Calypso: Re-Reading Samuel Selvon (2016).

Nicholas Laughlin is a writer and editor from Trinidad and Tobago. He is programme director of the annual NGC Bocas Lit Fest, co-director of the contemporary arts space and network Alice Yard, and editor of the arts and travel magazine Caribbean Beat. He has published two books of poems, and was formerly editor of The Caribbean Review of Books.

Due to unforeseen circumstances Elayce Ismail is no longer able to join us for the discussion. Third panelist tbc.