Introduced by Riverhouse Poets Tutor Katie Griffiths.
Live Poetry at Riverhouse is a monthly series bringing the spoken word to the warm, intimate setting of the Barn stage. This session sees Sophie Herxheimer - artist and poet whose work has been shown at Tate Modern, on a 42-meter mural along the sea-front at Margate and at her local allotments – and Matthew Paul – poetry blogger, reviewer and keen observer of character and form in his own poetry – in conversation with fellow poet Katie Griffiths about their writing and what inspires them. They will also read from their work.
There will also be running our regular Poets Open Mic – so if you’d like to bring a poem to read that you yourself have written, you can register at the door on the night and we’ll slot you into the evening.
Don’t miss this evening of inspirational words – book your place today!
Sophie Herxheimer has held many residencies in this country and abroad and is highly imaginative in her use of poetry and art. She made a 300 metre tablecloth for the Thames Festival, a life-size concrete poem in the shape of Mrs Beeton and devised the colour palette for hit Cbeebies show In the Night Garden. Her poetry collection Velkom to Inklandt (Short Books 2017) was a Sunday Times Book of the Year. Her book 60 Lovers to Make and Do, (Henningham Family Press, 2019) was a TLS Book of the Year. Her latest collection is INDEX (zimzalla 2021), 78 collage poems made from found text, published as a tarot deck. Her first graphic novel is coming out next year with Pushkin Press.
Matthew Paul hails from South London and lives in South Yorkshire. His second poetry collection, The Last Corinthians, was published by Crooked Spire Press in 2025, following The Evening Entertainment (Eyewear Publishing 2017). He is also the author ot two haiku collections – The Regulars (2006) and The Lammas Lands(2015) – and co-writer/editor (with John Barlow) of Wing Beats:British Birds in Haiku (2008), a Guardian book of the year, all published by Snapshot Press. He co-edited Presence haiku journal, has contributed to the Guardian’s ‘Country Diary’ column and blogs at www.matthewpaulpoetry.blog
Katie Griffiths is author of The Attitudes (Nine Arches Press) and the prize-winning pamphlet My Shrink is Pregnant(Live Canon). She came second in 2018’s National Poetry Competition. In 2024 she won the Gregory O’Donoghue International Poetry Prize, and her poem ‘Before I stillbirthed the birch’ was recently selected to appear in the 50thanniversary edition of the Pushcart Prize Anthology. She has read her poetry in festivals in England, Ireland and Spain, regularly mentors, and leads poetry workshops including here at Riverhouse.