Live Poetry at Riverhouse
Live Poetry at Riverhouse, our monthly series bringing the spoken word to the warm, intimate setting of the Barn stage, returns with more guest poets reading and discussing their work, plus the ever popular Open Mic spots, where you have the chance to read your own work to a friendly, appreciative audience! The evenings are once again hosted by Riverhouse Poets tutor Katie Griffiths.
This month, Katie will be in conversation with headlining guest poets Vanessa Lampert – acupuncturist, mentor, editor and teacher of poetry whose captivating poems have won numerous awards – and Hélène Demetriades – poet and psychotherapist, and recent second-prize winner in the Poetry London competition with her haunting poem ‘Hiding Place’ , about what inspires them . They will also be reading from their work.
Don't forget our regular Poets Open Mic - 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.
Vanessa Lampert’s work is widely published, recently in Magma, The Oxford Times, The Rialto, The London Magazine, Under the Radar, Oxford Poetry, and Poetry London. She runs workshops nationwide for adults and in schools and volunteers at Oxford Poetry Library. She was a co-founder of The Alchemy Spoon magazine and volunteers at Oxford Poetry Library and in schools. Vanessa has won the Café Writers, Edward Thomas, Ashdown Forest and Sentinel prizes and the Ver Poetry prize (twice). She has been placed in many others including commendations in the Troubadour, Magma, Bridport, Verve, and National Competitions. Her pamphlet On Long Loan was published by Live Canon in 2020 and her full collection Say It With Me was published by Seren in 2023. Poems from that collection have been published in the Daily Telegraph poem of the week and the Forward Prizes anthology 2024. She has recently edited a collection of poems on a theme of wellbeing for Candlestick Press.
Hélène Demetriades lives in South Devon, and was once an actor. Her debut collection The Plumb Line was published in 2022. She won the Silver Wyvern, Poetry On The Lake, 2022, has been longlisted in The National Poetry Competition, shortlisted in the Bridport, highly commended in the Fool For Chapbook Awards, and in 2025, was shortlisted in the Alpine Fellowship Poetry Awards, placed equal 4th in the Kent & Sussex Poetry Competition, and second in the Poetry London Prize. She was delighted to perform her 2nd prize poem recently at the Royal Festival Hall. She has been published in numerous magazines, including Finished Creatures, The Alchemy Spoon, The Marrow International, Magma, The Interpreter's House and Poetry London.
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, and in 2024 won the Gregory O’Donoghue International Poetry Prize. Her next full collection Mindset Mindrise is due from Nine Arches Press in September 2026. She has read her poetry in festivals in England, Ireland and Spain, regularly mentors, and leads poetry workshops including here at Riverhouse.