The Two Maggies

One was born in Guyana, the other in London, but their different perspectives illuminate shared concerns and issues. Whether they are writing about the natural world, the climate crisis, war, the plight of refugees or the power of women, their poems get right to the heart of the matter. They will both have their 7th collections published early in 2025.

The two Maggies take the long view, from their own ancestors into an uncertain future. They are both grandmothers (one a great-grandmother) and have both been Royal Literary Fund Fellows, who share a deep love of language and playfulness with form.

Maggie Brookes-Butt’s New and Selected poems Wish includes poems from her six previous collections – about the strength of women, concern for our planet, and hope in the power of love. They are gathered here alongside bitter-sweet new poems about the joys and fears of a grandmother in this troubled, vulnerable and precious world.

Maggie Harris’s new collection I Sing with the Green Hearts is published by Seren in February. It is rebellious, open-hearted and world-inhabiting with a vibrant and rich verbal pallette which embraces a range of Englishes. 

It sings for forests and nature and people, loud, clear and sweet. The greenheart of the collection’s title references Guyana’s hardwood tree, used throughout the world, whilst ‘green’ and ‘heart’ echo the importance of our ecology and our emotional response to how nature has been and is colonised by our needs.

There will be a reduced open mic slot this evening, but if you have a poem you’d like to read, do bring it and we will accommodate you if we can.

Tickets on the door: £5; £3 for students under 24; Free to ages 18 and under.