News

Three Weeks of Poetry and Performance
Seven events, three weeks, all free

Welcome to the first Warwick PoetryFest, a vibrant celebration of energy, creativity, and the freshest voices Warwick has to offer. Across three weeks and seven free events, this new festival brings together Warwick alumni poets, rising student voices, and sessions shaped and led by students, where poetry meets community and every voice matters.

We invite all Warwick staff and students to join us for poetry and performance that inspires, challenges, and delights. Whether you love spoken word, new writing, or want to take the mic yourself, there is something for everyone.

PoetryFest is developed collaboratively with students and hosted by poet Professor David Morley, and forms part of the Warwick Writing Programme’s Warwick Thursdays series in the School of Creative Arts, Performance and Visual Cultures. Please share the word. Everything is free and open to all current students and staff.

Events & Details:

• Thu 26 Feb, 5–6:15 pm | Jane Commane
  OC1.01, Oculus Building
  Coventry-born poet and publisher Jane Commane launches Assembly Lines with opening poet Aanu Akintola.
• Mon 2 Mar, 1–1:45 pm | You Must Not Come Lightly!
  FAB0.20, FAB Building
  Warwick Poetry Society shares readings inspired by Stephen King’s On Writing.
• Thu 5 Mar, 5–6:15 pm | Jonathan Edwards
  OC1.01, Oculus Building
  Costa Award-winning poet and alum Jonathan Edwards reads with opener Fig Leary.
• Mon 9 Mar, 1–1:45 pm | UniSlam Reading
  FAB0.20, FAB Building
  Warwick’s national slam champs perform live, including University Slam Champion Aanu Akintola.
• Thu 12 Mar, 5–6:15 pm | Cathy Galvin
  OC1.01, Oculus Building
  Launch of Ethnology: A Love Song for Connemara by poet and alum Cathy Galvin.
• Thu 12 Mar, 7–8:30 pm | The Agora Poets Invite You…
  JX2.03, The Junction
  Open mic hosted by postgrads The Agora Poets. To perform, RSVP claire.cunningham@warwick.ac.uk.
• Mon 16 Mar, 1–1:45 pm | Concordia: Voices in Harmony
  FAB0.20, FAB Building
  Poetry anthology launch and undergrad student reading.

WPC- Warwick Postdoctoral Community  

Launching the Warwick Postdoctoral Community (WPC) Teams group, open to staff members with a doctorate that consider themselves to be “Early Career”. It is a Teams group for postdocs run by postdocs, to help postdocs find each other, organise social events and share information.

You can join the Teams group using this link: General | WPC (Warwick Postdoctoral Community) | Microsoft TeamsLink opens in a new window.

It is often harder for postdocs to meet others at similar career stages to them as postdocs are more dispersed than PhD students, may start at any time in the academic year, and have shorter contracts. The main aims of this group are to enable postdocs to organise regular social events, provide a noticeboard for information, and a provide a forum for discussion and feedback on the postdoc experience at Warwick.

Mayumi and I are the ECLS LGBTQIA+ Student Network Coordinators. We are writing to gauge interest among staff in contributing to a proposed project; a series of talks, given by staff at Warwick, organized by the Arts Faculty LGBTQIA+ Student Networks.

The aim is to foster an inclusive, interdisciplinary space in which students and staff can engage with research and creative practice, relating to LGBTQIA+ themes within the arts and humanities or the University of Warwick. Any participation would be entirely voluntary.

At present, the network operates on a student-led basis and is not formally funded. As such, this email is intended as an expression of interest rather than a formal invitation. We are also exploring whether a partnership with the University, through the ‘Queering University ProgramLink opens in a new windowme’, may be possible in the future, and an indication of staff interest would be helpful in shaping those discussions.

If you would be interested in contributing a talk or would simply like to be kept informed as this idea develops, we would be very pleased to hear from you. Attached is a form; registering interest at this stage does not imply any obligation or commitment.

Expression of Interest: Student-Led LGBTQIA+ Arts Faculty Talks Link opens in a new window

Thank you so much for taking the time and consideration.

Kind Regards,

Nadija and Mayumi

The call for proposals for the Warwick Education Conference 2025/26 is now open. This year’s theme invites us to explore teaching approaches that centre lived experience, challenge systemic barriers, and nurture students' capacity to imagine and enact meaningful change. Submissions are invited from across the education community (students and staff) and offer a variety of ways for you to share your work or lead community discussions. There is also support for writing your submission and opportunity to become a submission reviewer.

The submission deadline is Monday 9^th February 2026. The conference itself will be taking place on Thursday 4^th June 2026.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact educationconference@warwick.ac.uk