Links
A dynamic electronic catalogue of UK poetry with audio, audio-visual and interactive features. Host to the iPoems system and the worlds' first Poetry Video-Jukebox (subcription service - £10.00 for one years streaming access or 50p per audio-file and £1.00 per audio-visual file) along with the original Poetry Jukebox featuring over 40 poets reading their poems (free).
Information about African literature organised by country, genre and author.
African Books Collective
African Books Collective is an organisation of 102 independent and autonomous African publishers. The site includes catalogues of both adult and children's books
Africa Book Centre
Buy books and music from and about Africa from this London-based centre. There is a section on Africa's 100 greatest books of the 20th century.
Read specially commissioned pieces by the four award winning African Writers, Meshack Asare, Shimmer Chinodya, Charles Mongoshi and Buchi Emecheta. An internet residency for teachers and children.
This is the BBC's page of links to events and organisations in the UK promoting African music and diaspora. There are listings for venues, clubs, musicians, websites, radio stations and much more. The BBC World Service ran a series of programmes called Rhythms of the Continent, which includes music from South Africa (Kwaito) and Zimbabwe.
AfricanHipHop.com
Contains news and reviews along with details of upcoming events, new releases and AfricanHipHopRadio where African Hip Hop artists can send in their work and may be included in their playlist (you can download the monthly shows as mp3s).
The African Music Encyclopedia
Large database of contemporary and classical African musicians, with links and resources.
Apples & Snakes
England's leading organisation for performance poetry. Apples & Snakes focuses on working with emerging artists and commissions and produces new work. It regularly curates, hosts and acts as a partner to facilitate and promote performance poetry through live events. With education is at the core of its mission, it works with schools, prisons, libraries and more to use performance poetry to develop literacy and communication skills, motivation and self-esteem. Apples & Snakes works with a range of artists representing a wide variety of poetry in performance. Here you will find information on over 140 poets, rappers, storytellers, writers and musicians.
Tips and advice including online mini-courses, quizzes, articles and tools.
Poems to make, watch and hear. Listen to John Hegley, Adrian Mitchell, Benjamin Zephaniah and many more well-loved poets. Create your own poems in handy fridge-magnet style, view flash animated poems and John Hegley's 'What a Poem is Not' with animations by students from the Royal College of Art.
Major poetry publisher site with reviews, interviews and features. The British Council Literature Department produces a series of tapes of contemporary poets in partnership with Bloodaxe Books.
British Council Audio and Flash Poetry
Over two hours of audio and flash animated poems by contemporary UK poets.
We have over 300 links to literary websites.
British Council Poetry Information
British Council poetry events and links to UK poetry organisations, poets and books.
The Caine Prize for African Writers is an annual award for a short story by an African writer published in English anywhere in the world. This site also has information on creative writing workshops that are taking place throughout Africa, and links to other sites of interest to African writers.
You can search for, buy and download popular contemporary African music. The site catalogues artists by country and region, including many artists working with Power in the Voice.
Large database of contemporary performers, writers and artists in Africa, with external links.
Crossing Borders is a British Council/University of Lancaster creative writing project in Africa. The workshops have been completed but participant's work is now being showcased in an online magazine. There is detailed information about all of the writers involved in the project, in-depth essays on writing from a variety of established writers, links news and online workshops including poetry, prose and a Radioscriptwriting workshop with: how to write a radio play; how to write a radio serial drama; and a history of African radio broadcasting.
With over 6,000 UK and Commonwealth books listed on site and booklists such as Reading the City, Graphic Novels, TBooks (teenage literature), Science Fiction to Science Fact and much more. Sections for adults, teenagers, children and reading groups. An Online Reader in Residence, blog, book quizzes, monthly newsletter and author interviews. Discussion boards and online chat with readers and authors.
The Folklore Society
The Folklore Society's interest and expertise covers topics such as UK traditional music, song, dance and drama, narrative, arts and crafts, customs and belief. It is also interested in popular religion, traditional and regional food, folk medicine, children's folklore, traditional sayings, proverbs, rhymes and jingles.
Monthly poetry workshop hosted by a UK poet who sets an exercise , selects the most interesting responses and provides an appraisal for them.
Highland Saga and Song Storytellers
A Scottish Highland organisation dedicated to preserving and promoting Scottish traditional storytelling in live performance.
UK website where you can download monthly podcasts featuring unsigned music, poetry and prose. Listeners can submit their own mp3s.
Macmillan Writer's Prize for Africa
The prize takes place every two years and its aim is to promote and celebrate unpublished African writing.
Storytelling workshop ideas by the storyteller Elly Stuart linked to the Magic Pencil children's literature exhibition.
Short video clips of authors talking about their books. With over 800 author clips.
One Word
Online literary radio site - listen to book extracts and series, plus author interviews.
Read extracts from new fiction, poems and essays alongside teacher's and reader's notes, author interviews and glossaries. A new theme is added every month.
Poems on the Underground
Downloads of UK contemporary poets reading poems featured in the Poems on the Underground project.
Read about poets from around the world, read poems and news.
Poetry Jukebox
Listen to MP3s of performance poets doing what they do best. Features over 40 poets such as Patience Agbabi, Kwame Dawes and more...
Comprehensive poetry collection with lists of magazines and poetry prizes online. Make your own virtual poem.
Includes advice for young poets in the UK.
The Poetry Society
The Poetry Society exists to help poets and poetry to thrive in the UK. This site offers information on publications, competitions, events and projects as well as specialist advice and information.
There's a strong collaboration between music and poetry on this site. You can download mp3s from spoken word artists as well as reviews, interviews, pictures and short films.
SABDET
The Southern African Book Development Education Trust is a UK-based charitable education trust. Its objective is to advance education for the public benefit concerning indigenous publishing in Africa as a means of communication and literacy. SABDET's book promotion, Reading Africa, is funded by the Arts Council. This builds on the Zimbabwe International Book fair and African Books Collective initiative, Africa's 100 Best Books of the 20th century.
Scottish Storytelling Centre
Regular activities programmed through the Centre include the Scottish International Storytelling Festival, training workshops, local storytelling clubs for children and adults, and storyteller visits to schools, libraries, conferences and arts venues.
A collective of London's spoken word artists and promoters who bring the thriving underground scene a little closer to the surface. Find out what spoken word is all about and check out details of London poetry events. Includes downloads.
Selector Radio is a two hour radio show that aims to promote the new sounds of British music culture internationally.
Society for Storytelling
UK organisation for anyone with an interest in storytelling.
An online community for writers in Zimbabwe. There is information and links to major writers as well as features, essays, stories and poems. The site also accepts submissions. The content of the site is in English.
