Exploding Poetry, the exhibition by Noel Williams and hosted by Bank Street Arts, Sheffield, has now closed. It was a wonderful exploration into women and warfare, and randomness in poetry. There are more installations and events planned at Bank Street. Visit their website www.bankstreetarts.com for more information.

Noel has put a selection of the audio installation from the exhibition onto a CD, Speakers 2. This features many of the writers who participated in Noel’s collaborative project, and is available from Bank Street for £5, or you can contact Noel at noelwilliams@blueyonder.co.uk

Performing at Bank Street Arts

The Tuesday Poets are reading at Bank Street Arts this Friday 5th March. This is the last reading event of the Exploding Poetry Exhibition, which runs until Saturday. Admission is free.

Adam Marek

Adam Marek, guest writer from Matter 9, has been longlisted for The Sunday Times Short Story Award, alongside Rose Tremain, AL Kennedy and Jackie Kay, amongst others from around the world.

Judges include Nick Hornby and Hanif Kureishi.

The Short list will be announced 7th March.

A poem made of stones

Noel Williams’s Exploding Poetry Exhibition runs until 6th March at Bank Street Arts, Sheffield.

The exhibition takes some of the ideas from Noel’s Residency at Bank Street, and brings them together in five rooms of exhibition and interaction. The rooms are:

- Garden of Stones: a beautiful piece of an evolving “Garden” using words from Noel’s texts created by visual artist Katherine Johnson

- the audio installation, as yet untitled: Michael Harding and Noel have created an audio-visual piece on women and war which uses four simultaneous DVDs. Although some of the texts are Noel’s, fifty other writers have contributed and forty women have read these texts for inclusion.

- the Poetry Lounge – a place to lounge about, drink a coffee, read poems off the walls contributed by dozens of other writers, perhaps write something yourself, play with a few poetry objects, generally think about what makes a poem a poem

- the ghost office – here is where the poet should be working. Sometimes you’ll find Noel, and you can work together on your project or his, or just chat about the pieces. Whether he’s there or not, you’ll find works in progress, poems you can contribute to, and interactive digital poems that you can change or which write themselves.

- the hall. The centre room, linking the other four, this is an austere hall, again presented by Katherine on the theme of women and war.

The Matter 9 team might have signed off, but Matter 9 is still on sale in Blackwell’s, Waterstone’s and here via PayPal.

Matter 10 is in the pipeline, but while you’re waiting, we have a feature-length interview with Hilary Mantel by Helen Meller, which will be posted here in the coming weeks.

We’re also planning a new page to celebrate Matter’s 10th anniversary.  Matter was launched in 2001, and 2010 marks its 10th year.  Over that time, many writers have been through the MA Writing at Sheffield Hallam University and come out the other side accomplished and published authors.  A handful of those alumni are giving their view of Matter, what it has meant to them and others who have been involved.

Well, it’s been an interesting year and I’m sure I can speak on behalf of all of us when I say Matter 9 has been a joy to work on. The team and I are now preparing to bow out and pass the baton to a new, fresh-faced bunch (I won’t give anything away – I’ll let the new editor make his or her own introductions). So I just wanted to say a final thank you to everyone who has bought copies of Matter 9, bought back issues, looked at our website, followed us on Twitter, joined our Facebook group, contributed work or got on the Matter bandwagon in any way whatsoever – it’s been lovely. I also want to say a final thank you to the editorial team who did a sterling job in choosing the submissions for the magazine, promoting us to anyone who would listen and everything else they did to get Matter 9 off the ground! Also, thanks to my deputy editor James Wall for all his help and support during the year too. Anyway, that’s all for now – please continue to support the new editor and team as they get ready to bring you another fresh batch of work by established and emerging writers alike in Matter 10. All the best, A. J. Ashworth.

Sheffield Hallam’s Professor of Writing, Jane Rogers, has been shortlisted for the prestigious BBC National Short Story Award. Jane’s story ‘Hitting Trees With Sticks’ was plucked from 700 submissions as one of five to be considered for the £15,000 prize. Other shortlisted writers include Naomi Alderman, Kate Clanchy, Sara Maitland and Lionel Shriver. Speaking to the Story website (www.theshortstory.org.uk), Jane said: “It’s immensely encouraging to have been picked out by such an eminent panel of writers and broadcasters because it allows me to hope that maybe I am at last getting properly to grips with the form.” Jane, who previously published a short story in Matter 4, will find out on December 7 whether she has won the award. Matter 9 editor A. J. Ashworth said: “The whole Matter team wants to say congratulations to Jane for making it onto the shortlist. It’s fantastic news and we have our fingers crossed that she wins. It’s great that Jane is writing short stories and helping to give the form the attention it deserves.” To read an interview with Jane about her writing click on the Interviews tab on this website. Her story can be found in the recently published BBC National Short Story Award paperback or downloaded as part of the award’s podcast.

As well as buying copies of Matter 9 via this website, you can also buy from selected bookshops. Our current list of stores include Blackwell’s, Sheffield Hallam University, City Campus, 1 Howard Street, Sheffield, S1 2LW; Waterstones, 24-26 Orchard Square, Sheffield, S1 2FB; Blackwell’s, 100 Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0JG. Watch this space for any new stockists. Copies can also be purchased from the university by sending a cheque (for the correct amount) made payable to Sheffield Hallam University to: Professor Steven Earnshaw, Department of English, 1147 Owen Building, Sheffield Hallam University, City Campus, Sheffield, S1 1WB.

Matter 9 had a fantastic launch night in London on October 29th with great readings from a number of students. The launch was held as part of Sheffield Hallam’s ‘London Showcase’ – an event which enables students to showcase their work to agents, staff, fellow students and members of the public. There was a great turnout at the Poetry Cafe, Betterton Street, Covent Garden with a number of copies of Matter 9 being sold. Acclaimed poet and Hallam Professor of Poetry Maurice Riordan, who published two new poems in the magazine, was master of ceremonies. Contributors Alison MacLeod and Adam Marek also showed their support by turning up to listen to students. The showcase featured launches for Matter 9, its sister publication Best of MA Writing and a new pamphlet of poems by Hallam graduate Cathy Bolton. The presentation of the inaugural A. M. Heath Fiction Prize, awarded to fellow graduate Panos Papanagiotou for his novel Transbalkan, was also held. Thanks to everyone who turned up and braved the heat!

Matter 9 will hold its London launch on Thursday, October 29 as part of Sheffield Hallam’s London Showcase. The showcase is an opportunity for students to present their work to invited agents as well as fellow students, teaching staff and members of the public. Matter 9 will be launched as part of this and a number of contributors will be reading on the night. The event is open to all and takes place at the Poetry Cafe, 22 Betterton Street, Covent Garden, WC2H 9BX at 6.30pm – wine will be provided. The evening will also feature the launch of Matter’s sister publication ‘Best of MA Writing’, the inaugural presentation of the A. M. Heath Fiction Prize (for a novel) and the launch of Hallam graduate Cathy Bolton’s new pamphlet of poems, ‘A Fool’s Height Short of Heaven’. Please come along for a great night of literature. Copies of Matter will be on sale during the interval and afterwards. For more information about the Poetry Cafe, including directions, go to http://www.poetrysociety.org.uk/content/cafe/