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The eighth Liver Bards poetry event of 2025 is titled ‘Hope Without Guarantees’ and is coming to the Rum and Rumour Kabaret Bar in the basement of Ma Boyle’s on Tuesday 2nd September, featuring poetry from the St James in the City community involved with the Slavery Truth Project. This year marks 250 years since St James in the City first opened its doors in Liverpool. As part of the commemorations, St James in the City has been participating in the Diocese of Liverpool’s Slavery Truth Project – a creative and reflective initiative that supports churches in uncovering and responding to their historical connections to the Transatlantic Trade in Enslaved Africans.
With the support of the Diocese’s Racial Justice Team and local artist Ali Harwood, a dedicated focus group from the church has been engaging deeply with artefacts in the building and researching stories from the surrounding area. Through this process, they’ve created a series of artistic responses expressing lament, learning, and hope - that aim to reflect both the weight of the past and a commitment to justice today. Some of these responses will be shared at Liver Bards in September.
There will be space for other to share their poems around this subject, about ‘Hope Without Guarantees’ more generally, or with a focus on something else.
Please contact me (Ali) if you know you would like a poetry slot and will be there (5 minutes maximum). Please stick to the time! Thank you to the many bards who have performed thus far this year.
Whether you’re a Liver Bards regular or new to sharing your poetry publicly, you are most welcome. Or if you simply wish to listen.
Performing bards and audience will come together at Ma Boyle’s L3 1LG.
Come speak your truth and listen to others speak theirs.
Choose to adopt, adapt or ignore the title.
Please be respectful of others and thoughtful about the words you share,
There may be the opportunity for poets to sign up on the night at the venue from 7.30pm if all the spots are not filled.
Jake Archer is due to start the music sometime after 7.
The poeteering begins at 8.
This will be my 105th Liver Bards as host.
About the title ‘Hope Without Guarantees’:
This is a quote from a letter written by JRR Tolkien in response to an inquiry asking if he intended Gandalf's Death and Return to represent Christ and the Resurrection. He answered:
‘Thus Gandalf faced and suffered death; and came back or was sent back, as he says, with enhanced power… Here I am only concerned with Death as part of the nature, physical and spiritual, of Man, and with Hope without guarantees.’
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien died on the 2nd September 1973. He was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
Hope to see you at Liver Bards.
Ali
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Ma Boyle's Alehouse & Eatery, 7 Tower Gardens, Tower Building, The Strand, Liverpool, United Kingdom
