Mildly Erotic Verse

Join the Emma Press for an evening of poetry inspired by The Emma Press Anthology of Mildly Erotic Verse. Three poets will read poems which celebrate human sexuality in all its messy, sexy glory and explore the eccentricity and diversity of eroticism, followed by a discussion about eroticism in poetry. The event will be hosted by publisher Emma Wright and the poets will be available to sign books afterwards.

This late opening event is part of a wide ranging and imaginative public programme of events, talks, films and performances accompanying the exhibition 'Freud and Eros: Love, Lust and Longing' - 22 October 2014 - 8 March 2015.

The Emma Press is an independent publisher dedicated to producing books which are sweet, funny and beautiful. It was founded by Emma Wright in 2012 and the first anthology, The Emma Press Anthology of Mildly Erotic Verse, was published in September 2013, followed by a national tour of supported by Arts Council England. The Press publishes a mixture of themed poetry anthologies (with themes including homesickness, female friendship and ageing) and single-author pamphlets, with an ongoing engagement with the works of the Roman poet Ovid.

About the poets

Ruth Wiggins lives in East London with her partner and their three sons. Her work has been commended by Alice Oswald and David Morley in recent competitions and her debut pamphlet, Myrtle, is publishing with The Emma Press in November 2014. She enjoys photography; and a book of her photographs of women dressed as super heroes, Wonder Women of America, was published in 2008. She is a member of Tideway and Forest Poets.

Stephen Sexton lives in Belfast, where he studies at the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry. His poems have appeared in Poetry London, The Honest Ulsterman, Poetry Ireland Review, The Ulster Tatler, and as part of the Lifeboat Series of readings based in Belfast. He was the winner of the inaugural FSNI National Poetry Competition and his first pamphlet, Oils , is publishing with The Emma Press in October 2014.

Kirsten Irving is half of the team behind collaborative poetry press Sidekick Books. Her poetry has been shortlisted for the Forward and Bridport Prizes, translated into Russian and Spanish and thrown out of a helicopter. Her pamphlet, What to Do, was published by HappenStance in 2011 and her first full collection, Never Never Never Come Back, was published by Salt in 2012.