Monthly meet-up for the local poetry and spoken word group. £1 plus raffle

Unknown Pleasures 40th anniversary gigRead more

No homes, no answers, no justice
The evening begins with a vigil on the town hall steps at 6.30 and continues with a debate at the club at 7.30. Discussion Panel
Tomassini Hessel – Grenfell resident
Karl Sorfleet – Fire Brigades Union
John Nicholson – GM Law Centre
Kat Wright – Acorn

An Evening with Walt Whitman'slegacy
Walt Whitman’s influence has been huge and long lasting. Yet even today aspects of his work and vision can be a challenge. This evening will explore some of the ways his poetry has influenced later writers including Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Langston Hughes, Alan Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan. We’ll also be Skype-linking with celebrations at the Grolier Club in New York where our US counterparts will also be commemorating the bicentenary. With Dave Morgan, Kevin Bates, Rosie Adamson-Clarke, Nat Clare, John Smeathers, Billie Meredith and others.
Free event Bucket collection

Starts at Barrow Bridge bus turning circle

The tradition of marking Walt Whitman’s birthday was revived in the 1980s when members of Bolton Socialist Club took to the moors sporting sprigs of lilac, copies of Leaves of Grass and some wine to sup from the “loving cup.”Read more

A History of the Modern Whitman Walks by Stuart Murray.

The nineteenth century Bolton Whitmanites celebrated the poet's birthday each year on a Saturday near 31st May May. This tradition was revived in 1983 by a new generation of self-styled Whitmanites, inspired by Whitman’s focus on freedom and democracy, and has continued with an annual walk for the past 35 years. This presentation by Stuart Murray tells the story of these walks.
Free event

If anyone wants to buy a copy of this wonderful anthology based on Whitman themes please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. £5 per copy.

Whitman Special
Monthly meet-up for the local spoken word group picks up on the celebratory theme this month, with both Whit and wit. NW legends Jefferama and Gordon Zola lead the proceedings.
£1 admission plus raffle

(Dir. Jennifer Crandell 2017)
This brilliant documentary records ordinary Alabamians reading verses of Whitman’s Song of Myself in their homes, places of work, or at leisure.Read more

Celebrating the bicentenary of Whitman’s birth, this wonderful collection of new writing explores themes recurrent in Whitman’s poetry. You will be welcomed to the launch with a glass of grape-based refreshment (alcoholic or otherwise),