Jessica Traynor and Matthew Rice in conversation with Keith Payne

Friendship and solidarity; camaraderie and most of all the astutely observed line is what enables these poets to trace the darkest moments, and yes, rising scathed, to breathe much needed air into the claustrophobia of our world. Whether the slow soul-ticking night shift at the plastics factory, or the death by suicide of a dear friend, Matthew Rice and Jessica Traynor take us to where poetry ‘seldom goes’, though must, if it is to remain relevant. Visceral, made anew and often darkly humorous, the work of these two poets is the work of loss and then gain.

Thursday 23 April 2026

City Library | 5.30pm | Free