Usually active in the visual art environment, Abridged makes a rare appearance in the live poetry arena with a reading featuring critically acclaimed international poets Stephen Burt, Theresa Muñoz and Jacob Polley. This will coincide with the Cúirt launch of Abridged 0 – 49: Babel. 0-49: Babel will also feature photography from the Belfast International Photo Festival amongst other work. Abridged currently consists of Gregory McCartney and Susanna Galbraith.

Stephen Burt is the author of three poetry collections, Belmont, Parallel Play, and Popular Music, and several collections of critical works. His essay collection Close Calls with Nonsense was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. His writing has appeared in The New York Times Book Review, London Review of Books, The Times Literary Supplement, The Believer, and the Boston Review.

Theresa Muñoz’s work has appeared in several journals in both Canada and the United Kingdom, including Canadian Literature, Poetry Review and Best Scottish Poems. Her debut collection Settle was shortlisted for the Melita Hume Poetry Prize. She writes regular reviews for Scotland’s Herald newspaper and is currently Research Associate at the Newcastle Centre for Literary Arts.

Jacob Polley has published four books of poems, winning the 2016 T.S. Eliot Prize for poetry for his fourth book, Jackself. He has also been awarded the 2013 Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize for The Havocs, and the Somerset Maugham Award for his first novel, Talk of the Town (2009).

This event will be chaired by Gregory McCartney.

For tickets and more information click here: Cuirt Festival

Abridged is supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland

Abridged is Susanna Galbraith and Gregory McCartney.