The Beehives are a poetry collective, based in Bradford.
Every month they showcase at City Library.
Next month,on Friday 6th March, 7pm, they will be hosting esteemed poet, Sean O’Brien, alongside Kristina Diprose, one of the co-hosts at the regular poetry night Rhubarb at the Triangle.
Sean O’Brien, will be reading from his new collection, The Bonfire Party, recently published by Picador.
Other publications publications include Embark (2022), Impasse: for Jules Maigret (2023), Otherwise (2023) and Juniper (2024). His collection of short stories The Long Glass appeared in spring 2025.
His poetry has received the Somerset Maugham, Cholmondeley and E.M. Forster awards, as well as the T.S. Eliot and Forward Prizes. O’Brien is Emeritus Professor of Creative Writing at Newcastle University and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
Sean will be supported by Kristina Diprose, one of the co-hosts at Rhubarb at the Triangle and a fantastic writer:
Kristina Diprose’s shape-shifting writing explores ecological and mythological themes and our entanglement with the more-than-human world.
She won the inaugural Oxford Canal Festival poetry competition in 2024, and has been shortlisted in the Artemesia Arts, Wolverhampton Literature Festival, Ginkgo Prize and Leeds Poetry Festival competitions.
She was an Ilkley Literature Festival New Northern Poet in 2023. Her debut pamphlet, Thin Spells, was published in September 2025 by The Black Cat Poetry Press. She has also written short story commissions for Bradford 2025 in partnership with the Brontë Parsonage Museum, and appeared on BBC Front Row.
Beehive Poets host two poets on the first Friday of every month at City Library at 7pm. Come along for a treat of an evening.
A Head Full of Words: A Creative Writing Workshop for the Neurodivergent
Keighley Library – Monday 9th March 6.00-8.00pm
Are you neurodivergent and interested in creative writing? Are there worlds and words inside your head that need to find their way to the page? Whether you’re a seasoned writer or a complete newcomer, this playful, low-pressure workshop is designed for you.
Led by short story author David Hartley (PhD Creative Writing, University of Manchester), this 2-hour workshop will give you the time and headspace to write flash fictions and/or poetry inspired by neurodivergent ways of thinking and being. You’ll encounter weird and wonderful prompts to spark your imagination, and you’ll explore the experimental edges of the written word to help you express your unique divergence.
This will be a neurodiversity affirming space where difference is empowered and the only expectation is to be as imaginative as possible. No-one will be put under any pressure to share their work, and no-one’s writing will be judged or critiqued. Stimming is welcome, and you do not have to have an official diagnosis to attend. If you’d like to bring a supporting person (such as a parent, sibling, friend or carer) they would be more than welcome as long as everyone is neurodiversity-positive. Let’s all get wonderfully weird together!
David Hartley is a writer based in New Mills, Derbyshire. His PhD focused on explorations of autism in science fiction and fantasy in both literature and film. He was cohost on the Autism Through Cinema podcast and has conducted many creative writing workshops for Writing East Midlands on their autism focused ‘Beyond the Spectrum’ programme. He is the author of Fauna (Fly on the Wall Press, 2021), a collection of weird stories about animals. He lives with one human, two rabbits, and five guinea pigs, and has lately taken up birdwatching. His current favourite bird is the goldfinch. He can be found on Instagram at @DHartleyWriter
Ready to submit your manuscript but unsure where to start? Pitch Perfect demystifies the publishing process and teaches you how to create a submission package that stands out.
This hands-on workshop by Isabelle Kenyon (CEO Fly on the Wall Press, Manchester) covers the current publishing landscape, helping you understand what agents and publishers are looking for today. You’ll learn to craft the three essential components of every successful submission: a compelling cover letter that introduces you and your work with impact, a clear synopsis that captures your story’s arc without losing its essence, and polished sample pages that hook readers from the first line.
Whether you’re a debut author or refining your approach, you’ll leave with practical skills, industry insights, and the confidence to present your work professionally. The workshop concludes with a Q&A session where you can ask specific questions about your manuscript and submission strategy.
About Isabelle Kenyon Isabelle Kenyon is the CEO of Manchester publishing house ‘Fly on the Wall Press’, and was named a Leader of the Year by the Bookseller in 2025. Founded in 2018, she has led Fly on the Wall Press to win Small Press of the Year at the British Book Awards 2024 (North), achieving finalist status five times in the years 2021-2025. She is the MA Module Leader for ‘Publishing in the 21st Century’ at Arts University Bournemouth, and the author of psychological thriller ‘The Dark Within Them’, poetry collections including Growing Pains (Indigo Dreams) and one short story with Wild Pressed Books (‘The Town Talks’). She has had work published internationally in journals such as Ink, Sweat and Tears and newspapers such as The Somerville Times and The Bookseller. She previously coordinated the Northern Fiction Alliance and runs PR campaigns for writers and publishers under Kenyon Author Services (www.kenyonauthorservices.co.uk).
Next week our libraries will be thriving with events for National Storytelling Week, from a choir at Ilkley Library, to songwriting workshops at Keighley Library and a live performance from singer-songwriting Boo Hewerdine. There will be poetry workshops as well as an Open Mic on Feb 7th. Alongside these amazing events, our VR headsets will be touring, featuring films of young creatives from the district who were commissioned to write music and poetry about their city. Here, poet Alfie Wilson, tells us a little about his involvement.
Bradford Libraries have multiple events running for young creatives across the Bradford District this February.
On Saturday 7 February City Library is holding the celebration event for The Pulse, for an amazing project where 3 young poets and 2 young musicians had the opportunity to work with professional poet Gaia Holmes to create new VR poetry and music media that will be touring Keighley, Manningham, Shipley, Ilkley and City Libraries that week. “This project has given me so many different insights into the creative industries. Gaia was such an amazing mentor – she worked with each of us individually to augment our unique style and help us to build on this. So much effort has gone into this project with all the VR elements and creating the poetry and music to go along with it, I am so excited to finally share everything we have created!” – Alfie Wilson, Poet To celebrate the launch of this unprecedented project and kick off Storytelling Week 2026,the event will also include a poetry workshop run by the amazing Gaia Holmes from 2pm-4pm as well as an open mic during the launch event which is running 6pm-8pm (both at City Library) open to all young creatives with something they want to share.
We chose the name Pulse because we want this project to showcase all young people’s voices, which we think are the heartbeat of Bradford – proudly the youngest city in the UK. So, if you or your friends have something to share, come along to Bradford City Library and get involved with all the exciting events we are running throughout the day.
In November last year, I was invited to Bingley Library to meet with members of Bound by Books, a youth reading group. At the time, I was acting Development Officer for Young People. I had the most enchanting evening, listening to the group speak about the book they were reading, (Lying About Last Summer), and speaking with them about their plans, hopes and dreams. The group is run by Ehlissya Naqvi, Literacy Lead for Youth – (313 Foundation) Bound by Books . She is an incredible young woman!This project is exactly what we want to encourage in our libraries.…especially during The National Year of Reading 2026.
Ehlissya says…
Bound by Books is a youth reading group for experienced readers aged 10 to 16, and we meet every Tuesday from 5:15pm to 6:15pm in Bingley Library.
I’m the Literacy Lead for Youth at 313 Foundation, which is how the group first began. We have just finished our first six-week cycle, where we read The Hunger Games, and now we’re going to be reading Lying About Last Summer by Sue Wallman. We try to choose books that make us think deeply, we like mysteries, thrillers, dystopian stories and books where you need to notice clues and understand the bigger ideas behind a character’s decisions.
I started Bound by Books because I wanted young people like me to have a place where reading feels exciting. A lot of people read online now, which is great, but reading a whole story together and talking about what it means feels different. In our group, everyone gets to have a voice, even if they are shy at first, and we do creative things like weekly reflection questions, short activities linked to sections of the book, and conversations about the themes. It has already helped people become more confident sharing their ideas, and it feels like a real community.
One of the things that makes Bound by Books special is that we try to bring stories to life, not just read them. We have started connecting with other people and places because of the books we choose. For example, one of our members designed and made Bound by Books badges for the group, which helped us all feel proud of being part of something we built ourselves. We also go together to the Bingley Youth Café as a group, so we can share ideas with other organisations and be part of the wider community. We even met our local MP, Anna Dixon, who encouraged us to keep building confidence through reading and to keep developing our ideas.
One of the most exciting things we’ve done is start a relationship with our local PCSO, Sofia Hussain, who visited our group at the library. She showed us her uniform and talked about teamwork, fairness and staying safe in the community. Because the genres we like often involve mysteries and investigation, we asked if we could learn more about real-life techniques that police use. Through that conversation, we have been able to approach Shipley Police Station to ask if we could visit and see how things work behind the scenes, like how officers look at evidence or use CCTV. It’s still being considered, but even being able to ask has made a big difference to us. We’ve also invited the police to join some of our creative sessions, where we explore fictional investigative techniques like fingerprinting, interview skills, analysing clues and building theories, because that connects directly with the kind of stories we enjoy reading.
All of this has happened in only one cycle, which makes me really proud of everyone in the group. We started with a simple idea of reading together, and now we have built confidence, made new connections, shared creative skills, learned from each other and even reached places we never expected, like speaking with our MP and connecting with the police. None of this would have been possible without the support of the Bingley Library staff, who have been really kind and helpful from the beginning. They always encourage us, help with the space, and make us feel like the library belongs to young people too.
If you would like to join the group, please contact Bingley Library.
Sharena Lee Satti is a poet, mentor, and festival curator with over ten years of experience working across schools, community organisations, and cultural programmes. She has supported thousands of students and adults through creative mentoring, poetry workshops, and personal development sessions.
Here she shares her journey…
For the Voices still finding here’s…
How poetry found me
Poetry wasn’t a skill that was taught in a classroom; it was a feeling that came from within. Ignited like a superhero that helped me navigate through my childhood experiences. I believe poetry is something that exists in us all. It lives and breathes in everyday life; life is poetry, you just need to look up at the sky to see that. I found myself writing a lot as a young person; it became a cathartic tool for expressing my often unresolved and overwhelming feelings at that stage in my younger life. Writing poetry gave me a safe place to process my feelings, even if I didn’t understand them; they had a place on the page, somewhere I could park my emotions.
We have to be the noise of the movement, not the silence of the still
Your voice is a powerful tool, it can be the spark of change
Your vocal cords can IGNITE hope in someone’s day
To feel heard, to feel seen, to know they are not alone
The Journey of a Poet
Poetry gave me life, from leaving school at such a young age, my future felt like a storm, but I always had hope that I would eventually see the rainbow, and it took many sunsets but I eventually did.Through the journey of poetry I kept on writing, I really loved to write, my poems were messy, scribbles on the page, spelling mistakes but they were my words, my footprint in time, my feelings. Poetry helped shape my journey in ways I could have never imagined, but I believed my life was worth so much more, and I trusted in a path I believed in but couldn’t see.
Mentoring and Sharing Poetry
My journey with poetry has been anything but traditional. Leaving school at 12–13 with no formal education, I relied solely on lived experiences to shape my voice. Those experiences became the foundation for everything I do today, from teaching poetry to PhD students to performing at festivals across the UK and much more.
Poetry opened doors I never imagined. I’ve worked with women in my local community, helping them develop their writing skills and confidence, and celebrated their success as they became published poets. Along the way, I’ve published two collections of my own with the Verve Poetry Press, including featured work in a children’s collection with the renowned children’s publisher Big Cat Collins. http://Poet writes about Bradford for new children’s poetry book | Bradford Telegraph and Argus
Mentoring is at the heart of my work. I’m passionate about guiding others, whether it’s supporting young people on commissioned projects or teaching poetry to thousands of students nationwide. For me, it’s not just about writing; it’s about empowering voices, building confidence, and showing that creativity can transform lives.
From grassroots workshops to academic settings, I’ve seen firsthand how poetry connects people, sparks conversations, and inspires change. Every mentoring session is an opportunity to share knowledge, nurture talent, and encourage self-expression. Watching someone discover their voice and grow as a writer is the most rewarding part of what I do.
Poetry gave me a path when I had none. Now, I’m committed to helping others find theirs.
Have a listen to the Leeds Light piece – featured in the National Poetry Centre, Sharena worked with the West Yorkshire Young Poet Laureates, to create a commissioned poetry piece which was then recorded and brought to life. You can see it here – (2) Post | LinkedIn
Pav is another of our digital creators whose poems will be featured in a series of VR films touring our libraries next month.
Here is what he had to say about the fantastic project at Bradford Libraries which saw him commissioned by The Space Arts.
My name is Pavan Singh , I am 22 years old and I’m studying architecture at Leeds Beckett University, I have a five-year- old Belgian Malinois Shepherd called Hunter whom like I taking on walks to my local park and playing outside. In my spare time I like drawing and watching Anime shows and horror movies.
Why I took part in the project:
I feel as if a lot people overlook Bradford for being a quiet town or unpleasant area. However, as a resident of Bradford I think that it is a really nice area with nice green spaces and many opportunities for young people like me and wanted to help change people’s minds about Bradford as a place and to aid in letting people’s voices be heard.
Why I like poetry & music :
I’ve always like writing and telling stories from a young age and like listening to Hip-Hop & rap music from artists such as Juice World, Tupac Shakur, Ice Cube. I also enjoy Punjabi songs from time to time as the artists are very passionate about their topics which often include lyrics about their hometowns , the ones they love and their upbringings which I believe is a great to express oneself as nothing can stand in your way when you put pen to paper, besides your imagination.
Working with Gaia was a great experience as it allowed me to learn and grow as a writer and to fully explore my emotions and to put them through my poems as listening to different poets allowed me to see what poem verses can sound like without being so literal and can be really vivid and meaningful.
I also enjoyed filming as it helped me gain confidence in doing something I haven’t done a lot of, when working with cameras and lighting visuals and which angles and poses are best.
Bradford is one of the nine library services in England selected to participate in the groundbreaking Digital Spaces program. This innovative initiative in collaboration with Arts Council England, BFI, with National Lottery Funding, and The Space, is delivering an array of digital experiences in libraries throughout 2025, ranging from awe-inspiring VR showcases and hands-on workshops to funding opportunities for creating new digital content.
Writing a piece of music at just 16 is quite a feat. But Bradford’s Anesu M took it all in his stride!
Anesu was one of our digital creators from The Pulse of Bradford whose work will feature in a Virtual Reality Film touring Bradford Libraries next month. We asked three young poets and two musicians to create some original work reflecting the ‘sound of their city’.
Here is what Anesu had to say about the project;
I’m Anesu M and I’m 16 years old.
My piece, Outstretched Hand, was inspired by the beck near where I live and my church, SRM Church. I used the lydian mode to evoke the feeling of uncertain hope, woven into a 5/4 time signature.The work draws musical inspiration primarily from Mammal Hands’ Kandaiki along with jazz elements.
I took part in this project because it was an unexpected opportunity for me to compose something creative for others to hear. It allowed me to be free on how I express through music on how I felt about living where I live.
The creative process was both fun and frustrating at times, but definitely satisfying once completed. Apart from the nerves of being filmed solo, it was impressive seeing the gear being set up and learning how it worked.
The films will be shown at the following libraries.
Friday, Jan 30 – Tues Feb 3 – Manningham Library
Wednesday Feb 4 – Keighley Library
Thursday Feb 5 – Ilkley Library
Friday Feb 6 – Shipley Library
Saturday Feb 7 – City Library Celebratory Open Mic 6pm – all welcome. Email Andrea.Hardaker@Bradford.gov.uk for a slot.
Bradford is one of the nine library services in England selected to participate in the groundbreaking Digital Spaces program. This innovative initiative in collaboration with Arts Council England, BFI, with National Lottery Funding, and The Space, is delivering an array of digital experiences in libraries throughout 2025, ranging from awe-inspiring VR showcases and hands-on workshops to funding opportunities for creating new digital content.
The poems, which were written over a number of weeks, speak to the thousand voices of Bradford’ as well as the delights of Lister Park and the isolation of modern-day life. They feature alongside a live piano performance and a specially composed electronic music piece, which also respond to the theme.
We have been working with some incredible young poets and musicians over the past six months who, with the help of partner organisations The Space and filmmakers Neon8, have transformed their art into a series virtual reality films. The group, known as ‘The Pulse of Bradford’ are now ready to debut their creations. Here is a little more information about the project…
The Pulse of Bradford have captured the past, present and future in a collection of poems and music.
Three young poets and two musicians aged 16-24, produced original work around the theme of ‘the sounds of the city.’
The group, known as The Pulse of Bradford, worked alongside Halifax poet Gaia Holmes to share their thoughts and feelings about the city with the aim of inviting audiences to see the city through their eyes and give voice to the future of the district.
Their work has now been captured on camera by Virtual Reality filmmakers Neon8 and will feature in a Virtual Reality Tour due to be held at Bradford Libraries from January 30-February 8.
Bradford is one of the nine library services in England selected to participate in the groundbreaking Digital Spaces program. This innovative initiative in collaboration with Arts Council England, BFI, with National Lottery Funding, and The Space, is delivering an array of digital experiences in libraries throughout 2025, ranging from awe-inspiring VR showcases and hands-on workshops to funding opportunities for creating new digital content.
The poems, which were written over a number of weeks, speak to the ‘thousand voices of Bradford’ as well as the delights of Lister Park and the isolation of modern-day life. They feature alongside a live piano performance and a specially composed electronic music piece, which also respond to the theme.
Each artist was asked to choose their favourite spot to be filmed in, creating a virtual map of the district.
Among the venues chosen were Lister Park, Cliffe Castle, Sunbridge Road Mission Church, Sunbridge Road and Pied Piper Pianos in Haworth.
Poet Alfie Wilson said: “It has been amazing to work with like-minded people. Gaia has been incredible in mentoring us and helping us develop our own style. Everyone’s work is so unique and explores all the different things that make Bradford the place that it is. I’ve really enjoyed the whole experience and can’t wait to see the films.”
The films will be shown at the following libraries.
Friday, Jan 30 – Tues Feb 3 – Manningham Library
Wednesday Feb 4 – Keighley Library
Thursday Feb 5 – Ilkley Library
Friday Feb 6 – Shipley Library
Saturday Feb 7 – City Library
They will also feature in a celebration and Open Mic due to be held at City Library on Saturday Feb 7 at 6pm. Poets and musicians, eager to perform are asked to email Andrea.Hardaker@bradford.gov.uk to book a slot.
Today’s reviewer is Sakinah, who loves reading, walking in the woods and gardening. She also loves catching up with friends or family over a cup of tea and cake. Her favourite cake is lemon drizzle.
Title: Hidden Fires
Author: Saarish Hussain
Genre: Adult Fiction
Summary: Ruby is a teenage girl struggling with anxiety, body image and self harm. Her father, an over- worked social worker and carer of his wife, who suffers from a long term illness, does not have much time to spare for his only child, Ruby.
When Ruby’s grandmother passes away in Spain her father decides to leave her in the care of her paternal grandfather Yusuf, in another city. Ruby is perturbed by the idea of living away from home with her elderly grandfather who she barely knows. His religious rituals and old fashioned ideas are enough to drive her to the edge.
However, over time, she comes to realise that she is not the only one facing internal struggles. Her grandfather, she discovers is battling with deep seated trauma and horrific memories of his own.
During the short time they spend together, Ruby and Yusuf establish a wonderful bond that leads to emotional healing for the pair of them.
Verdict: I enjoyed this book because the author covered a variety of different themes that are current issues of contention in today’s society, such as over-worked parents, stretched social services, self- harm, anxiety and bullying amongst teenagers and loneliness and isolation amongst the elderly.
I particularly enjoyed the author’s coverage of Yusuf’s traumatic memories of living through the partition of India and Pakistan in a sensitive yet informative manner.
I felt that the author also broke many of the age-old stereotypes of British Muslim families, which was refreshing and encouraging to read.
