Special Guest Iain Lauchlan Joins Coventry Orchestra for World Poetry Day Concert

The Heart of England Co-operative Concert Orchestra invites the local community to a vibrant and imaginative Spring Concert celebrating World Poetry Day through music and spoken word.

Taking place at 3pm on Saturday 21st March at Methodist Central Hall, Warwick Lane, Coventry, CV1 2HA, this special concert will feature guest narrator Iain Lauchlan, bringing poetry and storytelling together with thrilling orchestral favourites.

The programme promises something for all ages, including the swashbuckling adventure of Pirates of the Caribbean, the dramatic intensity of Hall of the Mountain King, and the playful brilliance of Jabberwocky!,  alongside many more musical surprises inspired by literature, legend and imagination.

All proceeds from the concert will go towards Earlsdon Carnegie Community Library, supporting its vital work as a community hub promoting literacy, learning and access to books for all ages. By attending, audiences will be helping to sustain a valued local resource at the heart of Coventry.

Tickets are priced at £11 for adults, £8 concessions, and just £1 for under 16s. Tickets are available online via Ticketsource and on the door.

Now in its 107th year, the Heart of England Co-operative Concert Orchestra continues to play a central role in Coventry’s musical life. Proudly sponsored by the Heart of England Co-operative Society, the orchestra brings together musicians from across the region to share live music while raising funds for important community causes. 

In 2025, they raised over £3,500 for charities including Coventry City Mission, Global Care, the Durrell Foundation, and MacMillan Cancer Care.

Join them for an afternoon of music, poetry and adventure, and raise funds for a valued local resource at the same time!

https://www.coventrycooporchestra.org.uk

That's Books and More will be carrying more information on World Poetry Day, so please keep an eye open for that. 

Lapidus International Publishing Launches with Poetry Anthology Celebrating Marginalised Voices

Lapidus International is proud to announce the launch of Lapidus Publishing, a new imprint dedicated to uplifting underrepresented voices through writing for wellbeing. 

Its inaugural project, Flight, is a vibrant poetry anthology that brings together powerful work from writers affiliated with three Bristol-based organisations: Misfits Theatre Company (led by people with learning disabilities), Diverse UK (supporting autistic adults), and Bristol Drugs Project’s Lyrically Lifted (working with individuals impacted by drug and alcohol use).

Flight is the first in a series of publications funded by Plumb Lines, a legacy gift made to Lapidus International in memory of poet and disability rights advocate Katrina Plumb. 

The project supports writing for wellbeing initiatives that give voice to those who are often unheard in mainstream literature and publishing.

Its aim is to showcase what is possible when creativity and inclusivity come together, and signals the start of a wider effort by Lapidus Publishing to provide platforms for poetry, essays, and hybrid works that reflect the full range of human experience.

The anthology will be launched at Creative Bridges 2025, Lapidus International’s biennial online conference, taking place on 13–14 September 2025. The conference gathers writers, researchers, and practitioners to explore the therapeutic and transformational power of words. To mark the occasion and honour the voices within the book, free digital copies will be made available to festival attendees.

“We’re thrilled to share this powerful collection with the world,” Regina Beach, Editor of the Plumb Lines Project told us at That's Books and Entertainment. 

“The writers in Flight have created deeply moving work that reflects resilience, identity, and hope. Our goal is to elevate stories that deserve to be heard, and this is only the beginning.”

FACTFILE:-

Lapidus International is a UK-based organisation that champions writing for wellbeing across therapeutic, educational, and creative settings. 

Plumb Lines is a legacy-funded project managed by Lapidus, designed to support writing initiatives that engage underrepresented or marginalised groups in creative expression and healing through words.

https://lapidus.org.uk