On 5 March it’s World Book Night, and as the nation prepare to give away 1 million books, Birmingham Central Library and The Birmingham Poetry Ultras are holding a couple of celebratory events, with a line up of writers, storytellers and poets.

Birmingham Central Library

From 6.30pm – 8.45pm, at Birmingham Library Theatre, three of the city’s best-selling writers RJ Ellory, Mike Gayle and Catherine O’Flynn will be joining readers and book givers to celebrate books, libraries and reading.

Free tickets for this are available from the Box Office on (0121) 303 2323 or from Central Library reception.

Saturday Night Reader then takes outside Central Library place from 9 – 10pm, as literary fans are invited to join Birmingham Poet Laureate, Roy McFarlane, former Young Poet Laureate Matt Windle, storyteller Katrice Horsley, and local writer Paul McDonald for an hour of rambunctious storytelling, poetry, laughs and free books.

Birmingham Poetry Ultras

Hosting an evening of poetry appreciation and discussion, Birmingham Poetry Ultras will be in The Old Moseley Arms, Balsall Heath, from 8pm.

They’ll also be giving out free copies of their selected book, Seamus Heaney’s “New Selected Poems 1966-1987”, on a first come first served basis.

A copy of ‘Forward‘ (the council’s official publication profiling policies, initiatives and events) just plopped through my door.  Let’s see what interesting event info there is and pull together some links.

The Old Rep Theatre, which closed in Feb for renovation, re-opens on 30 Sept.  The first show is ‘Messed Up’ by Small Heath Young Rep.  Then there’s ‘Play On’ in honour of the theatre’s founder, Sir Barry Jackson, which I can’t find any info about online at all.

Incidentally neither show is on the Old Rep’s what’s on page.  The first item on there is ‘Skellig‘ on 7 Oct.

There’s lots of BMAG stuff listed:

• The Birmingham Art Fair at the Gas Hall, 19-21 Sept
• Body & Soul: Sculptures by Juginder Lamba at the Waterhall gallery until 26 Oct
• In The Picture, old and new photos from the Handsworth Photographic Society at Soho House until 2 Nov
• Ford Madox Brown: The Unofficial Pre-Raphaelite at Gallery 16 until 14 Dec
• Hair at Gallery 20 until 1 March 2009 looking at, well, different hairstyles

Also, Mike Gayle will be talking about his new book, The Life and Soul of the Party at the Library Theatre on 24 September.

Finally there are a few NEC/NIA listings and a mention of the Emirates Beach.