Oxfam Books & Music at 91 Marylebone High Street London is running a Festival of Poetry throughout August.

Oxfam's poet-in-residence, Todd Swift, has organised a stellar line-up of poets from around the United Kingdom which includes Poet Laureate Andrew Motion, the ever-popular Wendy Cope and Whitbread prize-winner Don Paterson. Todd's residency and the festival are supported by the Arts Council England and will offer a variety of masterclasses, workshops and readings.

Tuesday, August 10 - 7 pm
Don Paterson: Poetry Masterclass
Don Paterson is the winner of the Whitbread and TS Eliot poetry prizes.
In this 90-minute Masterclass for intermediate and advanced poets he will be discussing the craft of poetry in the context of his most recent collection, Landing Light (Faber, 2003); there will also be a Q & A. Space for 20.

Thursday, August 12 - 2 pm
James Byrne & Todd Swift Workshop: A-Z of Publishing Poetry
James Byrne is a popular younger poet and co-editor of the successful new London literary journal The Wolf. Todd Swift is Oxfam-poet-in-residence and an editor of several key anthologies as well as poetry editor of award-winning webzine www.nthposition.com. Together James and Todd will be providing beginning and intermediate poets with handy tips on how to prepare and submit their poems for publication; how to approach self-publishing; as well as create their own small magazine, with a discussion of the Internet and e-books as well. Space for 15. 16 and older.

Tuesday, August 17 - 10 am
Anthony Joseph: The Sonnet
Anthony Joseph is a well-known Trinidadian poet, novelist and performer. He is a Lecturer in creative writing at South Thames University. His collections include Desafinado (1994) and Terragaton (1998). His prose has been published in the Time Warner anthology Dark Matter: An Anthology of Black Science Fiction (2001). Anthony will be using his two-hour workshop to focus on the sonnet, new and old. Come and discover fresh ways of writing one of the great poetic forms. Space for 15. 16 and older.

Thursday, August 19 - 2 pm
Malika Booker: Women, Writing, Poetry
Malika Booker is a writer and performer, known for her searing, sensual style. She is a sought-after workshop facilitator and has run creative writing courses for organisations including The Arvon Foundation, National Theatre, Young Vic and The British Festival of Visual Theatre (BFVT). Join Malika for a two-hour writing workshop for women. Explore fashion, clothing, adornment and the issues of self-expression, body image and identity. Please bring with you a favourite item of clothing, jewellery, clothing, shoes or fabric. Please wear comfortable clothing. Space for 15. Open to women of all ages.

Saturday, August 21 - 10 am-Noon
Heather Taylor: Puppets, Poetry and Play (Children's Workshop)
Heather Taylor has studied theatre and writing in Canada where she first began performing for both children and adults. She has taught writing and drama in both Canada and the UK, most recently developing workshops for children, through workshops with Apples and Snakes. Start off your Saturday morning with storytelling and poetry. Listen to some great children's stories before diving in to create your own pictures, puppets and poetry which will be entered in the Oxfam Poetry Competition. Suitable for 4 -7-year-olds (and Moms and Dads too!).

Tuesday, August 24 - 2 pm
Steve Tasane: Performance Poetry Workshop, "Getting the Message Across"
Steve Tasane is one of the UK's best-known performance poets. He has performed passionate, political poetry on Glastonbury World Music Stage, London's double-deckers, The Barbican's cinema stage and the roof of Battersea Dogs' Home. His work is unapologetically populist and troublingly tongue-twisty. Steve's 2.5 hour workshop will focus on how to turn hard fact into hard-hitting polemic, depressing figures into dazzling poetics, and clumsy clichés into catchy chants. A must for all pop poets and poets who want to be popular (and relevant). 16 years and up. 15 places.

Thursday, August 26 - 2 pm
John Stammers: Poetry Masterclass
John Stammers' Panoramic Lounge-bar (Picador 2001) won the Forward Prize for best first collection in 2001 and was shortlisted for the Whitbread poetry Award 2001. It was also a Poetry Book Society Recommendation. His next collection, Stolen Love Behaviour, is due from Picador January next year. The Independent on Sunday called him "The newly-crowned king of neo-pop cool". This poetry workshop, for intermediate and advanced poets, will be a welcome look into the ultra-hip world of one of the most imaginative, entertaining and stylish poets now working in the UK, and offer bold new ways into the contemporary imaginary. 15 places.

Monday, August 30 - 2 pm
Todd Swift: How to Love - and Live - Poetry in Six Easy Lessons
Todd Swift is Oxfam's Poet-in-residence. He is the author or an editor of over 8 books of poetry. The Chronicle of Higher Education recently compared his poetry projects to those of Ezra Pound's for their international scope and imaginative range. He has been a cultural activist, and active poet, for over 20 years. His recent anthology, 100 Poets against the war, was ranked as the most popular poetry anthology in the UK in 2004, by the Guardian. In this workshop, open to all adults, Todd will look at ways readers and writers can work with poetry to improve their life, and work with their life to improve their poetry. By learning how to appreciate poetry, poets and poems, and examine our love and fear of the art of poetry, we can all sleep better at night (or day-dream more creatively during the day).

Entrance to the events is free but seats must be reserved. All donations will go towards the Sudan Relief fund. For further information, visit the shop or contact Todd Swift on 020 7487 3570 or oxfampoets@hotmail.com.