Karen Downs-Barton

Deptford Literature Festival

Mother Tongue, Poetry, Family and Inheritance, Saturday 28 March. Just one week until this fabulous event. I’ll be sharing the stage with three wonderful poets, Sarah Howe, and Erica Hesketh, hosted by writer and critic April Yee. We’ll be reading from our latest collections, exploring themes of matrilineage and family, reflecting on how they nourishContinue reading “Deptford Literature Festival”

John Pollard Foundation International Poetry Prize Shortlist 2026

Minx by Karen Downs-Barton is shortlisted for the John Pollard Foundation International Poetry Prize 2026

Soho Poly Poetry

I’m delighted to share that I’ll be appearing at Soho Poly Poetry on Thursday 12th March alongside Erica Hesketh, Nick Makoha, and Wayne Holloway-Smith. I’ll be reading from Minx and I’ve popped an overview of this stellar lineup below. Tickets available through Eventbrite don’t miss the write about this stellar event below. Join us atContinue reading “Soho Poly Poetry”

Minx in the Guardian

I’m super excited to announce that Minx has made it into the pages of the Guardian newspaper as one of Rishi Dastidar’s ‘Best Poetry of 2025’. Here’s what Rishi had to say about her… ‘Karen Downs‑Barton’s debut /Minx/ (Chatto & Windus) was similarly eye-catching, unsparingly detailing both the poet’s time in the care system, and theContinue reading “Minx in the Guardian”

i Newspaper Article

Did you know that November is National Care Leavers month? It wasn’t well publicised but as an in-and-out resident of state childcare I was delighted to contribute this article to the i newspaper. I hope it goes some way to raising awareness of the changes taking place for young people in care and how simpleContinue reading “i Newspaper Article”

A New Form for National Poetry Day

I’m delighted to announce that Ink Sweat and Tears has published my poem Gone Not Gone on International Poetry Day. This years theme is PLAY and the poem not only features the wonders of the infinite inventiveness of children in a form that ‘plays’ with the use of language.

Minx at Edinburgh International Book Festival

I’m excited to share that next week I’ll be at #EdBookFest, in conversation with the lovely Shasta Hanif Ali about what it means to belong, and how exploring belonging is at the core of Minx. Expect the unexpected in this conversation that looks at the quirks of language, mining archives for rootedness, and creating newContinue reading “Minx at Edinburgh International Book Festival”

Friday at Ledbury Poetry Festival

It’s just four days until Ruth Padel and I take to the stage at the Burgage Hall in Ledbury. We’ll be reading from our books, discussing female mythologies and how poetry creates a unique space for reconfiguring ideas of what it is to be female. Join us online or in person… and if you canContinue reading “Friday at Ledbury Poetry Festival”

Appearing at Edinburgh International Book Festival

I’m excited to announce that I’ll be appearing at the Edinburgh International Book Festival on Thursday August 14th. The theme this year is ‘Repair’ and as ever I’ll be coming at this thought provoking title in a minxy way, through concepts of belonging. This will be the first time I’ve taken Minx on a roadContinue reading “Appearing at Edinburgh International Book Festival”

Performing Poems from Minx

At last BBC radio 4’s The Verb featuring me reading poems from Minx is available on BBC iPlayer. It was a delight to be able to share the poems live, talk about areas where poetry meets performance in diverse settings and through diverse concepts of what a poem can be. The poetry/performance interface included poetryContinue reading “Performing Poems from Minx”