Welcome! All the latest news of my events, recordings, opportunities and postings is below - please join my newsletter (form at bottom of page) to keep up to date and to get news of offers and events in advance of website announcements….

NEWS

Pinned Post - Development Editor for hire!

I am delighted to once again be available as a development editor for hire, and really looking forward to working with you on your new book project!

I work in nonfiction, and welcome enquiries from writers working in traditional or self-publishing, as well as from those at the start of their book project looking for guidance on the best options for their work.

Full details of my development editor services, along with some client endorsements, are available from the page in the menu above!

I had the immense pleasure recently of working with John Rogers - aka the ‘People’s Flaneur’, You Tube sensation and great author - on his new book ‘Welcome to New London’ - check out my Development Editor page to find out what John had to say about my work and approach to development editing…!

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Launch event for ‘A Transfer of Grace - Island Lives’ at Faclan Festival 2024

I would like to congratulate and thank all at Western Isles Association for Mental Health (WIAMH), Catch 23 and An Lanntair, along with all those who attended the launch event of the new publication ‘A Transfer of Grace’ on 24 October.

The book is a collection of writings and art work by members of Catch 23’s writing and arts groups, and has a focus on ‘island life’. So many read their work so well at the launch, it was a joyous and very well attended night (see pic below). I would also link to thank all the writers who participated in the workshops we ran over the previous four months to put the collection together for their amazing engagement. I learned so much myself from this project and I am very proud of what we all achieved.

The book can be bought at amazon - here’s the link

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An Lanntair Podcast Interview

Had great fun talking with An Lanntair’s Andrew Eaton-Lewis recently, as part of the art centre’s podcast series focussing on island-based artists - great series - we got into what it meant for me and my work moving to the Outer Hebrides from Brighton / London 25 years ago, memories of the great Gaelic singer Joan McKenzie, and much more….

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The Writers Rooms - An Lanntair 7 March for 8 weeks

Starting on Thursday 7 March for eight weeks, I'm running a morning writing class with An Lanntair, via Zoom. This is open to writers on and off the island - you can be based anywhere to take part. Full details at this link

The Writers Room sessions are designed to help you develop and sustain a regular writing routine, whether you are a new writer or more experienced. You can just sign up, select the writing room you want to join and which best suits your needs - and you can move between the rooms.

Room 1 will allow you to enjoy two hours of uninterrupted writing time in the company of other writers. It's about making a commitment, breaking down isolation, and having a structure in place to plan around, and a sense of writing community.

Room 2 will offer prompted and timed writing exercises, along with opportunities to read and discuss your work. This is a great way to start writing, and also to help overcome block and other issues you might experience in your writing.

Room 3 will be for bookable, individual 1-2-1 sessions with me if you'd like to discuss aspects of your writing.

All rooms and sessions are friendly, supportive and you don't have to read or discuss your work.

I think An Lanntair is offering this at an amazing and affordable price for the entire run, and the timing is also to make this available to those who cannot, for whatever reason, access the physical space or have commitments that mean they can't do evenings. Of course, it is also ideal for those who find the mornings to be their most creative time of day!

No tech knowledge required, just the usual and basic web video set up.

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A Celebration of Terry Day and his work!

What a night! Here’s the band with Terry in the Kitchen at Cafe Oto as part of David Laskowski’s beautiful series from Oto. Amazing experience to play with this great band!

A reminder too that me and Terry have a number of recordings available on Bandcamp - and this on Cafe Oto’s label for download ….. available here and sampled below…

cafeOTO · TDA011 - "Urpeth, Charles, Day"from "Sextet 2016"

Peter Urpeth / piano
Neil Charles / bass
Adrian Northover / soprano sax
Joe Wright / tenor sax
Dawid Frydryk / trumpet
Terry Day / drums

Recorded live at Cafe OTO. Lyrics by Terry Day. Mixed & mastered by Peter Urpeth. Edited by Adrian Northover & Terry Day.

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Wednesday 4 October - Cafe Oto, Dalston, London -

I’m delighted and honoured to be playing as part of the launch event for Terry Day’s new book of lyrics, poems and art….from the Cafe Oto website:

UNPREDICTABLE SERIES PRESENTS:‘SEGUE TO ANOTHER’ – BOOK LAUNCH OF ‘LOVE, SEX AND WAR’ TERRY DAY LYRICS

‘Segue To Another’ is the celebration of the book launch of ‘Love, Sex and War’ Terry Day Lyrics and a selection of lyrics compiled with Terry, edited by Blanca Regina and published by Unpredictable Series.

For this special event, Terry Day will perform a selection of his lyrics with a small orchestra including Neil Charles, Hannah Mashall, Rachel Musson, Charlotte Keeffe, Benedict Taylor, Iris Colomb, Adrian Northover, Daniel Blumberg, Peter Urpeth, Blanca Regina, Dave Fowler and Dave Tucker.

In Terry’s words:

‘ The performance on the 4th of October is a “ONE OFF”. ….. To attempt the performance of eight lyrics plus conducting is a step into the unknown for me.
Usually, I only perform one lyric with a large orchestra

Generally, the orchestra is given only the chorus of the lyric to briefly rehearse.
The rest of the lyric is then improvised, with the orchestra usually hearing it for the first time during the performance. However, the orchestra is only given the title of a lyric with no defined chorus. As such that piece would be almost completely improvised…… …….obviously a ‘ Chorus ’ might arrive

Each word, sentence, phrase and verse of the lyric has been deliberated upon and remains unaltered other than very minor changes. However, the structure,
delivery, rhythm, tempo – all the musical aspects of the lyric are subject to improvisation, as is the dialogue and exchange between the orchestra and myself

‘Segue To Another ‘ speaks for itself, ………when the lyric becomes ‘Song’.

I have learnt to accept the banality and profundity of a lyric.

Preorder the book at shipping from October 4th 2023
https://unpredictableseries.bandcamp.com/merch/love-sex-and-war-terry-day-lyrics

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Evan Parker / Peter Urpeth Duet - Hundred Years Gallery, Hoxton, London - Saturday 8 July 2023…

Thanks to all who came out and packed out Hundred Years Gallery on Saturday (8 July)! Evan and myself opened this gig with a tribute to the late, great Peter Brotzmann - with whom Evan made some of the most important recordings in European free improv history, and going back to the late 1960s.

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Tartan Heart Festival, July 2023 -

Peter Urpeth (performance poetry) / Ray MacDonald (saxes)

Thanks to all at Tartan Heart / Belladrum for making this performance of The 4000 Nights in New York in 1988 happen. It was great to play with Ray again, about ten years since the last time we did a gig at Bella! This time in the fab Verb Garden Tent.

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RIP Peter Brotzmann

In late June, the music lost one of its founding giants, saxophonist Peter Brotzmann. As a teenager, his mighty sound and energy blow me away, I was enthralled to discover that music could be made this way, and could also be a protest art form with real anger and commitment. I loved his records - Fuck DeBoere, Machine Gun and so many others.

As part of my performance at the July gigs, I read a series of haiku written in his memory. Here they are…

At the Edge of Silence

Haiku forms for Peter Brotzmann

by Peter Urpeth

I.

Muzzle Brother’s gone / life is a hard reed to blow / deep breaths in silence

II.

Bombs fall on Reimscheid / a child sleeps on the nipple / dreaming of freedom

iii.

Intense turbulence - / Rhine-roars of discontentment / a note to the self

iv.

Collective intent - / space is at a premium / joy is a muscle

v.

Beauty is pointless - / let's yell at everything / crumbling stupidos

vi

Let's fall in love / with rage together / Tender reflections

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Poole Private House Gig - SoundCellar live stream recording…

A private house gig in Poole! This gig was performed in front of a live audience, but also lived streamed as part of the excellent programme of the SoundCellar. Great band - featuring Jon Lloyd (saxes), Al Swainger (bass) and Rob Palmer (guitar), and I did a bit of a turn on the piano, too. Enjoy!

Follow this link for more details of their work, and to make a donation if you enjoyed the video!

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‘A New Page – Freeing the Writer Within’ with PETER URPETH - An Lanntair - new course starting In July!

Whether you are a beginner, or a more experienced writer, these sessions will assist you to make writing an important and positive part of your daily life. The approach in these sessions is supportive, enabling and designed to help you overcome the obstacles you may feel when wanting to write, or to start writing. The workshops focus on defeating writers block, and the ever-present inner editor who might be constantly telling you have nothing to say, you can’t, you mustn’t or you haven’t got time to write.

The aim is simple – at the end of the course, you will have filled a good part of a notebook with your own writing. Most of our time will be spent writing with the aid of prompts, theme ideas and constructive guidance that will keep your writing, overcome the fears and pressures of the blank page, and to structure and use writing time productively.

There is no requirement to read your work out loud, to critique other people’s work or to share anything other than an openness to the possibilities of our shared creative time. Neither you or your work will be judged, and you don’t need any ambitions to be a novelist or a published writer. All you need is a desire to gain the many mental health and well-being benefits creative writing can bring to your life.

Full details and booking here

Jazz Rumours - premieres…

Really honoured to be doing this gig, which includes settings and first performances of two of my poems - the amazing Sammy Hurden has set my piece 'Lullaby for The Self in Crisis' - a poem that means so much to me - and the Adliberation Trumpet Quartet are performing (me on the words) Jim Dvorak's new setting of my piece 'East River Blues'. Great too, because I get to read in partnership with Ntshuks Bonga, saxes...

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July Live - Four gigs with four great saxophonists!

Sunday 2nd July 3pm - Jazz Rumours (Finsbury Park, London) Poetry reading from The 4000 Nights of New York in 1988 & new works - with Ntshuks Bonga - saxes - Facebook

Thursday 6 July PM - Private house gig (Poole, Dorset) - Poetry reading from The 4000 Nights of New York in 1988 & new works - with Jon Lloyd - saxes - please contact for invite

Saturday 8 July PM - Hundred Years Gallery (Hoxton, London) - Poetry reading from The 4000 Nights of New York in 1988 & new works, with Evan Parker - saxes - http://hundredyearsgallery.co.uk

Saturday 29 July 4pm - Tartan Heart Festival, Belladrum (by Beauly, Highlands, Scotland) - Poetry reading - The 4000 Nights of New York in 1988 with Ray MacDonald - saxes - https://tartanheartfestival.co.uk

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Peter Urpeth / Evan Parker - Hundred years Gallery 28 January 2023 - review London Jazz News by Geoff Winston

Thanks to Geoff Winston for this cracking and insightful review of the gig at Hundred Years….here

click here for pdf

Creative Connections - The New Page - Finding the writer within

I am delighted to be running this series of sessions as part of An Lanntair’s Creative Connections projects - a series of free creative workshops for adults over the age of 60 in the Western Isles who feel isolated as a result of their circumstances – be it geographical remoteness, disability or any other disadvantage. If this applies to you, you can book any of our Creative Connections workshops. 

‘A New Page – Finding the Writer Within’ with Peter Urpeth

These workshops will enable participants to develop a writing practice of their own. Whether you are an absolute beginner, or a more experienced writer, the sessions will work from a series of basic rules and approaches to writing that will assist you to find your own practice and to embed writing into your daily life, and begin to establish your own voice as a writer.

These sessions will help you to overcome the obstacles you may feel, or have experienced, when wanting to write or to start writing, and to defeat the ever-present inner editor who might be constantly telling you have nothing to say, you can’t, you mustn’t or you haven’t got time to write.

The aim is simple – at the end of the 6 weeks, you will have filled a good part of a notebook with your own writing. Most of our time in each session will be spent writing, and writing by hand not on screen.

There is no requirement to read your work out loud, to critique other people’s work or to share anything other than an openness to the possibilities of our shared creative time. You or your work will not be judged and you don’t need any ambitions to be a novelist or a published writer. All you need is a desire for the benefits that creative writing can bring to your life.

We will use prompts and simple writing exercises to overcome the fears and pressures of the blank page and to structure and use writing time productively, and to get writing as a habit.

The sessions will be delivered via Zoom and a link will be emailed to you.  All you need is a device with an internet connection and a quiet space. You will receive a notebook and pen in advance of the first session

Full details here

The 4000 Nights of New York in 1988 - live

Ntshuks Bonga (saxes) / Mark Hewins (guitars) / Peter Urpeth (performance poetry)- The 4000 Nights of New York in 1988 - Plus Ammar Kalia - Kintsugi: Jazz Poems for Musicians Alive and Dead - plus new work / readings and soundscapes

Finch Cafe, London Fields, 7.30pm Friday 14 October - wts for full booking details. Finch Cafe

Very excited to be launching my new collection of poetry - The 4000 Nights of New York in 1988 - at Finch Cafe with Ntshuks and Mark Hewins in live performance, and with the amazing Ammar Kalia - check out his work at https://www.ammarkalia.com

Evan Parker / Peter Urpeth - Mouth Music

The Wanstead Tap Saturday 15 October 3pm - further details very soon

Evan Parker - saxophones / Peter Urpeth - performance poetry

Delighted to be performing in this duet with the legendary saxophonist, Evan Parker. I’ll be performing poems from my new collection (WTS) - Mouth Music - and from my novel Far Inland. This is a very special project as it combines the poetry with Evan’s saxes in a totally improvised setting. We performed some of these texts before at Appleby Jazz Festival, now we come to the mighty Tap! Dates in your diaries, watch this space for full details. photo credit for Evan - Caroline Forbes

Tartan Heart Festival - Belladrum 2022 -

28-30 July

If you are heading to Bella this July - come and say hello! I have the immense privilege to be interviewing Edwyn Collins (Up close and Personal Stage), as well as hosting the Verb Garden sessions with Christopher Brookmyre, Jenny Colgan and David Alston. See you there!

Full festival details and tickets here

Such Music (Un-episode) - Roger Turner / Peter Urpeth Duet

Thanks to Rihards T Endriksons for including my duet with Roger Turner in this fab collage of sounds on Resonance 104.4fm - listen here
Featuring music by:
Joe Morris and Ben Hall; Signe K. Emmeluth, Dag Erik Knedal Andersen, Magnus Skavhaug Nergaard; rachel musson; Cooper Moore and Stephen Gauci; Anthony Braxton; John Yao; Finn Loxbo; Barry Guy; MAW (Frank Meadows, Jessica Ackerley and Eli Wallace); Pat Thomas, XT (Seymour Wright & Paul Abbott) and Will Holder; Peter Urpeth & Roger Turner.

Poetry Now! XpoNorth 2022

Peter Urpeth interviews Michael Pedersen and Joelle Taylor….

This was an honour to do!

The boom in interest in poetry shows no sign of decline. From the emergence of ‘Instapoets’ with their millions of followers, to increased traditional book sales, sell-out readings, slams and spoken word events, poetry is clearly more and more accessible, necessary and relevant to our daily lives than ever before. So where are we now? Where is poetry publishing now? Where is poetry performance now? What are the key considerations, the options and opportunities for writers to take their poetry and spoken word works to new audiences? What’s driving this change? In this session, we are joined by two of the UK’s ground-breaking poets, Neu Reekie’s Michael Pedersen, and this year’s TS Eliot Prize-winning poet, Joelle Taylor. Chaired by Peter Urpeth

XpoNorth 2022 - Indie authors working with literary agents - with John Jarrold, Amy Collins and Peter Urpeth

I am delighted to present this session from XpoNorth 2022…

Industry innovation and timely explorations of key market developments have long been running programme themes of the XpoNorth conference- and this session, featuring two leading international literary agents, will explore ways in which agents and indie authors can and are working together. Both John Jarrold and Amy Collins represent indie authors as well as those who choose the traditional route to publishing, and this insightful session will explore the key considerations in such representations. Our panel will also offer a general guide on the opportunities for indie authors and literary agents in this emerging field, and discuss the changing landscape of rights against the rising strength of self-publishing.

XpoNorth 2022 - Minted! Making an NFT E-Book - with Laurence O’Bryan & Peter Urpeth

In this unique step-by-step session, Laurence O’Bryan, author and founder of BooksGoSocial.com, will discuss the considerations, benefits and key dos and don’ts for authors thinking of producing an NFT ebook - and will demonstrate the process live! This is a must-see session for all authors, whether self-publishing or traditionally published, and for broader creatives working in any medium looking to get into NFTs as part of their work and marketing practice. This hugely insightful session will also see Laurence demystifying the mechanics of the process and explore and explain the BooksGoSocial.com approach.

The 4000 Nights of New York in 1988 - live poetry and sound by Peter Urpeth debuts at Dark Skies

Performing at: The Hebridean Dark Skies Festival, An Lanntair, Stornoway - February 2022

full details here

The 4000 Nights of New York in 1988 is a live performance work combining poetry and soundscapes by Peter Urpeth, which explores the nature and boundaries of memory and memoir. This is a tale of love found and lost in London and New York.

Enduring psychological collapse and recovery, the poet and musician is forced to confront the untimely death of his New York muse, and he journeys back into what remains of the fragmented memories of their brief, chaotic and disruptive love in order to try and come to terms with her loss and to recover her haunting spirit.

But where does memoir and memory begin and end? And what of the narratives we construct of ourselves for ourselves in order to survive?

Peter Urpeth is a musician and writer, whose poetry has been widely published and anthologised in Scotland and beyond. As a pianist, Peter has enjoyed a professional career working in improvised and experimental music across the UK and Europe and as a composer of scores for film and stage.

The Free Improvisation Pod - now on Bandcamp

The second series of The Free Improv Pod is now live on cast and Bandcamp! Episode one of the second series is an interview with Eddie Prevost…

‘Music has never wanted to be captive and here it isn’t. Delightfully free.’

Ken Cheetham

Review of the Peter Urpeth Quartet Live at Cafe Oto - Jazz Views, March 2021

Thanks to Ken Cheetham at Jazz Views for a lovely review of The Quartet’s latest recording release, available now on bandcamp. The review is here

‘This is very connected music, thoroughly enjoyable and engrossing. It is penetratingly free music. The ways in which you listen will affect what you hear, as much as the ways in which it is created. Bonga’s playing helps turn the music to liquid, a liquid full of sand, like waves churned up by a thunderous sea. It is forcefully insolent, croaky, scratchy, yet sometimes muffled. It calls to you to lose the beloved riff – why plagiarise? Music has never wanted to be captive and here it isn’t. Delightfully free.’
Ken Cheetham

Peter Urpeth Quartet - Live at Cafe Oto

I am delighted to announce the launch of a new quartet recording featuring Ntshuks Bonga (saxophones), Terry Day (drums / percussion) and Olie Brice (bass), with me, Peter Urpeth (piano). This band has been performing and recording together for five years, and arose out of the collective improvisation projects of the duet between Terry Day and Peter Urpeth.

This recording was made at a gig at London’s Cafe Oto in July 2019, and is the band’s second live recording from that leading venue. At the time we did not know that six months later, our lives and work as musicians would be silenced by the pandemic. The loss of live music has been a shock and a damaging detriment to many in their daily lives. For us, releasing these concert recordings keeps that connection going for when we can play again and be with the community of creative music.

Live at Cafe Oto is available for download at bandcamp, see link below.

Peter Urpeth - “These are challenging times, and to go through them without live music has been shocking.

“This quartet represents for me a fundamental expression of the power of improvisation in jazz, the openness of the players, the equality of its elements, the commitment of its performers.

This means and mode of production in music is an immensely powerful signifier of the possibility of true community in society. This for me is creative joy, made with an intensity of commitment and purpose.”

Perfecting Your Pitch -

Ahead of XpoNorth's Tweet Pitch for Writers this Friday - the video of our webinar on perfecting your pitch is now available. Full of of tips, insights and very good advice, it features literary agent Jenny Brown, and Publishing Scotland's Vikki Reilly, with me in the chair.

And don't forget, XpoNorth's Tweet Pitch is 15 January from 9am - full details at xponorth.co.uk

Black Eyewear

I am delighted to be working with Black Eyewear - check out their amazing journal, very honoured to be featured in this interview, and to wear the designs of Robert Roope. Interview is here

Latvia Radio 3

On 29 July, Latvian Classical Radio are broadcasting a special feature programme on my music - available here

In Memorium Gloria DeNard

Manna - Jazz and Survival in East Harlem

A documentary by Peter Urpeth

I am posting this documentary film free on you tube in memory of the late Gloria DeNard who died in June 2020, and whose 53 years of work in supporting her community in East Harlem and in the Manna House Workshops it records. The full story of Manna House and this film can be found on the main menu above.