Interview and poetry reading for "Van Morrison and Me" on BBC World Service 21 Jan 2017

I was asked to take part in a radio program "Van Morrison and Me", hosted by journalist John McCarthy. It spoke not only to Sir Van Morrison about his creative journey but to other writers and artists about the impact Morrison's work has had on them.

It was a pleasure and an honour to meet John McCarthy, and discuss the effect Van's iconic album Astral Weeks has had on me. I also read The Way Young Lovers Do for the program. It was humbling to hear John McCarthy and Brian Keenan discuss how Van Morrison's music had helped them keep their faith and memories alive during the five years they were held hostage by Islamic Jihad terrorists in Lebanon.

Testament to Morrison's music and the power that music and poetry have. It can be life changing and life saving and these seemed to be the touchstones for all of us taking part in the programme. Dr. Eamonn Hughes was interviewed, and also crime novelist Ian Rankin, who also spoke of the power Morrison's music has had on him at crucial points in his life. Musician Glen Hansard also took part in the programme and performed Into The Mystic a song of Van Morrison's that he was particularly moved by.

Click here to listen on BBC iPlayer (before Tuesday 21st February 2017)

My poem "Greta and Me" published in SMEAR, poetry anthology, edited by Greta Bellamacina, published by New River Press 16 Dec 2016

A while ago, I wrote a poem that was different to others I've written recently. It was a love poem dedicated to a friend, my friend Greta Bellamacina. And not so long after I wrote it, I was walking around barefoot in the garden, talking to Greta on the phone. Half an hour in she asked if I had any poems for women because she was putting together an anthology. An anthology for girls, by girls. So it was all serendipitous.

The name of the anthology SMEAR, is enough to make any woman wince slightly. Maybe that's the point. I love Greta for putting this together, published by her and Robert Montgomery's New River Press. I'm honoured to be featured alongside talented ladies I've had the pleasure of getting to know this year, like Greta, Rosalind Jana, and Luisa Le Voguer Couyet. And I look forward to discovering a whole selection of new poetic voices.

In an article on the anthology Dazed and Confused magazine noted that SMEAR is the first time Russian poet Galina Rymbu has been published in English. So it's exciting to be part of it, to have a poem on the inside, and my eyes on the front cover, outside.

Poetry reading at The Troubadour, Coffee House Poetry Night 12 Dec 2016

Anne-Marie Fyfe invited me to read a poem at the final Coffee Hose poetry night of the year. It is always with such joy and pride that I get to read at The Troubadour. Established in the 1950's and through the 1960's it became a focal point for London's burgeoning creative outpouring. Private Eye was conceived there and distributed, and Bob Dylan performed there in the early 1960's. Anne-Marie Fyfe and Cahal Dallat have been running the the Coffee House poetry nights for the past 20 years. It is not open mic. Anne-Marie chooses and curates the evening through poets she believes in, some she has encountered and heard through her workshop, some reading their poems are also war correspondents and professors. Anne-Marie and Cahal are both prolific poets, and recently went on a tour of the U.S reading their work. Anne-Marie was also head of the Poetry Society. It is always an evening packed full of high quality work, very rich in variety.

The theme was Here Comes The Night, I read my poem Possession from my second collection The Lock And The Key. Surely a capturing of an element of the night. The spiritual and the sexual channeled through the conduit of love. That's how the poem came through me. The only way it could. I felt extremely emotional reading, full of joy and gratitude. I led a round of applause for Anne-Marie, to thank her for the evening, her faith in me, everything. I will always be grateful to her. I respect her deeply. After my reading I sat back on the wooden bench in the basement and let the poetry wash over me. Everyone listens intently to everyone else, the focus is the work, the art, the person, who has left, whatever obstacles or privileges or limitations behind as they step onto the stage and share their words. Everyone else in the room willing them on.

Ron Villanueva was present, it is always a pleasure to hear him read. I also got to see my friend Katarina, a young writer herself, who I look forward to hearing perform. We teamed up with her and managed to get the third prize in the quiz held in the intermission.

I look forward to the start of the Coffee House poetry season next year.

Poetry reading at No Alibis Bookstore, Belfast, Northern Ireland 06 Dec 2016

I had a great time tonight reading my poetry at No Alibis Bookstore here in Belfast. No Alibis is an independent bookstore in its 20th year run by Dave Torrance and his wonderful team. Stephen Connelly acted as MC and introduced Andy Eaton, the first poet of the night. Andy and I had met before at the Lit Up Inside event in September, but this was the first time I heard him read from his new collection Sprung Nocturne. I loved his stark, haunting words and although it was a full audience of 50 in the shop, they were completely silent and receptive to his every word. I was particularly moved by a poem he had written about his grandfather who had been a POW in Indonesia.

Afterwards it was my turn, I moved from the front row to the lectern on stage. From where I stood, I could make out the silhouettes of the audience. I opened with Functioning, and did five more poems, before it was time for some music from Darkling Air. Dave had said they were good, but he didn't say how good. Rachel McCarthy has a truly beautiful, evocative voice, and it's paired perfectly with the wonderful keys from Michael Keeney. I don't think they realise how good they are. They were really mesmerising. After they gave us some songs from their album Untamed and Beloved, I was back on for my second half. I had so much fun. Although I've said many of these poems continuously through the course of readings during this year (and loved every minute of it) I was aware that, because, this was my first time reading my own words in Belfast, it was being heard for the first time by the audience. Once I'd finished we had more poems from Andy, who read us two new pieces to close. The Darkling Air then rounded off the evening with some more beautiful music.

Afterwards I got to chat with members of the audience and sign copies of The Lock And The Key and Rocking Underground. I was overwhelmed with their positive feedback, glad the night had been as electric for them as it had been for me.

I spoke to one lady who said she had enjoyed the new unpublished poem I had read. She also told me that she had been using some of my poems at the Crescent Arts Centre in Belfast for workshops with adults recovering from cancer. I was incredibly moved and honoured that my work could be of service in that way. Surely, the purpose of art is to be of service, to move its audience in some way. I bought a copy of Darkling Airs album, Untamed and Beloved, (great name no?) and also Andy Eaton's collection Sprung Nocturne.

Also in attendance were Sir Van Morrison and Kerry Adamson, two dear people who have been so supportive and encouraging of my work and who have become friends. Being one of my creative hero’s, I’m honoured whenever Sir Van has attended one of my readings. And it was because he asked me to read his lyrics at the Lit Up Inside/Aspects Festival that I became acquainted with No Alibis. At the Lit Up Inside event I also met Dr.Eamonn Hughes, and it was great to catch up with him at the reading. Eamonn and I are also collaborating on a project for the BBC which will be out next year.

Later on we all headed to local French restaurant L’Etoile, that had a relaxed, welcoming vibe. We hung out and chatted till midnight talking music, poetry, books and travel. Dave impressed everybody when he announced he’d once found a first edition of Ulysses in Colorado.

I truly feel so lucky and grateful that I get to do what I love, and share it with new people all over the world, from all walks of life, and have the privileged to meet such talented artists.

No Alibi presented me with a hardback book of my collected works, both Rocking Underground and The Lock And The Key in one binding. The front cover papers were designs by Frank Lloyd Wright and the binding had been done by Liam McLaughun, a craftsman local to Belfast who had learnt the trade when he was sixteen, and has bound books for the Vatican. I was blown away by such a beautiful gesture.

No Alibi are passionate, their ethos and commitment remind me of our friends over at Shakespeare and Company. People who believe in craft and literature and nurture new, emerging talent. I can’t wait to return.

Poetry reading at Burberry, 5 Virgo Street, London 21 Nov 2016

My dear friend and fellow poet Greta Bellamancina asked me to read a few poems at a poetry reading she was hosting at Burberry at their Thomas Burberry Café, off Regents Street. As Burberry is such a great British institution, the theme of the night was poems based loosely on the idea of Great Britain.

The first person I saw when I arrived was Rosalind Jana, although we hadn't met before we recognised each other and began discussing the pro's and con's of the city Vs the county side, and which was more conducive to writing. We were quickly joined by our fellow poets George Khayat, Greta, and Robert Montgomery for the poetic communion. I read my poem Ocean and a new unpublished piece. George also read some new work from his laptop, something he had written that day in fact. It is always great to see George, he took part in my first poetry reading at the Worlds End Bookshop in 2013, so it always reminds me of how far we have both come.

It was such a treat to finally hear Rosalind Jana read her poetry live, she is a wonderful performer and there was a strong voice in her poetry. She too read something she had finished that day. Greta and Robert both read from their collections, published by their New River Press, and as always I loved hearing them. Robert said how great it was to see so many creative women together, in true Bluestocking Style. He also emphasised that we were all peers and that anyone who wanted to should get up and read a favourite poem or something that is meaningful to them even if they are not a "poet". Musicians Rae Morris and Oscar Dunbar read some of their beautiful lyrics, and Poppy Jamie, Lillie Rage and Gala Gordon shared some poems that were dear to their hearts.

Everybody was connected and attentive to each reader. I loved it, and sometimes feel most relaxed when I'm able to share and listen to poetry. Thank you to Greta for inviting me and having the vision to pull us all together and thank you to Burberry for having us!

Video: The World's End Bookshop, Chelsea 12 Nov 2016

2nd Anniversary of the release of Rocking Underground 05 Nov 2016

On the one hand I can't believe it's two years, it feels much longer as so much has happened since my first collection came out.

Some of these poems I wrote on the train, on a plane, to strange destinations and futile situations. Either way I was channeling and my first collection was being formed without my knowledge. Obviously it was a massive landmark for me. Much has changed since it came out. Either way I'm grateful. Very very grateful. Thank you to all who bought it and continue to do so.

Poetry reading at the Coffee House Poetry Night at The Troubadour, Brompton Road, London 17 Oct 2016

Anne-Marie Fyfe invited me to do a ten minute reading along with 7 other poets. All our styles and backgrounds varied, and part of what I love about the Anne-Marie's poetry nights at the Troubadour, besides the honour of being asked to read, is the incredible quality and variety of poetry I hear from everyone else.

I performed in the second half, I started with my poem Cut Up, which was followed by Feathers, a new unpublished poem, then Possession, Ocean, and finally Euphoric Kiss.

Thank you to everybody that came, I got to meet some new friends and reconnect with some old ones too. And all thanks and gratitude to Anne-Marie Fyfe for inviting me.

Scarlett featured in GQ Magazine 11 Oct 2016

Hotfoot from her performance at Lit Up Inside, the one-night celebration in Belfast of the lyrics of Van Morrison - where she lined up with fellow Van fans novelist Ian Rankin, actress Sex and The City actress Kim Cattrall and Pulitzer Prize-winning wordsmith Paul Muldoon - new poetry sensation Scarlett Sabet has granted GQ this video exclusive (Feathers).

Filmed at London’s Leighton House, where the splendour of the baroque interiors matches Sabet’s pre-Raphaelite beauty, the 27-year-old reads the heartfelt Feathers from her new, self-published collection The Lock And The Key.

"Scarlett Sabet is making poetry interesting again" Van Morrison, October 2016

That’s not to say Sabet’s work is inaccessible; "Rocking Underground", the title poem from her first collection, imagines the wild inner workings of the minds of the tube travellers she observes to and from work.

Live, Sabet infuses her performances with “a rhythmic insistence and a reading style that captivates audiences”, says Anne–Marie Fyfe, who has organised poetry nights at the Troubadour for 18 years. “Scarlett’s poems are urban and on-the-edge, with huge vitality and openness.”

Brought up in Surrey of Iranian extraction, Sabet studied acting and performance, appearing in low-budget films as well as episodes of Peep Show and Skins before finding her métier.

“Sure I had my Spice Girls phase like other girls but via my parents I also knew all about Van, Bob Dylan, Patti Smith and PJ Harvey, all of those people working in a strong lyrical tradition,” says Sabet, whose ambitions include reading her poetry at San Francisco’s City Lights Books amid the ghosts of her heroes Allen Ginsburg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Jack Kerouac.

Copies of Rocking Underground and The Lock And The Key are available now

Interview with Paul Gorman at Leighton House Museum, London 28 Sep 2016

I recently sat down with my friend; the writer and curator Paul Gorman. Paul reviewed my first book Rocking Underground, so here, we sat down to talk about The Lock And The Key, and chatted about childhood, books, family, poets, music, references, influences and inspiration. We chatted away in the magnificent setting of Leighton House, now a museum, it was once the studio of Lord Leighton, a very inspiring setting.

Thank you to the wonderful people at Leighton House for being so generous and letting us visit. Thank you to Paul Gorman for being so brilliant, having faith in me and encouraging me through the years.

I hope you enjoy the videos and podcast!

Poetry reading at Atlantis Bookshop, Museum Street, Bloomsbury, London 27 Sep 2016

I had a beautiful, very special evening tonight. I was reading poems from The Lock And The Key and Rocking Underground, in the iconic Atlantis bookshop. It was an intimate setting, with an audience of around 25 people, all from different channels, but all there tied by their love of Atlantis and and their love of poetry. In additon to my published work, I decided to introduce a new, recently written poem into the set. I thought if I were to perform it for the first time anywhere, surely, it should be there. After my reading I enjoyed the chance to talk to everybody there and sign books for everyone. It had been a particularly special reading for me, I felt so overwhelmed with gratitude, and that positive energy seemed to be running through everybody. I was truly touched by the feedback I received.

The shop is run by the wonderful Geraldine Beskin and her lovely daughter Bali. Atlantis was founded by Michael Houghton in 1922, and afterwards Geraldine's father ran the shop before Geraldine took over at the age of 19. It has been running now for 94 years and is Londons oldest independent occult bookshop, with associations to artists and writers such as Austin Osman Spare, Aleister Crowley, W.B Yeats and D.H Lawrence .

Lit Up Inside poetry reading/gig with Sir Van Morrison, as part of the 25th Annual Aspects Festival, Belfast, Northern Ireland 21 Sep 2016

On the 12th March, Sir Van Morrison asked me to take part in the Lit Up Inside event. He asked me to choose lyrics from his book published by Faber and Faber. I already knew this book very well. In Christmas 2014, one of the books Jimmy Page gave me was Lit Up Inside. So it proved to be talismanic.

Astral Weeks is one of my all time favourite albums, my parents played the vinyl of it when I was a child a lot and I've continued listening to it in adulthood. I chose The Way Young Lovers Do, as it is so evocative of the first flushes of infatuation, love and sex, getting high off someone's breath, and also the beauty and absorption of nature, those are the images that come to me when I listen to that song. In addition, I selected On Hyndford Street, a song I hadn't known before discovering it in Lit Up Inside.

On the page it is so concise, and you are immediately dropped into the Belfast Van Morrison grew up in. His summer memories, the books he read, tuning into Radio Luxembourg, and conversations with like minded people. But also I took from it a degree of isolation, and remoteness in his surroundings, how he hungrily seeks out and soaks up whatever culture he could tune into, again this is something that resonated with me, that I identified with from my own childhood.

The event was held in Belfast, at the Culloden Hotel. It was my first time visiting Belfast, a city steeped thickly in history, poetry, and music. I very much wanted to do the best job I could, out of respect to Sir Van, and to the people of Belfast that would be attending. It felt like a serious thing to so, reading his lyircs in his home town. I was joined by an illustrious list of fellow readers, Pulitzer Prize winning poet Paul Muldoon, writer Ian Rankin and the wonderful actress Kim Cattrall, the evening was hosted by Dr. Eamon Hughes. Not having met before, my felllow readers and I were all united in our love for Van Morrison's words and music. The event was sold out, with nearly 400 people attending. First up, Sir Van Morrison was interviewed on stage by Ian Rankin.

Kim Cattrall then joined Sir Van on stage and gave a wonderful rendition of Someone Like You and The Meaning Of Loneliness, accompanied by Sir Van on the guitar. Once they left, I took to the stage, I read On Hyndford Street first, aware that I was listing the places many people in the audience knew well. I then gave my rendition of The Way Young Lovers Do. I felt extremely emotional, the room was so full and the atmosphere was palpable, and I really enjoyed being on stage. Paul Muldoon then took to the stage to give his reading which included a very moving rendition of Madame George. During the interval I signed copies of my books Rocking Underground and The Lock And The Key, I was able to speak with members of the audience and I was really overwhelmed at their response to the reading. Afterwards, we were all treated to a performance from Sir Van of songs from his new album, Keep Me Singing.

I am so glad to have been part of such a magical evening. Sir Van Morrison had seen me do a poetry reading at The Troubadour in May 2015, and I am truly touched and honoured that, from that he decided he wanted me to take part in his event.

Whilst in Belfast, I enjoyed visiting a great independent bookshop called No Alibi, they were the official stockists for the Aspects Festival, everybody working in the shop was so passionate and engaged, it was a real pleasure to get to know . I hope to return soon to Belfast to give a reading of my own.