Beneath and Beyond the Brushstrokes

Schedule

Wed Mar 25 2026 at 06:15 pm to 07:15 pm

UTC+00:00

Location

Lecture Theatre 3, BC Block, Ulster University Belfast Campus | Belfast, NI

Advertisement
Mark Ward in conversation with Paul Maddern
About this Event

From John Singer Sargent to Francis Bacon and Keith Haring – covering romantic landscapes and surreal portraits – Masters curates a gallery of writing in response to paintings by queer men. Mark Ward’s voice inks that of the artist, the subject, and the viewer across poems exploring desire, grief, shame, defiance and surrender.

Tender and daring, Masters goes in search of a shared queer male history across the past century, and invites us to look more deeply at the worlds beneath and beyond the brushstrokes.

Join Mark Ward, as he reads from and discusses the creation of Masters with fellow poet, Paul Maddern.

Mark Ward is the author of Nightlight (Salmon Poetry, 2023) and six pamphlets, the most recent of which is Masters (The Emma Press, 2025). His work has been widely published at home and abroad. He is a three-time bursary awardee of The Arts Council of Ireland. He founded, and for ten years edited, the LGBTQ+ poetry journal, Impossible Archetype. A second full-length collection, Real Estate, will be published by Salmon Poetry in May 2026.

Paul Maddern has four collections with Templar Poetry, the latest being The Tipping Line, and he edited Queering the Green: Post-2000 Queer Irish Poetry (Lifeboat Press, 2021). He's the recipient of several ACNI awards and he was a James Merrill House Writing Fellow (2023). His poem, Effacé, is studied on the GCSE syllabus and he is the first poet to have received three Bermuda Government Literary Awards. Website: https://www.paulmaddern.com/

Advertisement

Where is it happening?

Lecture Theatre 3, BC Block, Ulster University Belfast Campus, York Street, Belfast, United Kingdom

Event Location & Nearby Stays:

Tickets

GBP 0.00

Icon
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Imagine! Belfast Festival of Ideas & Politics

Host or Publisher Imagine! Belfast Festival of Ideas & Politics

Ask AI if this event suits you:

Discover More Events in Belfast

Belfast Wedding Festival at St George's Market
Wed, 25 Mar at 05:00 pm Belfast Wedding Festival at St George's Market

St George's Market, Belfast

FESTIVALS
AI Pulse: Public Attitudes to Artificial Intelligence in NI
Wed, 25 Mar at 06:00 pm AI Pulse: Public Attitudes to Artificial Intelligence in NI

Belfast Campus, Ulster University

ARTIFICIAL-INTELLIGENCE NONPROFIT
The democratic impact of social media abuse towards women in politics
Wed, 25 Mar at 06:00 pm The democratic impact of social media abuse towards women in politics

Canada Room, Main Lanyon Building, Queen's University Belfast

Gathering in the glow
Wed, 25 Mar at 06:00 pm Gathering in the glow

Crescent Arts Centre

ART WORKSHOPS
Be prepared - civil food resilience in the face of change
Wed, 25 Mar at 06:30 pm Be prepared - civil food resilience in the face of change

The Great Hall - Queen's University Belfast

ART HEALTH-WELLNESS
Soultrane and Imagine Festival presents: Beyond the Blue
Wed, 25 Mar at 06:30 pm Soultrane and Imagine Festival presents: Beyond the Blue

Oh Yeah Music Centre

FESTIVALS MUSIC
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Wed, 25 Mar at 07:30 pm Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

94 Belvoir Drive, BT8 7DJ Belfast, United Kingdom

ART THEATRE
Mhairi Black: Politics Isn\u2019t For Me
Wed, 25 Mar at 07:30 pm Mhairi Black: Politics Isn’t For Me

Mandela Hall

FESTIVALS
Sojourner Open Mic Night
Fri, 06 Feb at 06:30 pm Sojourner Open Mic Night

Templemore Baths

OPEN-MIC PERFORMANCES
Wonderful Wander
Sat, 07 Feb at 01:30 pm Wonderful Wander

Belfast Lanyon Place Railway Station

Masterclass A: "Responding to Image and Memory" - with Jason Lovell
Sun, 08 Feb at 11:00 am Masterclass A: "Responding to Image and Memory" - with Jason Lovell

The ARC (Arts Resource Centre)

ART LITERARY-ART
Masterclass B: "Teasing out a Theme" - with Stephanie Conn
Sun, 08 Feb at 11:00 am Masterclass B: "Teasing out a Theme" - with Stephanie Conn

The ARC (Arts Resource Centre)

ART LITERARY-ART
This Is Not a Love Song
Sun, 08 Feb at 02:30 pm This Is Not a Love Song

The Harrison Chambers of Distinction

ART LITERARY-ART
Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Transform Our Health with Daisy Fancourt
Wed, 11 Feb at 08:00 pm Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Transform Our Health with Daisy Fancourt

Crescent Arts Centre

ART HEALTH-WELLNESS
NISF X LUMI: Alphaville
Wed, 11 Feb at 08:45 pm NISF X LUMI: Alphaville

Queen's Film Theatre, Belfast

FESTIVALS ART
The Listening Room
Fri, 13 Feb at 07:00 pm The Listening Room

Native

ART MUSIC
Masterclass D: "The Poetry of Surviving and Thriving" - with Shelley Tracey
Sun, 15 Feb at 11:00 am Masterclass D: "The Poetry of Surviving and Thriving" - with Shelley Tracey

The ARC (Arts Resource Centre)

ART LITERARY-ART
Masterclass C: "Woods to Words: Writing Eco-poetry" - with Emma Must
Sun, 15 Feb at 11:00 am Masterclass C: "Woods to Words: Writing Eco-poetry" - with Emma Must

The ARC (Arts Resource Centre)

ART LITERARY-ART
Blueprints: How mathematics shapes creativity with Marcus du Sautoy
Sun, 15 Feb at 12:00 pm Blueprints: How mathematics shapes creativity with Marcus du Sautoy

Whitla Hall

ART FINE-ARTS
Manic Comedy *All Open Mic Special!*
Mon, 16 Feb at 08:00 pm Manic Comedy *All Open Mic Special!*

The American Bar

OPEN-MIC COMEDY

What's Happening Next in Belfast?

Discover Belfast Events