Here's a quick catch up on what some of Ink Sweat & Tears readers and contributors have been getting up to or are planning over the next few weeks...

• This coming Thursday (14th August) Hannah Silva is taking part in the London Poetry Systems at the Flea Pit, Columbia Road, London. The event, which features Hannah plus Under Da Poetree plus Catherine Martindale (Poeticat) plus LPS poets and AV artists, starts at 7:30pm, tickets £5 & £3. For more details visit www.londonpoetrysystems.com/LPS/Events.html

• John Irvine of the Preshrunk Press in New Zealand is calling for submissions for a conceptual anthology of speculative poetry and art he is publishing in 2009. If you are a poet and/or an artist and are interested, please read the attached document Call for submissions.doc at the foot of this posting.

• Snappy Day is a new CD of music and poetry from the Callander Poetry Weekend, which took place in Scotland earlier this year. The CD costs £5.50 and copies are available from Poetry Scotland www.poetryscotland.co.uk

• Sandra Simpson has been in touch to draw our attention to the Katikati Haiku Competition being in New Zealand... Cash prizes totalling $NZ80 in the senior section; $NZ55 in the junior. Proceeds to the Katikati Haiku Pathway project. Send 2 copies of each poem with 1 copy only including your name & contact details (if entering in the junior section also include your age). For results send ssae or include e-mail address. Results will be announced during Katikati's Mural Festival (September 29-October 4) and winning poems published in Bravado literary journal. Send unpublished poems only (broadcast or appearance on the internet is deemed to constitute publication). Deadline: in hand August 30. Cost: 18 & over: $NZ5/3 haiku or $NZ2/haiku; or $US5/3 haiku or $US2/haiku. 17 & under: $NZ1 for up to 2 haiku or $US1/2 haiku. Send entries to: Katikati Haiku Contest, PO Box 183, Katikati, New Zealand. No email entries. Sandra is also the secretary of the New Zealand Poetry Society's Katikati Haiku Pathway committee – for details visit www.poetrysociety.org.nz/katikati-haiku-pathway

• New York poet & singer-songwriter David Francis (we reviewed one of his CD's earlier this year) will be touring the UK in September. Here's the provisional gig list...

September 5   Speakeasy Writers' Group, Milton Keynes (guest speaker)
September 7   HFM 102-3 Radio, The Dave Charles Show, Market Harborough (interview)
September 8   Beehive Poets, Bradford (featured poet)
September 9   City Voices, Wolverhampton (poetry reading)
September 10  Monochrome Museum (interview)
September 12  Kontra Roots Club, Woodford (singer-songwriter)
September 14  Wilmorton Poetry Group, Derby (poet & singer-songwriter)
September 15  The Golden Fleece, Nottingham (featured singer-songwriter)
September 17  209 Radio 105-FM, Headstand, Cambridge (interview)
September 18  Mosaic Music Club, Leicester (featured singer-songwriter)
September 25  Rhythm 'n' Muse, London (featured singer-songwriter)