Author Archives: garylongden

John Donne Day, Polesworth Abbey 2013, 400th Anniversary Celebration

Posted on April 2, 2013 by garylongden

Donne rightly enjoys a position amongst the poetic greats of the English language. The 2nd April, the day of this event ,was the 400th anniversary of Donne’s celebrated poem Good Friday, 1613, Riding Westward, reputedly inspired by his visit to … Continue reading →

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Lichfield Poetry Walk, Sun Mar 17th, 2013

Posted on March 25, 2013 by garylongden

All photos by, and reproduced with kind permission of, Gary Carr. Almost a year ago, I attended a poetry walk in Hartington, led by Derbyshire Stanza. They meet monthly, and invited Birmingham Stanza to join them for the day. It … Continue reading →

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Arthur and George by David Edgar, Sutton Arts Theatre Co @ Sutton Arts Theatre

Posted on March 22, 2013 by garylongden

Modern day television and cinema enjoys crime thrillers as staple fare. Local author David Edgar has produced a stage play which taps into that contemporary interest whilst looking backwards a century to the story of George Edalji. Edalji was born … Continue reading →

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March 2013 – What’s On, Midlands Spoken Word

Posted on March 1, 2013 by garylongden

Festivals Mar 1st- 10th Independent Bath Literary Festival http://bathfestivals.org.uk/literature/ Sat 16th -24th Mar, Oxford Literary Festival, a superstar laden event: http://oxfordliteraryfestival.org/ ———————————————————————————————————– Day by Day Fri 1st March Poets in the Bookshop, Malvern Book Cooperative,2 St Ann’s Road, WR14 4RG … Continue reading →

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A Life in Lists

Posted on February 27, 2013 by garylongden

As a writer, I enjoy how words are put together. I am also struck by the power of lists, stripped of adjectives and verbs, leaving the reader to wonder, and ponder, (if interested) why? Some of these lists are personal, … Continue reading →

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The Woman in White, Garrick Theatre, Lichfield

Posted on February 27, 2013 by garylongden

Period drama is enjoying a popular renaissance with Downton Abbey hugely popular on television, and Steampunk Victoriana gaining traction on the page. Garrick Artistic Director Adrian Jackson continues to have a keen eye for combining the artistically interesting ,with what … Continue reading →

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Quadrophenia Comes to Tamworth

Posted on February 19, 2013 by garylongden

Quadrophenia is coming to Tamworth Assembly Rooms on May 24th and 25th 2013 with Tamworth Repertory Company in association with Fired Up Theatre, by kind permission of Pete Townshend and Paul Curran of Eel Pie Publishing. The project is being … Continue reading →

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Spoken Worlds, Old Cottage Tavern, Burton upon Trent

Posted on February 18, 2013 by garylongden

Now in its fourth year Spoken Worlds continues to go from strength to strength. Tonight a strong roster of performers appeared with a typically diverse range of talent. Rather than simply report on the evening I think it is worth … Continue reading →

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Mouth & Music Valentines Special- Boars Head, Kidderminster

Posted on February 13, 2013 by garylongden

The Boars Head is ideal for Mouth & Music. The upstairs room is self contained and big enough to take a good size audience, but compact enough to create atmosphere. The landlord and staff are supportive, the prices reasonable, and … Continue reading →

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Coffeehouse Poetry, Shrewsbury Coffee House, Castle Gates, Shrewsbury

Posted on February 8, 2013 by garylongden

There was not a table or chair to be had. The stock of china cups and mugs was exhausted. A warm mist appeared on the inside of the windows obscuring the curious glances from passers- by, late comers stood . … Continue reading →

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