Author Archives: garylongden

Summer finally arrived on a sweltering Black Country evening as the poetry faithful gathered for another instalment of Emma Purshouse’s Bilston Voices. Emma is something of a poetry evening alchemist, throwing together a disparate concoction of poets, and invariably coming … Continue reading →

Simon Quinn, Director of the Fired Up Theatre Company, with the help of local poet and film maker Mal Dewhirst as associate artistic director, has embarked on producing a stage version of Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” which will play at … Continue reading →

Fizz is a bi-monthly poetry evening held in the august and beautiful surroundings of Polesworth Abbey which this evening was bathed in warm late spring sunshine. An all pervading sense of goodness radiated everywhere in a setting that Donne, Johnson … Continue reading →

In a pre-show chat Crystal Clear Creator co-director Maria Taylor Shindig described Shindig to me as, “no ordinary open mic”, an aside which pretty much defines this event, and should be its strap-line. Once again Crystal Clear Creators and Nine … Continue reading →

This monthly event continues to prosper with a committed core of supporters who never fail to produce an evening of high quality and entertaining poetry in a relaxed and supportive environment. By chance, several poets chose to dip into their … Continue reading →

Heather Wastie led this May’s instalment of Mouth & Music for which another good sized crowd gathered to see a strong open mic bill, and headliners The Decadent Divas. Heather also took the opportunity to rally support to challenge Kidderminster … Continue reading →

This long running event continues to prosper under the careful curatorship of Anthony R Owen who this month had invited Sarah James from Worcestershire to be guest poet. Sarah is a sought after performer at these events due to her … Continue reading →

I am fond of seeing Shakespeare performed in public houses as it recreates the milieu in which the plays would originally have been performed. The Lamp Tavern itself is an old, characterful , intimate, backstreet place, in which you bump … Continue reading →