Midlands Poetry What’s On April 2014

Posted on April 28, 2014 by garylongden

Festival News

The big poetry festival is in Much Wenlock on 25th-27th April. Now an established event, highlights include Simon Armitage, John Hegley, Emma Purshouse, Sally Crabtree and Frieda Hughes. The slam on Saturday night is the traditional highlight. Nine Arches and Silhouette presses are hosting events, the former hosted by the ubiquitous Jo Bell, be there, I will!
http://www.wenlockpoetryfestival.org/

Day by day

Tues 1st The Y Theatre,7 East Street, LE1 6EY Leicester, United Kingdom. at 8:00pm – 10:30pm.You certainly won’t be a fool if you come down to The Y on 1st April for our Night of ‘The North’, with very special guests, Peter and Ann Sansom.Peter and Ann are co-directors of The Poetry Business, a poetry publisher and writer development agency and co-editors of The North magazine and Smith-Doorstop books. They are both highly regarded poets and performers of their work.Peter Sansom has published Writing Poems (Bloodaxe) and five collections with Carcanet, including a recent Selected Poems. He has been writer in residence with M&S, company poet with Prudential, and Fellow in Poetry at both Leeds and Manchester Universities. Ann Sansom is a poet, playwright and tutor. She has published six collections of poetry; had work published in several Forward/Faber anthologies, Russian Vogue and a range of other publications. She has also written and directed plays for stage and radio.Her two full-length poetry collections are published by Bloodaxe.We will be out to celebrate the achievements of The Poetry Business, of whom Peter and Ann are Directors, specifically though, ‘of The North’ magazine which they edit. ‘The North’ is one of the most prestigious poetry magazines in the UK and we and, as well as celebrating its success with Peter and Ann we have guest slots from Roy Marshall and Maria Taylor, both of whom have been published in ‘The North’.Compere on the night, Pam Thompson, has been published in there too.
WORD! is the longest-running spoken word, open mic night in the Midlands. Visuals and film are provided by our resident film-maker, Keith Allott, and music by The Y’s Martin Pole.Doors open at 8pm Sign up for the open-mic with compere, Pam at 7pm Entry £4/£3

Wed 2nd Mac, Birmingham, 6.30pm free, Following the great success of this type of event after its first outing at the Bedlam festival at the Birmingham Rep, we are repeating it at Mac. First half- readings of well known and loved poems for good times and bad. Readers will include Polly Wright, Mandy Ross, Laurence Inman, Terina Talbot, Jane Campion Hoye. Eugene Egan and Alison Belbin. Second half- open Mic. Bring along your favourite poems to share, either by you, or famous people!

Wed 2nd Spire Writes, white swan, Chesterfield, 7.30pm, free,
We’re back with another excellent poetic double bill in April, plus the usual open mic. This time our guests are John McCullough (all the way from Brighton) and Ben Wilkinson.

John McCullough’s first collection of poems The Frost Fairs (Salt) won the Polari First Book Prize for 2012. It was a Book of the Year for both The Independent and The Poetry School, and a summer read for The Observer. John lives in Hove, and teaches creative writing for the Open University and New Writing South. He has two cats, and a love of dictionaries, obscure words and punctuation marks.

Ben Wilkinson was born in Stafford in 1985 and lives in Sheffield. His pamphlet The Sparks was published in 2008 by tall-lighthouse, and his writing has been shortlisted for the Picador Poetry Prize, the Society of Authors’ Eric Gregory Award, and the Poetry Society’s Geoffrey Dearmer Prize. His poems have appeared in Poetry Review, the Guardian, The Spectator and, more recently, Liverpool Football Club Monthly. He works as a critic and editor, reviewing new poetry for the Guardian and the Times Literary Supplement, and as an editor for the Poetry Archive.Open mic slots (one poem each) available on the night or sign up in advance.Free entry. Real ale. Real poetry. Etc etc.

Thurs 3rd Blackdrop,Top Dog Gourmet 53 Lenton Boulvard/ Church Street junction. Nottingham
8-10pm We hope you will be joining us for this, your next delicious helping of Blackdrop .We are featuring a dynamic woman comedienne/poet/storyteller/actor called ISHI KHAN-JACKSON. Plus the usual open mic and BIG VIBES.

Thurs 3rd The Shrewsbury Coffeehouse,5 Castle Gates, SY1 2AE Shrewsbury,7.30pm Shropshire An evening of booked readings from Charles Wilkinson, Colin Sutherill, Bill Milner, Olli Jones, Jeff Phelps, Carol Forrester

Tues 8th City Voices Second Tuesday 19:30 the Lych Gate Tavern, 44 Queens Square Wolverhamtpton, it’s down the walkway by Barclays bank the leads to the Civic Centre with Simon Fletcher, set bill.

Tues 8th Mouth n Music, Boars Head, Kiddermisnstaer, 7.30pm.A duologue is a dialogue for 2 people. This will be the theme for April. Open mic performers are invited to pair up and snap up 10 MINUTE COLLABORATIVE SLOTS. Open slots can be booked from 7.30 on the night.

Our features are:

Writers DAVID CALCUTT and NADIA KINGSLEY who will present part of their piece Road Kill which tells of the secret lives of our native animals, from town to country where fact and myth may mingle.

As a complete contrast, featured band BLEEDING HEARTS will mix political ranting with up tempo melodies.

Sarah Tamar will be MC.

http://www.mouthandmusic.co.uk

Thurs 10th Pure and Good and Right,Fox and Vivian pub, Leamington Spa, 7.30pm

“This month’s guest is not one poet, but a whole collective.

Beatfreeks are arguably the UK’s most important youth poetry group.

Their regular Poetry Jam and Soul Sessions nights can see as many as 50 young poets and singers gathering to support one another and express their supreme talents.

If you ever lacked hope for humanity and thought our youth doomed, this night will restore faith in unforgettable ways.”

And finally, if you fancy a go at performing your own poetry/spoken word or even music, come along to The Fox And Vivian on Thursday, where an appreciative audience awaits!

Only £3 which goes towards the expenses of our fantastic guest headline act.

Thurs 10th ,Worcester SpeakEasy, The Old Rectifying House, North Parade, Worcester WR1 3 NN,In April “Worcester SpeakEasy” at:

****THE OLD RECIFYING HOUSE****

Worcester, at 7.30 pm, on Thursday, April 10th … all invited.

“Worcester SpeakEasy” is a monthly event of poetry and prose from the page and the stage (and a little music now and then), which takes place on the second Thursday of each month. The event promotes, showcases and encourages writers from the whole of Worcestershire and further afield; there is an invited headline poet each month. If you’d like to book a slot for April, please email Maggie and Fergus at speakeasy.litfest@gmail.com, or leave a message on our Facebook page.

May’s running order will soon be shown below, if you haven’t got a slot and would like to take part then four, two-minute open mic slots will be available on the night: whether you are a seasoned performer or a complete novice – we want to hear from you!

The event is brought to you by your very own Worcestershire LitFest & Fringe, via Poet Laureate Emeritus Maggie Doyle and the incorrigible Fergus McGonigal, SpeakEasy’s host and MC.

Doors open at 7:00pm for a prompt 7:30pm start; we aim to be finished by about 9.45pm.

1 Clive Dee

1st Open Mic

2 Heather Still

3 Leena Batchelor

2nd Open Mic

4 Andrew Owens

INTERVAL of 20 minutes

1 Timothy Stavert

3rd Open Mic

2 Kevin Brooke

3 Cass Osborn

4th Open Mic

4 Damon Lord

Ash Dickinson

fri 11th Poetry and Place, the Hive, Worcester, 7.30pm.

On April 11th there is the first of three poetry events happening at the Hive. The events are organised as a collaboration between the University of Worcester, Ledbury Poetry Festival and the Worcestershire Lit Fest and Fringe.

There will be four poets on the 11th, all for the amazing price of only £5 a ticket. The event starts at 7.30 pm and tickets can be purchased from the Hive. It is a great chance to see some brilliant regional poets read in Worcester.

‘Four poets with assured and distinctive voices for whom ‘place’ is not just the geographical or natural environments that inform the poems but also the human histories that unfold there, the people who are part of the landscape and part of the poem.’

Angela France
Martin Malone
David Caddy
Fiona Sampson

Tickets can be purchased in person from The Hive, Level 1 Information Desk or by phone from the University of Worcester Arena. The phone number for booking enquiries at the Arena is 01905 54 44 44. They can also be purchased from the Arena reception. Arena box office 9 am – 4.30

Tues 15th Lyric Lounge, The Curve, Rutland St Leicester, 7.30pm;
with compere Jess Green

Lyric Lounge, the East Midlands’ celebrated travelling spoken word festival, presents a jam-packed day of local and internationally renowned artists, live literature performances, music, film, masterclasses, open-mic sessions and family-friendly activities, for all ages to enjoy.

A range of new and classic books will be available to buy at The Bookshop Kibworth’s Pop-up Book Stall.

FREE ENTRY TO EVENTS UNTIL 7.45PM

DOWNLOAD THE FULL PROGRAMME HERE:

7.45PM

Cardboard Citizens presents

GLASSHOUSE

A Forum Theatre play by Kate Tempest
Directed by Adrian Jackson
Produced in association with Time Won’t Wait

Glasshouse is about family and how hard it can be to keep loving. Three interwoven stories take us into the lives of members of a single family – fragile as any of us, tested by the times in modern Britain, they struggle to stay together, fail to survive apart. Sown through with Kate Tempest’s haunting poetry, the play draws us into a dark and gritty city illuminated by moments of unexpected tenderness.

This is not theatre as you know it. Forum Theatre invites the audience to stop the action in the second part of the evening, and come on stage and rehearse alternative scenarios to lead to positive changes.
“Cardboard Citizens is a theatre company that must surely rank as being amongst the most genuinely life-changing in the UK” What’s On Stage

http://www.cardboardcitizens.org.uk

Tickets: £10 / Concessionary tickets available*
*Subject to eligibility & availability

BOOK TICKETS AT CURVE THEATRE BOX OFFICE:
Visit:
http://www.curveonline.co.uk/inside-out-festival-glasshouse/
Tel: 0116 242 3595

Join the Lyric Lounge mailing list to receive programme announcements at http://www.lyriclounge.co.uk
Follow us on twitter @lyric_lounge

Lyric Lounge is delivered by Writing East Midlands, the region’s writer development agency which is funded by Arts Council England. Lyric Lounge Leicester 2014 is presented in partnership with Curve Theatre as part of the Inside Out Festival.

hurs 17th Hit the Ode, the Victoria PH, Birmingham City Centre 7.30pm;
Hit the Ode is a spoken word poetry night which brings the most exciting poets from the region, the country, and the world to the heart of Birmingham. Each edition features three guest acts: one from the North West, one from elsewhere in the UK, and one international guest.

We have poems. Poems which crunch when you bite into them; poems you’ve been meaning to call for ages; poems buzzing like wires strung between pylons.

Good poems. Come and get them.

FEATURING:

SHANE KOYCZAN
Winner of the US Slam Poetry Championship and the Canadian Spoken Word Olympics, Koyczan is truly an extraordinary talent that has blown the dust off of the designation “poet”. Engaging and authentic in attitude, Koyczan emerges in a new wave of 21st century poetry that dares to belong to the people and speak directly to them in their own voice.

JASMINE COORAY
Jasmine Ann Cooray is a poet and spoken word artist and workshop facilitator from London, of British and Sri Lankan heritage. She is known for vivid imagery, attention to detail and storytelling through personal experience. Jasmine has just returned from her stint as International Writer in Residence at The National University of Singapore.

JODI ANN BICKLEY
One of Brum’s best loved authors, poet and best-selling author of One Million Lovely Letters Jodi Ann Bickley returns to Hit the Ode for her very first full set. It’s high time: since her victory at the 2009 Roundhouse slam, Jodi has performed all over the UK, including festivals such as Bestival and Glastonbury. She was a speaker at TEDxBrum in 2013.

Tickets £5 (book ahead by clicking http://bit.ly/1psKcj3 or try your luck on the door)

Fri 18th Spoken Worlds , Old Cottage Tavern, Burton DE14 2EG, 7.30pm, free in, open mic with “three halves”. Hosted by Gary Carr, all welcome

Fri 25th Word up, York st bakery, Birmingham city Centre,
GUEST POET IAN BOWKETT- ianbowkett.bandcamp.com

Join us for a night of POETRY-MUSIC-SPOKEN WORD provided by the wonderfully talented inhabitants of Birmingham and beyond. We guarantee a night you’ll never forget. And did I mention it’s FREE? So come and enjoy yourself. I will also be celebrating my Birthday YAYAY I WILL BE GIVING OUT LOTS OF HUGS 😉

ONCE A MONTH ON A FRIDAY 6-30-9.00-WE SHARE THE FLOOR WITH EVERYONE, SO BRING YOU & YA LAVLY MATES ALONG XXXX

We’ll be Yorks Bakery Cafe

THIS IS THE BEAUTIFUL VENUE WE USE XXX WICKED CAKES, COFFEE, FLATBREAD PIZZAS AWESOME STAFF & BRILLIANT ATMOSPHERE

fill your boots with poetry!

Fri 25th Wenlock Poetry Festival – Luke Wright,http://www.wenlockpoetryfestival.org

Sat 26th Wenlock Poetry Festival – Frieda Hughes, Sally Crabtree, Trevor Meaney http://www.wenlockpoetryfestival.org

sun 27th Wenlock Poetry Festival – Simon Armitage,http://www.wenlockpoetryfestival.org

Sun 27th Oct Sunday Xpress Fourth Sunday Doors 1500, Start 16:30 Adam & Eve Bradford Street, Birmingham B12 0JD Open mic
jameskennedycentral@yahoo.co.uk

Tues 29th Word Wizards New venue* Buckingham Hotel, opp the Pavillion Gdns , Buxton last Tuesday Monthly 19.30. Open mic three minute slam format More info Poetryslamuk@aol.com 01298 77362/ 0781 3289358

Wed 30th The Poetry Train* New Venue* the Lych Gate Tavern, 44 Queens Square Wolverhamtpton, it’s down the walkway by Barclays bank the leads to the Civic Centre. at 8pm, upstairs in their function room….It’s a great little pub last Wednesday ts@tonystringfellow.com

Wed 30th 42 at Drummonds, Worcester:Gothic, Horror, Sci-fi & Fantasy event “42 Worcester” last Wednesday of the month at Drummonds, Worcester 7pm for a 7:30pm start. MC Andrew Owens.

42 Worcester, the Worcestershire gothic, horror, sci-fi and fantasy event, returns on 30th April 2014. Held at Drummonds, The Swan with Two Nicks, 28 New Street, Worcester WR1 2DP on the final Wednesday of each month, 42 Worcester starts at 19:30. You can book a slot via the Facebook page: or email Andrew at andrew@42worcester.com

Confirmed performers include:

Polly Robinson
Sharon Carr
Suz Winspear
Andrew Owens
Nina Lewis
Ian Ward
Kevin Brooke
Andy Kirk
Leena Batchelor
Timothy Stavert
Georgie Bull
JD Grant
Michael R. Brush

Wed 30th Purple Penumbra,Oldbury Rep Theatre,3 Spring Walk, B69 4SP Oldbury, Sandwell, United Kingdom,Everyone and anyone is welcome to attend, 7.50pm
and bring along a relative or bring along a friend
to hear the spoken word – oft times not heard before –
regaling love and nature and sealing wax and war.

If you’ve a mind to contribute, whether wench or feller,
to sing a song with your guitar or even a cappella
or read a little tale or poems while we drink a beer,
then please come and enjoy the feast of words we love to hear.

*************************************************
If you need a theme… DECEPTION

For inspiration, should you need any…

1. A E Housman died on this day in 1936. A Shropshire Lad was one of the first poetry books I ever had, a gift from my mother.
2. On this day in 1945 Adolf Hitler ended his destructive life.
3. Operation Mincemeat was carried out in 1943 on this day.

*************************************************

We hope to see loads of people turn up, refreshed after the Easter break.
🙂
It’s in the Bar of The Barlow Theatre.
It’s free, and there’s drinkies available, naturally!

How to get there…
________________________________________
Bus services:
126 from Birmingham to Wolverhampton, ten minutes from the Navigation bus stop, and
120, Birmingham to Dudley just two minutes from Rhodia Works bus stop, Station Road, Langley.
________________________________________
Train services:
10 minute walk from Langley Green railway station.
________________________________________
Car:
Put B69 4SP in your satnav, or…
From the M5, Junction 2,
at the big island take the 4th exit onto the A4034 (Churchbridge)
take the first right at the traffic light (slip road) B4170, Park Street/Park Lane towards Langley
at the Langley Green island, keep left on B4182, Park Lane
take the first right into Whyley Walk.
The free car park is 60 metres on your left.
The Barlow Theatre, (or Oldbury Rep) is in front of you

Posted in Midlands Poetry What's On | Leave a comment

The Mousetrap, Garrick Theatre, Lichfield

Posted on April 14, 2014 by garylongden

mousetrap poster

This was part of a 60th anniversary tour, over 60 weeks, for a show still running in its home theatre of St Martins in London, coincidentally almost identical in capacity to the Garrick. The Mousetrap opened at The Ambassadors Theatre in 1952, with Richard Attenborough and his fellow film star wife, Sheila Sim, in the roles of Sgt.Trotter and Mollie Ralston, the Proprietor of Monkswell Manor. The rest is history.

The Agatha Christie penned plot has a group of people gathered in a country house cut off by the snow only to discover that there is a murderer in their midst. A talented cast is led by Jonathan Woolf as Sgt Trotter, with Hollyoaks’ Henry Luxemburg and Joanna Croll as the newlywed owners of the newly-converted hotel. Chris Gilling (ITV’s Law and Order, BBC1’s Silk) is the mysterious army retiree Major Metcalf, while Michael Fenner arrives as the foreign Mr Paravicini. Ryan Saunders entertains as the camp Christopher Wren. the grouchy old woman magistrate Mrs Boyle is gloriously grumpily played by Anne Kavanagh, Ellie Jacob is similarly truculent as Miss Casewell.
the mousetrap

Inevitably the question is how this play, now an institution for its record run, and as British as Buckingham Palace, stands up as a piece of drama? Is the myth greater than the reality? I am pleased to report that it does stand on its own two feet, and in some style. It is a formulaic Christie murder mystery, there are false leads, shocks, twists and turns, and some gentle humour, but it works. Few guess the perpetrator at the end, whose identity the cast still ask us, the audience, to keep secret in this multi media age. Although the “Whodunnit ?” is of its time on the stage, the genre is still popular, now popularised to inject periodic drama into television soap operas.

Director Ian Watt-Smith keep proceedings moving briskly whilst the set oozes period charm. Drama and plays can be tough sells at the theatre box office and it is to the Garricks’ credit that it has taken the show for a week. The full house and memorable production fully vindicate the original confidence shown. The Mousetrap runs till Saturday 19th April.

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The Buzzcocks, The Robin 2, Bilston

Posted on April 11, 2014 by garylongden

IMAG0298

This was the third time I had seen the Buzzcocks. Previous shows had been at Leeds University in 1978, in their heyday, supported by John Cooper Clarke, and in 1994 at the Market Tavern in Kidderminster, a low rent occasion as they attempted to revive their fortunes. For 2014 the Robin in Bilston was a good choice, a 700 capacity purpose designed hall with a proper stage and plenty of bars. Black Country folk know their music and around 400 turned up to see the veterans of Punk once more.

Unknown support band featuring celebrity look a likes

Unknown support band featuring celebrity look a likes

A workmanlike support band failed to announce themselves properly, so I have no idea who they were. But the guitarist looked like Johnny Marr, lead vocalist and guitarist like Ashley from Coronation St, and the bass player resembled golfer Lee Westwood. Imagine what would happen if the three of them got together with a mate playing drums, and you have an idea of what it was like.

These days the Buzzcocks are Pete Shelley and Steve Diggle with Steve Farrant and Chris Remmington on drums and bass respectively. Diggle looked in remarkably good shape, and as ever, was the rabble rousing showman. Shelley, by contrast is now a diminutive, rotund, Papa Smurf look a like with full grey beard. The opening Boredom, once a teenage crie de couer, now teeters dangerously on the ennui of late middle age, with Shelley taciturn and withdrawn, but as the show progressed he relaxed, and the set picked up. If you are a Grateful Dead or Pink Floyd fan, live shows can be high risk, a song you don’t like could last 20 minutes. With he Buzzcocks you are never more than three minutes away from the next one, and they zipped through a lengthy set with style and brio.

The sound was not fantastic, Shelley’s voice was mixed too low, Diggle’s guitar was sometimes barely identifiable and the drums sounded harsh, but that was par for the course with punk gigs anyway. Yes they encored with Ever Fallen in Love, amongst the most perfect pop singles, but eschewed Fast Cars. in an era when original line ups have disappeared in favour of tribute bands it was good to see the Shelley/ Dingle nexus out and enjoying themselves again.

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The Quiet Compere, MAC, Birmingham

Posted on March 24, 2014 by garylongden

IMAG0269

Those involved in performing poetry, and attending such events, invariably demonstrate qualities which make them a joy to be involved with. The Quiet Compere roadshow exemplified this, poet and troubadour Sarah L Dixon has a mission to take poetry around the north ( Birmingham just crept in geographically) inviting a diverse roster of talent to play their words, and an audience to appreciate them. And so an eclectic mix of performers gathered in front of an audience rich in bonhomie, attentiveness and goodwill. The hall itself was nothing short of perfect, a mini amphitheatre with steep tiered seating, a projected backdrop, and excellent amplification and acoustics.

Sarah L Dixon

Sarah L Dixon

Sarah L Dixon lived up to her soubriquet, performing a handful of poems herself, one about frozen peas, and introducing the poets by name only, allowing the poets to reveal themselves in performance.

Ruth Stacey

Ruth Stacey


Ruth Stacey’s poems were layered, begging to be read again, the raw eroticism of her bear poem hidden by a fairytale like veneer.
Laura Yates

Laura Yates


Laura Yates’ past has involved supporting the poetry of others, now she is evolving into a fine performer herself having assimilated what works and what doesn’t from others. She recited just two pieces, the second, a tour de force about Birmingham which left us wanting so much more.
Sarah James

Sarah James


Sarah James is an accomplished published poet whose hallmark is economic language, beautifully crafted, skills apparent in her pieces about the weather and cafes.
Bobby Parker

Bobby Parker


Closing the first half was Bobby Parker, a poet rightly making waves on the circuit. His journeys into the dark side are in the traditions of Hunter S Thompson and Lou Reed with “Heroin Lullaby” his defining piece.
Charlie Jordan

Charlie Jordan

Opening the second half was Smooth FM Drive Time DJ Charlie Jordan, whose effortless poise is honed from years of effort and whose relationship poetry tugs at the heart.

Ian Bowkett

Ian Bowkett

Ian Bowkett is a young man with astounding talent, delivering witty, funny, sophisticated verse at jackhammer speed, sometimes whilst he completes a Rubic cube simultaneously!

Jenny Hope

Jenny Hope


Jenny Hope oozes bohemian allure and razor sharp lines, her Jalfrezi was tangy, her Merchant House a beautiful edifice.

Ddotti Bluebell performs from the heart, her authentic tales of Afro-Caribbean life wry, touching and joyful.

Ddotti Bluebell

Ddotti Bluebell


Boxer and poet Matt Man Windle closed the evening looking as physically lean as I have ever seen him, as was his poetry, sinewy, angular and effective, a knock-out.
Matt Man Windle

Matt Man Windle


Oh, and I did a slot too.
Gary Longden

Gary Longden

The entire evening was an unqualified success whose diversity of performer and performance was pretty much perfect, there was something for everyone, and an event certainly worth repeating.

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Steaming, Sutton Arts, Sutton Coldfield

Posted on March 20, 2014 by garylongden

steaming

Laughter, pathos and bathos at the bathhouse.

Steaming was written in 1981 by Nell Dunn and was first staged at the Theatre Royal, Stratford, in London, winning the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy . Sutton Arts publicity promised “ some nudity and strong language” , a device guaranteed to sell a few extra seats on a well attended opening night. By coincidence the theatre itself once housed Sutton Coldfield’s real baths- you can’t beat that for a sense of place!

Dunn presents six women meeting at a Turkish Baths in the east end of London. They comprise; the Baths attendant and de facto narrator , Violet (Sandra Haynes), a tart with a heart, Josie (Emily Armstrong), a batty old woman ( Denise Phillips) and her dependent daughter Dawn ( Elena Serafinas), a posh bird Nancy (Debbie Loweth) and her bohemian friend Jane (Pippa Zvinis). Bill the caretaker (Dave Douglas) is only occasionally seen and heard.

When it was written, Steaming was groundbreaking in two respects, an almost all female cast, and nudity, the latter pre-dating Calendar Girls. The nudity and bare flesh here is fleeting rather than bawdy, the language occasionally coarse, but always in context. Since it was first performed, the world of the modern woman has been explored by Shirley Valentine and the Vagina Monologues. “Girls night out” productions are much in vogue with numerous new productions too. So the play has a tougher task now than when it was first performed. However Steaming does offer insight into , and how, women were thinking a quarter of a century ago, embracing topics which endure- unhappy marriages, the responsibilities of motherhood, men and, of course, sex!

The single set comprises loungers and changing area ,with the baths and steam room themselves set offstage, a device which works well. John Islip and his team have created an authentic decrepit bathhouse complete with rusting radiator! Some cast members change with modesty and decorum, others are considerably less inhibited with an unexpected topless scene which brought howls of laughter from the audience. When I met director Claire Armstrong Mills she revealed that she had taken on the show not because of a life long love affair with the play, but because she thought she could do something with it. That pragmatic approach is vindicated. She eschews a nostalgia soundtrack for two whimsical Kirsty MacColl songs which, together with non-period dress, reinforces the production’s efforts to be contemporary .

Emily Armstrong shines as Josie – sexy, down on her luck, but with a defiant energy and optimism to burn. Funny, strident and vulnerable, she also delivers much more than a gorgeous figure. There is a moment in the first half when she is describing her struggle to survive, her voice dips and falters, and in that moment, she carries the entire audience with her. The danger in any production of Steaming is that the part of Josie flattens everyone else. But here Armstrong Mills cleverly develops the mother and daughter characters into a comedy duo to great effect. Denise Phillips is a delight as the grumpy old woman, but the best acting of the night in realising a tricky role comes from Elena Serafinas as the probably autistic daughter. Serefinas portrays her not so much as a down trodden victim, but as a character with more natural joie de vivre than any of the others, unsentimental, authentic and engaging.

Debbie Loweth neatly unfolds the repressed character of Nancy, at first the opposite of Josie, then discovering their similarities, whilst her friendship with Jane works as another convincing double act, Pippa Zvinis performing her underwritten part with gusto.

Sandra Haynes is the hub of the production as the Attendant , around which the dialogue and action rotates, and happily understates her performance whilst delivering the funniest line of the night. In response to Josies’ desire not to be remembered for simply being a “good shag”, she replies that some women can’t even manage that! There is very little action in this play. Only the Council’s proposal to shut the baths down offers any narrative progression. In the face of a fairly static setting , the cast approach the production with brio and enthusiasm, demonstrating obvious affection for the parts which they are playing, and enjoying doing so.

An appreciative audience basked in the glow of a cast which radiated warmth , and was tantalised by the aroma of a real Indian takeaway ordered onstage! A well staged revival, come and see this show in its run till Saturday 29th March.

Gary Longden

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Paul Bunyan, English Touring Opera, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

Posted on March 18, 2014 by garylongden

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This bold revival of a seldom performed and relatively obscure operetta was the second offering from the English National Opera during their stay in Wolverhampton, the safer “Magic Flute” having been well despatched the night before. Paul Bunyan, by Benjamin Britten, dates from 1941, when the then 27-year-old composer was still in his self-imposed American exile and was revised by Britten in 1976. The story is based on the folkloric American lumberjack, Paul Bunyan, with the music incorporating a variety of American styles, including folk songs, blues and hymns. Stylistically it has much more in common with contemporary Broadway musicals than traditional opera, those familiar with Kurt Weil and Rodgers and Hammerstein will find this easy listening.

Its unique feature is a libretto by poet WH Auden which is lyrical, awkward and silly , sometimes descending into doggerel, all at once. Some of the rhymes are so outrageous that you wonder whether Auden was joking with Britten . The men fell out after the project, and the satire on America in general was not popular at the time. The narrative has no dramatic pace and its allegorical style defies zip,the dramatic highlight is the resignation of the two chefs when asked to vary their bean heavy fare. However the music is a joy, and the episodic nature of the scenes offers much comedy and pathos for the actors to develop. The myth of Paul Bunyan, logger made good, epitome of the American dream, and “America is what you make it” feels clunky and clumsy, but the production succeeds on the soaring score and deft acting characterisations.

Paul Bunyan himself is the disembodied off stage voice of a recorded Damian Lewis, but it is the company which shines with numerous impressive acting and vocal cameos. Anna Fleischle’s single set is a large barn with weathered timber , tiered bunks along the side, and lumberjack paraphernalia scattered about imaginatively lit by Guy Hoare whose fondness for white light and lamps is starkly evident.This is an ensemble piece with an exuberant cast. The love-affair between Tiny (Caryl Hughes) and Slim (Ashley Catling) convinces and the cooks are a scream in a warm production of homespun charm.
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Tiny’s Act I song “Whether the sun shine upon children playing” is the undoubted musical highlight of the first half. Conductor Philip Sunderland , and his players, clearly enjoy making the most of an effervescent score awash with brio and light and Director Liam Steele ekes maximum dramatic effect from the numbers he neatly manoeuvres around stage.
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Paul Bunyan continues on tour with The Magic Flute till May.

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The Magic Flute, English Touring Opera, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre

Posted on March 17, 2014 by garylongden

ETO1

This was the first night of an English Touring Opera double offering ,with Paul Bunyan to come on the following night. The Magic Flute is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart set to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder but sung here in English as a singspiel, including both singing and spoken dialogue ,using Jeremy Sams’ English version of the libretto .The work premiered in 1791 in Vienna. Its survival and prospering over the proceeding 223 years is testament to its enduring qualities.

The story combines a fairy tale adventure as light and engaging as a Disney tale, with a darker underbelly, that ,in this production, is understated. Material and moral values clash and we are treated to a battle of the sexes 18th century style still recognisable today, but the racism, and Freemasonry power plays are less evident in Director Liam Steele’s production, increasing its accessiblity for a modern audience, but stripping it of some original intent. Villain Monostatos (Stuart Haycock) was dark faced, but his ethnicity was ambiguous.

Steele’s choreography skills are the hallmark of this production in which on stage movement ebbs and flows delightfully. An imaginative single set, on three tiers, courtesy of Chloe Lamford, impresses from the curtain up, as does the lavish costume which is classic rather than period specific. Doors and a video screen , animated by Matt Spencer, ensure that the limitations of the single set are more than compensated for, achieved in no small part by Guy Hoare’s white light lighting with lampshades!

Vocally the opera demands comic, and virtuoso, skills for the likes of Papageno, played by Wyn Pencarreg who steals the show , and the Queen of the Night, played by Laure Meloy. Meloy’s “Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen” (“The vengeance of Hell boils in my heart”) reached an astonishingly high F6 with ease. Her first entrance is stunning with her voluminous silver-blue cloak filling the stage and gently fluttering during her aria.
ETO2

On stage chemistry is a difficult alchemy, but Nicholas Sharratt (Tamino) and Anna Patalong ( Pamina) achieved that, Sharratt’s melifluous tenor is warm, Patalong boils with sex appeal, and her Ach, ich fuhl’s was sublime. Evil sorcerer Sarastro(Andrew Slater) also delivers with his bass which includes a conspicuous F in a few locations. A modest, but strong orchestra was ably led by Michael Rosewell, although his accented tempi were occasonally excessive and the strings seemed underpowered for the grand moments.
eto3

A tremendous production, Paul Bunyan plays on Tuesday 18th, then continues on tour nationwide till May, http://englishtouringopera.org.uk/productions/the-magic-flute14

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Poems inspired by 52

Posted on March 13, 2014 by garylongden

Jo Bell is one of the most hardworking and talented poets working in the UK today. She has an initiative for 2014 offering weekly prompts for 52 poems during the year:http://fiftytwopoetry.wordpress.com/

Her blog can be found here:
http://belljarblog.wordpress.com/

These represent my responses:

In Praise of Mist
52.11

You blur, revelling in uncertain light
An unannounced dawn visitor,
Linger a while

Unedged and untouched
You cast doubt, sapping colour
Odourless, musty white

Your silent defiance taunts,
Memory, misplaced and unplaced
Visible then invisible

What might be ?
Grand panorama or toe stubbing folly
Possible or impossible, always there,

For a moment
Wrapped in paranoid swirl
Cocooned in space

Your moisture passes my lips
As a lover’s finger
Fleeting, then gone

Not to be kissed
An icy caress
With dangerous promise

Giving way to warmth

In a Moment
52.22

Bright light blasted all it touched.
White sheets, clear glass,
silver instruments intensified its stare.
Hope defiantly yelled,
staff whispered,
then mumbled.
Not wanting to be heard.
A short sleeved robe is comfortable in a warm room.
LED lights struggled to define their declining numbers,
tumbling in silent toll.
Soft shoes hummed in urgent sprint.
Fast enough?
You can only do your best,
and the next leg in the relay will come soon .
Note boards rustled,
doors opened and closed,
cushioned.
And I strained to hear each shallow breath amidst this cacophony.

A Narrative Verdict
52.36

Perhaps that is all there is?
No judgement by human hand
Just a few words, to help us understand
A life summed up
In a sentence

Absence is the ultimate certification
Of what is no more
Unlike a sentence
It has no end

I’m Just Against It
52.38

Why
Do they put
That slice of gherkin
In their hamburgers?

I
Know junk food
Is bad for me yet
Sometimes I am weak

But
Token green
Tastes and looks obscene
Mister MacDonald

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March 2014, What’s On Midlands Spoken Word

Posted on February 26, 2014 by garylongden

A very strong month with the heavyweight festival season kicking off in earnest in Bath, Cheltenham and Oxford, both well worth a trip beyond the Midlands.

Local highlights include the Quiet Compere Tour at rhe Mac in Birminingham on Fri 21st, Shindig in Leicester, Poetry Bites in Kings Heath, State of Independence in Leicester and Confab Cabaret in Malvern.

Festivals

Bath Independent Literature festival 28th Feb- 9th March
http://bathfestivals.org.uk/literature/

Oxford FT Literary festival Mar 22nd -29th
http://oxfordliteraryfestival.org/literature-events/2014

Cheltenham Poetry festival 1st Mar -6th April
http://www.cheltenhampoetryfest.co.uk/events.php

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Sun 2nd Buzzwords, Exmouth Arms,Bath Road Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL53 7LX, 7pm Workshop, open mic,£5 waged, £3 unwagedWorkshop, led by Peter Daniels, 7pm Guest readings and open mic 8pm,Guest poet: Peter Daniels,Do visit our blog:http://buzzwordspoetry.blogspot.com/

Tues 4th Poetry Lounge The Sitting Room,3 Upper Galdeford (above Thai Box), SY8 1QD Ludlow’s new Poetry Open Mic Night!7.30pm-9.30pm

Join us in the quirky comfort and abundant lampshades of The Sitting Room. Take poetry with your glass of wine from the depths of an armchair…
Your compere for the evening with his frilly cuffs peeping, will be James Sheard

Wenlock Poetry Festival 2014 Anthology
The Poetry Lounge and Wenlock Poetry Festival welcome you to
readings from poets featured in this year’s anthology.
Come along and get in the festival mood!
Poets, poems, and a book – we all look forward to meeting you !

Tues 4th Word ,Y Theatre, East Street, Leicester LE1 6EY, just opposite Leicester Train Station7pm performers, 8pm, Audience, Open mic plus headliner. £6in
WORD! is the longest running poetry and spoken word night in Leicester. Based at The Y Theatre, Leicester, it takes place on the first Tuesday of every month, between 8.00 and 10.30pm. The evening is composed of an open mic, followed by a booked act-

Wed 5th Spire Writes, White swan, 16 St Marys Gate, Chesterfield,
We’re back in March with a guest reader who many of you may have heard perform at Spire Writes or elsewhere already and been wowed by…

Addie P. Abbott (also known as Adolfus) is a Sheffield based poet from the Caribbean island of St. Lucia. From being the grand Bard of Sheffield for 2013 via Gorilla Events Poetry to currently being a member of the Roundhouse Poetry Collective in London, Addie continues to develop as a writer and performer and enjoys incorporating the art of storytelling in his poetry.”

As usual, there’ll be open mic slots available (sign up in advance or on the night) but because the open mic has been so popular of late, just one poem each please so we can fit in as many readers as humanly possible!

It’s free to attend, it’s upstairs at The White Swan and there’s an excellent bar.

See you there!

Wed 5th Poetic essence,Confession Box (65-66 Dale End, Birmingham City Centre, B4 7LS) 7.30pm
Please note that we have moved to a bigger home. Poetic Essence will no longer be at Talk Bar and will now be at Confession Box (65-66 Dale End, Birmingham City Centre, B4 7LS). A brand new venue to accommodate our growing family

Thurs 6th Blackdrop Open Mic @ Canal House Bar, Canal Street, Nottm .8-10pm £3 Our event has an open mic, slots are approx 5mins long. Blackdrop is open to over 16s.Poetry. Story. Comedy. Rap. Hip-hop. Song. Must be own original material. ALL WELCOME.

Thur 6th The Poetry Evening, The Shrewsbury Coffeehouse,Castle Gates, Shrewsbury. 7.30pm, Liz Lefroy officiates,Open mic evening – Barry Tench Nathalie Hildegarde Liege Steve Thayne , Graham Attenborough David Calcutt and Wenlock Poetry Festival Anthology launch, with readings from Anna Dreda, Nick Pearson and Mia Cunningham … with musical interlude provided by Gia

Friday 7th Threesome poetry,The Pod, 1a Lamb Street which is central Cov,7.30pm with Liz lefroy

Sun 9th Poets with passion, Sahara Bistro Restaurant,570 Moseley Road, B12 9AA Birmingham

Another chance to share an. afternoon of poetry with kindred spirits…your own work or any favourite poem from anywhere.
This time let’s be passionate about ‘home’.. whatever that might mean to you.
3.30 for 4.00 as usual but in a new venue..French Moroccan tastes this time..with the promise of poets from other homelands to join us as well!

Mon 10th Pub Poetry Nottingham The Canal house, 48-52 Canal Street, Nottingham, NG1 7EH,8pm, 2nd monday : Free in, Open micContact Nick on pubpoetry@nottscomedyfestival.co.uk

Mon 10th Shindig,The Western,70 Western Road, LE3 0GA LeicesterFree and open to all! Crystal Clear Creators and Nine Arches Press present Shindig! Open-Mic Poetry Evening, including featured writers Kathy Bell, Shelley Roche-Jacques, Rebecca Bird, Michael Thomas. Sign up for open-mic slots on the door.

Mon 10thAcoustic Night – Bristol, 13 Foster Street, BS46JE Bristol,
OUR 200th ACOUSTIC NIGHT! Featuring poets ASH DICKINSON – LUCY ENGLISH with music from LOU BELL. plus 5 wild card 10 min slots, glass of fizz £5.00 doors 7.30 for 8.15 show

Tuesday 11th ‘City Voices’, City Bar, King Street, Wolverhampton. WV1 1ST 7.45pm Free admission.

Tuesday 11th ‘Mouth and Music’, the Boars Head Gallery, 39 Worcester Street, Kidderminster, DY10 1EW. 8.00pm Tickets £3.00
As we stagger towards Spring, we have so much to look forward to! We’re talking about a Magnificent Mouth and Music!

We have the brilliant Gloucestershire Poet Laureate & multiple poetry slam winner

BRENDA READ-BROWN

who recently earned another poetry slam crown in Wolverhampton.

And as if that weren’t enough to get people flocking to the Boar’s Head, we also have …

THE VERY GRIMM BROTHERS

“Gilbert & George, almost Morecambe & Wise”
(Smoke & Mirrors Cabaret)

The Theme – for any open mic performers wishing to take up the challenge – is CURRENT AFFAIRS. Interpret as you wish.

Open mic slots are booked on the night as usual – 5 mins for spoken word and a bit longer for singers to accommodate 2 songs. Open mic sign-up from 7.30. Admission £3 (free to performers)

MC Heather Wastie

In association with Kidderminster Creatives

Tues 11th Scribal Gathering The Crown Stony Stratford:7.30pm,Get ready for another fantastic feast of musical mastercraft and poetical proficiency, bringing together lachrymatorially lyrical local live talent and perfervid performers from perfurther afield. When: Tuesday 11th July 2012. Doors open at 7.30 for a prompt 8.00 start.
Where: The Crown, Market Square, Stony Stratford MK11 1BE.
How: Free entry. Sign up for open mic on the night. Arrive early to avoid disapproval.

Tues 11th Tues 11th Tales at the Edge, White Lion Inn, Bridgnorth, Shropshire,Tales at the Edge is one of the country’s oldest and most established storytelling clubs, meeting in Bridgenorth on the 2nd Tuesday of every month (except August) at 8 pm.

Wed 12 th Scribal gathering Stony Stratford
Scribal Gathering is getting into the festival season with a summer showcase of superior songwriting and spoken word. With Stony Live still sounding in our hearts and Waterside waiting in the wings, what better way to keep the flame of live entertainment burning than with an evening of open mic music and poetry?

Our featured performers for the evening are David Goo, an intense, creative and intimate singer song-writer sharing his distinctive sound with audiences across London and the South-East (http://th…e150friendsclub.com/) and The Zeroes, arguably the finest, friendliest, funniest and 8th best band in Milton Keynes (https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-ZEROES/113877568149).

Along with the open ended, open minded open mic, welcoming performers of all kinds to share their creativity and showcase their talent before a supportive, receptive and surprisingly tolerant audience, Scribal Gathering brings its usual blend of live music, poetry, and an overwhelming sense of spiralling chaos once again.

Wed 12 th The Quad Derby QUAD, Market Place, Cathedral Quarter, Derby, DE1 3AS Second Wednesday 19.30 Free in, A monthly night of performed poetry for everyone, new performers always welcome or just come and listen, More details from QUAD or contact Les on T: 01332 206 734, http://www.derbyquad.co.uk

Wed 12 th Tea for Two, Stapleford, Cotgrave. 92, Derby Rd, Stapleford, Nottingham , NG9 7AD
An evening of poems and stories hosted by two local
performers – Dave Wood and Richard Young.

Wed 12 th Flying Donkeys, Voicebox, Forman St Derby

Thurs 13th Big Irish Night, the old Crown, Digbeth, 7.30pm, open mic with an Irish theme , all welcome

Thur 13th Give it all Tour, Hare and Hounds Kings heath,The Give it All Tour hits Birmingham for a night of passionate music and soulful spoken word. Luke Concannon and Jimmy Davis bring their inspirational tour to the heart of the country with support from Raydeeance, Spoz, Musical Misfits, Redstaar, Seasick Fist & Afronaut

Tickets are £5 ADV & £7 OTD

Tickets & info – http://hareandhoundskingsheath.co.uk/event-listings/event/?eventID=10030280

Thurs 13th Irish Night, Old Crown Digbeth,8pm, free in, open mic poetry, stories and song. Sign up on the night.

Thurs 13th Pure and Good and Right with Sean Kelly, THE fox 4-32 Clarendon Avenue, Leamington Spa, CV32 4 RZ 7.30pm: £3 in,Every second Thursday of the month (except December) If you would like to know more about the night email: pgrpoetry@gmail.com

Thurs 13th Old Rectifying House , Worcester 7.30pm. £3, open mic and headliners

Fri 14th Open Mic, Wednesbury Museum & Art Gallery, 7.30pm, free in

Sat 15th WHAT’S IN A WORD?,Clephan Building, De Montfort University, Oxford Street, Leicester LE1 5XY
Clephan Building, De Montfort University

Join Lydia Towsey, Pam Thompson and Richard Byrt for this lively poetry reading and interactive panel presentation exploring the organisation and history of WORD!

What goes into WORD!? …why is it important to do? …how does it connect to the local literature scene?. ..and where will it go next?

Ask a question. Make a suggestion, and win big on the (formerly notorious) WORD! raffle.

WORD! is the longest running poetry and spoken word night in the Midlands and takes place on the first Tuesday of every month at The Y Theatre, Leicester.

http://statesofindependence.co.uk/#prog

* * * * * *

About States of Independence

Independent publishing | Independent writing | Independent thinking

A book festival in a day

Seventy writers, mostly from the East Midlands, will be reading from their work at an events programme to accompany an equal number of staff from independent publishers and writing organisations staffing bookstalls and displaying their work.

Learn everything you need to know about eBooks, comics, and poetry from the Chartists. There are sessions about the lives of Sudanese women, unexplained phenomena and nature poetry. We discuss lesbian and gay fiction, short stories about mental health and present some music from Bulgaria. Around the world with States of Independence!

All sessions are free, no tickets required.
Just turn up and stay for an hour or two, or the whole day.

Click here to download a printable programme.

States of Independence is organised and funded by Five Leaves Publications in Nottingham and the Creative Writing Team at De Montfort University, Leicester, supported by Creative Leicestershire.

——————————————————————————–

Information

The Book Fair and all readings take place in the Clephan Building, Oxford Street (entrance on Bonners Lane), Leicester LE1 5XY

Public transport and car parking information on the De Montfort University website. Clephan Building is five minutes from Leicester city centre and fifteen minutes from the train station. On-site parking is only available for stall holders and speakers, sorry.

All events are free, no tickets required

Bookstalls are on the ground floor, with further displays on floors one and two

Events take place on second and third floors – there are lifts. Please allow ten minutes to get to the correct room

There will be an information point as you come in to Clephan Building

All rooms are accessible. Please get in touch if you have any special access requirements

Catering: Clephan Building is very close to the city centre, cafes, shops and pubs. We can only provide vending machines on site. There is a fairtrade cafe four or five minutes from the main site – The Coffee Lab on the Gateway – look out for posters – selling light refreshments, excellent cakes and light lunches.

For further information please contact info@fiveleaves.co.uk, 0115 9895465, (Out of office: 0115 9693597)

Wed 19th Templar Poetry, Lamb & Flag, The Tything, Worcester, 8pm; Open mic, third Wednesday, Alex officiates contact:Alex McMillen, Alex McMillen,Templar Poetry, PO BOX 7082, Bakewell, Derbyshire, DE45 9AF,Tel: 01629 582500, Mobile: 07918166975
info@templarpoetry.co.uk

Find the Right Words Upstairs at the Western, Western Ph, Wertern Rd, Leicester LE3 0GA ,7.30pm £5in

March’s Find The Right Words is in our new home at Upstairs at the Western. This is where we started a year ago so it’s quite fitting to be back. Expect a lovely theatre, good beer and top notch poetry now with added FUNDING (fought for with tooth and nail).

This month’s guest poets are:Josh Idehen – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMSmcAIFp_o
Clare Ferguson – http://www.clareferguson-walker.com/poetry.html

Plus 10 open mic spots. 5 beforehand by emailing jess_green@hotmail.co.uk and 5 on the door.

We’ve had lots of people turning up on the night and putting their names down which is ace but if often means we have a huge open mic list. If you’d like a slot, we’d love to have you but just let me know first so I can make sure you’re not disappointed on the night.

£5 on the door

Wed 19th Confab Cabaret 7, Olivers Bar,36 Belle Vue Terrace, WR14 4PZ Malvern,8pm,
You are cordially invited to ConFab Cabaret VII – ConFab’s first birthday special WITH CAKE! To celebrate in style we’ve lined up a suitably impressive DOUBLE BILL as well as all the usual ConFab nonsense.

Not only do we have poetic delights from stars of the stage The Decadent Divas, but we are also blessed with the charming presence and uplifting voices of Men In General. Both of these bountiful bundles are in huge demand so we are incredibly lucky and have had to be slightly cunning to squish so much talent into one room.

And STILL we’ve found room for more! Come and join us on Wednesday March 19th at 8pm at Olivers, Great Malvern, for singing, poetry, Fox Pops, The Silliest Raffle and who knows what else? The brave amongst you can sign up on arrival for a Prepare To Share slot to impress us with your Two Minute Talent, be it musical, poetic, balletic or otherwise.

FREE entry for all! How can you resist?

Thur 2oth Hit the ode, Victoria PH, Birmingham City Centre
Hit the Ode brings the most exciting poets from the region, the country and the world to the heart of Birmingham. Join us! We have poems. Poems you’ve played tag with when you were younger; poems dug up by puzzled archeologists; poems last seen racing down the ring-road on big wheel tricycles. Good poems. Come and get them.

Hit the Ode brings the most exciting poets from the region, the country and the world to the heart of Birmingham. Join us! We have poems. Poems in bold all caps sans serif. Poems best stored in a cool, dark place, away form direct sunlight. Poems you had forgotten about, but then found in a pocket just before you put your jeans in the machine. Good poems. Come and get them!

Featuring
Martin Glynn
Donna Williams
Rachel McCrum

Tickets £5
A very few open mic slots will be available on the door.

Thur 20thEquinox – Open Mic Night at Sahara,570 Moseley Road, B12 9AA , 7pm poetry and stuff

Thur 20th The Shipping Forecast Spoken Word, the riverside Sheffield 1 Mowbray St, Sheffield, S3 ,Hello forecasters ,more sea themed spoken word cabaret this month

Fri 21st the Quiet Compere tour, Mac, cannon park, Birmingham, 7.30pm with Sarah Dixon. Sarah’s triumphant nationwide tour comes to rum with an all star rsoter of poets, featuring:

Ddotti Bluebell

Ian Bowkett

Jenny Hope

Sarah James

Charlie Jordan

Gary Longden

Bobby Parker

Ruth Stacey

Matt Man Windle

Laura Yates

The Quiet Compere Tour is ‘Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England’.

Fri 21st Spoken Worlds 19:30 The Old Cottage Tavern , Byrkley St,eet, Burton-upon-Trent DE14 2JJ Open mic gajwriter@btinternet.com

Sun 23rd Martin Figura and Helen Ivory, The Poetry Morning, The Shrewsbury Coffeehouse,Castle Gates, Shrewsbury.11am,
Well, aren’t we lucky? Top poets reading at this lovely venue … It’s one of our occasional Sunday morning series. More details soon, but put this date in your diary!

Tuesday 25thPurple Penumbra Open Mic, Barlow Theatre, Oldbury:7.30pm
Bring your poetry and your pals to this open mic event, or just come and be entertained.
Those with a musical bent who can fill in a gap or two with something melodic and acoustic are particularly welcome.
Enliven, enrich and enhance the experience of the famous Barlow Theatre bar with your presence, why not?

Tuesday 25 2nd revived Poetry Wednesbury 7.00 pm at Wednesbury Library, Walsall street Wednesbury. Brendan Hawthorne has details.

Tues 25th Poetry Bites, kitchen Garden Cafe,kings Heath 7.30pm when the guests are Helen Calcutt and Sarah James. Poetry Bites also includes floor spots (about 3 minutes) where you can share your own work with an appreciative and supportive audience. To book a spot, arrive by 7.15pm or email jacquirowe@hotmail.co.uk
Future dates: 25th March (),

Tues 25th Word Wizards Buckingham Hotel Buxton 19.30. Open mic three minute slam format More info Poetryslamuk@aol.com

Wed 26th “42″ Open Mic Night (Gothic, Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy) Lunar Bar, New St Worcester, 7.30, Free in:last wed monthly E-mail: 42openmicnight@42genrearts.co.uk

Wed 26th The Poetry Train Open Mic @ the Lyche Gate Tavern Queen Square Wolverhampton last Wednesday of the month 8pm dept. http://www.tonystringfellow.com/index.asp?pageid=506170

Wed 26thPackhorse Poets,The Packhorse Inn, Crowdecote, near Longnor,Derbys on the fourth Wednesday of each month, 7.30pm

Thur 27th Poetry Book launch “Batemans Hll”Light House Media Centre,Chubb Buildings, Fryer Street, WV1 1HT 7pm

An evening of poetry and music from Jane Seabourne, Grande Valise, Jan and Campbell Perry and myself. I’ll be launching my poetry collection Batmans Hill, South Staffs (Flipped Eye). Details about the Light House Centre, Wolverhampton, including directions, are below. I hope to see you there. There’s a good bar and, if I remember, I’ll pick up some Jammie Dodgers from the Lloyd Hill Co-op.

March 27 Jane Seabourne will be supporting Michael Thomas at the launch of his new poetry collection Batman’s Hill, South Staffs, at the Light House, Wolverhampton, 7pm.

Fri 28th Word Up, Yorks cafe, Newhall St, Brum,B3 3NH
6.30-9pm with Ddotti Bluebell and Alexandra Moran, free in, open mic

Friday 28 March 2014, An Evening with Ian McMillan and Gareth Owen,Catrin Finch Centre, Glyndwr University

An evening of poetry and other delights with Ian McMillan and Gareth Owen. Ian McMillan is a prodigiously talented solo performer and writer and presenter of BBC Radio 3’s ‘The Verb’ and Gareth Owen is poet, playwright and former presenter of BBC Radio 4’s ‘Poetry Please’. Both poets are guaranteed to make the audience of whatever age laugh and see life from quirky angles.

This is an exciting opportunity for everyone to hear and be inspired by these two writers performing their poetry, and to hear them speak about the process of writing and what makes them tick.

This will stimulate intellectually, as well as being huge fun.

Sat 29th Mothers day Poetry, Oxfam Bookshop,High St, Worcester, WR1 2HW 7.30pm

Yet again Worcester’s Oxfam Bookshop is opening its portals to poets and performers everywhere! The theme is ‘motherhood’ and you can be as schmaltzy as you like! Bring your own work to perform, bring someone else’s but do come and support Oxfam’s project to lift lives for good!

March 29 Simon will be reading from Offa’s anthology The Poetry of Shropshire at the Mary Webb Society Birthday Lunch, Uffington, Shrewsbury. If you’re interested in this event please ring 01691 831463 for more information.

March 30 Jeff Phelps will be reading his poetry at the Cheltenham Poetry Festival along with Marilyn Gunn and Emily Oldham. 3.30pm, Oxfam Bookshop, 31, Cambray Place, Cheltenham GL50 1JP. Tickets £4/£3.

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Friday 04 April 2014 at 7:00pm Count Me In ,Copa, 66 Regent Street, Cheltenham GL30 1HA, 7pm, tickets £6 /£4 concs. Box Office: Cheltenham Town Hall, 0844 5762210

Poetry meets bingo !
Poetry meets bingo in a thrilling and interactive show about
the numbers in our lives. The show takes place during one
night in the Bingo Hall. We all play the game and as the
numbers are called, Don, Maureen and Judi reveal their true
selves – their memories, anniversaries, regrets, mistakes,
joys, hopes and dreams. The show includes stories and
poems written by members of the public gathered at creative
writing workshops.

Written and performed by writers Lucy English, Sara-Jane Arbury and Glenn Carmichael.

Can we count you in? Tickets:£7/4

Tues 6th May Open Mic,The Sitting Room,3 Upper Galdeford (above Thai Box), SY8 1QD Ludlow 7.30pm Join us again in The Sitting Room for an evening of poetry and revelry in very soft sofas.
Your compere for the evening, will be James Sheard if he’ll agree to it…

Sat 10th MayThe 18th Swindon Poetry Slam – at the Arts Centre on Saturday 10th May, as part of the annual Swindon Festival of Literature – will see the much-loved Brummie performance poet Spoz (aka Giovanni Esposito) hosting the event with Sara-Jane. Fifteen poets will compete over the traditional three rounds. To enter or for more details, call 07814 830031

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Poetry Alight 9- Lichfield

Posted on February 26, 2014 by garylongden

After two happy years at The Spark Cafe in Lichfield “Poetry Alight” found itself having to find a new home for 2014. A change in the Cafe’s opening hours, and its repositioning in the evening for Bistro business, meant that an association which had benefitted both parties when the Spark opened, now no longer suited . I will always be grateful to Sejal and Della, the owners of The Spark, for their support when they opened their business, and wish them well for the future.

The Kings Head, new home of Poetry Alight

The Kings Head, new home of Poetry Alight

Fortunately, The Kings Head, Bird St, Lichfield, found the prospect of fifty or so thirsty and hungry poets an attractive proposition, and made their first floor function room available to us, an arrangement which had several advantages. Firstly the room is self contained and private, affording performers ,and audience, a performance which is uninterrupted. Secondly, normal licensing hours mean that there is plenty of time to eat and drink before and after the poetry, with no onerous time pressure on the event.

Moving poetry venues always comes with a risk. Will the audience follow? Will there be any hidden gremlins? Will the venue be friendly? Fortunately my fears proved groundless as a full house assembled for a top poetic bill.

The formula at Poetry Alight has been consistent. Put on a free event. Drag in the best poets in the region to perform to a new audience, around three or four headliners, then offer three minute open mic slots to the floor, offering emerging performers the chance to perform in the same space as the stars. I always ensure there is a male/female balance, and wherever possible, that ethnic, gender and physical diversity is championed.

jo bell

Poetry Alight kicked off 2014 in style with past National Director of Poetry Day, and current National Canal Poet Laureate, Jo Bell, and multi published poet Matt Merritt sharing the top billing. An audience member whispered in my ear that she could not believe that she had listened to Jo Bell on radio 4, and now she was listening to her in Lichfield, whilst Matt regaled us with poems of elephants in the room, droll, intelligent and engaging.

Matt Merritt

Matt Merritt

A standing room only crowd gratefully bought books, a modest material thank you to Jo and Matt who gave their time so generously. Support headliner was Michelle Crosbie, a glamorous, emotional, flamboyant and compelling performer, as yet unpublished, who seized her chance to impress in some style.

Michelle Crosbie

Michelle Crosbie

Poetry Alight is next lit on Tues May 13th, then again on July 8th, 2014. At the Kings Head, Bird St, Lichfield, first floor function room, 7.30pm start, sign up on the night for open mic slots.

Links:

Jo Bell
http://belljarblog.wordpress.com/

Matt Merritt

http://polyolbion.blogspot.co.uk/

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