Garyswordz

The Mee Club is a relatively new venture, this was its second night, offering a safe and sophisticated singles night out, running fortnightly on a Tuesday evening. Hosted by the vivacious and ebullient Cat Wetherill ,it showcases musicians, storytellers, actors, poets, authors and comics ( I am sure even more diverse performers will follow) to entertain in a relaxed convivial atmosphere of food, drink and socialising. Cat herself opened up proceedings with the racy story of the Parisian courtesan Camille. It was an object lesson in good story telling, consummately performed, richly told with a nod and a wink, and with a satisfying twist. She set quite a standard. Fortunately fellow storyteller A Ryan Jones was more than up to the task.

Ryan is a young American from Wyoming, shortly to return Stateside, who has been developing her storytelling skills in Birmingham whilst studying here. Our loss is America’s gain. She delighted the audience with her versatility and deeply human delivery. Opening with the tale of the blind meadowlark, a traditional story, she seamlessly broadened it to encompass her experiences of leaving her parochial hometown to spread her own wings. Her narrative carried a wisdom far beyond her years, a puzzle answered by her account of fireside camping storytelling as a child from across the generations, and how she both cherished those nights and learned from them. Her style is reserved and understated, her choice of words lavish and emotive. It really was quite a combination.

The author for the evening, Geoffrey Iley , had travelled considerably less far, as he comes from Kings Heath! Reading an extract from his book Navegator, he offered the back story to the thriller based in Majorca before reading an extract from it. As a regular visitor to the island I can vouch for its sense of place, and purchasing a copy provides entry to a draw to win a free holiday there too. Another local was comedian and poet Laurence Inman whose dry, laconic demeanour was a delight, not least when reflecting on his time teaching ungrateful students English. Rounding the evening off was musical duo Farcical comprising Sally Stamford, aka the Lemonade Lady ,and Arthur Hyde. A contemporary folk outfit based in Herefordshire , they combined folk and traditional songs with a smile, skill, and lovely harmonies, all delivered with gusto.

The Mee Club next meets on Tuesday 4th September, doors and food from 6.30pm, cabaret from 7.30pm with a bill that includes Festival favourite poet Amy Rainbow. For more information on future Mee Clubs: http://www.kitchengardencafe.co.uk/events.php?pid=main

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/TheMeeClub

The presentation of spoken word continues to evolve, “Kick Off”, is a Kidderminster Arts Festival production , conceived to promote poetry within the context of the opening of the new football season and appeal to an audience outside the usual poetry crowd as a warm up festival event. Team captains were Mouth & Music stalwarts Heather Wastie ,and Sarah Tamar, who assembled an elite group of footballing poetic talent to showcase the evening. It was bonkers. It was wonderful.

Turf was laid out on the stage, a goal and giant football was produced, and a full supporting cast of referee and linesman, VIP to present the trophy, and a chicken mascot were all duly assembled. Poetry isn’t normally like this. Blatant time-wasting was denounced, and poets suffered pulled hamstrings and groin strains during reading. Furthermore there were several obvious examples of shirt pulling ( all were in football kit) that the linesman and referee appeared to allow to go unpunished.

The crowd were part of the show. Kate Wragg bought along her guitar to assist with some football songs and two wags were on hand to assist the players! What worked so well was that the poems were performed within the framework of the match all on a football theme which Maggie Doyle and Sarah James all warmed to brilliantly. Inevitably Fergus McGonigal played a little fast and loose with the theme, choosing to take the music that is played at half time as his football inspiration, but naturally found the poetic net nonetheless with his dribbling skills which are so educated, I swear that his left foot talks Latin…………….

The material performed was not just light, Carol Ann Duffy’s Achilles impressed as did original work Me Watching Men by Sarah Tamar and Voices in the Crowd by Heather Wastie. What was so heart warming was the camaraderie between players and crowd with the support of Boars Head staff Corina Harper and Sandra. It takes courage to try something different and determination , skill and enthusiasm to pull it off – which is exactly what was achieved.

The Kidderminster Arts Festival runs, led by Loz Samuels, until 25th August. More details: http://www.wyreforestdc.gov.uk/cms/non-lgnl-pages/community-and-partnership-serv/arts-and-play-development/kaf.aspx

Host Antony Owen, and sometime host Barry Patterson who was in the audience, do much to promote the poetic cause in Coventry as the context of this evening demonstrated. The night before had seen the launch of Tony’s Hiroshima Haiku exhibition at Coventry Cathedral, the following week two poets are to be sent to Cork as part of an ongoing cultural exchange.

The haiku exhibition is a contemporary fusion of eleven Haiku by Tony and photography by Daniel O’Toole to commemorate the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The exhibition runs from 3rd August to 31st August . The launch was attended by representatives of Hiroshima and Coventry Lord Mayor’s department for peace and reconciliation. There are several associated displays such as artwork from survivors recollections of Hiroshima .The Chapel of Unity , where the exhibition rests, is to the left as you enter through the main doors into the Cathedral.

War poetry is an awkward genre. The prolonged presence of British service personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan for over a decade means that civilian domestic awareness of war is particularly heightened. Yet the grisly mechanics of war and the attritional politics of it are matters that most choose not to dwell upon. Tony is as good a contemporary war poet as I have heard. Fat Man, about Churchill’s role in the bombing campaign evokes conflicting emotions in me , which is the point, and is one of Tony’s very best, cleverly juxtaposed this evening against Apathy, a poem of remembrance with its beautiful rhymes.

Night Blue Fruit’s two Cork delegates are Jayne Stanton and Janet Smith who both performed extended warm up sets for their readings next week. Janet’s poems offer the precision of the eye of a jeweller assembling a piece , with the lustre and glow that the buyer subsequently beholds. Scorify, Egg and Brushfoot enthralled, A Cry, The Hooded Children and Pacific were warmly received old friends. Jayne is particularly strong at light, assured reminiscence. Whether it is a 1960’s clothes dryer or a much loved grandmother, a warm glow surrounds her writing. She also showed herself adept at war writing too with her contribution to the Hiroshima theme, Black Orchids. We all look forwards to the results of the poetic inspiration which their visit to the Emerald isle will surely fire.

Young Irish poet David Lynch entertained with his punchy poems of the everyday, of which Doing the Dishes was my favourite. Barry Patterson also name checked Hiroshima with his piece on the Amchitka island, Alaska nuclear tests at which a bomb 385 times more powerful than the Hiroshima explosion was detonated . The counterpoint with his closing The Sky is Not an Atmosphere was probably unintentional. Staffordshire Poet Laureate short lister Tom Wyre followed the war theme with a familiar set, and customary aplomb, before Diane Hart recited a clever piece on Lady Godiva, clothed. Colin Dick wrapped the night up with an episodic epic of Spenserian proportion.

Night Blue Fruit next meets on Tuesday 4th September at 8pm, free in.

Gary Longden 7/8/12

This was my first return visit after a promising inaugural event in May, which has subsequently run monthly, gaining traction and momentum such that it has now moved from the basement to the larger ground floor room. Liz Lefroy hosts the evening with an elegant light touch and an impressive roster of hand-picked performers. A warm balmy evening, a full house, welcoming staff and a great selection of coffees and cold beers promised much, and so it proved.

Larkin is quoted as saying ;“Trust nothing which does not spring from feeling, and make art out of life, not art out of art”, it is a good maxim, and one which is sometimes lost by poets who write and forget why they are doing what they are doing. A feature of this evening was both how many readers had stayed true to that precept, and the variety and brio with which their readings were presented.

Ted Eames pulled no punches with a powerful trio of poems to launch proceedings. Gender differences, sharply observed, eased us in, a wry look at the Judeo/ Christian/Muslim world view was much more lively than the subject matter suggests, whilst The Lords Care, a bilious condemnation of care for the elderly, potently delivered as a duo with Liz Lefroy ,drew loud applause for the piece itself, and its message.

Vuyelwa Carlin’s reprised her May performance of Namirembe Cathedral , (the red brick cathedral in Kampala), which she dedicated to David Cato the murdered Ugandan gay rights activist, before closing with The Dream, an unsettling and potent evocation of a protagonist who does not realise she is dead.

Another unafraid to use poetry as a platform for politics was local starlet Mathew Broomfield, educated at Adams Grammar School and a Poetry Society Foyle Young Poet of the Year Award Winner. His youth theatre experience shone through with his calm assured delivery. Saltwater Sweet, an homage to the murdered South African Black Activist Steve Biko succeeded in reinventing a familiar well worn theme spurred by the quote from a local police commander that Biko’s death “left me cold”.

Over the past few years I have seen Paul Francis perform on several occasions. He never disappoints. The consummate professional, he read a witty Roy Hodgson’s Big Mistake, then promptly sat down, the embodiment of the principle that less can be more. Kate Innes picked up on the sporting zeitgeist with Silence is Golden a well crafted Olympian sonnet.

I invariably enjoy hearing foreign language poetry, curiously French has been under-represented in my previous encounters, so it was a particular pleasure to hear Nathalie Hildegarde Liege read Le Plus Plaisant de Beaute and Une Ophelia Brule. Although even for an educated audience, the language was beyond what most of us utilise at the boulangerie’s of Calais and the vineyards of La Loire, the beauty and rhythms of her poems were self-evident. Steve Thayne picked up on the ethereal nature of Natalie’s poems with titles like, This Space, I am Blossoming and Small Whispers. He cut a bohemian dash in a flared sleeve blouse as favoured by Jon Anderson from Yes, and his themes could easily have been culled from Tales From Topographic Oceans. In the true spirit of prog rock, I was not entirely sure what it all meant, but enjoyed it nonetheless.

Janet Smith’s musical poetic milieu is somewhat different, favouring the brevity of a Pistols’ single, the lyricism of Patti Smith ,and the complexity of Talking Heads. The other worldly Hooded Children rooted in an uncertain time and place, compels and intrigues, A Cry is a stripped down gem.

Self-styled Emergency Poet Deborah Alma gave a trademark performance. As Mary Poppins always found that a spoonful of sugar helped the medicine go down, so the treatment of Deborah ensures that a poetry evening will be brightened and rejuvenated by her verse. Fey, bright and clever , she romped through her deconstruction of the rural idyll and the saucy antics of a cattle lorry lover, with pathos, wit and a twinkle in her eye.

It was a delight to see this event embeded into the Borders poetry calendar, a tribute to the efforts of Liz Lefroy and the local poetic talent . Next meeting on Thursday 13th September with David Calcutt amongst the readers.

Gary Longden 3/8/12

This was the occasion of the launch of no less than three pamphlets from award-winning Birmingham poetry press Flarestack Poets . They comprised 2012 pamphlet competition winners David Clarke (‘Gaud’) and Nichola Deane (‘My Moriarty’) and the best of the rest in the anthology, ‘Sylvia Is Missing.’ Co-editors Jacqui Rowe and Meredith Andrew have nurtured the press, with the help of Writing West Midlands,to the point where competition entries were received on a nationwide basis, far beyond their Birmingham heartland constituency. That national reputation is well deserved.

The Ikon was a strong setting, modern, central and offering a sense of occasion. Literary launches are quite different from conventional poetry evenings, and, counter intuitively, quite risky. What works on the page may not work so well performed , the performers may be an unknown quantity in their ability to project their work, and selections can be quixotic. So the absence of editorial gleichschaltung can provide both inspiration for the audience – and chewed fingernails for the organisers. A full house on a warm summer evening gave the evening the best possible start as Brum’s poetic cognoscenti gathered to talent spot.

David Clarke, a Londoner, was the first of the featured poets. His set was thematically quite varied, taking in the Afghanistan/Iraq War, the specious appeal of Eastern Bloc totalitarianism, the politics of slang, Edith Piaf and cabbage. His style is forensic , detached, observational , tangential and reserved. All his poems were meticulously crafted, and controlled (he teased us with promise of a sequence of sonnets about illicit substance abuse, only to limit his excess to a few glasses of wine!). I particularly enjoyed Notes Towards the Definition of a Revolution.

The second featured poet was Nichola Deane from the Cotswolds. My Moriarty takes its name from her childhood exposure to Saturday showings of Basil Rathbone in his black and white celluloid pomp. Nichola cautioned us that some of her poems were hard to describe, but I found her work accessible and immediate on first hearing. Landscape poems took us from the Outer Hebrides to western Ireland, and her response to Werner Herzog’s “On Death Row”, a series which I greatly admired, was powerful although may have been a little obtuse for those unfamiliar with the source material. X and Wittgenstein’s Deckchair were her stand-out pieces, and worth buying the pamphlet for on their own.

Readers from the anthology had around three poems/four minutes each, a format I quite like. As used to be the case with vinyl pop singles it focuses the talent of the artist to make an immediate impact, and several did just that. Claire Dyer performed her love trilogy with impressive sprezzatura , One Summer , One Bike, One Boy capturing wonderfully the quintessence of young love. Charles Wilkinson similarly effortlessly evoked the spirit of a Birmingham long gone with skill and authenticity. Janet Smith combines a formidable command of language with an emotional kick, and a shamanic delivery, which beguiles and delights, as showcased in The Hooded Children and A Cry. Jacci Garside impressed with a very strong trio of poems, her observation that no word existed to describe kissing a loved one after an extended absence was the stuff of which poetry is about. Nicki Arscott’s paean to a summer of love in Spain, The Pinnacle of Evolution, The Gardeners Boy and Yerma’s Ghost bore testimony to a vibrant and exciting young talent, Michael Thomas’s childhood reminiscences succeeded because of their Everyman qualities.

A successful evening also appeared to be had at the book sales desk, I do hope that the winners support Flarestack as the press has supported them by performing further readings, it is the only way for new work to secure literary traction. All three pamphlets are available from: http://www.flarestackpoets.co.uk.

Gary Longden 31/8/12

Spoken Word Events in the area are in rude health. Recently Poetry Alight at Lichfield, Shindig at Leicester, and Spoken Worlds at Burton have all enjoyed strong attendances, and so it was tonight at Fizz in Polesworth. A balmy summer evening brought out summer dresses, barely used shorts, and milky white legs. Fizz always has an intimate feel, enhanced by the setting of the historic Abbey. Host Mal Dewhirst is an indefatigable promoter of local poetry. Fizz itself pretty much represented a curtain raiser for “Dig the Poetry” an inspired initiative whereby poets interface with professional archaeologists as they excavate new areas around the Abbey. Established authors regularly headline Fizz. Yet there is a wealth of local talent, nurtured by some of the aforementioned events and writing groups who rarely get their moment in the sun. This time Terri Jolland from Repton had the opportunity to showcase her writing skills, which she has thrown herself into developing in the past few years.

Terri clearly relished the chance to stretch out a little with the extra time a headline slot affords, taking in nostalgia, nature and a trademark comedy sketch with her husband Ray. Tender, affectionate and in turns wistful and playful in tone she seized her opportunity in style, an example of her work stands for posterity on the Polesworth Poetry Trail in Pooley Country Park.

Life has its cycle, and a quirk of fate illustrated that truism tonight. Dea Costello and Peter Gray have been distinguished and much valued members of the local poetry scene for some years now. Dea’s fine writing has always impressed, and her headmistressly bearing always commanded attention ( although she does have a racy side too!).Remembering You was a poignant epitaph to her time in the Midlands.Peter always presented himself as an apprentice poet after a long career as a scientist, but his forensic approach to his writing was no less a pleasure. So it was with some sadness that they delivered a valedictory performance before heading south to Stroud to set up a new home. I wish them well. They will be missed.

But as Dea and Peter disappeared into the sunset so a new voice appeared at Fizz, that of Gemma Hogg. After her impressive debut at Poetry Alight she has clearly got the poetry bug and read four poems mainly inspired by Glastonbury, however it was her ruthless dissection of Lichfield’s Boley Park estate in Legoland which lingered in the mind.

Barry “the Bard” Patterson made a welcome return delivering summer poetry with his usual spezzatura , one of the few men who can say “fuck” poetically, Margaret Torr was cool with The Tundra, Jayne Stanton continues to embed herself in the local scene and remind me what tasseography means.

Old hands Gary Carr and Tom Wyre add value to any evening, whilst Roy Marshall paid a first visit to Fizz leaving us wanting more after a double helping of Sill and On loan. Fizz next fizzles at the Heritage Open Day of 8th September. For more information on Fizz and Dig the Poetry at Polesworth Abbey:

http://pollysworda.wordpress.com/
http://www.digtheabbey.co.uk/dtp2012.html
Gary Longden

Open mic nights that rely on walk- up are always unpredictable events by their very nature. No-one has any idea who will turn up, or what they will perform, it is part of their charm. Tonight fate conspired positively, with a big turn-out, and an unusually diverse range of performance. Some twenty performers took advantage of the three slot format to perform different styles to showcase their talents, incorporating poetry, comedy sketches, and music and song with violin, guitar and melodeon.

What was it like? Check out the notes:

Pete Hubbard, art theme, final conflict, Austin Chamberlain, artefact/Rob Stevens, I grew through new, lead mining scab/Tom Wyre, our blue island, 111111, the fire of ire, the price of freedom is eternal vigilance/ Jayne Stanton, of questions and answers, allotments/Ray Jolland, the ghost of June 68/ Terri Jolland paint it black/Dwayne Read, Buxton fringe, wheelbarrow man, star and garter/ Phil Binding, railwaymen/ Terri and Ray Jolland, election of staffs poet laureate comedy sketch/

Sue Kendrick ,points of view/Ruth,fiddle, metal man/Ian Ward , music festival, sat in the kithchen/Phil Binding,wavy davy/Rob &Lesley Stevens, it should be harder than this to fall in love/ Dwayne Read, druggie on the roof/Margaret Tor accents/Jayne Stanton grandmothers tassiography/ Andy, john martin guitar/Tom Wyre, the boy atlas, autumn funeral, terramata/ Tony Keaton, the rules, scissors, paper, rock/ Semma Gill, war words, galloping seahorses

Gary Carr,fish, claymills pumping station/Sue, the slow, melodeon/Ian Ward, the preacher and the prayer,pockets have no sound/Tony Keaton, vegetarianism, donner und blitzen/ Jayne Stanton, clothes dryer, clothes horse, jukebox/Pete Hubbard, bird poems, the pheasant revolt/ Tom, excursion into the human psyche, the lucid door/Rob Stevens the visitors/Ruth travelling home fiddle.

Who caught my ear? Phil Binding’s railway poem stood out. Drawn from his years working on the railways his characterisation of Shanks ,“I don’t talk, it wastes time,” was memorable, his turn of phrase neat,” Swifts streak and quarrel”. Apparently Phil has a sequence of poetry based around the railways and railwaymen, and I would like to hear more. The care, patience, time and devotion in their writing was self-evident.

Tony Keaton later reflected that he was always fine-tuning his poems, echoing the truism that there is no such thing as a finished poem, just work in various stages of abandonment. I do enjoy his work. He has this knack of writing about the familiar from an unfamiliar perspective, as his surreal journey on The Rules demonstrated with a romp through some pretty dubious, but highly inventive interpretations of causality. Is paper, rock scissors what life is all about? Tony thinks it just might.

The three slot format is a boon to those with diverse bodies of work and Jayne Stanton benefitted considerably from being able to show more than one side of her work. Her satirical deconstruction of Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven was a delight, with plenty to keep the cognoscenti happy, without outraging the Zeppelinistas.

Host Gary Carr relished the task of managing a packed night and executed the task with deftness and a lightness of touch. Spoken Worlds next meets on Friday 24th August at 7.30pm, free in, sign up on the night for a slot, and thereafter on 21/9, 19/10 and 16/11. Meanwhile there is much happening with Dig the Abbey, a combined poetry and archaeological project running across July and August (http://www.digtheabbey.co.uk/) and Fizz at Polesworth Abbey on Tuesday 24th July, 7.30pm.

Summer sees a slew of festivals encompassing all manner of artistic endeavour of which poetry is playing an increasing part. The Lydney festival is a sprawling affair taking in all of June and the first two weeks of July with events ranging from banshee busking, through jazz concerts, to a Last Night at the Proms event. Part of the Festival’s tradition is becoming a team poetry slam at which Lydney takes on a visiting team of poetic troubadours ,who this year came in the form of Team Rainbow. Amy Rainbow is a festival favourite and protégé of John Cooper Clarke, her team included Worcestershire Poet Laureate Maggie Doyle, one half of the Very Grimm bros , Adrian Mealing, and myself.

When I first took the call from Amy inviting me onto her team I agreed to participate without having any idea of where Lydney was, adding to the sense of adventure. On the day , travelling down, that sense of adventure assumed Biblical proportions as a fire delayed our motorway journey, roads became flooded with the incessant downpour ,and the pub was not doing food, equating to famine. All that was missing was the pestilence!

The venue, the Annexe pub, is ideal for performance with a modern, well equipped function room and stage, comfortable surroundings, and welcoming staff. Brenda Read-Brown hosted, with Andrea on adding up, and did a fine job entertaining and cajoling an appreciative good sized crowd. The format was two rounds of the two teams of four offering their finest three minute poetic musings with the highest aggregate score being declared the winner. The performers have the advantage of their own three minutes not being make or break, but that is counter-balanced by professional pride meaning that no-one wanted to let the side down with a bad performance.

The Lydney team benefitted from the redoubtable services of Fergus McGonigal, whose rant against the worst excesses of Eighties popular music was particularly well received, a counterpoint to team member Peter Wyton’s homage to the 50th anniversary of the Rolling Stones first ever gig. Carole Ruding splits her time between Lydney and New Zealand and her wistful poem about wanting to experience the joys of childhood again was both poignant and very well delivered. Special mention should also be made of final team member Roger Dury who performed as a late replacement with some great poems and a nice hat.

Amy led her team with assurance and aplomb dressed in a pink tutu, the latter of which did nothing to soften the venom in her notorious I Don’t put down of a man’s marriage proposal, which as always, was greeted with sisterly bonhomie from the women in the audience, and horror by the men! Adrian Mealing seduced the crowd with his smooth urbane manner before prodding their social conscience with his fine protest poem about the death of Ian Tomlinson at the G20 demonstration, whilst Maggie Doyle teased and entertained with her tales of the exploits of The Merry Widow.

A close run contest saw visitors Team Rainbow just edge victory past the home team in a contest conducted in the finest traditions of poetic goodwill, in front of a generous and appreciative audience. Prizes of copies of the Kama Sutra were gratefully received as was the kind hospitality of the organisers in inviting performers for a late night supper of pizza and wine.

More information about the Lydney Festival is available here: http://www.lydney-online.co.uk/events/lydney-festival/