Pink Floyd’s “The Wall at Tamworth” – Exclusive Interview

Posted on June 1, 2012 by garylongden


Following a tremendous response to my first piece on The Wall , which is being staged at Tamworth Assembly Rooms on June 5, 6, 7 and 8 by Arts Connects and Fired Up Theatre, I have now secured an exclusive interview with Mal Dewhirst who has been involved in writing additional material for the show.

What has amazed me is how this show has attracted interest not only from those local to Tamworth, but also from Pink Floyd fans around the country – and the world!

Mal Dewhirst

Q. Mal, how did you come to be involved in writing additional material for The Wall?

The Artistic Director, Simon Quinn, envisioned that his version of the production would include some newly developed poetry. The Producers at Tamworth Art Connects recommended that he should talk to me and so we met at an Arts connects meeting, it was one of those wonderful unexpected opportunities that really grab the imagination, how could I not do it.

Q. How well do you think the lyrics of The Wall have travelled over the last thirty years?

Pretty well I would say, I think that is because the themes are more relevant to everyone today than perhaps they were 30 years ago. Whilst Roger Waters drew from his personal experience and the dissolution of his situation, there was not a shared sense of identity of the isolation and marginalisation in society among most of the population. Pink Floyd showed us a world as an expression of what could be, a warning if you like, one that was ignored and communities drifted into the reality of it all. Simon’s new version points this out in the hope that like Pink, communities and most of all the people in them will reassess their lives and their relationships to each other. It’s time to OCCUPY YOUR MIND.

Q. How daunting has it been to compliment the work of Roger Waters?

I must admit I was daunted at first, partly out of respect for Roger’s work but also because people especially other poets would make comparisons between what I have done and the original. I have however in the past created new poetry inspired by the work of other poets such as the WWI German poet August Stramm and paid due reverence in doing so. I feel that by working with the same themes it gives me a better understanding of the original, it helps me get into the writer’s thinking and hopefully others can get a new perspective on the original piece.

Q. What specific additional material have you written, is there anything that we should particularly look out for?

My contribution is a mix of my own pieces and pieces that I have gathered. My pieces include a sound piece The Thin Ice, two film pieces that are read with Empty Spaces and Bricks and Mortar, finishing with a lament.
An interesting piece that I have gathered is a sound poem with many voices, Nobody Home. It was developed at a series of workshops at the Community Café’s where I was supported by the Tamworth Writers Group. The piece was developed from responses to lines from the lyrics of Comfortably Numb, which the participants wrote and were then recorded to be edited together to create the final piece.
I am really pleased to have two poems from the Coventry War Poet Antony Owen from his collection The Dreaded Boy, including the title piece and Scent of a son. Antony came along to the Assembly Rooms in Tamworth and we recorded the pieces as a sound piece and a short film overlaid with footage from the Afghan War.

Q. How do you see the roles of prose, poetry and lyrics in a theatrical production, and how has that influenced what you have written for The Wall?

This has been a great opportunity to bring poetry to new audiences. Poetry is normally written for the page or stand alone performance. I decided to experiment with poetry being presented using the mediums of sound and film. Some of it the audience reads, some they listen to, some they watch. This is not a move away from the page or stand alone performance but more a means of bringing a new approach to delivering poetry and trying to draw people to reading more poetry and attending open mic’s.

Q. Historically plays and musicals have been revamped and re-imagined over the years, particularly for film. What scope do you see for similar reassessment and revision of past popular music classics both lyrically, and in production for the stage?

Simon mentioned Quadrophenia in his interview, which I would very much agree with. I would like to perhaps take this away from existing plays and musicals and consider some classic albums and how these might be adapted into relevant productions for the early 21st Century. So, maybe David Bowie and Ziggy Stardust or King Crimson – In the court of the Crimson King, built around a realisation of the 21st Century Schizoid Man, you only have to look at the image on the album cover to imagine the posibilities, and hey you may even get Robert Fripp to perform it. If you really want something obscure then Ken Russell’s Macbeth with the music of the Third Ear Band. Of course, as there no tribute bands who perform the music of the Third Ear Band, maybe not.
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Top professional Pink Floyd tribute band Floydian Slip will be performing throughout the production to create a polished performance, not only for Pink Floyd fans but for anyone with an interest in music and theatre.

Tickets for The Wall are available from the Tourist Information Centre in Corporation Street or by calling the box office on 01827 709618.

A short video explaining more about The Wall project can be viewed on Tamworth Borough Council’s YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YPtPGKcxLU

The project is being funded and supported by Fired Up Theatre, Arts Connects, Staffordshire Community Wellbeing Fund, Tamworth Arts Grants Scheme, Tamworth Community Safety Partnership, Staffordshire Local Community Fund and Staffordshire County Council’s Arts Grants Scheme

The first piece together with an interview with Director Simon Quinn may be found:

Pink Floyd’s “The Wall “ Comes to Tamworth

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Bilston Voices, Metro Cafe, Bilston

Posted on May 24, 2012 by 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 up with something special. Tonight was no exception.

Making her Bilston Voices debut was Michelle Crosbie whom I have caught perform twice previously. As before, she did not disappoint. I believe that from the moment that a poet decides that rather than simply read their work to themselves, they want to read it to others, they have a duty to present and perform it in a way that connects with their audience. Michelle understands this perfectly. She consciously played to every corner of the room by eye contact and gesture, modulating her voice for effect. She introduced her work informatively, whilst never dulling the pleasure of what was to follow. Oh Dark Pilot Whales was a beautiful hymn to a stranded pod off Scotland ,drawing on Norse and Icelandic legend to beguiling effect, Fireworks of Love a dramatic playful performance piece. However this time it was Swifts that caught my ear, with a particularly striking simile of swifts as fighter planes. Warmly received by an appreciative audience , I hope that Michelle will take this success as a spur to perform more regularly, and more widely.

Writing groups and workshops can be invaluable for nurturing the skills of budding writers and Brian Titton, who followed Michelle, drew upon that experience to perform a diverse range of poems. Fresh from leading some groups herself earlier on in the day ,Jane James stepped in at a few hours notice to cover for an indisposed reader. I really enjoy listening to Jane perform. She opened with a prose piece, A Very Guilty Pleasure about the anguish of the chocoholic. Her dry laconic words belied a very funny, and well delivered, performance piece. Yet it is her versatility that amazes; a poignant tribute to a lost parent, an ode to the joys of salmon fishing, a fisherman’s prayer, an environmental tirade in Don’t and a spiky slam poem Not A lot to Ask are all handled with panache and aplomb. And just as some women have the unerring knack of always having something in their handbag for any eventuality, so Jane seemingly has a poem for every occasion.

After the break Paul Francis appeared , a retired comprehensive school teacher with a meticulous and well crafted approach to his poetry. He opened with his strongest poem, Surveillance ,which won a national competition resulting in its permanent display on the side of a bus driving around Guernsey. Its qualities were immediately apparent as were those included in his Olympians collection in anticipation of the forthcoming London Olympics.

It is a truism that the most talented writers are invariably the most modest, this is certainly true of Paul McDonald, of whom I had previously known nothing. Yet as soon as he opened with Shakespeare’s Barred my poetic antennae twitched, here was no ordinary poet. Funny, sharp, economic and engaging in his writing, warm in his disposition he grabbed my attention from the start, and never relaxed his grip till he finished. Upon researching his biography, this comes as no surprise.

Paul McDonald

Paul was born in Walsall and is an academic, comic novelist, and poet. He teaches English and American Literature at the University of Wolverhampton, where he also runs the Creative and Professional Writing Programme. He left school to work as a saddlemaker, an occupation that provides the backdrop for his first novel, Surviving Sting (2001).After a period studying with the Open University, McDonald entered fulltime education at Birmingham Polytechnic where he began writing fiction, initially producing stories for the women’s romance market under a female pseudonym. He later won a scholarship to research a PhD, and in 1994 took an academic post teaching American literature at the University of Wolverhampton. His second novel, Kiss Me Softly, Amy Turtle (2004) is a comic mystery satirising the Midlands town of Walsall while his third, Do I Love You? (2008), takes Northern Soul as its theme.

His poetry began appearing in the early 1990s and embraces a range of themes and styles. Again humour is a feature, as is surrealism, but he also writes serious love poetry, and verse about art and travel. His most recent collections are Catch a Falling Tortoise (2007) and An Artist Goes Bananas (2012). As a humour specialist, he has made several TV appearances, including BBC Breakfast and The One Show, and he is credited with identifying the oldest joke in the world.

Those impressive credentials were evident in everything he performed, each poem couched in a witty self -effacing aside . His modest journey into adulthood was referenced in Real Men from his time as a saddlemaker, his current position amongst the literati providing the perspective for An Author Obsessed with the Hay on Wye Festival. Next time he will not be able to sneak in unnoticed! A tremendous and hugely enjoyable set.

Bilston Voices next meets Thursday, 28th June at 7.30pm.

Gary Longden
25/5/12

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Pink Floyd’s “The Wall “ Comes to Tamworth

Posted on May 23, 2012 by garylongden

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 Tamworth Assembly Rooms in early June. Revisiting and re-imagining classic album material from past decades appeals to me and is something I suspect we will be hearing more of from various artistic quarters.

I managed to steal some time from Simon’s busy schedule to secure an exclusive interview with the man responsible for bringing this epic show to the Tamworth stage, as well as securing all the vital production information:

Q. What attracted you to “The Wall” in the first place?

Total self indulgence to be honest, or at least years ago that was the main reason, since then a recognition of how The Wall can resonate individual and group social issues has become more important . I used to deliver drama sessions for disabled learners at The Mac in Birmingham and we would get a half hour coffee break, so I used that time to go wandering around the foyer looking at the publicity flyers dotted around. I was a bit shocked to spot a programme for The Wall which had been, I think, a production encompassing all youth theatre’s across the city. This was about 2004/5, but the production was either early 90’s or late 80’s. I vowed that one day I was going to somehow produce a version of the show, what I didn’t know at the time was how to go about it. I started to experiment with other youth theatre shows that I had written and deliberately slotted in Another Brick In The Wall Part 2 as part of that particular narrative
within the performance.

Q. “The Wall” was released as an album in 1979. Three decades later how well do you think it has worn?

I think it is more relevant now then back in ’79. There are some simple clues as to why. I think the Floyd reunion for Live 8 captured a new audience and therefore created a clamour for their recorded work, in addition the fact that Roger Waters is still touring it , albeit a more political version and has been since 2010, has identified that new and older audiences still demand Floyd/Waters live performance. The crucial aspect however is that the album, film, live performance can so easily be reconstructed to something that can be recognised within each and everyone of us-where back in ’79 it was about the break up of The Floyd, Syd’s break down, the division between band and audience, loss of a loved one and greed- because that is what it was. Without sounding too pompous, it’s exactly the same remit as Shakespeare being designed in a contemporary vein for new audiences.

Q. Is there any new material in the production? How rigid were the demands of the Rights Holders?

This is the interesting one. The script is brand new-it is designed to be more localised ,in other words to fit the identity of the people of Tamworth. That is not mean’t in a derogatory way, it merely means this is a show by the people of Tamworth for Tamworth. It is very dance orientated and contains a lot of symbolism and metaphor’s, but crucially it also pays respect and testimony to Roger Waters work, so it is a bit of a balancing act. Strangely enough the demands regarding copyright have not been too rigid. I went through all the correct channels. Since last July I have been e-mailing ‘Matt’ at the fanzine web site Brain Damage asking questions of how , why and what, and he has been very helpful and courteous in passing on my requests to Mark Fenwick who is Roger’s manager, and eventually I received a very short e-mail granting permission-it was all a bit surreal. Brain Damage have also publicised the event which was terrific of them to do. The one thing I had to do was send a synopsis of ‘our’ creation so that we had a original slant on the existing work.

Q. What influence did the film version of 1982 have on this production?

To begin with it probably had more influence on certain cast members than myself. We used it as a template-certainly on the launch day, but to be honest I wanted to move away from the film-because we have our original script and we were more than keen in creating new practical and textual works-within the work-if that sounds ok.

Q. Who is performing the music and what challenges did recreating Pink Floyd’s sound create?

Floydian Slip

The music is being provided by Floydian Slip-a Pink Floyd tribute band from Chesterfield. They are the oldest or second oldest Floyd tribute act-so creating the Floyd sound is their ‘bag’. That was crucial to the project. If I am going to be honest, in an ideal world we would have wanted a group of musicians that we could have put together ourselves, but time and funding prohibited this course of action and in any case Floydian Slip are pretty accurate to the Floyd sound.

Q. Pink Floyd have a fan base dawn from their heyday in the 1970’s, how did the younger members of the cast respond to the material?

This was very curious. We had primary schoolchildren belting out We don’t need no educshun!!! like second nature, and their parents would then play the album or the film to them at home. The cast is very mixed-our actor who plays Pink has morphed into Pink…..I mean worryingly so!.. but he is fab….other cast members had no idea about The Wall but rock n’ roll and performance drew them in. The real cool aspect is the mixture of ages taking part, or who have contributed in some other way to the project. I could get into grumpy old git mode and say can’t imagine this happening with artists today, but it is the longevity and kudos of certain works that draws ’em in!

Q. What does “The Wall” have to say to a 21st Century audience?

The Wall , I think resonates more as a political and social vehicle today. We have added the themes of ageism, religion, anti-social behaviour, disability, domestic violence, contemporary war fare, greed, lack of respect , intergenerational apathy to the tried and tested formula. They are kind of little photographic snippets pocketed throughout the show-blink and you’ll miss them. This was the appeal to our backers, they could see that a work over 30 odd years old could be adapted to and involve people and groups into a piece of musical theatre that had contemporary ideologies running throughout.

Q.“The Wall” is one of the great popular music shows, what were the challenges of producing it for theatre rather than rock arena/amphitheatre?

It’s not just about the show. We are trying to use The Wall to encourage arts development for minority groups who can interact with Tamworth Arts development in order to improve the well being of all participants; so the show is only one aspect of The Wall. However as you asked about the challenges of the live show…how long have you got.? Rehearsing peripatetically, in other words visiting different, groups making sure they are on the ball with what they are doing. Liaising with the band, the real difficulty has been this. We made a point that we would all rehearse to the live album, Is There Anybody Out There? and not the studio album so the authenticity of the live performance could be felt by all parties, throughout. Also the synchronicity and cohesion is a major problem, because musically, the tracks generally segue from one into another. Our version is different because at different moments, the piece is broken up by poetry or acting or both then by dance and acting-so it is a headache-but that is the originality of the work. I don’t think it matters whether it is a theatre or a amphitheatre-it is still a performance arena-in fact I think the intimacy of our space makes the atmosphere a lot closer, alot more intensified, plus in true Floydian spirit we’ve maintained the lasers, lights, the back projection and the dry ice!

Q. What audience are you aiming for, is this a nostalgia show?

No it is not a nostalgia show! If it was intended that way we might just as well delivered it as a tribute act. This is one of the largest intergenerational community arts events that Tamworth has ever staged. We are aiming to enhance our arts development programme for people and places through this project. This is about increasing arts awareness for groups and individuals who otherwise are unaware of what is happening in the borough. This is our offering for the Cultural Olympiad. If on the other hand people just want to come and enjoy an evening of Pink Floyd-that is fine-but hopefully they will gain a greater insight into other artistic strategies and techniques also.

Q. Are there any other classic concept albums which you would like to bring to the stage?

In my view -and it is only my view-there are only three classic rock theatre concepts that ever demonstrate originality. One is The Wall, the other two are both by The Who, namely Tommy and Quadrophenia. I have actually enquired about performing Quadrophenia with a spoken narrative-as it did actually tour a couple of years ago with dialogue-but to date I have heard nothing. Two other concepts that would interest me would be staging a play by Patrick Jones, which I saw in Cardiff a few years ago, Everything Must Go, which has various songs by the Manic Street Preachers running throughout ( Jones is the brother of Nicky Wire), and on a more localised angle , I would like to do an original musical based on the life and work of Julian Cope from Tamworth, who of course fronted Teardrop Explodes.

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The huge demand for tickets for one of the biggest community arts projects ever staged in Tamworth has prompted organisers to encourage prospective audience members to snap up tickets quickly – before they sell out.

The Wall is a contemporary re-imagining of the Pink Floyd rock opus. It is being staged at Tamworth Assembly Rooms on June 5, 6, 7 and 8 by Arts Connects and Fired Up Theatre, by kind permission of Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters and Mark Fenwick Management.
Using Pink Floyd’s classic music, with a new narrative brought bang up to date by Simon Quinn, The Wall is set on a fictitious housing estate somewhere in the West Midlands and explores contemporary themes including anti-social behaviour, poverty, unemployment, social deprivation, peer pressure and racism.

The project is Tamworth’s Cultural Olympiad offering for 2012 and is already bringing together and involving people from all ages and communities across Tamworth, including groups of people who would not normally work together.

People from all across Tamworth with skills including acting, mime, storytelling, dance, poetry, rapping, graffiti art, puppetry, music, stage fighting, film, projection, costumes, set design and props are already hard at work putting the production together.
They will be joined by top professional Pink Floyd tribute band Floydian Slip who will be performing throughout the production to create a polished performance, not only for Pink Floyd fans but for anyone with an interest in music and theatre.
Tickets for The Wall are available from the Tourist Information Centre in Corporation Street or by calling the box office on 01827 709618.

A short video explaining more about The Wall project can be viewed on Tamworth Borough Council’s YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YPtPGKcxLU

The project is being funded and supported by Fired Up Theatre, Arts Connects, Staffordshire Community Wellbeing Fund, Tamworth Arts Grants Scheme, Tamworth Community Safety Partnership, Staffordshire Local Community Fund and Staffordshire County Council’s Arts Grants Scheme

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Fizz, Polesworth Abbey, Polesworth

Posted on May 23, 2012 by garylongden

Polewworth Abbey


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 and Drayton would have recognised, and appreciated, as they would have appreciated the format of a guest poet, and floor readers, with free admission and light refreshments.

Mal Dewhirst – AKA “Mr Fizz”

If you want a job done, Mal Dewhirst, “Mr Fizz”, is the man to go to it seems. Not content with recent credits which include Nuneaton Poetry Day, The Polesworth Poetry Trail and the upcoming production of Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” at Tamworth Assembly Rooms 5th-8th June inclusive, he also announced the creation of the new office of Staffordshire Poet Laureate, more details of which can be found at: http://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/leisure/librariesnew/staffordshiresfirstpoetlaureate.aspx

Margaret Torr – Guest Poet

The guest poet for the evening was Margaret Torr who originates from Birkenhead, but is now a regular on the Staffordshire poetry circuit. Her work is versatile , accessible and intimate and found its apotheosis in Running Parallel, a wistful but unsentimental look at middle aged relationships and Silent Window, a terrific tender brutal examination of deafness. She duetted with Dea Costelloe, she read her contribution to the Polesworth Poetry Trail and she performed a story. Warmly received, it is about time that she put out a pamphlet of her work.

The floor readings were as diverse as ever. Gina Coates read Regrets on behalf of the promising teenage poet Ian Ryan, whilst Dea Costelloe did a solo spot themed on men including Slanging it Out, which she is going to have trouble not performing in the future, so well is it received. Janet Crouch performed the excellent story Zeus’s Spoons. Music was on hand in the form of Brian Langtry, his guitar, and My Cotton Town, set in Hyde not Alabama, and some half a century in conception. Gary Carr delivered his customary quick-fire blast of poetic quality which this time included Dear Diary and Highlights, which were.

Terri Jolland reminded us that there is more to her than comedy writing with the anguished tale of installing new bedroom furniture and the elegiac Sunshine Hours, a remembrance of her childhood. Making his Fizzz debut was local John Farmer who delighted the audience not only with his poem Polesworth Now and Then but also with his reminiscences of the penny payment he used to receive for singing in the Abbey Choir over sixty years ago. Closing the evening was Tom Wyre, who strapped us on board for his alliterative rhyming rollercoaster of a set.

Fizz next plays on 24/7 with guest poet Terri Jolland ,and on 25/9 ,with Dea Costelloe and Peter Grey, 7.30pm start.
Gary Longden 22/5/12

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Shindig, Western PH, Leicester

Posted on May 23, 2012 by garylongden

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 Arches Press had assembled a strong and eclectic roster of featured poets and floor readers before another full room for this bi-monthly event, presented by Jane Commane and Jonathan Taylor.

Robert Richardson closed the evening. As well as appearing in CCC’s Hearing Voices, he has been published in Agenda poetry magazine and also co-edited ‘Homage to Imagism’ (AMS Press, New York). As a visual artist, he was recently included in ‘Artists’ Postcards: A Compendium’ (Reaktion Books, London). Robert has a very distinctive style, arriving on stage with an assortment of bags. In the same way that a seasoned, reliable ,mechanic always has something in their toolkit to correct any mechanical problem you may face, so Bob has a poem tucked away for pretty much any occasion. His poems are typically short which enables him to also exercise his skills as a raconteur. His eye for detail dovetails seamlessly with his devotion to Imagism, his brevity and wit shines with his epigrams.

Providing an international dimension to the evening was Alistair Noon . Born in 1970 in Aylesbury, he has subsequently spent time in Russia and China, before moving to Berlin where he has lived since the early nineties and works as a translator. His poetry and translations from German and Russian have appeared in nine chapbooks from small presses. Earth Records is his first full-length collection. He appears to have assimilated a number of Teutonic strengths by osmosis. His writing is clear, efficient and memorable, doing enough to do the job well ,without unnecessary over elaboration. Nowhere was this more apparent than in Facets of a Soviet Battle Tank which opens with:

“Defending Socialism in thirteen states,
it redirected the traffic in Prague;
then, in rows at the Afghan border,
improvised its own car park.
A press-out cardboard piece
for a weeklong board game.”

A late addition to the line-up of guest poets was Ira Lightman, replacing Julie Boden who is still recuperating from an illness. We all wish Julie a speedy recovery.

Currently resident in Newcastle upon Tyne, Lightman is a conceptual poet with a particular interest in public art. He regularly appears on BBC Radio 3’s The Verb, and has three published collections. Phone in the Roll, (Knives Forks and Spoons Press), uses poems spoken into an imperfect dictation transcriber, which produces misheard transcriptions of the intended text. Mustard Tart as Lemon , (Red Squirrel Press),draws together work written over 15 years and includes Concrete poetry . Duetcetera, (Shearsman Books), offers twin column poetry which can be read individually, or together, and is written as two voices. He has also been featured on New York based website Ubuweb (www.ubu.com/ubu). To be published on Ubuweb is a considerable feather in his cap, The Sunday Times named it as one of the top ten “benchmark websites” in the world. There are just five UK poets published there, and Lightman is one of them.

I am a fan. His poetry is not always easy, and when performed out loud is sometimes difficult to follow without the text, but it is always interesting ,and pushes at the boundaries of poetic form. With each poem the audience has no idea what is coming next, best exemplified by Judy Garland which included the most preposterous and imaginative reimagining of Somewhere Over the Rainbow you are ever likely to hear.

C. J. Allen was new to me. His prize-winning poetry (in the Arvon, Yorkshire, Lebdury, Ilkley, Ware, Nottingham & English Association competitions, amongst others) has been appearing in magazines and anthologies in the UK, USA, Ireland & elsewhere for years. His most recent collections are: A Strange Arrangement: New and Selected Poems (Leafe Press, 2007), and Lemonade (a red ceilings press e-book, 2010). Violets – winner of the Templar Press Short Collection Competition – was published in November 2011. He currently edits the reviews pages of the literary magazine Staple. But tonight he was promoting his new collection At the Oblivion Tea Rooms. Perhaps it was our shared experience of having been apprehended by the river police for transgressing obscure regulations on the Norfolk Broads, but I took an instant liking to Allen’s laconic style, delivery, and work. Snail Explains endured for me, with its wonderful image of the said Gastropod’s forward progress being akin to that of a Russian novel.

The floor readers offered an embarrassment of riches, I recall by impact, Caroline Cook’s Weekly Workout which was my favourite poem of the night by some way. It’s wry pithy observations on the dark side of poetry workshops were quite wonderful, and deserved a barrelful of applause (although I did have to look up the meaning of vatic!).Jayne Stanton’s homily to tea was a delight, as was Lindsay Waller Wilkinson’s trip to Seaham.

Shindig next meets on 16th July, 7.30pm, free admission, sign up for floor spots on the night.
Gary Longden 23/5/12

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Spoken Worlds, Old Cottage Tavern, Byrkely St, Burton Upon Trent

Posted on May 19, 2012 by garylongden

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 back catalogues for this night’s readings which served as a timely reminder of the depth of material which several poets possessed. Many poets feel compelled to continue to produce new work because poetry can be a short form, yet revisiting old and sometimes forgotten work can also be rewarding.

Andy Biddulph had been absent for a few months as his time has been diverted helping to fight a legal battle to defend the right of free navigation on some of Britain’s waterways, a right currently under threat. Traditionally, Andy’s work tends to triumph the trials, tribulations , and triumphs of the common man. However he opened with a surreal piece, loosely themed on endeavour, Solo to Summit, boasting an extended psychedelic prose introduction which Robert Calvert and Hawkwind would have been proud of. Intriguing and other worldly.

In a similarly esoteric vein Tony Keeton decided to name check the ancient question of: “how many angels can dance on the point of a needle?” Dorothy L Sayers concluded that an infinity of angels can be located on the head of a pin, since they do not occupy any space there. Tony took on Sayers and Thomas Aquinas – and won, with his super poem Instructions to Angels. I always enjoy Tony’s readings because whatever subject he decides to tackle, he does so with freshness and brio.

Sometimes familiar faces can surprise. Dea Costelloe invariably produces high quality mainstream poetry delivered with the assurance of a BBC newsreader. Tonight, she travelled from the West End of Shepherds Bush, to the East End of Albert Square and Bow Bells, with her wonderful homily to cockney rhyming slam Slanging It. Dedicated to her father who was a lighterman on the Thames, it was funny, fond and clever as she became Barbera Windsor with a twinkle in her eye, some sauce on her tongue and a wholly convincing cockney accent.

On Tuesday 22nd, Margaret Torr is headlining at Fizz in Polesworth so this was a bit of a warm up appearance. She chose to read a hugely inventive piece in Viking saga style using four letter words. Not only was it a fascinating device, but Margaret also used her storytelling voice to conjure a musical, insistent rhythm to her tale. Brave in conception, successful in execution.

As the 1970’s entered its second half, Punk Rock blazed into the cultural arena laying waste the lazy artistic thinking which dominated ,and clearing space for much fine music which was to follow. But it is seldom remembered that whilst the Sex Pistols and the Stranglers were outraging the nation on the front pages it was the Bee Gees and their disco classic Saturday Night Fever who were dominating the singles and album charts. Mal Dewhirst memorably reprised both aspects of the era with Outside Barbarellas and Before the Locarno. It was a wistful reminder of a time when music by Chic and The Clash sat side by side in my record collection.

Tom Wyre has been working hard on the performance circuit and it is paying dividends. His trademark is to cram rhymes and alliteration into his poems to bursting point, he is often at his best when drawing upon reflections from his time on the road, Cellophane Man and Joe Hamster being good examples. On a night in which everyone seemed to be trying something different, Janet Jenkins read a very strong prose piece Disturbing the Contents and the versatile Rob Stevens veered from the Queen to paying off his mortgage , whilst host Gary Carr revisited his excellent poems inspired by the Pooley Poetry trail as well as hosting the evening with his customary skill.

Spoken Worlds next meets at the Old Cottage Tavern at 7.30pm, on Friday 15th June, free admission.
Gary Longden 19/5/12

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Mouth & Music, The Boars Head, Kidderminster

Posted on May 10, 2012 by garylongden

Host and KAF Activist Heather Wastie


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 Council’s proposals to close the Library Art Gallery, proposals which would leave the Boars Head Gallery as the only gallery space in the town. In my experience public bodies are poor at managing arts provision, whilst local activists are good at it. The Kidderminster Arts Federation has been formed to draw together the diverse Arts interests in Kidderminster and the surrounding areas. The Boars Head Gallery is the nerve centre of operations, the KAF’s efforts deserve to be supported.

Co-KAF conspirator Sarah Tamar helped to launch the evening with the drought inspired Rain before moving onto her home turf of contemporary light poetry with a bit of social bite taking in young women who want to be WAGS, and young men called to fight for their country. A feature of the evening is its encouragement for first time performers. Margaret Green gave an assured reading of a trio of poems of which I Am Too Beautiful To Be Waiting was the best. Elena Thomas works as a contemporary visual artist but chose this evening as a platform to unleash the poet in her with a tribute to thirty years of marriage and a lullaby normally set to music. Both worked well. Steve Hughes worked a rehearsed, memorised set of two performance pieces, Shall I Spit or Swallow? and Well Endowed, both were woven with double entendres which would have made Frankie Howard blush.

A Lichfield Poet, Ian Ward has become a fixture on the Midlands performance poetry scene, chalking up the hard yards. From a substantial back catalogue he performed a trio from his 19th Century Cornwall collection, which I think is his strongest, rich in rhythm , rhyme and a sense of place. John Cliff similarly drew on a sense of place, but in his case one much closer to home, the Severn Valley railway, which he explored in Great Longstow.

Jenny Hope

Worcester has an unusually strong cohort of talented female poets and two were on form tonight. Jenny Hope is a hugely talented poet. Not only is her poetry elegant, lyrical and precise, but she also revels in a dry wit, and a knowing glance. From Petrolhead her 2010 collection, she read from The Man who Married His Car, with the memorable opening : “ He was underneath her most weekends.” Jenny matches ear-catching phrases with a beguiling delivery, Woman included the line: “I seek out the roots of sleeping trees” – and we were hooked. A reluctant Ruth Stacey was dragooned onto stage, fortunately she just happened to have the wonderful Go Round committed to memory, picking up the arboreal theme with :“The deciduous trees are gilded with decay.” Missing from the audience was fellow Worcester Poet Suz Winspear whose signature piece is Evil Trees. I have made a mental note to decline any offer of a walk in the woods with those three.

The evening is also about music as well as poetry and three musicians were on hand to entertain. Kate Wragg reprised her April performance, with Character Building a delight. Colin Pitts had been hunted down after Heather Wastie had seen him performing elsewhere. It was immediately apparent why she went to the trouble. Colin combined the finger work style of Mark Knopfler, and the smooth, gravelly tones of Chris Rea in a very well received set.

Al Barz


Al Barz performed with a keyboard, rather than guitar , to accompany his poetry. Using a sequencer facility, it was not always clear whether Al was driving the technology, or the technology was driving him, but in the great tradition of the likes of Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson, Al never flinched from pushing the musical boundaries, even ending Leandra with a flourish that Ray Manzarek would have been proud of. Identifying the adapted musical motifs is part of the enjoyment of listening to Al perform, The Whisper of Her Name definitely borrows from Steely Dan’s ,Rikki Don’t Lose That Number, Home Alone from Mouldy Old Dough by Lieutenant Pigeon. The audience loved him, it was great fun.

The Decadent Divas – left to right, Laura Yates,Lorna Meehan, Charlie Jordan and Maggie Doyle

The main event was The Decadent Diva’s debuting much new material, but retaining the premise that each was speaking from the viewpoint of a woman from one of four decades. The format of the evening offered the opportunity of a device which worked particularly well for them. Instead of simply delivering an ensemble piece, they each performed solo spots first. This offered the considerable advantage of helping to establish individual character before they all appeared together. I like ensemble poetry performance. It offers variety, contrast and an extra dynamic to the poetry itself. It is also interesting to see how this concept is growing and unfolding. In past performances there was a strong sense of the voice of Everywoman representing each decade. Now that solo performances are creating a sense of individual identity, the challenge of whether that identity should be that of the individual poet, or an assumed identity by that individual poet, emerges. This script gave Laura Yates and Maggie Doyle greater opportunities than previous ones, and both seized that chance with relish and style. Charlie Jordan was as smooth as ever, the oil, allowing the wheels to spin easily around her, Lorna Meehan enjoyed showing out as much the audience lapped up her performance – rarely have I witnessed the very mention of Michael Buble’s name invoke such a sense of hysteria! This was certainly their sauciest and raciest set yet, but was still delivered in the best possible taste……………..

Mouth & Music next meets at 8pm on Tuesday June 12th, but a Jubilee special is being held, on Jubilee Weekend Sat 2nd, Sun 3rd, Mon 4th afternoons, with plenty of poetry and music.

Gary Longden 8/5/12

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Night Blue Fruit, Taylor Johns Vaults- Coventry

Posted on May 2, 2012 by garylongden

Sarah James


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 polymath poetic talents. She is based in Droitwich Spa where she runs the Poetry Society’s Worcestershire Stanza and is secretary of Droitwich Arts Network. Widely published ,Sarah’s first full-length poetry collection Into the Yell was published by Circaidy Gregory Press in July 2010 and won third prize in the International Rubery Book Awards 2011.

What always impresses me about Sarah is both the breadth of her subject matter, and the care in her language. How to Dress was a very strong opener with a well developed cactus metaphor, Je Ne Sais Quoi a bitter sweet reminiscence of her time spent as a student studying French in France. Instrumental , about her young sons, typified her material, clever but never highbrow. That standard was mirrored by a strong supporting cast. Gary Carr, from Burton upon Trent’s Spoken Worlds relished the opportunity to perform, rather than organise, delivering a well crafted set from his impressive Monday to Friday through to Octopus.

From Birmingham University, Janet Smith performed what is becoming a formidable and well tested set, to which Meadowhall, which I had not heard before, had been added, and was a welcome addition to her performing repertoire. Forging his way on the circuit, and a Night Blue Fruit debutante, Chris Wayne wisely played safe with the short, but effective Faithless and a longer piece about alcoholism written as an observational piece, because he does not drink.

A strong student contingent brought an eclectic and diverse range of poetic offerings to the stage. Vocanoes ? Fuck Em was inventive, Oblivious a powerful poignant warning on date rape. Photography student Adele Reed made quite an impact. Uncertain as to whether she wanted to read or not she invited host Anthony Owen to read for her, who was handed a handwritten notebook in which the poem was written backwards, not an auspicious set of circumstances! Furthermore Adele decided, upon reflection, that she wanted to read after all, and delivered an extended piece with the epic ambition of Spenser’s Faerie Queen.It was dense and lyrical, although I am not entirely sure what it was all about. A sure fire way to attract an intrigued audience. With the wind in her sails Adele went on to read about a rabbit whose fluffy or mechanical properties were ambiguous!

Night Blue Fruit next meets at 8pm on Tuesday 5th June.

Gary Longden 1/5/12

Posted in Behind the Arras Reviews | 2 Comments

Poems Not Numerous Enough For NAPOWRIMO

Posted on April 30, 2012 by garylongden

This is Not a Love Poem

Sometimes love resists fate;
The new boy on the adjacent aisle,
Sits on a distant far off isle,
Too far to swim.

Joint studies converge eager minds,
Poring over school essays,
May not help cupid’s assays,
To prevail, this time.

Living in college,
Above and downstairs,
Yet blankness still stares,
Between them,

Till alone,
Both well read,
Sink a bottle of red,
And love ripens.

On the eve of Valentine’s Day,
As passion heavily weighs,
He suggested a parting of ways,
To see his mother.

Chantelle- (Composed for the Dome Limericks charity initiative)

Chantelle was a talented stripper
Whose fine act strained many a zipper
But she experienced hassle
With flying loose tassles
Though gents continued to tip her.

Ethel Austin Northfield High Street

Ethel sat wrapped in a coat
That was too warm for a spring day
Gazing at passers- by, who afforded her
Not a second glance, she made to speak
But retained a dignified silence

The windows bared all, but showed nothing
Something off everything they silently screamed,
But off what? There was no sign
Pastel colours hung in symmetry half seen
Suspended in disembodied mystery

Some stopped for a chat, but didn’t stay long
She had seen it all before, there was so little new
But it was nice to say hello, all the same
At rest, her shoes reflected the morning sun shine
Her skirt sat neatly pressed

Assistants scurried occasionally back and forth
Pushing full rails in rearrangement of the sales
Those drawn through expectant open doors, edged in at first ,
Moving as random balls in a pinball machine
But leaving with empty bags
And unopened purses

It was being there that mattered
Familiar faces in unfamiliar times
And she had sat in that place for many years
Weathering the uncertain seasons
Defiant every day, with adversity
Thwarted by freshly applied lipstick

The afternoon rush ebbed slowly
Young girls in leggings, young women in jeggings passed
Too busy to stop, even from casual curiosity
To consider pristine wares
As the manageress appeared to sweep
The swept doorway once more

Final Act

Sipe creeps through weeping rock
A treble timbre invading my noesis,
Trapped echo

Algor grips in ghastly anticipation
Fracid berries lie scattered
Beyond reach

The aconite, specious in beauty,
Wolf’s bane, calls in purple infloresence
Not howling

Bite with your sharp coarse teeth
Until dull numbness seeps, in
Gasping grip

Aegus may not thwart Medea’s will here
As I,like Theseus, await your sweet kiss
At midnight

Let Phlegyas loose his ropes once more,
Draw closer venomous rooted wine, ruby grape of
Prosperine

Last Screen

And so we can no longer see facts , on ceefax
Its phonetic simplicity
Consumed by 3g technology
At least it held out longer than teletext
On which I enjoyed being Bamboozled.

Pages
Scrolled
And
Refreshed
With an aloof insouciance

Updating the latest scores when it felt like it,
Not when we needed to know.
It always did take its time
Instead of 3millionpixels
It had three colours, blue, yellow
And white ,to show,
Against a black background.

From 1974, you needed no more,
Until the net closed around it.

Having it on your home Tv
Was the peak of modernity,
Once.

There at the touch of a remote button
Press again, for off.

A Death in Journalism

Explosion comma
Death comma /Staffordshire regiment comma / nineteen full stop
Editor calls comma / your job comma /page five comma / be sensitive full stop
How does it feel question mark / Good son question mark
How big a loss question mark question mark question mark
Wonderful son comma / Hole in our lives comma /Torn apart full stop
Open brackets don’t overdo sentimentality close brackets
Superiors quote question mark
Open inverted commas / Promising soldier comma / liked by all comma / fine career ahead comma/ Sorely missed close inverted commas /full stop
Girlfriend question mark / One in a million comma
Kind loving caring comma/Brackets unless on battlefield close brackets full stop
Pretty photo of girlfriend comma
Page one exclamation mark exclamation mark
School photo aged 14 comma /Lead story exclamation mark exclamation mark exclamation mark
Headmaster quote /semi colon/ open inverted commas /always wanted to be a soldier comma/ School in shock comma / counselling available full stop /close inverted commas
How many young soldiers now dead question mark/ Check news yesterday comma
Check news last week comma / Make sure they all add up exclamation mark
Name/ Question mark/ Insert / Full stop

Floccinaucinihilipilification (flok-suh-naw-suh-nahy-hil-uh-pil-uh-fi-key-shuhn)

It was with considerable consternation
That I heard this word in an oration
Beloved of learned Latin scholars
And other assorted culture wallahs
It should not be dismissed as arcane ,absurd
It is the longest non technical word
In the English language

Created by schoolboys for a bit o’ fun
That’s what you do when you’re at Eton
A floccus is, but the merest of wisps
Naucum a trifle in grammatical twist
All should know of nihilists
Pilus ? nothing but a hair for trichologists

I don’t give a facio denotes ennui
Put it all together and you’ll see
The Latin etymology
For my sneaking admiration, for
Floccinaucinihilipilification

But what does it all mean, obscure and obtuse?
A word which some say is of very little use
And there’s the rub ,for knowing mirth,
For it is an estimation of very little worth

Shades

Cream not off white
For a day full of shades
Emotional hues
Memories line sketched,
Laced together, held knuckle tight
Images which tether
Bridesmaids in aquamarine blur
Mother in coral pink and blush
One stroke in cloying oil
Behind delicate voile
Betrayed the pentimento in her smile

Grandparent’s reminiscence through sepia tint
A photograph awash with pastels and prints
A flash which was too bright
Which only served to obscure her sight
The carriage drawn by a handsome gray
The canvas of her wedding day

Posted in Poems | 2 Comments

May 2012 – What’s On, Midlands Spoken Word

Posted on April 29, 2012 by garylongden

Festivals
30th April -6th May Chipping Campden Festival :http://www.campdenlitfest.co.uk/contentok.php?id=88

Fri 4th-7th May Shrewsbury Bookfest:http://www.shrewsburybookfest.co.uk/#/whats-on/4559069123

Mon 7th-19th May Swindon Festival of Literature:http://www.swindonfestivalofliterature.co.uk/

Fri 11th -20th May Derbyshire Literary Festival http://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/leisure/arts_entertainment/literature_development/literature_festival/

Sat 19th May-27th Nailsworth Festival:http://www.nailsworthfestival.org.uk/
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Tues 1st Night Blue Fruit, Taylor Johns, Canal Basin, Coventry 8pm: Free in Sarah James headlines plus open mic, Barry Patterson/ Anthony Owen host

Thurs 3rd Phenomenal Women Two, Library Theatre, Birmingham. Poetry evening with Jan Watts 7.30pm,
Birmingham Poet Laureate, Jan Watts brings you another evening of poetry by ‘phenomenal women’ that she has met, worked with or come across. This is a free event on Thursday 3 May (7.30pm – 9pm) at Birmingham Library Theatre (no need to book, just turn up, please contact Jan direct (details on attachment) if you would like a reading slot at this event).

Thurs 3rd Yard of Tales,Joules Yard, rear of 53-55 High Street, Market Harborough, Leicestershire, LE16 7AF. Joules Yard is a unique venue with a licensed bar after 7pm, also serving tea and coffee. If you would like to order a vegetarian meal for the evening, provided by ‘The Green House’ please telephone 01858 463250. Market Harborough, Leicestershire, Meets first Thursday in the month.Yard of Tales is a performance storytelling club hosted by Kevin Walker http://www.kevinwalker-storyteller.com!Tickets £6 at door (includes nibbles).For further information – 0116 259 2233 or 01858 463250

Thur 3rd Word Up Poetry Open Mic plus headliners,The Drum Arts Centre,The Drum, 144 Potters Lane, Aston, Birmingham, B6 4UU,0121 333 2444, http://www.the-drum.org.uk Seasonal monthly, first Thursdays, Last one before the autumn 8pm, £5in.j.morley@the-drum.org.uk

Thur 3rd The Poetry Evening The Shrewsbury Coffeehouse,5 Castle Gates, SY1 2AE, with Liz Lefroy , 8pm , free in, Booked bill.

Thurs 3rd, Parole Parlate, Little Venice, Worcester, 7.30pm:Parole Parlate : The Spoken Word” is back on Thursday 3rd May 2012 and is a dedicated spoken word and “music that tells a story” platform. If you would like the chance to read your short stories, poems, prose, try out your performance poetry or music that tells a story, this evening is for you!
Hosted by Little Venice in Worcester, there will be a full bar service, cakes/snacks and you can of course take advantage of their full menu and enjoy their delicious pizzas, pastas or salads. Try out their £7.95 menu which includes a main course and a drink.
Already confirmed to perform on May 3rd:
Chris Wayne
Euginia Herlihy
Math Jones
Chardonnay Jade
Andrew Owens
Beth “Knuckles” Edwards
Plus a very special performance by Tony Judge, who will be entertaining us with more of his extracts from the Littlehope Parish Magazine.
ENTRY FEE AND HOW TO PAY
The entry fee for this event is £3.00 on the door,
TAKING PART AND PERFORMING
If would like a slot to perform on one of these dates please let us know by emailing info@worcslitfest.com, leave a post on the wall of this event or visit http://www.facebook.com/worcslitfest and leave a post on the wall.
Performers get free entry, a choice of an alcoholic or soft drink and cake for taking part.
ADVANCE INFORMATION
“Parole Parlate : The Spoken Word” is on the first Thursday of every month

Thur 3rd Poetry & Pints, Church Rooms, Chipping Campden.9pm; £5.00:Angela France is back by popular demand for a third year with Nine Arches Poets Daniel Sluman, Matt Merritt and Maria Taylor.Open mic spots for audience members to read their own work, or much loved poems by others.Please sign up on the door.Book tickets: 01386 841 222
http://www.campdenlitfest.co.uk/contentok.php?id=88

Fri 4th Northampton Poetry/ Short Fiction Reading,University of Northampton, Avenue Campus, MR33,9:30am until 11:00am,Andrew “Mulletproof Graves, Roy Marshall, Jessica Mayhew, Charles G Lauder and Hannah Stevens will be reading from their new pamphlets, published by Crystal Clear Creators. Free to come along! Tea and coffee provided.

Sun 6th Buzzwords, Exmouth Arms,Bath Road Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL53 7LX, 7pm Workshop, open mic plus Katy Evans Bush

Sun 6th ARTournament’s Sunday Chill,The New Inn in the centre of Gloucester (opp M&S) City Centre. 16 Northgate Street, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, GL2. UK. First Sunday, £5in, 3pm-9pm. poetry, Comedy and Music.

Mon 7th The SW@N Club – Spoken Word at the Newhampton, Wolverhampton Meets every 1st Monday of the month (no club in August) at 8 pm – 10.30 pm. Admission – suggested donation on entry.The club meets in the upstairs room at the Newhampton Inn, Riches Street, Whitmore Reans, Wolverhampton, WV6 0DW.For further details please contact Peter Chand http://www.chandstory.com

Tues 8th Mouth & Music 5,Boars Head Gallery, Kidderminster 8pm, £3 in:We’re delighted to present THE DECADENT DIVAS, 4 women, each from a different decade – all great friends who giggle over tea, toast, cake…in fact anything edible/drinkable and write poetry together. This is their second show, set at a wedding…..what do women really talk about when no-one but you is listening?…..
The Decadent Divas are:
Maggie Doyle, Charlie Jordan, Lorna Meehan & Laura Yates
Come and be entertained! It’s only £3 to get in, and if you fancy performing there’s no charge. 5 minute slots are available for spoken word performers, 2 songs for musicians. Get there early to book a slot. There’s no PA – it’s cosy & up-close.
Presented by Heather Wastie & Sarah Tamar for KAF Creatives.

Tues 8th City Voices Second Tuesday 19:30 City Bar King Street, Wolverhampton WV 1ST booked poets simon.fletcher@wolverhampton.gov.uk

Tues 8th Scribal Gathering Bull Hotel, Stony Stratford, Milton Keynes MK11 1AQ, 2nd tuesday monthly,Entry: free; open mic poetry and music with featured acts,”Stony Stratford’s première spoken word and music performance event. This monthly meeting of minds will bring together writers, musicians and performers of all kinds to share their talents, entertain each other and evoke the spirit of gathering. Join us…” Sign up for the open mic on the night, or reserve a slot by email: info@scribalgathering.com.http://www.scribalgathering.com/

Scribal Gathering is back at the Bull on Tuesday 8th May for another shining showcase of music and poetry, despite considerable efforts to find a better venue in time for the gig. Until we do we’re stuck where we are, so stop asking.

May is the month for gathering. Don’t try gathering nuts though – there aren’t any at this time of year. And if the bushes have started producing nuts randomly out of season due to erratic meteorological conditions brought about by mad scientists and sinister governments (and definitely not by right-on household appliances like smoothie-makers and iPads), any aberrent produce would have been washed away in the deluge of floodwater caused by the recent drought sarcasm on Facebook. There is, apparently, a drought, and yet it seems to be raining. Fifty million people like commenting on this.

So gather ye rosebuds while ye may, and gather together to make merry in the spirit of music and poetry, with special guest performers Steve Allen, long-time Scribal Gathering regular making his long-overdue headline appearance, and Morad and Dave, bringing their distinctive rhythmic musical combo and taking hits from the bongos. There is also the open-minded, open-fronted, open-heart open mic, welcoming performers of any style, genre or level of ineptitude to share whatever they choose to bring and invoke the spirit of gathering. Where else are you going to go? The Cock?

Join us…

Where: The Bull Hotel, High Street, Sony Stratford MK11 1AQ. Until we can find somewhere that will give us a decent bit of money or at least a drink at the end of the night. We tried the Crown again but they didn’t want to know.

When: Tuesday 8th May. Second Tuesday of the month. Always the second Tuesday.

How: Sign up for open mic on the night. Arrive early to avoid disappointment, or just turn up near the end and talk loudly at the back.

Tues 8th 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.
Hear tales, myths and legends from all over the world in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. Whether you are new to storytelling, an experienced teller or just enjoy listening to stories. There is no charge for admission.
For more details contact: Mike Rust 01694 771 379.

Wed 9th Speak Up, Hare & Hounds, Moseley, Birmingham, monthly, 7.30pm: headliners plus open mic,£5in

Wed 9th 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 9 May,: An evening of Persian Poetry at The Barber Institute, Birmingham University 6.30 – 8pm,Persian poetry is one of the world’s greatest literary treasures, although little is known of the rich and dynamic tradtition of contemporary Persian poetry. The Poetry Translation Centre’s Persian Poets’ Tour presents two prominant Persian langauge poets from Afghanistan and Mimi Khalvati. The poets will read in the their native language before the UK poets share the translations. In partnership with The Barber Institute of Fine Arts.
– full details and a booking link will be available at http://www.birminghambookfestival.org shortly.

Thurs 10th The Shipping Forecast Open Mic, Second Thursday Monthly Rude Shipyard Cafe,89 Abbeydale Rd Sheffield, S7 1FE:7.45 Hosted by miss piggy or stan skinny, message for slots.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Great-Yorkshire-Word-search/275766372495584?sk=wall#!/pages/The-Shipping-Forecast-spoken-word/276780052333840?sk=info

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Bang said the Gun ManchesterThe Old Nag’s Head Pub, Jacksons Row (off Deansgate) 7.30pm Thursdays weekly

If underpants, sex, gravy and Keith Moon giving the Queen Mother drumming lessons are more your thing, then this could be the verbal romp you’ve been waiting for…..

Bang Said The Gun in London is considered one of the best poetry nights in the country and has recently …been reaching over 4 million viewers on Channel 4’s Random Acts.

Rod Tame and Kieren King are repeating this winning formula with Manchester’s first weekly poetry night,guests this week Jackie Hagan, Emma Purshouse and Solomon Scribble The night will celebrate the best in local and national poets as well as offering audience members the chance to compete…… for the coveted Golden Gun prize in the Top Banana Open Mic.

Each week’s Golden Gun prize winner is offered a guest set at a future Bang Said The Gun: Manchester!

First come, first on open mic so get down early if you wanna be on. Or, just come join the crowd to listen and cheer. It’s a top notch night out

Sat 12th May Lyric Lounge,Donut Creative Arts Studios, Chesterfield 10am onwards. Afternoon free/evening £5
Lyric Lounge is a day-long feast of words, poetry, performance music and fun, with workshops, an open mic Lyrical Lunch, plus an evening event featuring Mark Gwynne Jones and John Agard.

The day starts at 10am with writing workshops with Matt Black and River Wolton.

From noon until 2.30pm everyone is welcome to join in with or listen to the Lyrical Lunchtime open mic session hosted by Matt and award-winning poet Helen Mort.

The evening session, which begins at 7pm, features young people from Springwell College sharing poetry and spoken word pieces they have been preparing for around six weeks. They will then hand over to Mark Gwynne Jones, an award-winning poet who mixes humour with poignancy to produce work with an almost music hall edge. Mark regularly performs at Ronnie Scott’s, the Edinburgh Festival, the Arvon Foundation and at music and literature festivals throughout the UK and abroad.

The day ends with a performance by leading poet John Agard. Since he came to Britain in 1977 from Guyana he’s established a reputation as a writer of poetry for adults and children – he won the Casa de las Américas Prize in 1982, a Paul Hamlyn Award in 1997 and the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education award in 2009 and has worked as writer-in-residence at the BBC, for the Windrush Project and for the National Maritime Museum.

The daytime events are free. Tickets for the evening event are £5 from any Derbyshire library or Call Derbyshire 08 456 058 058.
For further information about the Derbyshire Literature Festival visit: http://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/festival – we’ve got some great events taking place at venues across the county

Saturday 12th Mars On The Rise Book Launch by Rachel Gee, Century Theatre, Coalville.7.30pm For a mere £20 you receive a signed copy of the book, various Victorian themed goodies and music, dancing, laughter and general splendidness at the Century Theatre. Going to be a lot of Steampunk fun!

Saturday 12th – Swindon Youth Slam and Wed16th adult Poetry Slam at Swindon Festival of Literature. Time and venue to be confirmed

Sat 12th Poets Place, Birmingham Central Library,2pm-4pm, free in, second Sat monthly

Mon 14th Speech Bubble ,Cognito, Students’ Union, Loughborou​gh University, 7.30pm:Join us for Speech Bubble the third! With more performances from our Loughborough students as well as headliners, Kate Fox and Mark Grist, this evening of spectacular spoken wordiness is not to be missed! As always there will be open-mic mayhem so bring along your poems and sample the stage…
Students: FREE (with NUS card) Non-students: £2 (pay on door)http://www.katefox.co.uk/ http://markgrist.com/

Mon 14th Pub Poetry Nottingham The Canal house, 48-52 Canal Street, Nottingham, NG1 7EH,8pm, 2nd monday : Free in, Open mic Contact Nick on pubpoetry@nottscomedyfestival.co.uk

Mon 14th PureandGoodandRight Second Monday 19:30 The Sozzled Sausage 141 Regent St, Leamington Spa CV32 4NX Open mic + guest pgrpoetry@gmail.com http://pgrpoetry.blogspot.com/
This month’s guest poet is the rib-tickling… Rosemary Gregory,Rosemary is a prize winning, performance, published poet, who has had poems published in various anthologies.In January, she was commissioned to do a poem about a battery hen for BBC Coventry, and performed it on air with Pam Ayres. Indeed, she has been described as Warwick’s answer to Pam Ayres.Her poems take a tongue in cheek and comic look at many things. Rosemary has a stand-up routine to go with her poems, and is becoming known on the circuit.

Tues 15th Poetry Alight, Spark Cafe, Tamworth St, Lichfield.WS13 6JP 7.30pm start. free in. Open mic poetry evening – but all places taken, a fabulous roster of poets. Gary Longden comperes. Get there early. Sue Brown , Mstr Morrison , Rob Stevens and Roy Marshall headline. Railway station close by, easy parking.

Tues 15th Poetry Club Giggling Goblin Coffee Shop, Mill Lane, Ashby de la Zouch– 8:30, free in, with a licensed bar and great coffee. Third Tuesday of the month. Open mic poetry and folk
Wed 16th Templar Poetry,Lamb & Flag, The Tyhthing, 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

Wed 16th Storytelling Cafe – With Dave Tongue, Kitchen Garden Cafe, York rd, Kings Heath: 7.30pm (Doors 6.30pm)

Treat yourself to a good night out at The Kitchen Garden and immerse yourself in comfort as Dave Tonge’s new show, “Dame Fortune’s Wheel and the Three Estates”brings the Middle Ages to life before your very eyes. Listen to the intriguing and sometimes interwoven tales of the three mediaeval classes, those who worked those who fought and those who prayed as they revolve around the wheel of fortune. Discover how the number three has mystical connotations; laugh at the crafty riddles. With performances at The British Museum and The Ashmolean, as well as national tours for English Heritage and The National Trust, Dave Tonge is truly a yarnsmith not to be missed. “..hugely entertaining”(Sandwich Winter Tales Festival).“..funny, creative and interesting” (Heads and Tales Storytelling).

Tickets: £7
Tickets available from the Cafe – Food Served from 6.30, Stories start at 7.30

Fri 18thBookshop Launch Night – open mic,The Cannon – Newport Pagnell, 50 the High Street, MK16 8AQ,To celebrate the opening of Maggie & Josie’s Bookshop, Newport Pagnell you are invited to the launch night at the Canon Pub.

7.30-9.30pm will be an open mic poetry and fiction reading, if this isn’t usually your thing, pop along and try something new! we have a range of people reading including some very funny poetry, short stories and an extract from a novel set against the music of Nirvana.

9.30pm-Midnight a change in the mood with a selection of retro tunes from the 60’s onwards.

Have a drink, have a listen and then have a boogie.

Just head to the function room at the back of the Canon, the bar will be open all night so come and join us for a different (in a good way) night in the Pag!

**If you’d like to read on the night please drop us a message.**

Fri 18th Spoken Worlds Third Friday 19:30 The Old Cottage Tavern , Byrkley St,eet, Burton-upon-Trent DE14 2JJ with Gary Carr Open mic gajwriter@btinternet.com

Sat 19th Notes From the underground; Sat 20:00 The Hollybush The Hollybush, 53 Newtown Street, Cradley Heath B64 5EA Open mic liveatthebush@yahoo.co.uk, Jack Edwards officiates.***********RELAUNCH***************

This is the first night of spoken word and music at the Hollybush being hosted by myself and William Shatspeare. The new name for the night is ‘Notes From Underground’.It is open mic, so you can just turn up and we’ll give you a slot, with slots of around 10 minutes long. If you want to read short stories or poetry, do a comedy set or perform acoustic music then this venue is perfect for you. Plus the beer is great value!If you are interested in performing, want to know more or would like to be added to the mailing list, please send me an e-mail at:Jackedwardspoetry@hotmail.​co.uk

Sunday 20th Poetry Rodeo,Jam Café, 12 Heathcoat Street, Nottingham NG1 3AA:6pm:FREE ENTRY,To celebrate the launch of new publications by four extra-special poets, we welcome you to the Poetry Rodeo….With guest poets Alistair Noon, Sarah Jackson, C.J. Allen and Aly Stoneman
Alistair Noon was born in 1970 and grew up in Aylesbury. Besides time spent in Russia and China, he has lived in Berlin since the early nineties, where he works as a translator. His poetry and translations from German and Russian have appeared in nine chapbooks from small presses. Earth Records is his first full-length collection.
Sarah Jackson’s pamphlet Milk (Pighog) was shortlisted for the Michael Marks Award. Her work appears in a wide range of magazines and anthologies including Voice Recognition: 21 Poets for the 21st Century (Bloodaxe) and The Best British Poetry 2011 (Salt). Pelt is published by Bloodaxe in May 2012.
C. J. Allen’s prize-winning poetry (in the Arvon, Yorkshire, Lebdury, Ilkley, Ware, Nottingham & English Association competitions, amongst others) has been appearing in magazines & anthologies in the UK, USA, Ireland & elsewhere for what feels to him like hundreds of years. His most recent collections are: A Strange Arrangement: New and Selected Poems (Leafe Press, 2007), & Lemonade (a red ceilings press e-book, 2010). Violets – winner of the Templar Press Short Collection Competition – was published in November 2011. He currently edits the reviews pages of the literary magazine Staple.
Aly Stoneman is an arts project coordinator and poetry editor at LeftLion Magazine. Her writing explores relationships between human beings and landscape through myths and journeys. A commissioned poet for Lyric Lounge and winner of the Nottingham Poetry Society Slam 2011, her pamphlet Lost Lands was published by Crystal Clear Creators in March 2012.

Mon 21st Shindig, Western PH, Leicester, 7.30pm: Free in,Open mic & Celebration of the launch of Alistair Noon and C.J. Allen’s new Nine Arches Press poetry collections.
Alistair Noon was born in 1970 and grew up in Aylesbury. Besides time spent in Russia and China, he has lived in Berlin since the early nineties, where he works as a translator. His poetry and translations from German and Russian have appeared in nine chapbooks from small presses. Earth Records is his first full-length collection.
Robert Richardson: as well as appearing in CCC’s Hearing Voices, he has been published in Agenda poetry magazine and also co-edited ‘Homage to Imagism’ (AMS Press, New York). As a visual artist, he was recently included in ‘Artists’ Postcards: A Compendium’ (Reaktion Books, London).
C. J. Allen’s prize-winning poetry (in the Arvon, Yorkshire, Lebdury, Ilkley, Ware, Nottingham & English Association competitions, amongst others) has been appearing in magazines & anthologies in the UK, USA, Ireland & elsewhere for what feels to him like hundreds of years. His most recent collections are: A Strange Arrangement: New and Selected Poems (Leafe Press, 2007), & Lemonade (a red ceilings press e-book, 2010). Violets – winner of the Templar Press Short Collection Competition – was published in November 2011. He currently edits the reviews pages of the literary magazine Staple.
Julie Boden is Symphony Hall’s Poet in Residence and she explores the frontiers of poetry and music in collaboration with a ‘meticulous eye’ and an ‘ear for the mellifluous’. Accomplished on both stage and page, her sensitivity, warmth and humour have endeared her to a wide audience.

Tues 22nd The Telling Space, Mythstories, *NEW VENUE* (relocated from Wem) Mythstories,The Shrewsbury Coffeehouse,5 Castle Gates, SY1 2AE,Wem, Shropshire,The club meets on the 4th Tuesday of every month unless otherwise stated. Please check the website under ‘opening hours and events’ http://www.mythstories.com or contact Dez or Ali on 01939 235500 for further information.Meet at 7 pm for refreshments (bring food to share) or at 7.30 pm for stories. A chance to listen or an opportunity to tell. Admission is free.

Tuesday 22nd Polesworth Abbey, Poleworth, Open Mic and Guest Gary Carr.7.30pm, Free in, plus open mic

Tueday 22nd Poetry Bites, Kitchen Garden Cafe, York St Kings Heath, 7.30pm, £5, opne mic plus special guest Clare Best.

Wede 23rd Smart at Veggd Out, Fletchers Walk, Paradise Circus, Birmingham, 7.30pm Poetry Open Mic, free in,

Wed 23rd Poetry Evening for BORN FREE/ZOO CHECK, Station PH, Kings heath, 8pm: £4in. Open mic.

Thur 24th Bilston Voices Fourth Thursday 19:00 Cafe Metro 46 Church Street, Bilston: £3in, set bill.

Fri 25th Site Poetry Slam, Stroud:as part of the town’s Site Festival. The event kicks off at 7.30pm at Stroud Valley Artspace, John Street, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL5 2HA, tickets £5 on the door. If you want to hear a bevy of sparkling spoken wordsters, then this is the place to be. Contact Marcus on 01285 640470 if interested in performing.

Sat 26thLively Bird Festival,Spoken Word Stage, Polars Sports Ground,Burton Joyce, Notts.. Guaranteed to spark conversation and keep you interested all day. The Spoken Word Stage will be a packed line up of poetry, lectures, debates and much more.
One of the UK’s finest spoken word poets winning the UK 2007 Slam competition, the 2007 Glastonbury Slam and the 2006 Backdrop Slam as well as appearing on BBC Radio 4’s ‘Bespoken Word’. as a poet & a spoken word artist, he has gained international notoriety for his storytelling, and has worked in an experimental brand of hip hop theatre Berko is a talented professional poet deeply embedded in the global performance poetry scene.

At 21, Deborah has taken her poetry from Camden to Shanghai working with organisations such as Channel 4, The Roundhouse and The British Council. She teaches poetry on a BA program at the University of Nottingham and has just got back from a two month poetry research scholarship in America. She has been published by Louis Vuitton and has received commissions from the likes of BBC Radio 3. She is also the founder of The Mouthy Poets at Nottingham Playhouse, one of 12 poets writing a poem for the Olympic games and Slam Producer of Shake the Dust East Midlands.

Since forming in 2010, Dead Poets have been challenging preconceptions towards poetry and hip-hop across the country, performing over 250 shows since their hugely successful Edinburgh debut. As well as appearing on Radio 5 Live, BBC 6 Music and Channel 4 News, they’ve taken the show to schools, theatres and festivals across the country. Mark’s venture into hip-hop has not just earnt him online notoriety; but at reaching almost 2 millions views his recent clash with MC Blizzard has also become the UK’s most viewed rap battle. This Spring, Mark and Mixy were commissioned by BBC3 to front the online campaign for ‘Free Speech’ – a groundbreaking political debate show for young adults.

Sat 26thWriter Networking Meeting, 2pm – 4pm, Free
The Old Stables, Lichfield Cathedral, 19A The Close, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS13 7LD

A free networking afternoon for writers. With guest speakers, Anna Lawrence Pietroni (Writer, Ruby’s Spoon), Fiona Stuart (Director, Lichfield Festival), Alex Davies (Independent literature producer) and Jonathan Davidson (Chief Executive, Writing West Midlands)

Places are free but limited so please email us to book yours, email: joanne@writingwestmidlands.org

Sat 26th , Midlands Poetry Convention,Barlow Theatre, Langley – following the sad death of organiser Geoff Stevens, what was to have been a three day event may now be a one day memorial and celebration event – details:The Barlow Theatre, Oldbury Rep, 3 Spring Walk, Langley, Oldbury, B69 4SP .
Everyone is welcome to come and spend a day reading poems, chatting, eating and drinking to celebrate Geoff’s life and work and to enjoy each other’s company as Geoff would have wanted. There will be two open mic sessions, morning and evening, for people to read their own work and the afternoon will be a chance for whoever wants to, to read a favourite poem of Geoff’s. Or you may just want to come and listen. Programme details below.
There will also be a meeting between 5.00 and 6.00 for anyone who would like to discuss how Geoff’s work and reputation could be preserved and developed in future projects. (If you can’t come on May 26, please email your ideas to Geraldine at the address below and she’ll bring them up for discussion.)There is no charge for the day thanks to the generosity of the Barlow Theatre but there will be a collection for St. Mary’s Hospice where Geoff spent his last few days and for Acorns Children’s Hospices.Within a few steps there are plenty of places to get food. The Teapot Cafe opens at 7.00 am and closes at 12.00 am and is a great place to get your bacon butties or whatever and bring them across to the Barlow to have with your coffee. There are two pubs within a very short walk, The Model and Crosswell’s Inn, and a short drive away the Wetherspoons Court of Requests where we had the Wake for Geoff. There’s also fish and chips, Chinese and Indian take-aways and Asian food restaurants within yards of the theatre.Parking is very close to the theatre and the bar, where we’ll meet, has easy access for wheel-chairs.There will be tables in the foyer for those who want to sell books. Come and enjoy!Please confirm that you are coming by emailing Geraldine: geraldine.wall@blueyonder.co.uk
Programme for the Day
9.30-10.00 Arrivals – coffee available
10.00-10.05 Welcome by Geraldine
10.05-12.30 Open mic readings (5-10 minute slots)
12.30-12.45 So It Goes – music
Lunch
2.00-4.45 Geoff’s poems and anecdotes
Break
5.00-6.00 Meeting re promoting Geoff’s work and reputation in the future.
7.00-10.00 Open mic sessions
Bar open all day!Any queries, please email Geraldine
geraldine.wall@blueyonder.co.uk,To find out about the theatre: http://www.oldburyrep.org

Saturday 26th – the 3rd Nailsworth Slam.at the Comrades Club, Nailsworth.7.30pm. Contact Marcus on 01285 640470 for places.

Sun 27thKate Tempest and the Dead Poets,Y Theatre,7 East Street, LE1 6EY Leicester,7.30pm: £10,Since forming in 2008, Mark Grist and MC Mixy have been challenging the preconceptions of poetry and hiphop across the country. They have recently had work commissioned by BBC3 and appeared on Channel 4 news following Mark’s “teacher vs student” rap battle, reaching nearly 2 million views on youtube.

The Dead Poets will be showcasing their new extended show for the Leicester audience before taking this summer’s Edinburgh Festival by storm.

Kate Tempest

Kate Tempest is a William Blake-quoting, hip-hop MC from South East London. Since she began rapping at the age of 16 Kate has become one of the most recognised and important voices in UK spoken Word. She has been commissioned by the likes of Barnado’s, Channel 4 and Amnesty International. She is also a regular guest on Nick Grimshaw’s Radio1 show.

Fresh from touring her new play; Kate will be debuting some brand new material in what promises to be a night to remember.

Sun 27th Attila the Stockbroker, Kitchen Garden Cafe , York St Kings Heath 7.30pm (Doors 6.30pm),£10 in:Attila the Stockbroker is a performance poet, and folk punk musician/songwriter. Inspired by punk, and especially The Clash, he’s loud, radical, lyrical, reflective, and will make you roar with laughter as well as seethe with anger. A regular at Glastonbury, Attila’s melodically political musings are both thoughtful and entertaining. ‘Whether he’s ranting a poem or bashing out a song, there is something magnificent about Attila in full flight’ (Ian McMillan, BBC Radio 4). Support is provided by Australian Alt Country/Blues singer/songwriter Rory Ellis.

Sunday 27th “Tell me on a Sunday” Storytelling, Ikon Gallery, 1 Oozells Square, Brindleyplace, Birmingham, B1 2HS, 4pm – 6.30pm; Free in, Participants tell stories based around a specially selected theme, all with truth (and a good performance!) at their heart. Each month, five storytellers will be chosen to perform a seven minute story live.The events feature special guests and are curated by Cat Weatherill, one of Europe’s leading performance storytellers, who will also tell her own story.These events begin at 4pm with Story Supper, a chance to meet fellow audience members and story tellers over a special Cafe Ikonmenu. Performances commence at 5pm, finishing at 6.30pm.Theme: Secret and Lies

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

Sunday 27th Rhyme and Tells at the Six Bells in Bishops Castle, Shropshire,Meets every 4th Sunday of the month (except for public holidays) at 8 pm – 10.30 pm. It is free admission and an open session for poetry, prose and storytelling.For further details please contact Mike on 01588 680685.

Monday 28thBlack Country Dialectics,with Dave Reeves & Lozz Hipkiss,Wednesfield Library,2-3pm. Free in.

Monday May 28 ‘Funny Women’ Emma Purshouse, Jane Seabourne & Win Saha at Warstones Library, Wolverhampton, 6-7pm. Free

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

Tuesday May 29 ‘Funny Women’ at Kingswinford Library, Dudley, 7.30pm. Please book tickets through Kingswinford Library 01384 812740

Wed 30th “42″ Vogonesque 2,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
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy observes that Sequels are events which follow on from the terribly popular success of a first event. It’s vitally important not to hold a sequel before the first event as everyone will get terribly confused, and it simply isn’t done. Vogonesque II follows this tradition, but there the resemblance to anything sane and run-of the mill ends sharply!

‘Vogonesque II’ follows on from the terribly popular Douglas Adams’ themed ‘Vogonesque’ Open Mic night, celebrating ‘Towel Day’ last May, for everyone who loves ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’. A night of poetry, comedy, mischievous guide entries & music celebrating Towel Day (an international celebration of the life & work of Douglas Adams, author of ‘The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’).

‘Vogonesque’ is inspired by the appalling poetry of Adams’ bureaucratic villains, the Vogons, whose poetry is notorious as the 3rd worst in creation. Join us for a night of hilarious poetry, wildly inaccurate & mischievous guide entries, brilliant music, & extremely silly observations on the cosmos at large & life in particular.

The fame of this event held in Worcester has spread as far as the Crab Nebula, where tickets are sold in advance in order to secure geostationary orbit parking places. Residents of the planet Earth need not worry about this, as they have an unfair advantage, and simply need to climb the stairs to The Lunar Bar above The Swan With Two Nicks public house where the event will be held.

(Vogonesque has become the yearly tribute to Douglas Adams by everyone at the 42 Genre Specific Open-Mic Event, and is their contribution to the international Towel Day Celebrations.)

If you would be interested in performing at this &/​or other events contact the 42 Worcester Team at 42worcester@42openmicnight.co​.uk. Slots will be between 10-15 minutes long.

PRICE: £3.00 (Entry is free for our performers)

PERFORMERS: To be confirmed

INFO ON 42 OPEN MIC NIGHT:

‘42’ is Worcester’s first & only Gothic, Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy Open Mic Night for all those who love the genres & everything in between. Let your voice be heard!

Calling all writers, poets, musicians, performance artists, actors and comedians, if you have an interest in these areas we want you to get involved!

‘42’ takes its name from Douglas Adams’ great answer to Life, the Universe and Everything. We thought that was pretty all encompassing and a really snappy name which people would embrace. This is THE genre fans open mic night, and we want them to get in touch and make their voice heard!

INFO FOR PERFORMERS:

There are a few provisos which we must outline at the outset, such as the fact that although we embrace darker works we don’t encourage superfluous gore or scenes of lingering torture for the sake of celebrating cruelty. We do not encourage the humiliation, or attack of anyone due to their ethnic origin, religious beliefs, or the fact that their great grandfather six times removed was kidnapped by aliens. Although a degree of swearing could be part of an artist’s dramatic flow in a given horror story, we ask you to keep any such sequences within a reasonable dramatic format which will sound plausible!

So please respect these guidelines and we will welcome your contribution warmly.

Each performer will be allotted a 10-15 minutes span for their set, and we ask contributors to respect this timeframe! Please get in touch well in advance of the advertised evening if you wish to take part and have specific requirements for sound, etc.

We are always looking for new writers and performers to get involved in the event, so if you would like to become involved we would be chuffed to bits to hear from you! So get in touch

Wednesday 30 May West Bromwich Library, Sandwell, Dave Reeves solo reading from Black Country Dialectics. 2.30pm

Thur May 31st Open Mic, Strollers PH ,West Bromwich, 8pm,Free in: Poetry, comedy and music

Thurs 31st Hit the Ode Last Thursday 19:30 The Victoria 48 John Bright Street, Birmingham B1 1BN 3 featured acts + limited open mic bohdan@applesandsnakes.org
Line-up:

From Birmingham, Deborah Stevenson: known from Camden to Shanghai. Published by the Oxford University Poetry Society and Louis Vuitton. Poet and organiser. Get to know!

From London, Warsan Shire: Somali poet, writer, freelance hournalist and spoken word artist, writing in a mixture of English and African languages. Her first book Teaching My Mother How To Give Birth is published by Flipped Eye.

From Portugal, Raquel Lima: a rapidly rising star of the explosively expanding Portuguese poetry slam scene, Raquel offers melodic verse touching on the intimate and the socially relevant alike.

A very few open mic slots will be available on the door (the pre-bookable slots have all been claimed). For more info, contact bohdan@applesandsnakes.org.

When: Thursday 31 May, 7.30pm
Where: The Victoria, 48 John Bright St, Birmingham B1 1BN
Tickets: £5
Info: http://www.thevictoriabirmingham.co.uk / Facebook
Booking: on the door

Open mic: half of the open mic slots available via email ( bohdan@applesandsnakes.org), the other half can be claimed on the door on the day of the event.

Thurs 31st Henneseys, Alison St, Digbeth, Birmingham, Open Mic, 8pm:Free in, musicians, comics and poets.

Thurs 31st Audlem slam, Cheshire 8pm: £50 prize for the winner!
http://www.audlemfestival.com/

Thurs 31st The Drum, Aston 6pm, £3in: “We Are Poets” Film,We Are Poets bravely flips the image of British youth on its head, as six remarkable teenage poets are chosen to represent the UK at Brave New Voices, America’s most prestigious slam poetry competition. From their inner city lives in Leeds, North England, to a stage in front of the White House in Washington D.C, the team must prepare for a transformational journey of a lifetime. Intimate, honest and imaginative, We Are Poets is a moving testament to the power of creativity, community and the dynamism of young people.

Run Time: 82 mins
Directors: Alex Ramseyer-Bache & Daniel Lucches
Cert: 12A

http://the-drum.org.uk/​event/we-are-poets

Fri June 1st Word and Sound,The Art House Cafe, Crowngate Shopping Centre, Chapel Walk, Worcester, WR1 3LD,Telephone: 01905 617161 : 7.30pm, £3in Open Mic with Jenny Hope

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