The Visit

Posted on September 15, 2011 by garylongden

“We are entering the spider’s web”
My mother muttered
A world of Eynon’s pies, cockles and Welshcakes

Of strange place names and words
Where fuss is a palaver
And the cry for a mess that you see is ych-y- fi

The threads hummed as we neared our destination
Not everyone has a telephone you see
Marble doorsteps gleamed, knee imprints fading

Gran drew me close with outstretched arms
Her “lovely boy” , aunts smothering me with wet kisses
Unknown cousins gawping awkwardly

The open door swung endlessly to and fro
Relatives and friends made to come and go
Best China soon exhausted

In the parlour, with furniture shrouded in covers
Each item perfectly placed
For high days and holidays

Grandad took me by my hand, a frail man
And showed me the Anderson shelter which he had built for eight
With railways sleepers, earth and his own sweat

The Guildhall clock stood, lonely sentinel
Unintentional aiming point for German bombers
Keeping time

The runner beans were doing well this year
Spindly threads on weathered canes
Wartime thrift always leaves its mark

He shared a secret, his bayonette from the First World War
Though he never spoke of what he saw
But it is all my father now possesses which was his

Clothes sloshed in a rusting bucket
The mangle stood like an instrument of torture
Through which every item was wrung

A warm stove pulsed heat, assuaging my embarrassment
As she plunged me in the tin bath
Cooling water topped up from a boiled kettle

The buttons on my fathers Air Force Officer’s uniform gleamed
My brother and I sat uneasily
As we reported to all who asked, our age.

“I hope that you have your vest under that”
Cautioned my Gran to my Dad
And our eyes met.

Posted in Poems | 1 Comment

Open Mic Night@ The Great Malvern Hotel Malvern

Posted on September 14, 2011 by garylongden

Amy & Gary at the Great Malvern Hotel

In June I had the pleasure of meeting Amy Rainbow for the first time. She is one of those people whom it is impossible not to like, bohemian, street-wise and sharp. It was at Parole Parlate in Worcester, and she berated me when I declined to buy her book without my having the slightest idea of what she, or her work, was about. I liked her style. Then when she stood up to perform my initial favourable assessment was confirmed by a wining collection of predominantly rhyming poetry, capped off by a coruscating, “ I Don’t”, a withering rejection of a marriage proposal.

Its craft was immediately apparent, women loved it, men hated the sentiment, but could not help but enjoy it. I found it strangely unsettling, it was as if she had impugned the honourable state of men, and on the fifty minute drive home I mentally composed 400 words, which gushed into my word processor at home and I fired off my poetic response assuming that nothing more would come of it, other than a witty one-liner put down reply from the acid-tongued one. But no, that night, my inbox announced a response from her, not one line – but 600 words! She had fought fire with fire. I was compelled to do the same, with a reply to her reply composing itself that same evening, of another 450 words. Honours even, or so I thought. For the next day a further 600 words in response to my response to her response which had been my response to her original poem (you are still with me I hope) emerged. But this time, there was no coming back for me. She had earned the right to the last word – some 2000 plus of them!

So, out of nowhere, a five part performance piece had been created. It just needed our diaries to coincide. The Great Malvern Hotel open mic surfaced as a possibility. I foolishly said that I might be able to make it – inevitably the reply came back, ”I don’t do mights , I’m an all or nothing kinda girl” – which didn’t leave me much choice, did it?
I had never visited Malvern before, and what a magnificent approach it is as you travel down the M5. Hills which look quite modest from 20 miles away become increasingly imposing as you get closer, the silhouette brooding in the fading evening light. Twinkling Victorian street lights hint at a quintessentially English, up market Spa town with Georgian facades and neat curtains abounding.

The hotel itself reflected the town, with a confident, part haughty, yet welcoming ambience. The event itself was to be held in the bar which was pleasingly old fashioned with lots of wood, overseen by the delightful Lisa Bircham. Everyone seemed to know everyone else, and organiser Neil Collins busied himself whilst I was quite happy to sit, enjoying a pint, although not on my own for long. A local lady caught my eye and asked whether she could join me resulting in a fascinating exchange in which it transpired we had much in common, same age, interest in the Arts and an unhealthy knowledge of The Revenger’s Tragedy, only the fact that she was clearly at least a bottle of wine ahead of me, and the arrival of Miss Rainbow prevented me finding out more. However I did learn one thing of great importance , the town is pronounced “Molevrn”, “Mal – vern” at your peril.

As proceedings started to unfold two things became apparent. Firstly, we were the only poets on the bill, and secondly that the other artists were very able, amplified musicians. My brow furrowed as I anticipated a “character building” set, characterised by a mass exodus to the toilets, scrum at the bar, and loud conversation as we tried to deliver our set. Sam Eden, Ed Whitehead, Alisha and Callum and Mikey Mann all excelled musically, which just left us, “the poets” to alter the mood………

Having Amy read the first poem was a good move, local girl, known to them, they would show her some respect……. but we did have ten minutes, how long would that goodwill last?. “I Don’t” received a deserved warm reception, then, miraculously as I responded with “I Don’t Either”, they stuck with us ! No exodus to the toilets, no chatter, and no scrum at the bar – as the staff made it clear they were listening! You never really know how good material is until it is performed live, and the audience laughed when we expected them too – and a few times when we didn’t. It actually felt like a complete piece, and the different voices and gender perspectives kept the words alive as a “battle of the sexes” offering. A celebratory hug at the end and the cheers and warm applause as we walked off sealed a job well done.

Listening to the comments afterwards was instructive, the dual presentation had worked, they hadn’t seen poetry like that before, the rhymes and humour locked them in, it was more like a good story than a poem. And I felt great. I want to be involved in poetry that engages with an audience that hasn’t come for it and can blank it out – winning them over is so satisfying and rewarding. It also taught me the value of collaborative performance and how close the skills of storytelling are when you deliver an extended poem.

Amy and I have wrestled with the question of what a five part poem is, a pentology perhaps? And what to call it? “A five part relationship drama” sounds a bit mealy mouthed? “I Don’t- or so I thought” ,has possibilities.
A fine, warm and welcoming event ,which I would recommend to anyone on a Tuesday night. I so look forwards to performing this again in the future and will certainly look out for collaborative opportunities in the future .

13/9/11

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The Decadent Divas, MAC, Cannon Hill Park Birmingham

Posted on September 11, 2011 by garylongden

ArtsFest is invariably a tremendous occasion, 3000 performers, 600 events at 50 venues over two days. It is also renowned for its eclectic bill. This year was no different. It is also riven with risk. Have the right shows been matched with the right venues, at the right time? And free audiences tend to be uncommitted audiences. How many will turn up is unknown, how many will stay is uncertain. It was against this backdrop that the Decadent Divas made their debut performance, outdoors on a warm, but blustery Saturday afternoon which threatened squalls.

As a regular on the Midlands poetry circuit over the past few years it has been fascinating to see how the form, and performers, have evolved. However good the piece, the performer and the performance, there is a limit to how long any individual can hold the attention of an audience unaccompanied. Of late, two trends have been emerging. The one person variety show has been gathering momentum, as have ensemble themed performances. This was an example of the latter.

The Decadent Divas comprise Lorna Meehan, Laura Yates, Charlie Jordan and Maggie Doyle , in ascending age order. All established poets in their own right, they came together to perform material created for the occasion reflecting the experiences of women in their 20’s,30’s,40’s and 50’s respectively. A large crowd gathered on the MAC terrace for the show with numerous poetic luminaries in attendance. Each performed a self-penned piece about their own decade, with some linking chat, hosted by Charlie Jordan. It worked well. Sat behind a table with their own microphones, and fortified by a bottle of wine, it was a bit like watching a poetic version of Loose Women. A gusting wind, and some ominous drops of rain, must have been disconcerting for the performers, but their professionalism shone through as they romped through an accomplished, amusing set.

The audience was not only substantial in size, but also diverse in age profile. As each performer delivered their section , you could see the audience members who identified with that decade warming to it. Each performer met the expectation of their counterparts in the crowd admirably, and the excellent amplification ensured that all could be heard. The half hour flew by,with the rain that threatened only arriving after the proceedings were complete. Well written and well executed it was an unqualified success.

What interests me most about this show is not simply where it is now, but where it can go. Already it has been booked for Rhymes on 21st September at the Station PH, Kings Heath. Indoors, and with hand held ,rather than fixed microphones, I anticipate that the ability of the individuals to stand, walk and perform will add an extra dimension to the material. In turn, that will also increase the opportunity for cross-diva interaction. There is no question that they have found a rich formula , the detail of which is open to evolution, revision and change as time goes on, and crucially, revisits by their audience.

Gary Longden 10/9

Posted in Behind the Arras Reviews | 1 Comment

Grammar Quiz

Posted on September 8, 2011 by garylongden

I reproduce the following quiz from a bought copy of The Times.

There are twenty five sentences, grouped into five categories. The question is the same each time : “Is this sentence grammatically correct?”

The answers are at the end.

The Times Grammar Quiz – Compiled by Oliver Kamm

Punctuation

1.The greedy columnist ate all his colleagues’ blueberry muffins.

2.The greedy columnist ate all his colleague’s blueberry muffins.

3.Would you please tell me where the blueberry muffins have gone.

4.The legislation helped to advance disabled peoples’ rights.

5. The UN Genocide Convention defends threatened peoples’ existence.

Quantity and Number

6.The greedy columnist would be feeling less ill if he had eaten less blueberry muffins.

7.Neither the greedy columnist nor his irate colleague are likely to forget how quickly the blueberry muffins vanished.

8. The difficulty of reconciling competing claims to national self-determination and establishing a Palestinian state while ensuring Israeli security have confounded the efforts of international negotiators.

9. To maintain that imposing longer prison sentences and levying harsher fines will reduce crime is not supported by recent history.

10. Extending the maturity of Greek Government debt and reducing the interest on it are unlikely to resolve the crisis.

Pronouns

11. The greedy columnist, who his colleagues believed could eat no more blueberry muffins, surprised them again.

12. As America’s economic recovery continues to be slow, the willingness of the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates low will bring reassurance not only to President Obama but to whomever occupies the White House after 2012.

13. It was he who gave the columnist a final warning about eating all the blueberry muffins.

14. Let us divide the last blueberry muffin between you and I.

15 Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

Participles and Gerunds

16. It was a joy to see him having such a good time.

17. Stand not upon the order of your going, but go at once.

18 The Prime Minister is unlikely to announce his going before the next General Election.

19. Having bought a large pack of blueberry muffins to replace the ones I ate, they look delicious.

20.Having said that, I agree that it would be imprudent of me to eat them all.

Verbs

21. The Editor has not yet demanded that the greedy columnist submit his resignation.

22. If the Prime Minister were to call a general election next week, he would probably win a majority.

23. The Queen lay a wreath at the annual commemoration of Remembrance Sunday at the Cenotaph.

24. If President Mubarak had governed less repressively, he may not have lost power.

25. Anti-clerical campaigners assembled to protest the Pope’s visit.

Answers

1. Yes

2. Yes

3. No (requires question mark)

4. No (People is plural noun, so apostrophe should be before the “s”)

5. Yes

6. No ( “fewer” not “less” blueberry muffins)

7. No (“is” not “are”)

8. No (“Has” not “have”)

9. Yes

10. Yes

11. Yes

12. No ( “whoever” not “whomever”)

13. Yes

14. No (“between you and me”)

15. No ( a common mangling of John’s Gospel: “He that is without sin among you, let him cast a stone at her”)

16. Yes

17. Yes

18. Yes

19. No (The participle “having” is unattched to a noun)

20. Yes

21. Yes.

22. Yes.

23. No (“laid” not “lay”)

24. No (“might” not “may”)

25. No (the verb “to protest” means to assert something against those who would deny it, as in “to protest his innocence”: but you can say “protest against”)

Posted in Blog | 4 Comments

Night Blue Fruit, Taylor John’s Vaults, Canal Basin, Coventry

Posted on September 7, 2011 by garylongden

There is something quite distinct about Night Blue Fruit. Most Poetry events in the Midlands go for early, punctual starts. Here, both when folk arrive, and the performance time, is arbitrary. As if to anticipate the arrival of Kalliope or Erato might offend them. As Stephen Dedalus remarked: “A man of genius makes no mistakes. His errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery.” And so as night came down, and enfolded the earth in her dusky wings, so the host for the evening, Antony R Owen portentously read Tenebrae.

Those same shadows, and the darkness that Antony evoked, seemed to cast a spell on the evening. The audience half seen, the performer indistinct in blue light. The fragile frame of Janet Smith barely discernable, she delivered a mesmerising, austere set in the half-light of the pathology department, or the moonlight under which the Owl cried. John Moody spoke of Joseph , but was that Priestley or Chamberlain ? I thought that we were In Birmingham, but suddenly he evoked the spirit of the Easter Uprising in Dublin with, “The best lack all conviction, while the worst, are full of passionate intensity”, from Yeats. Then there was the knowing look as he enunciated “amnion”, used almost as a codeword ,in poetic cabal with Janet.

Barry Patterson treated us to an extract from Buddha of the Carboniferous which has no Buddhas in it, nor was there any specific reference to anything carboniferous, yet, like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, you implicitly understand what it is all about, even though it’s not about what it says it is. Anthony R Owen is a very fine contemporary war poet. But he is not dead, and he is not German. Mal Dewhirst rectified that by performing three of his own translations of the deceased German First World War Poet, August Stramm including, Kriegsgräberfürsorge and Angriff. The combination of the onomatopeia of the language with sparse form was compelling.

Sukhat actually spells his name Sucat, an archaic form of Patrick, but we both agreed that my approximation was superior. Rather disappointingly, unlike as in the past, he eschewed weighty writing pads which contained only one poem, for a more practical spiral ring binder. Yet his material was in no part diminished, with Sign Long Removed , obscure and wry. It was no surprise to discover that he is an aficionado of Television and Tom Verlaine.

To close the evening Andy Biddulph visited dyslexia, Welsh mountains and a rather good Evanescence ,before Antony R Owen finished with the chilling Eichmann, the imagery of the hangman’s noose tightening around his neck, and the dead man’s stare, lingers. Night Blue Fruit returns on 4/10.

Posted in Behind the Arras Reviews | Leave a comment

October What’s On Preview

Posted on September 3, 2011 by garylongden

Such is the volume of Spoken Word events already booked in for September,over 50 at the start of the month and more always surface as the month wears on,that I checked how October was looking, and that seems just as manic.The Warwick and Cheltenham Literary Festivals , and Birmingham Book Festival,add many excellent events. So here follows a provisional for October, there will be much more to follow!

Saturday 1st, An Evening with Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy,Guy Nelson Hall, Warwick School,8.00pm:
Carol Ann Duffy is one of the UK’s most admired poets, who became the first female Poet Laureate in 2009 and we are delighted that she is making a return visit to Warwick.
Be captivated by Carol Ann Duffy’s subtle yet provocative poetry that will draw you into its beautiful and complex narrative.

Monday 3rd An Evening with Warwick Poet Laureates,Ball Room. Court House (Warwick Tourist Information Centre)7.30pm
Join Warwick Poet Laureates past and present as they help us to celebrate ten years of poetry at the festival.

Tuesday 4th Warwick, The Necessary Aptitude with Pam Ayres, Lord Leycester Hospital 6.00pm
We are delighted to welcome Pam Ayres to Warwick Words to talk about her newly published autobiography, The Necessary Aptitude

Tuesday 4th , An Evening with Melvyn Bragg,Guy Nelson Hall, Warwick School,8.00pm
Melvyn Bragg will be talking about the impact of The King James Bible in the 400 years since it was first published in 1611

Tues 4th in Coventry with Night Blue Fruit, Taylor Johns Vaults, Coventry Canal Basin, 8pm. Free in, open mic. Barry Patterson hosts.

Tues 4th Bad language and nightjar press The Castle Hotel, 66 Oldham Street, Manchester M4 1LE, 7.30pm: Bad Language is proud to present a night of haunting stories in conjunction with the incredible Nightjar Press.With performances from Bad Language and Nightjar authors including:
Christopher Kenworthy who will be launching his brilliant chapbook ‘Sullom Hill’:
Claire Massey
Tom Fletcher
Graeme Shimmin
Duncan Lockhart

‘Haunting stories that set out to keep us in their moment’ Paul Magrs

Nightjar Press is an independent publisher specialising in limited edition single short-story chapbooks by individual authors. For more information please visit: http://nightjarpress.wordpress.com/

Bad Language is a new writing collective based in Manchester who produce quality literature publications and live events. For more information please visit: http://badlanguagemcr.blogspot.com/

Wed 5th “Blackdrop” New Art Exchange, Nottingham 8-10pm £3 Open Mic plus Difference of The Sexes, ft myself, Mother Hubbard, Milla, Shad The Dad, and Saraa Rain.

Thursday,6th An Evening with David Morley, Lord Leycester Hospital,7.30pm
David Morley has published over 20 books, including nine books of poems, many of which have won major prizes. He is a world famous author on creative writing and a bestselling anthologist. His writing podcasts are among the most popular literature downloads on iTunes.

Thursday 6th Live Poetry at the Thomas Oken Tea Rooms,Thomas Oken Tea Rooms, 11.00am – 4.00pm Join Olga Dermott-Bond, Warwick’s 2010 Poet Laureate, and guest poets from Warwickshire and the West Midlands who will be reading a selection of their poems – an exciting and eclectic mix of funny to serious and all shades in between. You can even read your own work, if you wish to, in a supportive and friendly atmosphere. This is a chance, not to be missed, to relax with cake and tea and meet some of the region’s poets, and have an enjoyable, informative day.Contact Olga if you would like to participate in the Live Poetry at the Tea Rooms: olgadermott@btinternet.com
Please note that this event is held upstairs and does not have disabled access.

And Friday 7th 11.00am – 4.00pm As above, Cannon Hill Poets are performing from 1-4pm with Janet Smith,John Alcock and Martin Underwood et al.

Thurs 6th Matt Harvey, National Poetry Day, Walsall Central Library;2pm -3-30pm Free in:A rare and welcome appearance by one of the UK’s brightest performance poets.

Thurs 6thIf you are around the city during the day on Thursday 6th October, look out for us as we head to various venues across the city centre with the Birmingham Poet Laureate finalists who will be performing some of their poetry from 2pm – 4pm.

The schedule of venues includes (timings are subject to alteration):

2pm: Ikon Gallery, 1 Oozells Square, Brindleyplace, Birmingham, B1 2HS
2.30pm: Festival Bookshop, Library Foyer, Central Library, Chamberlain Square, Birmingham, B3 3HQ
3pm: St Martin’s Church, Bullring
3.30pm: Cafe Blend, Orion Building, 90 Navigation Street, Birmingham, B5 4AA

Thurs 6thYumm Cafe, The Custard Factory, Gibb Street, Birmingham,6pm – 8.30pm/ Free (Quiz £2),Join the Festival and partners Birmingham Libraries and Poetry On Loan to launch the city’s literature festival.
Back for our 13th year, the Birmingham Book Festival is sharing an opening night with National Poetry Day 2011. What better excuse to invite one of our most exciting poets, Matt Harvey, to help us launch the Festival and test your literary knowledge with the return of the (now infamous) Festival Quiz – back by popular demand. We will also be announcing the city’s 16th Poet Laureate -live!
The Birmingham Poet Laureate scheme is founded and managed by Birmingham Libraries, it supports both an adult laureate and a young laureate for a year, connecting them with the writing community in Birmingham and helping them to generate opportunities for themselves and for others. The outgoing Laureate, Roy McFarlane, will perform alongside the winner, handing over the honorary title with a few words about his 2010-11 tenure.

There will be words from the Festival team, too, about what you can expect from the next ten days. We hope you can join us to welcome in this year’s season of writing, reading and thinking in Birmingham.

All of this takes place within the cosy den that is Yumm Café. Beer, wine, nibbles and soft drinks will be available.

Thurs 6th Parole Parlate, Little Venice, Wocester

Thurs 6th National Poetry Day, Malvern College, Worcestershire. 7pm With Marcus Moore and Sarah-Jane Arbury

Thurs 6th 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, Thursday, 7.30pm, £5in. Calling all poets, spoken word artistes, emcees, rappers, toasters, singers and spitters! Monthly poetry nights are back at The Drum, so come on down to perform your work, and interact with editors, publishers, theatre producers and other members of the West Midlands poetry scene. Word Up! is compered in rotation by four of The Drum’s in-house poets (Tan Matthews, Jonathan Morley, Moqapi Selassie and Leeanne Stoddart), and features a guest poet reading and giving a Q&A session, embedded in the midst of an open mic event.

Friday7th Warwick Slam 2011,Unitarian Chapel9.00pm
Warwick Word’s seventh performance poetry slam, hosted by SPOZ, offers a £100 cash prize!
Slamming is competitive poetry at its fast and furious best: poets perform; judges and audience decide who is best. Come and vote for your favourite at this popular event.
If you would like to participate in the Late Night Slam, please email Spoz at spoz4@blueyonder.co.uk for one of sixteen places.
Tickets: £6.00 (Free to SLAM participants)

Fri 7th Myth Covered Peaks, Brewhouse Arts Centre, Unions St, Burton upon Trent, 7pm;Free in, a documentary film by local film maker Jim Moore exploring the myths and legends of the Peak District with contributions from local poets and storytellers.

Friday 7th The 7th UK All Stars Poetry Slam Qualifier, at Cheltenham Literature Festival, Imperial Square, 8.30-10pm, £4. Five poets will qualify for the main event the following evening.

Friday 7th Mathew Hollis on Edward Thomas, Montpelier Gardens, Cheltenham Literature Festival 6.30pm. £8 Edward Thomas was one of the most beguiling and influential of First World War poets. Matthew Hollis, author of a new biography of Thomas, All Roads Lead to France, gives us an account of his final five years centred on his extraordinary friendship with Robert Frost. The event will also include readings from Thomas’ work.

Sat 8thOffa’s Press at Small Press Book Fair, Birmingham, Eastside Projects, Digbeth, Birmingham, B9 4AR,10am-4pm, as part of the Birmingham Book Festival with readings from Nick Pearson & Dave Reeves. Times tbc. See http://www.birminghambookfestival.org

Sat 8th Autumn Celebration, Poets for Change 8:00pm – 11:00pm,£5 in:
Birmingham and Black Country poets will join others around the world in a celebration of poetry as a vehicle to promote social, environmental and political change.

This is our Poets for Change evening celebration, with poets Sarah James, Samantha Hunt, Ruth Stacey, Heather Wastie, Anthony R Owen, Gary Longden, David Calcutt, Jacqui Rowe, and Birmingham poet Laureate Roy McFarlane, taking the stage.

There will also be a slot before each half for floor readers, and some beautiful acoustic music in the foyer from song-writer/musician Shalane Joy Hailey.

Tickets cost £5. Booking, or on the door.

Venue and booking info can be found here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blackcountry/stage/venues/bloxwich_theatre.shtml

Sat 8thSlam! Young People Set the Mic Alight!Library Theatre, Chamberlain Square, Birmingham 4pm – 5pm/ Free,Young poets who are involved with RoguePlay’s regular Rhymes night mentor young writers from the West Midlands to battle it out in a poetry slam.

With Becki Head, India Miller, Kesha Campbell and Jordan Westcarr

Rhymes is a regular performance poetry/spoken word event that hosts established and upcoming local talent. We’ve teamed up with them to link up some of their best young poets with regional young writers who are keen to hone their slamming skills. Throughout the afternoon our poets will mentor the budding slammers as well as performing their own sets, culminating in a performance and slam where the public can vote for their favourite team.

Saturday 8th The 7th UK All Stars Poetry Slam! A mega-slam on a glamorous scale. Imperial Square, Cheltenham, 8pm-late, £7.

Mon 10th Leamington Spa Pure and Good and Right, Sozzled sausage, 7.30pm. £3 in With our very own Roy MacFarlane headlining ,plus open mic , George Hardwick hosts

Mon 10 Victor Rodriguez Nunez Poetry Cafe, Imperial Square 5:30pm, Free in,
a rare chance to hear a reading by Víctor Rodriguez Núñez, one of Cuba’s most noteworthy contemporary writers. As well as reading a selection of his poetry, he will answer questions on his work.

Mon 10th Carol Ann Duffy and John Sampson, The Forum Cheltenham Literature Festival 6:30pm £10, To mark the publication of The Bees, her first new poetry collection since the prize-winning Rapture in 2005, we are delighted to welcome the Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, for an unmissable evening of poetry with music by John Sampson
To mark the publication of The Bees, her first new poetry collection since the prize-winning Rapture in 2005, we are delighted to welcome the Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, for an unmissable evening of poetry with music by John Sampson…

Mon 11th Your Favourite Poems,Festival Bookshop, Library Foyer, Central Library, Chamberlain Square, Birmingham,12pm – 2pm/ Free,Come and share your favourite poem in the Festival Bookshop! You will also be able to find out about our other events, buy books, mugs, bags and more or take the Bodies in The Library tour.This event is part of the Fringe Festival.Presented in Partnership with Birmingham Libraries.

Tues 11th Wolverhampton City Voices, City Bar, King St, : £3in Set Bill, Simon Fletcher hosts

Tues 11th Stony Stratford Scribal Gathering The Upstairs Room at The Crown, Market Square, 7.30pm,Free in. Richard Frost Hosts

Tuesday 11th Join Marcus and Sara-Jane as they read, recite and recount their poetry at The Poetry Café, Cheltenham Literature Festival, Imperial Square, 5.30-6.15pm, free.

Tuesday 11th Fiona Sampson on Shelley, Montpelier Gardens, Cheltenham Literature Festival, 10am, £7 in :A radical figure and social campaigner, Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote some of the finest lyric verse in England before his untimely death by drowning in 1822. In a beautifully illustrated talk, renowned poet Fiona Sampson provides a fascinating insight into Shelley’s work, and reassesses his reputation as one of the major figures in the Romantic movement.

Tues11th What Are They Whispering?” Mac, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham, Power. Who has it, who wants it, who tries to take it from you? The poets know.

…What Are They Whispering? is a poetry show to nudge you or urge you to weigh up the balance of power in your own life. The dynamic trio of poets whose work will charge you up is Imtiaz Dharker, Joe Dunthorne and John Stammers. They perform a hand-picked selection of their poems about power in both its rawest and most subtle states. Poems and ideas are enhanced and amplified with lighting and sound; every spoken word special effect from a whisper to a chorus, every lighting state from a firefly glimmer to a thunderbolt.

Tues 11th Library Theatre, Birmingham Central Library, Writers without Borders, 7.30pm: Free in, A multicultural writers group interweaves the spoken word with rhythms and language while exploring the themes of transition.

Wed 12th Zulu – an evening of stories, music and dance, Quarndon Church Hall, Quarndon, Derbys., DE22 5JA.7.30pm, £8.50. A delightful departure to kick off the new Flying Donkeys’ season! Zulu featured at the Festival at the Edge this year and went down a storm we hear – and we had already booked them!

‘Zulu’ is a theatre company, a band, a dance troupe, a group of storytellers and school of educators all rolled into one. Direct from Durban, South Africa, the individual members of ‘Zulu’ have previously performed in the UK as part of ‘The Mighty Zulu Nation’ and on the West End in ‘The Lion King’. They have performed around the world for royalty and senior government alike, including the Queen, Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu. They have also performed at the Commonwealth Games and the Highland Games – so a nice link with John’s new Olympics role too!.

This high energy evening combines stories and dance with a range of musical styles to present a spectacle of rich African culture. You will be taken on a journey to experience Maskandi (traditional Zulu music), afro-jazz and traditional Zulu songs and psalms, traditional dance and dramatisation telling the tales of this exciting spiritual culture.

This event is being jointly presented alongside Quarndon Live & Local and Live & Local Ltd. See http://www.liveandlocal.org.uk and http://www.quarndonliveandlocal.co.uk.

Please note the change of venue for this particular event (though we have been at Quarndon Church Hall before – it is very comfortable!). We will be running a bar – and you are very welcome to bring snacks / food to make an evening of it!

Tickets are £8.50 / £6 and available from Sophie or Rob on 01332 840007 or email robandsophie@hotmail.com or info@flyingdonkeys.co.uk.

Wed 12thVíctor Rodríguez Núñez : The Infinite’s Ash,Ikon Gallery, 1 Oozells Square, Brindleyplace, Birmingham,7.30pm – 9pm/ £7 ,Víctor Rodríguez Núñez is one of the most renowned Cuban poets writing today. He has published eleven poetry collections, the most recent of which, The Infinite’s Ash, has been translated into English by Katherine Hedeen.

He has described his poetry as ‘participatory, yet not political, communicative, yet not explicit, dialogic yet not conversational, Cuban yet not essentially nationalist.’

His awards include the David Prize (Cuba, 1980), the Plural Prize (Mexico, 1983), the EDUCA Prize (Costa Rica, 1995), the Renacimiento Prize (Spain, 2000), the Fray Luis de León Prize (Spain, 2005) and the Leonor Prize (Spain, 2006). His poems have appeared in literary journals throughout the world. He is an Associate Professor of Spanish at Kenyon College, Ohio. USA.

This is a rare opportunity to experience Rodríguez Núñez’s poetry in Spanish and English, followed by a discussion of his work in conversation with Birmingham poet Charlie Jordan and a book signing. The Infinite’s Ash will be on sale at this event and also in the Festival Bookshop which is located in the Library Foyer throughout the Birmingham Book Festival 2011.

Wed 12th Fiona Thomson & Chris Wallace Crabbe, Poetry Café Imperial square, Cheltenham Literature Festival 5.30pm, Free: A rare opportunity to hear Chris Wallace-Crabbe, one of Australia’s leading poets, and award-winning poet Fiona Sampson, as they read from their latest work.

Thurs 13th Being Human: Neil Astley and Esther Morgan Poetry Café Imperial square, Cheltenham Literature Festival 3.15pm, £6. Much-loved poetry anthology, Being Human offers hundreds of thoughtful and passionate poems about living in the modern world to touch the heart, stir the mind and fire the spirit. Its editor, Neil Astley and poet Esther Morgan join us to read poems from the anthology, and discuss the heartfelt responses it has provoked in readers.

Thurs 13th Esther Morgan and Lawrence Sail Poetry Café Imperial square, Cheltenham Literature Festival 5.30 pm, Free A chance to hear two acclaimed poets perform work from their latest collections. Esther Morgan reads from Grace, in which she examines our need for purpose, and for signs that might help us decide what to do with our lives. Lawrence Sail reads from Waking Dreams, a retrospective collection of his work from the past four decades.

Thurs 13th HTO Special Ikon Eastside Gallery,7-9pm, £7in Seven Poets from Seven Countries,Is it a serious competition? Is it absurdist comedy? No, it’s the Dice Slam, a truly unique event bringing together an astounding number of top international performance poets and an absurd set of rules.

The poets perform, we throw some dice, the result becomes their score and a hand-picked jury of quick-witted experts attempts to justify it. The audience gets to vote for their favourite critic, and in the end, poetry wins. Not to be missed!

Featuring poets from eight nations including Germany, UK, Poland, Sweden and The Netherlands, this is an evening of international poetry not to be forgotten.

To find out more about Apples and Snakes please visit their website http://www.applesandsnakes.org/

Fri 14th Burton on Trent Spoken Worlds, Old Cottage Tavern, Byrkley St, Burton, 7.30pm,open mic, free in.Gary Carr hosts

Fri 14th The Forum, Cheltenham Literature Festival
12noon: £8, National Poetry Competition Winners Every year, the National Poetry Competition attracts thousands of entries. In an event organised in partnership with the Poetry Society, the 2010 winners of the much-coveted National Poetry Prize, Paul Adrian, Josephine Haslam and Matthew Sweeney join Jo Shapcott to read their winning entries and a selection of new work.
Montpelier Gardens, Cheltenham Literature Festival,
2pm: £7, Paul Muldoon on Byron, With the publication of Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage in 1812, Lord Byron became the most famous poet of his age, as well as one of its most notorious characters. The distinguished poet Paul Muldoon (Moy Sand and Gravel, Horse Latitudes) offers this accessible and passionate introduction to one of the most important poets in our literature, as part of Faber’s Poet to Poet series
The Forum, Cheltenham Literature Festival
4pm: £8 Wendy Cope, From a motorway service area to her ambivalent relationship with religion, much-loved poet Wendy Cope covers a wide range of subject matter, and blends sadness and joy in her new volume of poems, Family Values. She joins us to read from, and discuss this compassionate new collection, her first for ten years
Montpelier Gardens, Cheltenham Literature Festival,

5.30pm, free: Jo Shapcott joins three of today’s most exciting young poets, Kate Potts, Karen McCarthy Woolf, and Liz Berry, on stage to read from their work.
7pm, £6,Harsent, O’Brien, Muldoon, In an event specially curated and introduced by Jo Shapcott, we join three of Britain’s finest poets Paul Muldoon, David Harsent and Sean O’Brien for a rare opportunity to hear them read from their hugely-acclaimed work.
8.45pm £6 CK Williams, Hailed by Paul Muldoon as ‘one of the most distinguished poets of his generation’, C K Williams is known for his intense and searching originality, a poet who believes in poetry as a tool to speak the truth. He joins us on a visit from US to read from his work, startlingly intense anecdotes on love, death, secrets and wayward thought.

Sat 15th Lyric Lounge , Rutland County Museum,Catmose St, Oakham, Rutland, LE15 6HP, 11am-7pmJoin us for our
National Poetry Day 2011 celebrations in Oakham with The Lyric Lounge.

The Lyric Lounge is a vibrant spoken word festival bringing international artists to share the stage with participants
and local performers in a spectacular celebration of lyrical prose, music and rhyme.

The Lyric Lounge arrives in Oakham on Saturday 15 October when the Lounge will be open all day for lyrical festivitie
s. Work on your writing skills with workshops from top class poets and performers. Get up on the Open Mic –
first timers welcome. Be wowed by performances of local young writers and musicians alongside established artists.
Enjoy a free lunch while you listen to poetic rhymes during the Lyrical Lunchtime.

Lyric Lounge Rutland is part of Igniting Ambition, the East Midlands’ contribution to the Cultural Olympiad.
The Lyric Lounge is a Writing East Midlands project. It has been artistically developed by Lydia Towsey. It is
supported by MLA Renaissance, Arts Council England, Igniting Ambition and Legacy Trust UK with further
support from Rutland County Council.

All events are FREE
11am – 2pm – Writing workshop with Mullet Proof Poet A regular face on the performance poetry scene and winner
of the Alan Sillitoe Short Story Competition and On the Write Track 2010. His debut collection Citizen Kaned is
due to be released in 2012.

Workshops running all day. Practice your DJ and VJ skills with live DJ and performance visual workshops 11am-5pm
and Grey Gibson a local artist and writer running drop-in activities with a stimulating cross arts mix of drawing,
writing, sculpture and games (12pm – 5pm).

2pm – Lyrical Lunchtime with Open Mic hosted by Mullet Proof Poet. Come along and practice your rhymes
over a free lunch.

5.30pm – 7pm – Lyric Lounge Showcase with local young talent, and headliners The Gang of Angels, a 10-strong
choir singing decade defying sounds, Mullet Proof Poet and Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze – performer, director,
choreographer, mentor and internationally acclaimed Jamaican dub poet, her latest collection, Third World Girl,
was published by Bloodaxe earlier this year.

Please see: http://www.lyriclounge.co.uk for more artist information

For more information please contact catherine@writingeastmidlands.co.uk

GUARANTEE YOUR PLACE ON THE WORKSHOPS HERE:
Email Karen Khadden@rutland.gov.uk
Ring us on 05172 756655S

Sunday 16th Oxjam, Pub Poetry The Crown, Beeston, Nottingham,8pm Free in, Open mic, Pub Poetry is an evening of comic and lighthearted open mic spoken word in pubs with Real Ale: without beer, literature is nothing.

Sun 16thClosing Party with Ellen Deckwitz & Daan Doesborgh,Open Space, MAC, Cannon Hill Park, Edgbaston, Birmingham,5.30pm- 6.30pm/ Free ,Finish the Festival properly with a feast of spoken word – open mic slots for the city’s up and coming poets, hosted and followed by Dutch poetry slam legends Daan Doesborgh and Ellen Deckwitz. Both national champions in Slam Poetry in their home country, they come to Birmingham with a show put together just for us. Combining their powers, they present L&D: a Dutch supergroup of poetry slam.

Also known as the Siegfried and Roy of poetry performance, Ellen and Daan will bring you a show filled with poetry, humour, mime and Dutch folklore. Find out why people already refer to them as the bosses of spoken word! Allow them to bring you to laughter and to tears, and then join us in the bar to celebrate another great year of literature.

Thurs 20th Speak Up, Bulls head Kings Heath,7.30pm Open mic

Thurs 20th John Cooper Clarke / Ian Passey aka Humdrum Express, Robin2, Bilston, 8pm: £16 in, Live on stage 9.30pm, All Seated show

John Cooper Clarke was born on the 25 January 1949 at Hope Hospital, Salford, Lancashire. His father George was an engineer, and his mother, Hilda, was an unpublished poet. He has one younger brother.

After teenage years as a Mod, John served time as an apprentice engineer, a lab technician at Salford University (then Salford Tech, where he was interviewed by Tony Wilson for Granada TV) and also a lead type compositor. After a brief unsuccessful marriage, and a stint living in Dorset, John returned to Manchester and started reading his poems in clubs.

By 1976 and the arrival of punk, he was initially the support act for many seminal punk bands such as the Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks, The Fall, Joy Division, Elvis Costello and Siouxsie and the Banshees, to name but a few; His biting, satirical, political and very funny verse delivered in a rapid-fire performance style. Before long, John was headlining his own gigs and drawing huge crowds of fans. John had an striking visual appearance; tall and thin with a mess of black hair, black sunglasses, drainpipe trousers and cuban-heeled boots. He was dubbed “The Bard of Salford” and given the moniker “punk poet”. During those heady days, John recorded four studio albums, and released two live LPs. He also had limited success with the release a few singles, but it was the live arena where John found the greatest success and acclaim.

As punk began to wane in the early 1980’s, John’s star seemed to fade a bit also. He found himself with a personal battle on his hands as he struggled with a serious heroin addiction, which he eventually kicked in the early 90’s. During this time, he met his current partner, Evie, who is also mum to John’s daughter, Stella, born in 1994.

Since the punk days, he has been recognised as one of England’s most important poets and performers. Despite this, he shuns publicity and interviews, as he hates talking about himself. He has said, however, that he enjoys performing now more than he ever used to, having more confidence and stability in his life.

As a result of the current popularity of the 70’s punk phenomenon, John has been seen and heard more in the media over the last few years than in the last few decades. Sky TV recently dedicated an entire night’s programming to John, the Culture Show on BBC interviewed him for a special feature, and he made a brief cameo as his younger self in the Ian Curtis biopic, “Control”.

John now lives with his family in Colchester, and, unwilling to rest on the laurels of times past, continues to write new, vital poetry, and regularly perform live all over the country.

THE HUMDRUM EXPRESS
Kidderminster based Ian Passey aka The Humdrum Express returns with a mix of engagingly delivered social commentary and poetic put-downs. http://www.thehumdrumexpress.co.uk

Fri 21st John Cooper Clarke, The Flowerpot, Derby, 8pm – (9pm showtime) £14in

Sat 22nd Malvern Slam, Malvern Youth Centre.Albert Rd North,Malvern,7.45, £5in , 15 Poets head to head til the last one standing is crowned Malvern poet deity for a year. Can Adrian Mealing fight off all comers to retain his crown? 3 rounds of knock outs. Winner crowned after being marked on writing style, performance passion and audience response. 3 judges who are picked from the audience on the night to score.Winner gets to support Ian McMillan at Coach House Theatre Malvern on Friday 28th Oct,Doors open 7.45 for an 8.15 start

Mon 24th Shindig, Western PH, Western Rd Leicester, 7.30pm, Open Mic, free in

Tues 25th Buxton Word Wizards, Grove Hotel, 19.30. Open mic three minute slam format, Rob Stevens hosts, the beautiful journey there alone makes it worthwhile.

Wed 26th Worcester 42 – Open Mic Night Boston Tea Party , Broad Street: 7.30pm; £4 in ‘42’ is Worcester’s first & only Gothic, Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy Open Mic Night for all those who love the genres & everything in between. “42” takes its name from Douglas Adams’ answer to life, the universe, and everything.

Wed 26th Manchester Bad Language, Castle Hotel Oldham St7.30. Set Bill, hosted by Daniel carpenter.

Wed 26th Wolverhampton The Poetry Train , Brittania Hotel, Lichfield Street, 8pm, free in, Open Mic, Tony Stringfellow hosts.

Thur 27th Birmingham “Hit the Ode” Victoria Pub, in the City Centre: 7.30pm, £5in.

Thur 27th Bilston “Bilston Voices”, Metro Cafe, 7.30pm, £2in: Set Bill

Sat 29th Midlands Poetry Slam, Bedworth Arts Centre,High Street, Bedworth, Warwickshire,7.30pm £7.50 in.The 2011 Midlands Poetry Slam,Fifteen poets cross rhymes to be crowned the Champion and win a place in the Farrago UK Slam Championship later in the year,Hosted by Mark Niel,With Special Guest, Tony Walsh AKA Longfella

Sat 29th Drop Dead Gorgeous – Talulah Blue / Jodi Ann Bickley / Lisa & The Gentlemen, Hare & Hounds, Kings Heath 7pm, £5 in: Marclar Presents…Drop Dead Gorgeous With Talulah Blue (Burlesque), Jodi Ann Bickley (Spoken Word) & Lisa & The Gentlemen (Live Burlesque Music)

Sun 30th Birmingham Sunday Xpress, 16:30 Adam & Eve Bradford Street, B Open mic join Jim Kennedy and Brendan Higgins for some bohemian mayhem

Posted in Midlands Poetry What's On | 2 Comments

Where You Will Find Me – September

Posted on September 3, 2011 by garylongden

Tues 6th – Night Blue Fruit, Coventry
Thurs 8th – Word Up, The Drum, Aston
Sat 10th – Artsfest, Decadent Divas
Fri 16th – Spoken Worlds, Burton
Sat 17th – Imperial Cabaret, Bilston
Tues 20th Fizz 9, Polesworth
Wed 21st Rhymes, Birmingham
Thurs 22nd Bilston Voices
Fri 23rd The Verb, Mac, Birmingham
Sat 24th 100,000 Poets For Change 7pm, Library Theatre, Brum, David Calcutt Workshop Lichfield afternoon.
Tues 27th Poetry Bites, Birmingham
Tues 28th Poetry Train, Wolverhampton

Posted in Calendar of Appearances | Leave a comment

Parole Parlate, Little Venice, Worcester

Posted on September 2, 2011 by garylongden

Basking in the warmth of a late summer’s evening, Parole Parlate assembled to hear the usual assortment of fine poetic talent topped by an unusually strong headliner, A. F. Harrold, whom I had not heard perform before. His striking,large,bearded frame, gives him the aura of a Russian Leninist Revolutionary, and I half expected his set to include tales of the glorious efforts of the workers at the Tractor factory, and a breakdown of the grain harvest from the Ukraine. Interesting as that might have been, he chose a different tack, which enthralled, and delighted the audience.

We chatted briefly beforehand, and an immediate problem surfaced. How do you address someone known by their initials? Mr Harrold seemed a little formal. A or AF , a little casual. Fortunately he suggested that Ashley would do. From the minute he took the stage, a quixotic quirkiness unfolded for a memorable and intensely idiosyncratic act. Laughing, joking and ad libbing with the crowd, he romped through some children’s poems before arriving at some lengthier adult material. Like many accomplished artists his trick is to make the difficult seem simple, his self-effacing comments flying in the face of some very fine work.

Jennifer Jones was an excellent children’s piece, How it Happens a poignant homage to the death of a parent, Mortal Zodiac a highly amusing astrological tour. Rarely have I heard a headliner get through so much material with such humour and so little sense of time. A star turn. One of the best Parole Parlate headline acts I have seen without question.

The turn-out for the night was as strong as ever, with the supportive and enthusiastic management now laying on a Poetry Special food and drink offer for early arrivals, offering even more reason for people to consider making a night of it and arrive early (if only to get a good seat!).

First up was Raven Brooks, a name which on first hearing sounds as if it should have been conjured up from the San Fernando Valley, but in fact belongs to a young local woman who made a big impact. Opening and closing with villanelles, she progressed through a clever duologue between a woman and a waiter, Human Heart, and then to ,I Stand Accused ,about generational faux-pas. Teasingly, she refused to elaborate on The River Man , with imagery of The Styx and other dark forces mysteriously swirling around. Confidently and strikingly presented, she displayed technical skill with warmth and wit, I look forwards to future performances.

Maggie Doyle is a conventional rhyming poet, and tonight she showed that you can make the form go a long way. The Party was light knock-about stuff, whilst The Merry Widow evolves , lengthens and delights with each new extended incarnation. The familiar bits are welcome, the latest instalments always great fun, in an epic ode to twilight sexual misadventure! Yet it was The Bullies which really delivered tonight. A plaintive tale of childhood suicide in which Maggie used simple rhyming patterns as an uncomfortable, sinister, subversive, but effective tool.

In Birmingham, Rhymes is a similar Spoken Word event hosted by Lorna Meehan. It is always a pleasure to see Lorna getting a run at actually performing rather than carrying the added responsibility of carrying an evening as well. Shoes saw her at her best as she invited the audience to metaphorically and figuratively join her on her poetic journey, Celebrity Appendage , allowed her to exercise her waspish sense of humour as her big television break descended into an appearance as a lesbian shop assistant on screen only by dint of her elbow!

The recent riots have spawned a plethora of civil unrest poems ,and the next two poets offered their contributions in very different styles. Spoz, with, Only the Dead Dreams of the Asbo Kid ,delivered a heartfelt vox pop, filling a void that contemporary popular music seems unable to fulfil. He also succeeded in rhyming “glass on”,with “croissant “, too! Antony R Owen, whose poetic milieu is in writing about conflict, took a more restrained approach with Slippers ,which he dedicated to Tariq Jahan, the father of a young man murdered during the riots. His key line was of eyes that “gawp at an Eton mess”. In the rest of his set he drew both from his current book The Dreaded Boy and other pieces covering the devastating effect of drought and the impact of war on women, Afghan villages and the American heartlands. Antony personifies the success that serious poets can enjoy as performers of their work. His easy economy of language and inspired imagery is carefully crafted and compelling.

Fergus McGonigal is a Performance tour de force these days. Christmas is for Children is amongst his funniest satires. With the festive season still some four months off, this will no doubt (deservedly) get much more exposure as the weeks roll on. A ten accent poem showcased his inability to do accents, and his nature poem showcased his contempt for pastoral poetry . His skill is in taking the everyday, and heading off into the netherworld of the surreal with it. This is a skill which Catherine Crosswell also possesses. The Dentists Said becomes an hallucinogenic trip into the small print on medications including Anusol, Recipe for Success embraces television series, brewing and colonic irrigation, whilst the gist of Executive Dinner will be familiar to anyone who has suffered the roulette wheel of place settings at formal dinners. The disparate perspectives on our world which Fergus and Catherine offer are eclectic , rewarding, and always touched by humanity.

Parole Parlate prides itself on also providing a platform for prose reading, and tonight had three authors. This form is much more difficult to succeed in than poetry when read out loud .The standard required to make your mark is far higher. I firmly believe that all prose readers should study the art of Storytelling both to assimilate what ingredients make for a successful prose piece and to glean how it is best presented.

Andrew Owens went for a carefully crafted episodic piece, Bootleg to Paris about a drug smuggling trip which goes wrong. Concise, atmospheric, and with three twists, it engaged and was pretty much a case study in how to get it right. Alice Sewell bravely used the device of telling a tale about male debauchery at University voicing the male character herself. This cleverly offered an instant and ongoing novelty, but also enabled her to explore the worst excesses of male behaviour in a way that may have bordered on the offensive if voiced by a man . A neat move, well observed ,and executed. Tony Judge is an experienced and successful local author who enjoys writing wry satire under the, “Brief and Approximate Guide to” banner. It is a formulaic and derivative series which succeeds because of its familiarity. His Brief and Approximate Guide to Worcestershire was a home banker, and so it proved, although at 1000 words its impact may have been greater with some editing. Curiously he then proceeded to his Brief and Approximate Guide to Parenting which was so similar in style that it neutralised the former piece. The material was good, but here, less would have been far more effective.

Parole Parlate next meets at 7.30pm on Thursday October 6th, which is National Poetry Day, whose theme of Games will no doubt be explored on the night.

Gary Longden 1/9/11

Posted in Behind the Arras Reviews | Leave a comment

Word Wizards

Posted on August 31, 2011 by garylongden

Grove Hotel, Buxton

This was my first visit to Word Wizards and a post August bank holiday date seemed the perfect time to visit this Peak District event in a most picturesque setting .

The Grove Hotel itself is some 240 years old, starting life as a Coffee House, before expanding as a coaching inn for Manchester travellers. Unusually, this is run as a monthly slam, with prize.

Although the mechanics can vary dependent upon numbers , the objective is to have rounds containing as many as possible, thereby retaining performers for multiple readings, whilst maintaining a competitive element. The spectacular scenery to be enjoyed during any direction of approach to Buxton will always offer a spur to the spirits of any poet as they prepare their evening’s work.

The room itself is first floor, and private, with the hotel’s bar and food amenities close by. Compere Rob Stevens, and his wife Lesley, are convivial hosts for a relaxed and friendly evening which tonight comprised some five rounds, with the cumulative scores of each round determining the winner. This had a pleasingly egalitarian effect, as it ensured that everything did not hang on the first round, affording poets more choice and variety in their selections.

The poetry was diverse, entertaining, and thoughtful. Gary Carr is wisely persisting with I the Broken, a clever page poem in four parts which grows with each performance, whilst his DJ piece offers broad appeal for anyone conversant with the jealous paranoia of those whom man the decks.

From Lichfield Poets, Janet Jenkins offered a strong combination of work resulting in a third placed finish. The Tale of the Teeth ,about some errant false gnashers always entertains, Set Me Free , was a poignant mother and daughter coming of age piece. Anyone who includes the tongue twister “sarcococca” in their performance has to be admired.

ROBUST AND TOUGH

Jack Regan is probably tired of references to his namesake on the Sweeney, but I shall try his patience further. His contributions were robust, tough and with a sprinkling of that trademark humour, never more so than with “Hey JC” a hugely enjoyable offering about the Creators failure to ensure that he was born a rock star. David Barrow entertained with some introspective work and the knockabout Rubadubdub, David Siddon reminded us of the Werewolves that lurk around Millersdale.

Host Rob Stevens, who finished the evening with a second placed finish combined oiling the wheels of the evening, amusing all with his wit, with some excellent poetic contributions. Six O’Clock News was particularly strong examining the peculiar juxtaposition and relative importance placed on various news stories.

The “hurricane that barely was” in America playing against the mayhem is Lbya was a point well made. Yet he also takes in the surreal, I’ve killed the Cat and Stuck it in the Wind Chimes, the political “Scab” and the domestic implications of when a grown up child flies the nest.

The generosity of the judges resulted in me scoring the highest points for an evening which was well organised and professionally presented complete with promotional banners, branded bookstand and on-table klaxons available for the audience to increase their demonstrations of enthusiasm for proceedings. Word Wizards runs monthly, on the last Tuesday, with a 7.30pm start. 30-08-11.

Posted in Behind the Arras Reviews | Leave a comment

September What’s On

Posted on August 31, 2011 by garylongden

Sun 4th ARTournament Sunday Daytime Chill, The New Inn in the centre of Gloucester (opp M&S)12-8pm,Free in. Poetry and acoustic music, Barnaby Eaton-Jones Mid-day ,Miki Bryne, 1pm,Jamie Doughty 1.30 ,Brown Torpedo, 2pm and after 6pm.Lisa Ventura 2.30pm,Jeremy Toombs, 3pm,Suz Winspear 4pm Spoken Word Stage,Verity Smith 4.30pm,Rosemary Dunn 5.30pm,Joel Denno 8.30pm

Tues 6th Night Blue Fruit, Taylor Johns Vaults, Coventry Canal Basin, 8pm. Free in, open mic.Barry Patterson hosts.

Thurs 8th Poetry Open Mic plus headliner Malika Brooker ,The Drum Arts Centre,The Drum, 144 Potters Lane, Aston, Birmingham, B6 4UU,0121 333 2444, http://www.the-drum.org.uk Seasonal monthly, Thursday, 7.30pm, £5in. Calling all poets, spoken word artistes, emcees, rappers, toasters, singers and spitters! Monthly poetry nights are back at The Drum, so come on down to perform your work, and interact with editors, publishers, theatre producers and other members of the West Midlands poetry scene. Word Up! is compered in rotation by four of The Drum’s in-house poets (Tan Matthews, Jonathan Morley, Moqapi Selassie and Leeanne Stoddart), and features a guest poet reading and giving a Q&A session, embedded in the midst of an open mic event. Malika Brooker is A writer, spoken word and multidisciplinary artist, whose work spans literature, education and cross- arts. She has appeared world-wide both independently and with the British council. and has held numerous residencies. Breadfruit was published in 2007, and Malika also has poems included in Bloodaxe’s recent collection of emerging Black and Asian poets Spread The Word.

Fri 9th Myth Covered Peaks, Brewhouse Arts Centre, Unions St, Burton upon Trent, 6pm;Free in, a documentary film by local film maker Jim Moore exploring the myths and legends of the Peak District with contributions from local poets and storytellers.

Sat 10th‘Funny Women’,Ashmore Park library, Griffiths Drive, Wolverhampton, WV11 2JW from 2.30pm,Emma Purshouse, Win Saha and Jane Seabourne will be performing their poetry at . This is a free event. For further info contact Ashmore Park library on 01902 556296.

Sat 10th Unleashed !Milla” Nottingham Playhouse 8pm: £8 the man behind the mic keeping you all in line at Blackdrop, has a most amazing not-to-be-missed one-man-show at Nottingham Playhouse.
See him as you’ve never seen him before in this his debut work written, composed and performed by himself! His talents have been hidden up his sleeves, but he’s rolling ’em up and commanding the stage in a highly polished show of Spoken Word, Culture, Rhythm, African Drumming, Music and Lyrics from the heart.

Sat 10th/Sun 11th Birmingham Arstfest, hundreds of free events across the City over two days: details,http://www.artsfest.org.uk/

Gallery 33, 1.30pm -2pm Erdington Writers, jan watts , Memoirs
Library Theatre 2pm-2.30pm Young Brum Poet laureate, Jordan Westcarr

POW Ph, 3pm-3.30pm Facing Fifty, Brendan Hawthorn

Gallery 33 3pm-3.30pm Birmingham Writers group Secret History of Birmingham in prose and poetry

Sat 10th Trip into Madness, The Council House, Birmingham City Centre , 12.30-1pm.Free in You will be hooting all of the way with this new dynamic piece of physical theatre comedy performed by Rachel Green and Anthony Webster. This show is a preview of work that will be further developed and toured next year. The play focuses on 10 years research & different interpretations of what madness really is. The show promises a unique insight in to why, what and who makes us mad. Common examples include men/fat bottoms/flip flops/celebrity obsessions and plastic people in general.
Don’t worry about the workshop part, we just want your feedback on what you have seen – no pretentious drama games, we promise!
So come along on the Sat 10th or Sun 11th or check out the show at AAOTP Launch on Mon 19th!

Sat 10th The Way You Broke Me, The Council House, Birmingham City Centre , 12.30-1pm.Free The Way You Broke Me is a full and theatrical drama from poet and playwright, Samantha Hunt. Exploring brokenness in all it’s varied forms,the narrative takes shape through the collective experience of responding to mass media in a very human way. It touches elements of sociology and the psyche- from transcendental loss to spiritual earthing.

Sat 10th Decadent Divas, Mac, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham, At this years Artfest, four fantastic local female poets will be performing new work based around their experiences of being ‘women of a certain age’. Lorna Meehan will be covering that awkard/liberating post-teenage stage of turning twenty, budding poet Laura Yates will be focusing on being all ‘grown up and responsable’ in her thirties, Charlie Jordan will be examining the trails and tribulations of life in your forties, finishing with Maggie Doyle’s take on the joys of your fifties.
So for a great free afternoon of cautionary tales, heart warming nostalgia and the occasional eyebrow raising confession, delivered with impeccable style by four fabulously dressed ladies,don’t miss the Diva’s.

Mon 12th 1st Wantage Slam, Shush, Newbury St,Wantage, Oxon, O7.30pm. Run by Spiel. The event is part of the inaugural Wantage Betjeman Festival of Literature and Poetry, designed to celebrate the association of the former Poet Laureate with the town.

Mon 12th Sept Pure and Good and Right, Sozzled Sausage, Leamington Spa,7.30pm.£3 in Roy MacFarlane and open mic,George Hardwick hosts.

Mon 12th Pub Poetry Nottingham The Canal house, 48-52 Canal Street, Nottingham, Free in, Open mic

Tues 13th City Voices, City Bar, King St, Wolverhampton: £3in Set Bill, Simon Fletcher hosts

Tues 13th Scribal Gathering The Upstairs Room at The Crown, Market Square, Stony Stratford, Milton Keynes , 7.30pm,Free in, Richard Frost Hosts

Thurs 15th Speak Up, Bulls Head, Moseley, Birmingham, 3rd Thursday, monthly, 7.30pm: headliners plus open mic,£5in Jodi Ann Bickley hosts

Fri 16th Spoken Worlds, Old Cottage Tavern, Byrkley St, Burton, 7.30pm,open mic, free in.Gary Carr hosts

Saturday 17th Offa’s poets at Stafford Arts Festival.The Shire Hall Gallery, Market Street, Stafford, ST16 2LD.Free in

10.30-11am ‘Friends of Offa’ Tom Jenkins, Marion Cockin & Simon Fletcher

12.30-1pm Offa’s Poets Jane Seabourne, Nick Pearson & Win Saha.

Sat 17th Live at the Imperial, Lichfield St Bilston,7.30pm: £10 in, Jo Bell, The Anti-Poet, Heather Wastie plus comedians Steve best and Ishi Lawrence.

Sunday 18th The Jam Café, Heathcote Street, Nottingham, from 7.30pm onwards: free in

WITH SPECIAL GUEST WRITERS: Angela France, Tom Warner and Joel Lane

PLUS: 6pm – 7pm: THE POETRY SURGERY – All the things you wanted to ask about poetry publishing but were afraid to ask… (Free Event)
Are you interested in being published but don’t know where to start? Do you need some advice about how to start writing poetry or how to shape up your technique? Would you like to find out more about magazines and how to submit your work? Join Matt Nunn and Jane Commane, who are Co-editors of Nine Arches Press, writing tutors and poets, for this informal drop-in session. Grab a cup of coffee before the Shindig open mic and ask all the questions you’ve ever wanted to ask of two editors on the poetry frontline! Jane and Matt will talk about how to get started, how to keep going and get over rejection slips, and how to develop a profile for yourself as a poet.

GUEST READINGS AND OPEN MIC: 7.30-10pm

Angela France has had poems published in many of the leading journals, in the UK and abroad, and has been anthologised a number of times. She has an MA in ‘Creative and Critical Writing’ from the University of Gloucestershire and is studying for a PhD. Her second collection, Occupation is available from Ragged Raven Press. Angela is features editor of Iota and an editor of ezine The Shit Creek Review. She also runs a monthly poetry café in Cheltenham, ‘Buzzwords’

Tom Warner was born in Mansfield in 1979. In 2001 he won an Eric Gregory Award and graduated from the University of East Anglia’s Creative Writing MA with a Distinction. His poetry has appeared in a number of publications and magazines, including The Rialto and Stand, and in 2009-10 he was Poet in Residence for Newark-on-Trent. He currently lives in Norwich where he teaches creative writing.

Joel Lane lives in Birmingham and works as a journalist. He is the author of two novels, three collections of short stories, a novella, a chapbook, and three collections of poetry, the most recent of which is The Autumn Myth (Arc). Joel has co-edited (with Steve Bishop) the crime and suspense fiction anthology Birmingham Noir. His latest publication is Do Not Pass Go – a collection of crime stories as part of the Hotwire short-story pamphlet series (Nine Arches Press).

FREE ENTRY Sign up for the Open Mic on the door.

Mon 19th Bristol Old Vic Word of Mouth opens its autumn season with a blast of lyrical spoken word poetry from spoken word star Dizraeli and humour from two of the best local spoken word performaners Laurie Bolger and Vanessa Kisuule.

Dizraeli is a Bristol-born rapper, poet and musician. Although rooted strongly in hiphop traditions, his work draws inspiration from old folk music, recognising the common ground shared by ‘musics of the people’ from any point in history. He has performed at Glastonbury, Latitude, The Eden Project and The Royal Festival Hall among countless others. He has won both the Farrago UK Slam Championships and the BBC Radio 4 Poetry Slam, and written several hiphop plays including the award winning ‘Rebel Cell’, with Baba Brinkman.

Tues 20th Fizz 9, Polesworth Refe ctory, Polesworth Abbey , Polesworth,7.30pm, free in, open mic and headliner.Mal Dewhirst hosts

Tues 20th Nottingham “Oxjam” Pub Poetry, Hop Pole PH, High St Chilwell, 8pm, free in, open mic

Wed 21st Rhymes, Station Hotel, Kings Heath, 7.30pm, £5in, Lorna Meehan hosts:
JAMES BUNTING has been performing for around a year, though writing much longer. In that time he has won several slams, including representing his university in two team slams, performed in cities around the country and was lucky enough to perform at Latitude festival this summer.

JAMES BARNETT is a cataloguing librarian from the University of Birmingham who awkwardly stumbled into the spoken word arena in February, performing his first ever open-mic slot at ‘Hit the Ode’. As befitting a librarian, his metaphors are dusty and his line-breaks suitably wary of disorder.

NAOMI PAUL is a comedian and actress as well as an engaging and versatile poetess. After a brief glimpse of her talent at Rhymes last year, we’re welcoming her back for a longer set after her turn at this years Fringe.

DAVID CALCUTT is a poet, novelist and playwright. He has written plays for theatre and the BBC. His latest novel, “The Map of Marvels”, is published by Oxford University Press. He is currently working alongside fellow poets Jacqui Rowe and Deb Alma writing poems with people with Dementia in care homes in Herfordshire.

Wed 21st Storytelling Cafe, Kitchen Garden Cafe, York rd, Kings Heath, 7.30pm: £7in, best of Midlands storytelling

Thurs 22nd Solihull Spontaneity Day, Solihull festival ,Arts Centre Complex/ Touchwood Shopping Centre. 10-4pm, Throughout the day Marcus Moore and sarah-Jan Arbury Perform

Thurs 22nd FLASH at Solihull Arts Complex, Homer Road, Solihull, 7.30pm, tickets £7.50 Sara-Jane Arbury will be teaming up with Glenn Carmichael, Lucy English and Anna Freeman to perform their touring performance poetry and prose show., tickets £7.50. Contact Box Office on 0121 704 6962 or artscomplex@solihull.gov.uk or visit http://www.solihull.gov.uk/artscomplex/ .

Thur 22nd Celebrate Wha, The Drum, Aston, 7.30pm £6in: An evening to celebrate the launch of Celebrate Wha, a collection of poems by midlands writers including Roy McFarlane, Michelle “Mother” Hubbard, Chester Morrison, Sue Brown and Kokumo.

Thur 22nd “Hit the Ode”, Victoria PH, behind the Alex Theatre Brum: 7.30pm,£5in,hosted by Bohdan Piesecki:

Shaun “Evoke” Welch: spoken word artist, grime MC, actor, and all-round word wizard.
From Birmingham, too, Zack Homeless: a super-extra-special one-off guest appearance from one of Brum’s youngest and most talented artists.
From London, Rachel Rose Reid: a spell-binding storyteller whose performances melt bou ndaries between the oral traditions of our ancestors and the spoken word of today. From the USA, Derrick Brown: a paratrooper turned poet and publisher, Derrick is widely recognised as one of the top-most spoken word artists in the world.

Thur 22nd “Bilston Voices”, Metro Cafe, Bilston, 7.30pm, £2in: “Ghost Writers” A selection of work performed by celebrity local poets but written by others.Hosted by Emma Purshouse

Fri 23rd BBC RADIO 3 THE VERB, Mac, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham, 8pm, free in.
Poet Ian McMillan takes to the stage in front of an audience at mac Birmingham to introduce the first of the Verb New Voices performances. Two emerging spoken word artists, including Fatima Al Matar, premiere the pieces they’ve developed over the Summer. Novelist, biographer and playwright David Lodge reflects on what working in different genres has taught him about how his characters think.The memorist Sathnam Sanghera reads a commissioned piece about eating beef for the first time, by mistake. And finally, the writer Catherine O’Flynn champions Birmingham in fiction.

Sat 24th 100,000 Poets for Change, Birmingham, and around the world: Various free events http://www.bigbridge.org/100thousandpoetsforchange/
http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=190113174387097
100,000 Poets for Change, a worldwide venture, locally Helen Calcutt is co-ordinating . At Birmingham Library 12 noon, hosted by Spoz there will be a walk up open mic, at 7pm in the Birmingham Library Theatre there will be a further open mic and music event – with the promise of a third event to follow after that. Best bring all your work poets!

Sun 25thARTournament Sunday Daytime Chill, The New Inn in the centre of Gloucester (opp M&S)12-8pm, Miki Byrne and assorted guests

Sun 25th Sunday Xpress, Sunday 16:30 Adam & Eve Bradford Street, Birmingham B12 0JD Open mic

Mon 26th “Pop up Poetry Place” Opening Ceremony ,Zellig Gallery, Custard Factory, Birmingham, 2pm, Free in: Poetry and a monologue play.

Tues 27th Poetry Bites, Kitchen Garden Cafe, York rd, Kings Heath, 7.30pm: £5in Bernadette Cremin, plus open mic, Jacqui Rowe hosts

Tues 27th Word Wizards, Grove Hotel, Buxton last Tuesday Monthly 19.30. Open mic three minute slam format. Rob Stevens hosts

Wed 28th Bad Language, The Castle Hotel, 66 Oldham Street, Manchester M4 1LE 7.30. Set Bill, hosted by Daniel Carpenter

Wed 28th 42 – Open Mic Night (Gothic, Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy) Boston Tea Party ,18 Broad Street, Worcester: 7.30pm; £4 in ‘42’ is Worcester’s first & only Gothic, Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy Open Mic Night for all those who love the genres & everything in between. “42” takes its name from Douglas Adams’ answer to life, the universe, and everything. Glenn James hosts.

Wed 28th The Poetry Train ,Britannia Hotel, Wolverhampton , 8pm, free in, Open Mic, Tony Stringfellow hosts.

Saturday 1st Warwick, An Evening with Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy,Guy Nelson Hall, Warwick School,8.00pm:
Carol Ann Duffy is one of the UK’s most admired poets, who became the first female Poet Laureate in 2009 and we are delighted that she is making a return visit to Warwick.
Be captivated by Carol Ann Duffy’s subtle yet provocative poetry that will draw you into its beautiful and complex narrative.

Monday 3rd Warwick,An Evening with Warwick Poet Laureates, Ball Room. Court House (Warwick Tourist Information Centre)7.30pm
Join Warwick Poet Laureates past and present as they help us to celebrate ten years of poetry at the festival.

Tuesday 4th Warwick The Necessary Aptitude with Pam Ayres, Lord Leycester Hospital 6.00pm
We are delighted to welcome Pam Ayres to Warwick Words to talk about her newly published autobiography, The Necessary Aptitude

Tuesday 4th ,Warwick, An Evening with Melvyn Bragg, Warwick School,8.00pm
Melvyn Bragg will be talking about the impact of The King James Bible in the 400 years since it was first published in 1611

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