Garyswordz

Worcester Arts Workshop Centre, Cellar Bar, Worcester

BILLED as “Midsummer Madness”, this was an event which was part of the Worcester Literary Festival and despite competing with two other events was well attended by both an impressive array of poetic talent and a good sized audience.

The venue itself is an excellent one in the city centre, incorporating The Bliss Cafe, which is licensed, and also offers freshly cooked Mexican food.

It provides a very agreeable pre-gig meeting area contributing considerably to the convivial atmosphere. Although in theory this open-mic event was vulnerable to the vagaries of who signs up on the night, in practice this was not an issue.

One glance around confirmed that the Worcestershire Poetic Literati Glitterati were out in force! Amanda Bonnick hosted the evening with an assured, relaxed, demeanor. The hosting task is not an easy one but Amanda made it seem so.

Normally the job is merely to offer some punctuation between performances, yet occasionally the host has to alter, or set, the mood, and she deftly delivered on both requirements. She also set a formidable standard by opening the evening too, from the edgy “Just Good Friends”, through the whimsy of “A Cat” to the closing “Glad”, a splendid celebration of the diversity of the union of relationships, which always looked strong on the page, but came alive in performance.

FAMILIAR FACES

Some familiar faces were in fine form. Fergus dominated the room as always with his sharp wit, acid tongue and shrewd observation, culminating in a highly entertaining warning on the dangers of smoking.

Sarah James enthralled with her erudite lucidity and a marvelous pastiche of Philip Larkin on the theme of “Children, they suck you up”.

Two poets in the first half were new to me, both impressed. Myfanwy Fox drew upon her experience running a Charity Shop to perform, “Found in his Things- a Theatrical Programme” a delightful reflective piece, then demonstrated her technical ability with a clever villanelle, “Hearts homesick for the Emerald isle”. Catherine Crosswell offered astute and humorous observations on theatrical life with “When All is Waned” and “Theatrical Kisses” but really cut loose with, “The Dangers of Running”, an extended piece of beguiling linguistic intricacy, tricking, teasing and engaging the listener by constantly morphing its subject matter. Was it about running? Was it about her mother? Was it about her? Was it a comedy, a satire or a piece of verite? You will have to listen to her to find out. I loved it.

After the break, two more familiar poets performed, both thematically linked by stagecraft. Suz Winspear’s magnificent gothic dress and exploding shock of black hair is an instant attention getter as soon as she takes to the stage.

Combine this with an impish self-effacing manner and idiosyncratic material, and you get a compelling performer. From love poetry like “Diamonds After Dark”, to comic gore with “Eyeball” she always has a twinkle in her eye and leaves the audience with a smile on their faces.

Sarah Tamar’s device was simpler; she sat to perform, which in itself set her apart from everyone else. From a physical performance perspective, this can be disadvantageous, but with her rewarding closing poem “I Want to Be” she proved that any performer is only as good as her material.

WELL WRITTEN TRIUMPH

A reflection on a middle aged woman’s perspective of young women’s aspirations, subject matter which could have been a cliché heavy minefield, proved to be a poignant light, well written triumph.

To close the evening poetically we had Jenny Hope, another poet new to me, who represented the distillation of all that was good from what had gone before. Jenny performed a collection of six sonnets entitled, “Six of the Flesh”. As Pippa Middleton has trademarked “that dress” so Jenny did with hers. Writing a good sonnet is no easy task, writing six is extraordinarily difficult, but that is what Jenny has achieved. Beautifully performed, the room went silent as she took us through the likes of “Orchard”, “The Morning After” “Picnic” and “Harvest”.

Her performance was sultry, sensual, and erotic, if Beyonce performed poetry, she wouldn’t stand a chance up against this. Jenny’s delivery was exquisite, the language both sparse and rich, crowning a splendid evening of high quality poetry and performance.

The shorter interludes as the evening progressed also warrant mention, Martin lambasted “Sir Fred”, Dot took us to a North Norfolk Beach, and Andy Green provided a series of hugely enjoyable songs, sung unaccompanied, to offer some light and shade to proceedings. Jenny Hope and Amanda Bonnick co-organise, more information on future events may be found on the “Word and Sound” Facebook page. 24-06-11.

Old Cottage Tavern, Burton upon Trent

This was the third event at this new venue, which I suspect means that it is no longer new, and should no longer be described as such.

Organiser Gary Carr was rewarded with the biggest turn-out yet, resulting in a good atmosphere, plenty of readers, and few spare seats. It is encouraging to see that Friday nights can command poetry audiences, and this monthly routine extends across the summer with no break.

Crucially, Spoken Worlds is attracting a core of high quality performers to set a good standard whilst still welcoming those who want to read for the first time.

A first time performer at Spoken Worlds, but a seasoned veteran of the Birmingham/Black Country circuit was Bob Hale. An English Teacher by profession, Bob was making his first and last ( for a year) appearance as he is soon to teach summer school at Harrow and then English in China, so any victory speeches in Black Country English from the Chinese Olympic Team in London next year are down to Bob.

Wisely his first two poems, “On Being Joined in the Pub by Two Female Colleagues whose limited range of Conversational Gambits had Previously Been Remarked Upon” (“I forgot you’re not a girl Bob”) and “Dave” were set in a pub, unsurprisingly they matched the audience’s mood perfectly. “Other Childhoods” reminded of those in other countries less fortunate than ourselves whilst “Waiting for a Holiday to Begin” was a short, sharp reminder of the perils of embarking upon any holiday.

But he left his most impressive poem till last, ”Chaos Theory”, from the eponymous second collection of his work, “The smallest of lies betrays the greatest of truths. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ”, a poem of love and loss, taut, anguished and well executed. A fine set, and well worth the three slots, he will be missed, but equally welcomed back in a year’s time with, no doubt a rickshaw full of new poetry.

SUBSTANTIAL OFFERING

Mal Dewhirst was another who read in three instalments, a device which allows a reader to offer a substantial offering of their work without taxing the audience with one uninterrupted performance. ”Ibiza” picked up a Balearics theme which was reprised elsewhere whilst, “Donna, Two am” a story of a Mrs Robinson infatuation, had a painful veritas about it. After pieces about body piercing and time Mal then went into an extended piece about a recent visit to Memphis, in which Elvis and the Blues loomed large.

The Elvis phenomena is an interesting one. His late 50’s career undoubtedly was a defining element in the birth of modern rock n roll. Yet the draft and then a movie career took him out of the musical frontline thereafter even though he continued to enjoy hit records and commercial success for much of the 60’s. Shrewdly, Mal concentrated on the Blues, a back street bar and an aging Bluesman who had never quite made it which unsurprisingly provided the basis for a very good poem.

Colin “The “ Hench is a poet whom I always enjoy, and he did not disappoint. One of the poets to be immortalised on the Polesworth Poetry Trail he revisited his time at Pooley Hall, first with a sombre reflection on the dangers of the Tip alluding to Aberfan, and then with “Alvechurch Mound v Pooley Mound, an allegorical tale of the resistance within the community to the metamorphosis of a once working pit into a leisure park.

John Donne is a man with local connections who managed the apogee of poetic ambition twice by producing two phrases subsequently assimilated into the English language in his poem “No Man Is An Island”, with the title phrase (borrowed by both The Boomtown Rats and Paul Simon) and the closing line “And therefore never send to know for whom, the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. ”. Boldly, Colin tackled the island theme himself – and very successfully he did so too.

But for me his “Student House” poem was his standout offering of the night with a particularly memorable line – when he described the house fabric as being ”shabby as a cowards excuse”

A host of other talent provided sterling support, including Margaret Torr and Ian Ward with some fantasy writing Terri and Ray Jolland with light comedy and Rob Stevens with poetry and music. Spoken Worlds next meets Friday July 22nd, 7. 30pm. 17-06-11

The Voice Box, Forman St, Derby

Spoken word events traditionally major on poetry, interspersed with the odd prose piece to provide a bit of a break. “Spread the Word” turns this concept on its head by majoring on storytelling, and using poetry and music as the interludes – and very well it works too. Organised by Sophie Snell, it is compered by John Fearon, who also tells a few stories himself.

The location itself is excellent, a refurbished hall in an old building, and the open pitch roof offers excellent acoustics rendering amplification unnecessary. Modern kitchen facilities provide refreshments including chocolate cake and tables, and chairs are arrayed informally, creating as friendly and warm an atmosphere as the organisers themselves extend to audience and performers.

First up was Dave Tonge, the self styled “Yarnsmith of Norwich” who entertained us with “The Onion’s Tale”. The bearded Dave often performs in costume, but even without, convinced as an Old English troubadour telling a traditional tale. Dave had travelled from East Anglia for the evening. His warm manner and good humour set a high standard for the evening. He also excelled in his ability to get the best out of the audience in creating creaking hinge noises. My personal tip is that for an extended creak, starting from as low a musical pitch as possible is best.

At that point I was impressed that someone had come from as far as Norwich, until the next performer, Ana Lines, introduced herself as a Brazilian national! Although Portugese is Ana’s mother tongue, she speaks fluent English with a delightful Latin accent which evokes an exotic ambience to her delivery which tonight told “The Farmer’s Tale”, a parable about a treasure windfall and a gossiping wife, universal themes which transcend national boundaries.

KNOWING WINK

She has an endearing presentational device of ostensibly taking the audience into her confidence, and she flatteringly declares assumed wisdom in the audience, drawing us closer in still. Full of poise, and a knowing wink, she tested the audience’s ability to creak too. . . . . .

Sophie Snell closed the first half with “The Teeny Weeny Tiny Old Woman”, the macabre story of a hairy old toe. Sophie writes stories for children and adults and she skilfully drew on strands from both in this gory tale.

Part fairy tale, part horror story and part cookery ingredient guide, she had us enthralled as she sat in classic “Jackanory” pose then aghast as she strode around to reveal the ghastly outcome. “Just a Minute” would hate her – for there was not a moment’s hesitation, repetition or deviation in her story. She has been touring her “ Seven Deadly Sins” show, I have no doubt that an extended set would be an even greater treat. And yes, she got the audience to creak too! However my appetite for the chocolate cake was somewhat diminished. . . . . . . . . . .

After the break Bryan Franks told “Noah’s Tale” with god humour and panache whilst David Brookes gave a more contemporary account of a submarine escape, both aquatic themes but from different eras.

Jim Kavanagh had joined Dave Tonge on the trek from East Anglia but his story was from Ireland, “The Land of Youth”. Drawn from the “myths and legends” tradition. This one hailed from the era of St Patrick and was beguilingly and compellingly told, in an almost confidential manner, and light irish brogue. To close the evening Emma Carlton entertained with “The Monks Tale”, an amusing story of a medieval monk and his shared adventures between two monasteries with very different mores. Flamboyant and brisk Emma shone and was the perfect curtain call for the evening.

The storytellers were interspersed with some poets, musicians and a very confident young riddle teller in the shape of Ben Snell. Not only is Sophie Snell a fine storyteller, but she is also clearly a good alchemist too, as each main performer not only had a distinct style, but also the stories themselves were quite diverse, ensuring a satisfying, stimulating and rewarding evening. “Spread the Word” returns later in the year, more details available at: http://www. flyingdonkeys. co. uk/ 09-06-11

Gary Longden

Erdington Library, Birmingham

This evening performance was part of a week -long series of workshops and performances at the library led by Jan Watts. Erdington Library has traditionally been hugely supportive of this type of event and so it was again with a staff who were as helpful and keen to please as ever. Marcus Taylor organised the evening and assembled an impressive array of local talent.

Chris Smith from Sutton Coldfield and Cannon Hill Poets opened the evening followed by Jan Watts herself. Jan took us on a journey including her childhood in Walthamstow, her experience of being closer to ducks from her boat, and her dissolute lifestyle as a lady who lunches.

As always her clarity and freshness of expression shone. “Sunday Express” is a long established open mic poetry event running on the third Sunday of the month at 4pm at the Adam & Eve Digbeth. “Big Bren” Higgins runs it and he brought his rumbustious charm with him whether with the likes of the sharply observed “Ego Trip” or funny, and brief, “Writers Block”. Richard Bruce Clay, a man who never needs a microphone, ripped through poetry inspired by King Lear, “Men are from Venus women are from Mars” excerpts from “Both” and “She’s Alone” and the very funny “Poems are Easy”. Richard runs a spoken word evening at the Hollybush in Cradley Heath on the first Friday of the month.

RARE CHANCE

The second half offered a rare chance to listen to Mal Dewhirst perform an extended set, and hugely enjoyable it was too, probably the best I have ever heard him. “Music & Places” name checked Barberellas in the late 70’s, “Newburn Bridge” a walking holiday in the North East and Liverpool got a mention too.

Although predominantly a serious poet, “The Squatter”, dedicated to his cyber hacker was sharp and “Aspiration Blvd” a marvellous piece of whimsy. Mal runs a poetry evening, “Fizz” at Polesworth Abbey, bi-monthly. Elaine Oakely breezed in, then breezed out again all too briefly before Louis Campbell took the floor. Louis’ appearance was noteworthy for two reasons, firstly he does not run a spoken word event, and secondly he was sans his trademark long leather coat.

What he had brought with him though was his formidable collection of social commentary poetry. ”The Ant that would not Pop” took us back to childhood, “Eyes of a Spider” reminded us of surveillance culture, “Text an Apology” reminded us that saying things in person is always better whilst “Credit” was as searing a condemnation of popular finance as ever.

Before Alan Wales had entertained with a marvellous Welsh pastiche, “Under Deadwood”, Gary Carr was another poet to benefit from the chance to stretch out a bit. Gary runs “Spoken Worlds” on the third Friday evening of every month at the Old Cottage Tavern, Burton upon Trent. “Not Having a Ball” was the story of a young footballer whose career was wrecked through injury, “Without You” was a painfully sharp commentary on relationship breakdown whilst the highlight was a wonderful parody of “My Way”.

Marcus Taylor ensured a brisk pace as compere and read some observational prose on his experiences in New York winding up a fine evening which may become a more regular event. 09-06-11

Gary Longden