Lichfield

Posted on May 31, 2011 by garylongden

Grey stone fingers grasping


Lichfield
Doomed Dominion
Prey to Viking plunder
Loyal to the King in time of War
Steadfast

Fine square
Market Bustle
Martyrs scream for mercy
Punters pause and procrastinate
No sale

Statue
Tribute on land
The wand’rer lost at sea
So far from home missed from his hearth
Adieu

Reflect
Upon water
Under the world where
Shadows are playing at the art of
Being

Three Spires
Reaching skywards
Grey Stone fingers grasping
The heavens seeking salvation
Kings sleep

A collaboration between Gary Longden, Val Thompson, Ben Macnair ,Janet Jenkins and Ian Ward

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Favourite Published Poets

Posted on May 31, 2011 by garylongden

I am often asked who my favourite poets are. In practise it is a moveable feast, varying with time, mood and caprice.Yet some I do keep on coming back to, the following is offered not in order, their position is random.

1. THOMAS WYATT (1503-1542)
Thomas Wyatt was born into an aristocratic family and after studying at Cambridge entered Henry VIII’s diplomatic service. It was Wyatt who introduced the sonnet into English and during his short life (he died of a fever aged 39) his poems circulated in manuscript (it was considered vulgar to publish them).
He is rumoured, on little evidence, to have been a lover of Anne Boleyn, and it’s certain that, imprisoned briefly in the Tower of London, he witnessed the executions of five of her alleged lovers and the execution of Anne.
In one sonnet, which it is suggested is about his relationship with Anne, he characterises her as a hind whose neck has an inscribed collar: ‘Noli me tangere, for Caesar’s I am,/And wild for to hold, for I seem tame. The Latin means ‘Do not touch me’, and the reference to Caesar is obvious code for Henry VIII.

2. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (1564-1616)
Shakespeare’s sonnets are often tormented, anguished, ironic and vulnerable. They date probably from the mid-1590s, but were not published until 1609, and were mysteriously dedicated to ‘Mr WH’. This figure is generally identified as William Herbert, the third Earl of Southampton, who was a patron of Shakespeare’s and was famously reluctant to marry, though he eventually did so.
About four-fifths of the sonnets are addressed to Herbert, and roughly a fifth are addressed to the Dark Lady, who has not been convincingly identified. The young man is portrayed as handsome and self-conscious, a rather narcissistic figure. He is adjured to marry and not let his image die with him. The only defence against time is to breed, Shakespeare insists.
In one of the most beautiful of the early sonnets, Shakespeare begins by asking ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day’, and then says he is ‘more lovely and more temperate.’ He is clearly entranced by the object of his desire.
We catch glimpses of Shakespeare’s self-doubt and his self-loathing, as he looks into a mirror and sees ‘time’s furrows’ in his face, which is ‘beated and chopped with tanned antiquity.’

3. ROBERT BROWNING (1812-1899)
Robert Browning must be counted a major Victorian poet. He was born in 1812, and while his father was a clerk in the Bank of England and a Liberal, his mother was a devout Nonconformist, and this allegiance meant Browning had to attend University College, London, which was open to Nonconformists and Jews. He met Elizabeth Barrett in 1845 and fled with her to Italy in 1846. All of his poems are dramatic monologues, and his longest poem, The Ring And The Book, which is over 20,000 lines long, was published in 1869. It is about a murder case in Rome in the 1690s and was a great success. (I have read it twice and can report that though there are fine passages in it, it is usually tedious). He returned to London after Elizabeth’s death. He never remarried, though he was linked romantically with Lady Ashburton who, when he proposed to her, said, ‘We entertain our artists, Mr Browning, but we do not marry them.’
His most famous poem is My Last Duchess, in which a sinister Renaissance Italian duke tells of his marriage to the duchess, and hints that out of jealousy he had her murdered, though she is clearly innocent. Unlike most of Browning’s monologues, this poem is written, very deftly, in rhyming couplets that are concealed by the sinuous movement of the lines.
The poem fascinated Henry James, who knew Browning socially, and was amazed at how bluff, bourgeois and ordinary he appeared socially, when he was such a seer in his imaginative life. James based a short story, The Private Life, on Browning’s paradoxical nature, which also fascinated Thomas Hardy, who said his public personality was that of a smug, dissenting grocer

4. JOHN CLARE (1793-1864)
Although he worked as a field labourer, having been born in the village of Helpstone, Northamptonshire, in 1793, John Clare was always fascinated by poetry. His first book, Poems Descriptive Of Rural Life And Scenery, was published by Keats’s publisher in 1820 and the book was an instant success. In a preface he was described as a peasant poet, whereas in fact he was very well read and left a library of more than 400 books on his death in 1864.
Clare was seen as an English Burns, but he lacked Burns’s toughness, and he was eventually put in Northampton General Lunatic Asylum, where he died, unvisited by his family.
In his poems, careful observation of nature shows rain drops as ‘they dimpt the brook’, and he often incorporates Northamptonshire dialect. He is fascinated by rural sounds and describes the ‘crumping’ of feet walking on fresh snow. He never used punctuation and his poems are published in the oral manner in which he wrote them.
Some 20 years ago, a plaque to him was unveiled in Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey.

5. THOMAS HARDY (1840-1928)
Curiosity about the world was a feature of Hardy’s life from the start. As a boy, living in his parents’ cottage in Lower Bockhampton, a few miles from Dorchester, he remembered a man was to be hanged from the walls of Dorchester jail at eight o’clock that morning. Hardy ran out onto the heath, put his father’s telescope to his eye and saw the ‘white figure drop downwards, as the town-clock struck eight’. He went home terrified.
Hardy trained as an architect and worked in London, where he began to write poetry and novels. In 1840, he went to Cornwall to restore a church and there he fell in love with Emma Lavinia Gifford; they married in 1874. Hardy became a full-time novelist, but his marriage deteriorated into unhappiness. His novels were successful – particularly Tess Of The D’Urbervilles and Jude The Obscure.
After the publication of Jude in 1895 Hardy retired from writing novels and committed himself to poetry, his first love. His fine volume, Wessex Poems, was published in 1898. Hardy was much influenced by Browning, and like Browning he deals with love relationships

6. SEAMUS HEANEY (1939)
The Irish poet’s first volume, Death of A Naturalist, came out in 1964 to great acclaim. It features poems about rural life, which on the one hand can seem rather idyllic, but then he introduces disturbing factors in language and atmosphere. In the title poem he writes of ‘frogs in scutch-dam’ – flax that has rotted before being processed – and he describes the creatures as ‘mud grenades’. The poem is really about a child’s discovery of the adult world of sex and violence. But it’s also about a one-party state that’s about to break up – as Ulster ultimately did.

He left Belfast in 1972, the worst year of the Troubles. At the time he was teaching at Belfast’s Queen’s University. He moved to Wicklow in Ireland and was soon given a job teaching English at Harvard. While there, he wrote a pamphlet objecting to being included in the Penguin Book Of Contemporary British Writers, but he’s crucial to modern British poetry.
His 1999 translation of Beowulf (pictured above is Hollywood’s take on the epic poem) is a case in point. It came out of the fact that he studied English at Queen’s and has always been a very gifted linguist. I think the language in his Beowulf captures the malevolence of the monster and the bleakness of the Anglo-Saxon landscape.

7. LOUIS MACNEICE (1907-1963)
MacNeice is, with Auden, one of the two greatest Thirties poets: witty, very much clued into contemporary life, poems about Belfast and Birmingham, about the big new department stores, about the traffic moving along the streets and the policemen directing it. Belfast, for example, is a rather malevolent, dark place in his poems, with its shipyards , riots and religious tension. He married while at Oxford but during his time teaching classics at Birmingham University his wife left him and his young son and went off to marry an American football player.
During the war he joined the features department of the BBC where he wrote radio plays. I don’t think the radio was a good influence on his style, sadly. However, he reclaimed it with his final volume of poems, The Burning Perch, published in 1963 shortly after he died of pneumonia, contracted while potholing for a radio programme. The Burning Perch is his best work, a fine volume, and I love the wit of his poems, the way they move, the way they’re constructed. There’s a jazz rhythm to them.

8. ISSAC ROSENBERG (1890-1918)
Alongside Wilfred Owen, Rosenberg is one of the two most important World War I poets. I read him as a student and I was more interested in him than Owen. There was a grainy realism.
What you get in Rosenberg is a very patient, spoken tone of voice. You can see that in Break Of Day In The Trenches. He has this ‘cosmopolitan rat’ moving over no-man’s land. This is meant to represent the Jews – he was Jewish, and subject to anti-semitism in the Army. But although there’s a political angle, it’s his style that makes him great: the concentration, the sense of what it was really like to be a soldier, to see that the war had to be fought, yet not really believing in fighting. He was killed in 1918.

9. CHRISTINA ROSSETTI (1830-1894)
Christina Rossetti influenced Gerard Manley Hopkins, but was overshadowed by the poetry of her brother, Dante Gabriel Rossetti. He was critical of some of her best poems but nowadays she’s seen as more important than him.
Her work was neglected for quite a long time: there was feminist interest in woman poets, but being an Anglican she didn’t believe in women’s suffrage, so she was neglected. There’s now a substantial body of work that sees her as a distinctive feminist. You can see it in the poem No Thank You, John, about rejecting a lover. She wrote a lot of religious poetry which is accomplished, but I think rather sterile.
I love Goblin Market, an extraordinary fantasy with these dominating, rather punitive goblin men and the two women they try to seduce

10. ALFRED, LORD TENNYSON (1809-1892)
Tennyson was born in Somersby, Lincolnshire, where his alcoholic father was rector. His parents separated when he was a teenager and he grew up fearful of mental illness and worried about money. At Cambridge he met the gifted Arthur Hallam, who died suddenly in Vienna four years after they met as members of the famous Apostles debating society. He was extremely short-sighted and needed a monocle to be able to see to eat. The mixed reception of his 1832 poems hurt him deeply but the success of two volumes published in 1842 changed his fortunes. In 1845 he received a Civil List pension, which enabled him to marry.
With the success of The Princess and In Memoriam he became the most popular poet of the Victorian period. In 1850, he was made poet Laureate. Prince Albert greatly admired his work, and he later dedicated The Idylls Of The King to the memory of Albert. At Queen Victorian’s insistence, he accepted a peerage, which he had previously turned down when it was offered by both Gladstone and Disraeli.
The Charge Of The Light Brigade was written in 1854, only minutes after Tennyson had read a newspaper account of the battle which contained the line ‘Someone had blundered’ – which he then incorporated into what became the most famous poem about war until World War I.

11. Catullus (84BC- 54BC) I was lucky enough to be able to read him in the original Latin. His pithy, explicit andinciteful language is a joy.

12. Samuel Taylor Colleridge (1772-1834) Kubla Khan and Rime of the Ancient Mariner are two of my favourite poems of all time.The psychadelic imagery of the former found new life in the West Coast American bands of the late 60’s and early 70’s. The insistent rhyming, storyteling and simplicity of the latter found a place in the lyrics of 60’s Beatles songs.

13. John Milton (1608 -74 ) For Paradise Lost.

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Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Posted on May 29, 2011 by garylongden

On Stranger Tides
“The Pirates of the Caribbean” series has now elevated itself into rarefied company where the story itself is of lesser importance than the star turn and adherence to the conventions which the story embodies. It has become a Piratical James Bond. ”On Stranger Tides” proves to be an enjoyable and entertaining instalment in this series without ever troubling classic status.

Johnny Depp IS Captain Jack Sparrow and without Orlando Bloom or Keira Knightley the focus is even more upon him this time. Neither of the latter two are missed, Penelope Cruz is an excellent new love interest as Angelica Malon, the only criticism is that we do not see enough of her, in both senses of the phrase. Her pregnancy during filming probably explains this.

The opening 15 minutes in London is by far the strongest sequence as Captain jack impersonates a Judge, is arrested himself, inevitably escapes and then tries to round up a crew and a ship to search for the Fountain of Eternal Youth. Richard Griffiths plays a wonderfully louche King George, and when Jack encounters his Dad, Captain Teague played by Keith Richards in an Inn, you are just begging one or the other to pick up a mandolin from one of the musicians!

Geoffrey Rush has a rewarding part as Barbossa gone straight with a letter of Marque from the King, Ian McShane is a little reserved as Blackbeard. The CGI sequences are used more sparingly this time around, and the film is all the better for it, a “mermaid attack” being the highlight. Directed by Rob Marshall of “nine” fame this is the first instalment not directed by Gore Verbinski, and he acquits himself well.The climax, the race for the Fountain of Youth, is for me a bit of an anti-climax and lacks dramatic tension, and the running time at 2hr 20min is a little long, but Depp’s performance keeps things alive and leaves us wanting more – as if there won’t be!

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Where Will You Find Me?

Posted on May 29, 2011 by garylongden

Thurs 2nd June Parole Parlate, Worcester performing
Tues 7th June – Lichfield Poets
Thurs 9th June – Erdington Library performing at “Memoirs”
Fri 10th June – Play Recording + MC (Provisional)
Wed 15th June – Station PH, Kings Heath performing in “Engagement”
Fri 17th June- Spoken Worlds
Mon 27th June – Leicester Shindig
Tues 28th June -Lichfield Poets
Sat 2nd July (Day)- Nuneaton Poetry Day, 2pm Slam.
Sat 2nd July (Evening) -Jan Green Memorial Concert
Sun 17th July (Afternoon) – Lich Poets Monks Path Walk Reading

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June Poetic What’s On

Posted on May 29, 2011 by garylongden

Thurs 2nd June Parole Parlate, Little Venice, Worcester, 7.30pm: £3 in. Janet Smith/Tony Judge/Ruth Stacey/ Gary Longden/ Nicola Callow/ Mr Morrison/ Chris Guidon/ Beth Knuckles Edwards/ Matt Windle

Fri 3rd June Hollybush, Newtown lane, Cradley Heath: 8pm: Free in, Open Mic,Promoted by Richard Bruce Clay

Tues 7th June: An evening with The Bard and Friends , The Crown, Market Square, Stony Stratford, 20:00 – 23:00: Free in, As part of this year’s Stony Live, The Bardic Council of Stony Stratford invites you to an evening of live performance poetry and spoken word with The Bard of Stony Stratford, Ian Freemantle. Featuring performances from Danni Antagonist,Richard Frost,Fay Roberts,Poeterry,and special guests The Antipoet, Hosted by Stephen Hobbs

Tues 7th June; Night Blue Fruit, Taylor Johns ,Coal Vaults, Canal Basin St Nicholas Street, Radford, Coventry,8pm: Free in, Open Mic

Wed 8th June “It Started With a Dream” Kevin Walker, The Multi-Faith Centre, Derby University, Kedleston Road, Derby, DE22 1GB.:7.30pm, Join Kevin on a journey…. a journey that charts the rise and spread of Buddhism across the world…. but also, a personal journey, of his love of Buddhist culture and values. From a white elephant, a disfigured statue, and a monkey king, to a secret door and a mysterious tomb, “It Started with a Dream” will delight, entertain and move you. A collection of tales taken from the Buddhist tradition, intricately woven around the life of the Buddha. Come on a cultural and spiritual pathway that will raise your spirits and challenge your thoughts.Kevin has a wonderful, warm and gentle style of telling and for this evening will be sharing some of his favourite budhist stories, combined with a little gentle meditation and a flavour of the ethos and spirit of the Buddhist tradition

Wed 8th June “Hammer & Tongue” The Emperor, 21, Hills Road, Cambridge,8pm: £7in, Simon Munnery headlines ,a regional slam heat is the undercard. Simon is a Sony Gold Award winner for radio, a Perrier nominee, star of numerous radio appearances, Edinburgh and ………Bedford.

Wed 8th June “Spread The Word” The VoiceBox, Forman St, Derby, DE1 1JQ.7.30pm
Flying Donkeys are pleased to present an Open Night. Performers from the floor are very welcome to bring us a story, poem, monologue, piece of prose or music.Whether this is your first time in front of an audience or you are an experienced performer from further afield, we would love to hear from you. Make yourself known on the night or get in touch with either Sophie or Damien (see contact page) beforehand. We can promise you a varied, eclectic evening of spoken word – stories in all their forms – and a warm, welcoming audience

Wed 8th June Word up with Jay Bernard The Drum,144 Potters Lane, Aston,Birmingham,7.30pm;Jay Bernard’s Your Sign is Cuckoo, Girl was the Poetry Book Society’s pamphlet choice for summer 2008. She was recently poet in residence on allotments in London and Oxford, and at the Benenden School in Kent. She has read her work on radio shows such as The Verb, The Green Room and the Today Show, and appeared at venues such as Trafalgar Square and Shakespeare’s Globe, and at festivals such as Vienna Lit in Austria and Latitude. As well as writing poetry, Jay has written a libretto commissioned by the Royal Opera House and penned a monthly cartoon strip entitled Budo. Jay Bernard was Artist in Residence at StAnza 2010

Wed 8th June *New* Glass Tree House , Bristol Pear , Selly Oak (Next to Selly oak Station): 7.30-10pm: £5in,Open Mic plus featured performers. Promoted by Birmingham University starlets Sean Colletti,Sam Birch and Becky Birch

Thurs 9th June “Memoirs”, Erdington Library Poetry Night, Orphanage Rd, Erdington: 7pm-10pm: Free in. Marcus Moore and Gary Longden headline.

Fri 10th June, “Me Marley I”, The Drum,144 Potters Lane, Aston Birmingham, £7 (£5)His nation in conflict… his heart in turmoil… his solace in Marley’s music.Me Marley and I is a vivid true story of brutal survival, true love and friendship during an African military revolution, told against a backdrop of live reggae music. In some situations standing up for what is right and fair can also mean walking a fine line between survival and obliteration. Gloriously funny and warm, this true story jolts sharply into focus the horror of living through a military uprising.

Fri 10th June, Bromsgrove Words Presents….Jonathan Harvey – Words: Writing For Stage & Screen, The Artrix,School Drive, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, United Kingdom, B60 1AX, 8pm: £10 in,
Jonathan Harvey’s film, Beautiful Thing, led to a prolific scriptwriting career which includes TV series such as Gimme, Gimme, Gimme, Catherine Tate Show and most recently,Rev.However, his greatest claim to fame comes from several years writing Coronation St, which, in 2010, resulted in Corrie, a two hour condensed tribute to the nation’s favourite soap Jonathan is an uncompromising playwright. His play, Caanary which toured the country in 2010, was described as depicting, ’the triumphs and set backs of the gay community in Britain’.Jonathan will speak about the different challenges imposed by writing for stage and screen.

Mon 13th June:”Pure and Good and Right”Sozzled Sausage, 141 Regent St, Leamington Spa, 7.30pm, £3: Open mic and headliner

Tues 14th June ,Scribal Gathering, The Cock Hotel, High Street, Stony Stratford, Milton Keynes, MK11 1AH,8pm: Free in, Scribal Gathering is back – now with more Cock! Owing to an unprecedented success, we have moved to the Cock Hotel for more musical mayhem, lyrical revelry and artistic licentiousness. The open minded open mic welcomes performers of any style, genre, or ability to share their creativity and invoke the spirit of gathering. We have headline performances from special guests The Austin Allegro Country Dance Consortium and The Dead Poets, plus the usual carefully constructed chaos and stage managed anarchy.

Tues 14th June “City Voices”, City Bar, King St Wolverhampton7.30pm £3 in, set bill.

Wed 15th June “Funbags”, Station Pub, Kings Heath,8pm: £5in, The usual madcap madness from the Funbags Comedy Impro Troupe, plus sketches from the utterly charming yet disturbingly uptight Gillian and Jane and extracts from Lorna’s new one act play; ‘The Engagement’, a bawdy restoration romp with a modern twist. All this plus surreal comedy performance art from The Ugly Killers, so come get your Funbags squeezed.

Wednesday 15th June “Monologue Slam” “The Drum” 144 Potters Lane Aston,8pm:THE UK’s foremost Actors Showcase for performers – in front of the industry in multiple cities!! Up to 20 Actors perform in front of an industry panel of judges in 1 min and 3 min monologues, as well as an audience influenced 2 min improv round for the prize of the “Ultimate Thesp”!! It’s fast… it’s furious… and it’s fun!!!
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.monologueslam.com%2F&h=3fe88

Thurs June 16th “Whenever I Get Blown Up I Think of You” Mac, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham. 8pm: £9 in, Britain is booming and Molly moves to London from deepest Cornwall full of naive dreams, high hopes and on a quest to make her life just like the movies. Then on 7/7/2005, she finds herself on a tube blown up by terrorists and her life is forced to take a different direction. Funny, frank and poetic; this is the true story of what happened next and how we put things back together after they’ve been blown apart. Molly Naylor is a writer and performer. Her poems have been featured on BBC radio and she has performed at events and festivals all over the world. Written and performed by Molly Naylor,Director and script development by Yael Shavit,Music The Middle Ones,Visuals Max Naylor,Dramaturgy Sarah Dickenson,Producer Sarah Ellis

Fri June 17th, Spoken Worlds”, *New venue*: The Old Cottage Tavern, 3b Byrkley St, Burton-on-Trent, DE14 2BG, free entry, 7.30pm, open mic, poetry, monologues and drama,

Sat June 18th “Smoke and Mirrors Open Mic plus Headliners” Malvern Youth CentreAlbert Road North, Malvern, Worcestershire, United Kingdom, WR14 2YF 8pm: £5 in,For info or an open-mic slot, call Versatile Productions on 0786 2244175. Ali Oxtoby,Emma Purshouse, Steve Rooney, Fergus Mcgonigal

Fri 17th -27th June Worcestershire Literary Festival,The Worcestesrhire Literary Festivall is a brand new event coming in June 2011 which will encompass everything from spoken word, poetry readings, seminars, workshops, theatre performances, outdoor street theatre, an artists and book stall market and much more.

Mon 20th June “Bring & Share on Fathers Day” Birmingham Library Theatre, 7.30pm: Free in, celebrate Fathers Day with Roy McFarlane, Birmingham Poet Laureate and guests.

Tues 21st June The Eagle and Spur 176 Castle Road, Cookley, Kidderminster, Worcestershire, DY10 3TB “Snug” £5 in A celebration of the pub – in a pub,An entertaining poetry play featuring 6 performers ,Created by Emma Purshouse & Heather Wastie

Wed 26th June Brunswick pub, 1, Railway Terrace, Derby, DE1 2RU (near the station).7.30pm:Free in,An informal opportunity to share stories either as listener or teller yourself. A great place to maybe have a go yourself at telling a story in front of a small, sympathetic gathering. We meet in the room to the right as you go into the pub.

Wed 22nd – 25th June: “Shakespeare in the Park – Merry Wives of Windsor”, Maple Hayes Hall , Lichfield 7.30pm:( Plus Saturday 1.45pm Matinee,) £11.50

Thurs 23rd June, Bilston Voices, Metro Cafe, Bilston: 7.30pm: £2in, Richard Tyrone Jones, Lucy Jeynes headline.

Thurs 23 June Poetry & Music, Bishops Wood Centre, Crossway Green, Stourport on Severn 7.30pm: £5in,Worcestershire Literary Festival Event:’Poetry & Music’ ~ Music & poetry infusion; whether its music inspired by poetry, poetry inspired by music, or poetry & music that compliments one another.Complimentary Hot & Cold Drinks, with Cake on Sale.Event Line-up:Sophia Dimmock Poet, collaborating with DJ Brother Adam.Deb Hodgson sings lyrics taken from poems, with Acoustic guitarist.Jenny Hope poet.Colin Baggs, guitarist.Sarah James poet.The Very Grimm Brothers, Adrian Mealing & John Denton, poetry/music ensemble

Fri 24 June, Midsummer Madness @ The Word and Sound, Worcester Arts Workshop, Sansome Street, Worcester, WR1 1UH ,7.30pm: £5 in, Midsummer Madness at the Word and Sound,as part of the Worcestershire Literary Festival 2011, – 7.30-8.00 til 11.00,Open mic – sign up on the night poetry, spoken word, story-telling and acoustic music at the Cellar Bar, Worcester’s most intimate venue,£5/£3 for performers.
Sat 25th June John Cooper Clarke plus support, Malvern Youth Centre, Albert Road North, Malvern, Worcestershire, United Kingdom, WR14 2YF 8pm: £14 in,

Sat 25 th June,Open Mic, Air Cafe Bar,35 Broad Street, Worcester, Worcestershire, United Kingdom, WR1 3HN, 1300-1700: Free in

Sat 25th June “A Weekend With Mr Darcy” University City Centre Campus ,Castle Street ,Worcester, 2pm-4pm:£10, Calling all Jane Austen fans, join us to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Jane’s first publication. Victoria Connelly, author of a trilogy of Jane Austen addicts, will talk about her love of Jane Austen and her route to publication. This event is part of the Worcestershire Literary Festival 2011.

Sun26th June Lafacino Comedy cabaret with the Improlympians, Kitchen Garden Cafe, Kings heath,7.30pm:£5 in, Aaron Twichen, Rachel Sambrooks et al.

Sun 26th June Worcestershire Poetry Slam, Drummonds, 28 New St Worcester WR1 2DP:

Mon 27th June “Shindig” The Western, Western Rd Leicester, 7.30pm: Free in, Open Mic, Luke Kennard, Joel Lane, Simon Perril, Lydia Towsey Headline, plus launch of Hearing Voices Vol3.

Tues 28th June “Gothicana” Kitchen Garden Café, 17 York Road, Kings HeathBirmingham-based Theatre Company “Don’t Go Into The Cellar!”is bringing a series of gripping Victorian capers to King’s Heath over the summer. The company’s “Gothicana” shows, set to take The Kitchen Garden Café by storm, are based around more traditional story-telling techniques, and feature adaptations of Poe, Bram Stoker, Arthur Conan Doyle and other masters of mayhem.

Wed 29th June “Ghouls Aloud” The Station Pub, 7 High Street, Kings Heath, Birmingham-based Theatre Company “Don’t Go Into The Cellar!”is bringing a series of gripping Victorian capers to King’s Heath over the summer. Combining the gory excesses of Hammer Horror with the Music Hall feel of The Good Old Days, “Ghouls Aloud” will bring you chills, chuckles and tunes! Expect to encounter Sweeney Todd, Jack the Ripper, Countess Dracula, Rasputin the Mad Monk and many other creepy coves in this original and enjoyable variety show with added bite

Wed 29th June “Bad Language” Castle Hotel 66 Oldham St Manchester,7.30pm:Free in, Stuart Maconnie headlines at Manchester’s leading spoken word event.

Thurs 30th June “Hit the Ode”, Victoria Pub, Birmingham City Centre: 7pm,£5in, Richard Tyrone Jones (Wolverhampton),KayoChingonyi (London) Weonika Lewandowska and Wojtek Cichon (Poland).

Thursday 30th June “Wedensbury Poetry” The Royal Oak, Meeting St, Wednesbury,7.30pm Open mic, free in

Fri 1st July “ Spoken Word”, Hollybush, Cradley Heath,7.30pm: free in. Open mic, Richard Bruce Clay officiates.

Sat 2nd July Summer Poetry Day, Nuneaton. Various events around the town in the open air, bookshops, and Pubs.

Sat 2nd July Poetry/Drama/ Song, Fradley Village Hall, Fradley, Staffs,7.30pm: a memorial eveing in honour of the late Jan Green.Lichfield Poets, Lichfield Players and Fradley Players combine.

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Bilston Voices

Posted on May 28, 2011 by garylongden

Metro Cafe, Bilston

IF YOU like your poetry events in an unpretentious, friendly, welcoming environment, you should look no further than Bilston Voices.

Organiser and MC Emma Purshouse has this uncanny knack of assembling an interesting and varied bill, and then simply letting it happen. There are no vain displays of her own work, and no artificial hype. She performs nothing herself, just offering kind words of introduction and appreciation, she lets the poets do the talking and it is a very effective device.

Kurly McGeachie was an exceptionally strong opener. Hugely experienced, he performed only four poems, from memory, but did so in style. He specialises in soft light rhyming pieces, which were tender with a wonderful, innocent vulnerability.

“Smile” and “You are Beautiful” did as their titles suggest, “Words” explored the joys and torment that words can offer, whilst “Home” was his disguised gem. An opus of epic proportions it starts off as a straight forwards homage to domestic bliss before launching off into several clever and unexpected tangents. Confident, but self-effacing, Kurly’s performance was a delight.

In contrast to Kurly’s campaign medals, Maurice Arnold was making his Bilston Voices debut. His style was wry and reserved as he skipped through several quite short pieces.

“The Poetree” was written subsequent to his visit to the Much Wenlock Festival, “Tipton games” was a localised look at the forthcoming Olympics, whilst “Special Cake” humorously recounted the adverse effect that a cake with hallucinogenic properties had on his partner! Light, fun, avuncular and satisfying.

Closing the first half was Bob Hale, teacher, travel writer and poet. Bob is very good at assembling a set thematically. Previously I have seen him do a Travel Set. This time he opted for an autobiographical collection.

SHARP OBSERVATIONS

He combines easy, accessible language with sharp observation and a dry wit. His Games trilogy was funny, “Bangkok” amusingly accurate. His well known Bears poem about a collection of teddy bears was as popular as ever but “A Secret Place” stood out for me.

Poignant and evocative it told, of the secret place he had as a child to escape the hurly burly of an adult world. It succeeded because it conjured up the desire most of us experienced as a child of wanting a secret retreat and spoke touchingly of a childhood we all lose. We are soon to lose Bob for a year or so, first to Harrow, and then to China – what tales he will have to tell upon his return.

Prior to Simon Fletcher’s closing set, Mark Reece read from his recently completed novel “Sub-Prime” featuring Mike, a dodgy insurance salesman, in an even dodgier insurance company. Simon himself promised us a quarter of an hour of butterflies, birds and flowers – and was as good as his word.

Including selections from “The Cherry Trees of Wye”, “Some Fine Old Ways To Save Your Life” and “Butterflies of Shropshire”. His nature poems are distinctive in that he revels in exactitude of description rather than fullness of lyrical description. “Moon Daisies” was a delight, whilst “Welsh Poppies” memorably combined the flower with the politics of Welsh invasion.

“Woodcuts” was his most satisfying piece, about a beech tree carved with lovers initials and messages at the Pistyll Rhaeadr waterfalls beauty spot in Wales. He created a marvellous sense of place, beauty and occasion, whilst being unable to resist using the word dendroglyph ! Assured and urbane, Simon delighted an appreciative audience.

Bilston Voices next meets on Thurs 23rd June.

26-05-11

Gary Longden

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Poetry Bites

Posted on May 28, 2011 by garylongden

Kitchen Garden Cafe, Kings Heath

POETRY Bites is an event which “Behind the Arras” has been meaning to cover for some time. Finally that moment arrived. The venue itself I was familiar with and exudes Bohemian bonhomie.

It hosts bands, historians, comics, musicians and storytellers. The approach via a gardening display also gives it an unique ambience! The staff are friendly with a good range of inexpensive alcoholic, and non-alcoholic drinks available, as well as snacks. The off-set floor space adds to the charm, but does require performers to make a conscious effort to work the audience.

Long established, “Poetry Bites” is hosted and promoted by poet Jacqui Rowe. Bravely, there was just one headliner, and numerous open-mic spots, which can make quality control hazardous. Yet such is the reputation of the event that most spots were taken by seasoned performers and established poets, many of whom I knew. So in practise the bill was guaranteed to succeed.

Jacqui herself opened the first and second halves, taking the opportunity to launch her latest Flarestack Poets collection “Paint”. The writing has been inspired by Jaqui’s recent residency at Wightwick Manor in Wolverhampton, the ancestral home of the Mander family who made their fortune producing paint in the 19th century.

Curiously Theodore Mander married Flora Paint, so a title for the pamphlet was not hard to come by! The poetry itself is inspired and beautiful, with the pamphlet available from her website. She also took the opportunity to perform her contribution to the Polesworth Poetry Trail – “Black Swan Possibility”, something which she had been unavailable to do when the successful poets were announced.

Headlining was Midlands troubadour Heather Wastie. One of the pleasures of commentating on the Midlands poetry scene is watching performers evolve as time goes on, and Heather is not one to rest upon her laurels. Heather has just been shortlisted as a prospective “Bard of Worcestershire” along with open-micer Maggie Doyle.

Performing a split set at the end of each half suited her as she combined poetry with music, played on keyboard. Host Jacqui Rowe introduced Heather by revealing that Heather had taught her daughter to play the recorder – although she wasn’t produced to accompany Heather as she played!

ESTABLISHED MATERIAL

Her material combined new work with established material from her two collections “Until I Saw Your Foot” and “The Page Turner’s Dilemma”. A professionally qualified and accomplished musician, comedienne and poet, she effortlessly slipped between disciplines to offer a show, rather than simply a reading.

“The Music Stand”, about her trusty ancient apparatus was poignant and wry, “Ping Pong Neo Natal ICU” her most daring and successful piece. Yet despite the cleverness and humour which run like rich seams through her writing her authenticity is perhaps her most endearing quality. “Love in the Garden” is light, fey, but heart-felt.

No-one who heard it cannot help but have thought to themselves “that IS what love is about” and not had a warm feeling. Which is exactly what listening to a Heather Wastie performance invariably does.

The open-mic slots were very strong, with forthcoming headliners David Calcutt (Author of “Crowboy”, “Shadowbringer” and “Map of Marvels”) and rising poetic star Anthony R Owen from Coventry (“The Dreaded Boy” collection), both performing short teasers. Naomi Paul is the scarlet pimpernel of local poetry, she appears, she dazzles, and then she is gone for a while. Her material is very good. She was able to dust down “Icelandic Eruption” from last time (as was Heather Wastie with her volcanic offering) along with the mellifluous “The Truth About the Goddess of Rhyme”, the witty “Displacement Activity” and the nostalgic “Grey Rabbit”. Sarah Tamar impressed with the harrowing “Just 22” and Spoz entertained with “Housefly” as did Maggie Doyle with “Motherhood”.

The evening was not short of social conscience either. John Lane performed very strongly with “Spring Awakening” about the Cuts Protests, and “Tender” about the privatisation of the NHS. Fine, serious poetry was also in evidence from Jan Watts, Penny Hewlett, and Janet Smith. The latter of whose quartet “Frost Struck”, “The Edge”, “In the Priest House” and “The Cry”, another Polesworth Poetry Trail winner, impressed.

All in all, a splendid evening, effortlessly eased along by Jacqui Rowe. ”Poetry Bites” meets bi-monthly on the last Tuesday of the month, next event, Tuesday 26th July 24-05-11.

Gary Longden

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Spoken Worlds

Posted on May 28, 2011 by garylongden

The Old Cottage Tavern, Burton-on-Trent

THE second event at The Old Cottage Tavern, “Spoken Worlds” is settling in now just fine at a venue to which it is well suited.

“Behind the Arras” has covered individual performances quite closely in recent months, this time I offer more of a view on the flavour of the occasion. One of the things which I most enjoy about open mic events is the uncertainty. Who is going to turn up? What are they going to do? I suspect that this frisson of excitement is shared in a somewhat different way by organiser Gary Carr!

“Spoken Worlds” offers what the name implies. Poetry, prose, monologues, book extracts, drama and comedy sketches, occasionally the spoken bit is stretched to accommodate the odd song or two too, but with the emphasis on the words- all on an open mic, ” first come first up” basis.

This time around, the amount of non-poetry had a far greater impact than usual. Colin Henchley set the standard here with a short play, “Sin”, that has been accepted for the second phase of a competition run by the Nottingham Playhouse. Performed by Colin himself and Mal Dewhirst, it is a dark, claustrophobic piece, set in the Second World War.

It was powerful, and worked well. Apparently part of the competition process may involve expanding it. How he achieves this will be interesting. I am a huge admirer of Colin’s writing and what always impresses is his attention to the mechanics of what he is writing. Each word and phrase is measured. Stretching this short play without redesigning it will be a challenge, but a challenge at which Colin will no doubt excel.

SUPERNATURAL THRILLER

Author David Calcutt made his debut performance reading both poetry and an extract from his novel “Shadowbringer”, he has also had “Crowboy” and “Map of Marvels” published. “Shadowbringer” is a psychological supernatural thriller aimed at the teenage market, but can be enjoyed by inquisitive younger children and adults alike. The hero is Nathan, and his grandfather’s advice is to stay out of the attic. . .

David revels in character and this was wonderfully demonstrated in the extract he read. The two poems he read were river companion pieces.

The first, “Acheron”, one of David’s finest, told of his real life physical walk in that river in Greece. Acheron is the name of one of the five rivers that flow through the realm of Hades. The name means “river of woe”, and is often metaphorically used for Hades itself( “Here the shades are ferried across by Charon”, Virgil VI, 107). And as he walked, so reality and myth become inter twined:

“The stones that stared up at me from the riverbed
were the featureless stony faces of the dead. ”

His second poem recounted a visit to Stratford on the occasion of Shakespeare’s birthday (not when Shakespeare was alive, obviously, David isn’t that old!), it particularly made reference to the River Avon, but this time David mysteriously resisted the urge to jump in it. Lyrical and rich, it was the perfect companion to “Acheron”.

Terri and Ray Jolland specialise in light “Terry & June” styled comedy, and do it very well. Their comedy sketch about naturists skilfully played on stereotypes whilst being fresh and entertaining. Combine this with Mal Dewhirst delivering “Pop” in an American accent, Dea Costelloe singing in “Lament”, and Janet Jenkins reading from “Silver Words” and you have a sense of a very varied occasion.

The variety that evenings such as these offer is to be cherished. There is always something to surprise and delight. Even the regular established talent can trip you up, the normally comic Fergus McGonigal used his “previous” to sledgehammer dramatic effect by embarking on a poem about a schoolboy which we assumed was going to be light – but wasn’t. Fergus has been shortlisted as a prospective “Bard of Worcestershire”, all at “Spoken Worlds” and “Behind the Arras” wish him luck. “Spoken Worlds” next meets, Fri 17th June, 7. 30pm. 20-05-11

Gary Longden

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Rhymes – Milton Keynes Invasion

Posted on May 28, 2011 by garylongden

Station Pub, Kings Heath

BIRMINGHAM has had more than its fair share of national and international poetry talent in recent months. Lorna Meehan with Rhymes continued that trend by inviting the best of the poetry talent from Milton Keynes to perform, the self styled Milton Keynes Massive aka Bardcore.

Those familiar with the emergence of the Punk movement in the mid 70’s may recall the Bromley Contingent, suburban punks who made good in the big city, and there was a touch of that with Bardcore, as they arrived to make their mark.

First of the quartet was Donna Scott whose modest, self-effacing style belied some excellent poems. ”Poetry Crush” was fey, girly and fun, “What’s in a Name” mocked what had possessed her parents to call her Donna, and “50 Ways to Leave Your Labour” was a clever pastiche of the Paul Simon song inspired by a colleague who had walked out of her job.

Although two old favourites “Slob” and “Cake Shelf” delivered as she knew they would, it was “Geek” that stood out for me. A serious piece about child bullying which demonstrated her ability to write powerfully, and not just amusingly.

Fay Roberts was an unknown quantity for me – and an absolute delight. Her writing is rich, sophisticated, and multi layered, opening with a part sung chant, she zipped through hay fever, foot tapping percussion with “Moving as One”, and a clever exploration of “oh” in “Oh”!

The love poem “Song from the Sea” she had introduced hoping that it would resonate with the audience, and it did, a beautiful and evocative piece, but it was the closing “Dedication”, a poetic “I Am What I Am” declaration which stood out for me. Her performance was assured and serious, but warm and engaging too. I suspect we shall be hearing more of Fay.

Poetry Kapow (“kapow!”- you had to be there) is an event and website co-hosted by Fay and Danni Antagonist who opened the second half. Danni’s energetic and confident manner was the perfect pick-me –up after the break, her material very varied. “You’re Never Too Young For a Mid-Life Crisis” was classic performance stuff, and very well done. “Repent” asked where all those harbingers of doom carrying sandwich boards and placards proclaiming the end of the world had gone, whilst “Concrete” was a more reflective observational piece about her time in London. Yet for all her front and pizzazz “Bless This” stood out for me.

The emotional tale, told in plangent tones, of helping her father clear out family bric- a- brac subsequent to her mother’s death. In order for such a personal story to work it has to have an Everyman quality which reaches out to all – and it did.

To close the evening we had the first ever Milton Keynes Poet Laureate, and ever reliable Mark Niel. I have seen Mark perform on several occasions, his reputation as the UK’s leading performance poet is deserved. And although he may now be a Poet Laureate, he is not sitting on his laurels. He is moving beyond a straight poetry performance to deliver a one man show style performance incorporating music, storytelling and anecdote. The favourites such as “The Lozells Prayer”, “Poetry Voice” and “My Half of the Fridge” are still there, but we now have a far greater sense of cohesion and an enhanced platform for his talents. He is even inventing his own words – PILF! His act was a fitting climax to a very good show.

Rhymes returns in two months on Wed 20th July with performances by Jody Ann Bickley, Tony Stringfellow, Fifi Fanshawe and Janet Smith. 18-05-11.

Gary Longden

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Hope – Benefit for Japan

Posted on May 28, 2011 by garylongden

The Public, West Bromwich

THE Public has had a fairly rough ride since opening with criticism both of structure, and purpose. Fortunately, as time progresses, that identity is being found.

The theatre and performance space is particularly impressive and was a good venue for this event. Organised and promoted by Sue Hulse and Tracey Smith, a strong spread of performer and act was assembled for the evening, the purpose of which was to raise money and awareness for the victims of the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Headliner, and star turn, was undoubtedly Al Barz. Al is an unique talent who, armed with a good programmable Yamaha keyboard and some clever spoken lyrics delighted the audience with a remarkable set. “If I Could Be a Racing Driver” had shades of Kraftwerk’s “Autobahn”. “The Whisper of Your Name” lifted the bass line from “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number”,and “Dadumdadumda dum” (not to be confused with “De Doo Doo Doo, De Dah, dah dah” by the Police”) borrowed the melody from “Nellie the Elephant”, with Al’s distinctive brand of Block Rocking Beats stamping his own identity on the number.

Whilst neither Keith Emerson nor Fyfe Dangerfield will feel their keyboard pre-eminence is under immediate threat, Al was inventive and entertaining in equal measure. His tongue was firmly in his cheek throughout, and looking like a cross between Father Abraham and Thomas Dolby’s Dad, he had the audience on his side from start to finish. Despite the fun, which we lapped up, his straight poem “Spring Friday” reminded us all of why we were there with a simple, powerful piece. A great turn.

EFFORTLESS APLOMB

Music was well served by Emma and Kieran (the latter of whom looks like classic boy band material), and Phil Challoner who despatched three standards with effortless aplomb, as did Craig Hegan and Phil Churchill on guitar.

“Johnny Don’t Smoke” were a trio who benefitted from a lead singer with “Blondie” looks, the more folky East West Infusion, Phil Cross and Caroline Waldren offered traditional folk fare of a very high standard, with Caroline’s vocals a delight. Earlier Anna and Steve had established a folk presence exploring territory opened by the likes of Emmylou Harris, Gram Parsons, the Flying Burrito Bros and Alison Kraus.” Inspiration”, a community based dance trio inspired.

Poetry was well served by Black Country stalwart Alfie Small whose local themed material warmed a home crowd. Janet Smith read the beautiful “Pacific” a three part poem demonstrating, as usual, that fine serious writing can find a place with the best of rival art forms.

The “Don’t Go Into The Cellar” Theatre Company excelled with a hugely enjoyable romp through “The Tale of Spring Heeled Jack” in full costume. Louise Stokes gave another wonderful outing to Uncle Dirk, this time accompanied by Farouk (Nadeem Chugtai) who was droll, and looked as though he shares headwear stylists with Princess Beatrice! Louise’s fine writing, and eye for detail on costuming and characterisation continues to impress.

All in all a considerable artistic success which Tracey and Sue, and the supportive staff at the Public, should be proud of. 07-05-11.

Gary Longden

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