Loudmouth Show

Had just got my breath back from the Bath Japanese Festival Launch, when it was time to head off to the Phonic FM basement studios as a guest on the Loudmouth Spoken Word Collective monthly Friday show hosted by VJ Vittoria, and this month's guest co-presenter - gifted musician and singer Kimwei Westbury. Other guests were Fin Irwin of the Bike Shed Theatre, Richard Thomas, Totnes poet and regular performer on the Totnes and Exeter scenes, and hosts Kate Wilson and Adam Brummitt of the spoken word night at the Bike Shed Theatre called Poetry Underground. It was a fun couple of hours and especially interesting to hear from Fin Irwin about all the many things which the new Bike Shed Theatre venue and folks have been doing, are putting on and planning. A completely packed series of events and runs for plays of all kinds - from classics like Strindberg to new writing. Things really are taking off as 'artists are doing it for themselves'.

When they came to interview me, I hadn't intended to mainly talk about The Books of...Trilogy, having brought a copy of 'Porlock the Warlock' and also meaning to highlight Spoken/Written, but after the earlier performance of the week, we ended up pretty much discussing The Books of... and Vittoria and Kimwei got me reading several pieces from The Books of Indictments and Offences (The Book of Contentions really being a continuous single piece serial poem no more than 2,500 words in total of around twenty minutes in performance). They were extremely kind and laughed at all the jokes! as whilst The Books of...project deals with serious issues, it treats them with a good dose of satire.

There was also quite a multimedia theme, as not only were the presenters involved in more than one artform, but Fin Irwin spoke of happenings of all kinds at the Bike Shed Theatre, Richard Thomas was mixing his words with musicians and making video forays, and of course I work with the Collective and as well as words, am a theatrical storyteller, maker, do photography, occasional video, have also performed to music, with dancers, etc.. So quite a convocation of those interested in many of or all the arts and mixing them together, which was interesting.

All in all much good humour abounded, and there was a really nice atmosphere. When I listened to the show later, I couldn't help wincing at all the time-to-think phrases that one uses when one hasn't rehearsed answers for radio ('like', 'y'know' and 'sort of like' seemed to comprise most of one's vocabulary!) but it was a great show with lots of interest, and all power to VJ Vittoria and Kimwei! they did a fantastic job.

Bath Japanese Festival Launch

Being only able to leave quite late, and just hearing that there was a weather warning out! off I set for Bath to attend and perform at the Launch Party for the Bath Japanese Festival. The evening swapped between beautiful May dusk full of dramatic skies over full leafed landscapes, and pouring rain! Arriving late, I made my way to the Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution, a lovely building in Queen's Square. The evening alternated with performances of poetry and chill out zone time with sushi, origami, cherry blossom tattooing and other fun, and book stalls (one of which was a Spoken/Written / Cartwheels Collective Publishing one). It was great to see loads of adults all hypnotized by making origami figures! Performers of poetry included Alan Summers, haiku specialist, Japan Times award winning haiku poet, founder of With Words and co-organizer of the Festival, Hazel Hammond (whose book launch was coming soon) of splendid poetry and cherry blossom tattoos, and Carrie Etter's engaging work (latest collection out by Seren Books), Masuda Aika haiga painter and Masuda Junko haiku poet, performance poet David Johnson (also one half of Paralalia), and Lee Coombes, comic actor. There were some great poems (and the last two acts very funny), and altogether there was a good vibe, folks enjoying themselves and enthusiastic about the Festival.

One of the themes of the Festival was to raise awareness of modern slavery and the issue of people trafficking, so I performed a piece from 'The Book of Indictments', Chapter Seven on the Abolition of Slavery, followed by the first part of a chapter in the fourth in the Books of...Trilogy (yet to be named). They seemed to go down really well, people gave kind praise and copies of The B. of I. were sold on the strength of it, and some people signed up for Spoken/Written.

BIG thanks to Alan Summers for inviting me and for organizing what looks to be a great new festival on the South West scene!

And to those who bought chapbooks - I hope you enjoy them!

Check out the Bath Japanese Festival - a festival celebrating and incorporating elements of Japanese Culture including Book Arts, Films, Haiku and Renga - at;

https://sites.google.com/site/bathjapanesefestival/welcome

and the Facebook page is at;

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=369438969544&ref=ts

Storyclub at the Globe

Last night's Storyclub was a rare treat - it's not often that we get Tyburn Jig AND the Storyfella and Raventales and David Heathfield plus ourselves, Widsith and Deor, all at the same event. We're regulars, and Tyburn Jig run the evening, but the others live a long way off and/or are often busy, so it's quite an occasion to have such a gathering of professional tellers all in the same informal setting. Dave and Jon (of Tyburn Jig) did epic Celtic tales one leading on from the other (you could tell they'd just returned from Outlore!) with their customary aplomb and Michael (of Raventales and fresh from the Lying Competition at the Crick Crack Club in London), did a lovely 'feelgood' Robin Hood tale set in May...I could almost hear the rustle of the trees, (and smell the ordure of the dungeon!) and I loved his interpretation. He set it in the time of Edward II which was also interesting, rather than Richard the Lionheart/King John. A classic rescue adventure full of cunning and cameraderie! And told with Michael's usual effortlessness and unerringly deft touch.

Clive (the Storyfella) told a spooky tale of his own devising, called 'Hawthorn Cottage' and it was splendidly sinister, which contrasted nicely with the seemingly easy-going and gossipy character he chose to play in order to narrate it. It had a dark ending, yet a fitting one too, and we were all on the edge of our seats (as is often the case with Clive's tales!). Also cleverly, it had a traditional feel while being set in the modern day.

Deor told a fairly dark story about a man who chooses Death as his son's foster-father! But there were some good laughs before the grim ending, and it went down well; and I told a rather nice tale I'd meant to tell at some point, but never had (choosing one at the last minute! as is too often the case lately, as things are so busy). But the story was so strong - of hospitality and grace outdoing fear and violence in its power - that I didn't disgrace the company. To round off the evening, David (Heathfield) told a fine - 'who was stupid? the man or the donkey?!' - story, with djembe drum and a sung chorus which we all joined in! I am always in two minds about choruses - some work to enhance and some patronise the audience. This one however I'm happy to say was firmly in the former uplifting category, and made us all just feel more a part of the story! (which is of course the true function of a good chorus done properly). It had a comic ending of the satirical-wisdom variety, which I liked a lot. Finally Jon told a very short cryptic Zen-style word-of-widsom/joke, and then it was time for the storyteller's hobnob! As we all talked of gigs both good and bad, books read and books written, events organized and plans for shows - and what good fun that was.

Having got completely soaked in the rain earlier today, jeans wringing wet, and all layers needing the radiator, (despite a recently-bought waterproof jacket - the second in a useless line of such items!), the storytelling van being away in Somerset waiting to be mended, the Spoken/Written saga, and other stuff to worry about, i.e. despite being in a filthy temper - as I recalled last night to write this blog, by the end of writing the above, the clouds had lifted both from my mood, and the sky...

Just a roundabout way of saying - what a night. How great it was to see them all. And what a brilliant thing is the Storyclub. Thanks threefold to Jon, Dave, Clive, Michael, and David, and our delightful non-teller regulars, for making it what it is.

Spoken/Written Splits in Two

It was really hard putting together the last Edition of Spoken/Written, and a surprising amount of work to split it into two - a paying full edition, and a shorter free edition. Having said that, so much stuff was sent in for this one, that even the 'shortened' edition was twelve pages... But it felt (and still feels) like a leap into the dark, or setting sail in uncharted waters...

Can the Bulletin make it alone? It needs to make at least £2,000 to continue. Folks who read Spoken/Written's Endpapers, or earlier posts in the blog, will know that it was far from my first choice to split the newsletter. But with only a partial grant, and independence as the goal, after racking my brains, there seemed no other way around the problem. On the one hand, I definitely wanted to keep a quality service that folks considered worth paying for, going. A really useful network tool and opportunity-focussed bulletin. On the other hand, the idea of a public service that all could access and was free to everyone was also important. And the spilt Bulletin is the result of discussions late into the night and much soul-searching.

I can only hope that it works. PLEASE DO go to website - links to the right - and click the Donate button, or e-mail me at; bulletin-editor@blueyonder.co.uk for where to send a cheque.

Big thanks to those who have already done so!

This post would have written as soon as the last Edition was off, but for the imminence of the Dumnonni Chronicles' Outlore event. I was very grateful to have something to take my mind off all the worry... And can't help remembering what some people said when I told them I was starting Spoken/Written...'you must be mad!' 'never edit a magazine or anything like it' and so on and so on......I can only hope that Spoken/Written's subscribers justify my optimism against the doom-sayers...

Tales round the Campfire

Just back from the Outlore Festival, the third time we storytellers have performed at the Dumnonni Chronicles' largest live action role play / fantasy re-enactment event of the year, set in the idyllic Dark Age settlement of 'Culhaven', deep in Devon countryside, and held at Beltane.

On the way, we looked up warily at the dark grey skies, took against the chill in the cold north wind, and spoke of warm pubs as the rain spat. Arriving at the site however, the van rode over the mud at the entrance (which can be a complete mudbath) with ease. After greeting Dave and Jon and getting kitted out by Dave, we went up to the causeway - but being very muddy, we entered by the back gate instead. At first few people seemed to be about, except warriors preparing for battle, but we told a few tales and after lunch, the wind dropped, the sun came out, the mud dried up and we told Viking tales for delicious ginger cake, around a fine big cauldron full of apple pie! with a courteous clan from Holland and made a healer and her companions laugh a lot, by the central fire, and in return being plied with very warming spicy ginger wine, and a bowl of strawberries... Highlights of the day included visiting the falconer and - following last year's magical encounter with the huge raven on my arm! this time it was the eagle owl. While it stood on other's forearms, I stared at it and someone remarked it seemed to be staring at me too - it's huge blood-orange coloured eyes hypnotised me. And then it was time for it to stand on my arm. What a privilege to have such a large, rare and magnificent wild creature so close. The falconer urged me to stroke it, but I touched it with immense care and not for long, as I know that feathers are very breakable, being designed for flight and air, not contact. I was also grateful that it just alighted onto my arm without any tricky acrobatic turns. It was like a dream, and when it was taken back by the falconer, I was not at all surprised to see the central meeting place filled with acrid green smoke, thick as dried ice! Magic was in the air.

By dusk, we had told many more tales, including round the fire in the atmospheric gloom of the roundhouse, with its shields and horned stag heads, and as the lights were lit and the settlement transformed by many lanterns and candlelight into a faery realm, we made our way into the longhouse to greet and listen to the very fine Goliards. As ever Tracey's drumming thrilling and Lawrence's bagpipes beautiful. The sunset was another star of the festival, with a huge golden sun behind dark trees in the soft dales and hills, with purple cloud and rays of light, then a plume of fiery gold on mauve before it sank, deepening the landscape into May twilight... And finally it was time to go, smoky, muddy, tired, full of images, music, impressions, kind praise and good food and wine...off over the torchlit causeway, and into the night.

Big thanks to Dave and Jon as always for inviting us and organizing such an amazing event, the Goliards, and all who listened to our tales and shared with us the 'sacred laws of hospitality'. The outdoor show season has begun.

Street Poetry - Random Acts of Art

Just had a great time at the Street Poetry Workshop at the Spacex Gallery, run by the inimitable Liv Torc, and part of the Random Acts of Art project. It was a beautiful day for it, (the sky a literally cloudless blue) and ideal for checking out the nearby streets in search of words.

Having done five years of degrees all told with writing workshops forming some of one and a great deal of the other, and being a workshop host myself, AND being really busy, I don't often actually get to writing or poetry workshops. Which is a pity, because of course, they give one space in order to create that can be really refreshing and a context break away from the way in which one usually ends up working. And so it was!

The aim of the workshop was to write a collaborative poem about and inspired by the West Quarter, the historic and alternative/independent shops area of the city which is home to the Spacex Gallery.

We started off after an exercise involving commenting on each others shoes etc. (i.e. finding words inspired by them) and all trying to be scrupulously polite! with a drama-like exercise/game, all making up characters for each other, as makebelieve residents of the Quarter - and much hilarity and inventiveness ensued, including with a one-eyed glassblower, Roman re-enactor, Somerset settler, bouncer, dodgy gangster overlord and gangster's moll! Short pieces were written about chosen characters, and following that, haikus, some funny, some serious, inspired by the portraits of residents of the Quarter by Lady Lucy, one of the artists in residence for the whole Random Acts of Art project. We then all dispersed to find inspiration and words out of doors, into the West Quarter itself. And how magical that was - because strangely, as both an admirer and sometime practitioner of found text, concrete poetry, site specific text and art and related forms, and someone who loves the West Quarter, it had always been the kind of thing on my 'must do at some point' list. I.e., something I'd love to do, even mean to do, but would never get around to. So it was a real joy to just wander around places like Fore Street, looking in windows, jotting down words from posters or signs, half-catching sentences by passers-by, adverts and cards in windows, menus and labels...and really looking at some of the shop fronts and interiors, really paying attention to the lovely old architecture like that of Tucker's Hall with its fleur de lys railings, and the hidden stream on the other side, down below...absorbing the lively mixture, and so many details I always rush past and mean to make time for but never do. The luxury of legitimately dawdling and going in and out of all the corners and alleys, of spending time in shops I'd always meant to have a look in but hadn't the time to, and all the looking at little things and the delicious finding of random words and phrases that at any other time would be just playing, and almost as out of bounds as getting involved in an addictive computer game! It was seriously fun. I kept bumping into other participants, and we grinned as we crossed each other. So much so that at one point a man stopped me, and asked quite bluntly 'What are you doing? There's loads of you at it.' I explained it was a poetry workshop, and once I'd finished listing the places one could look for words etc., he just said 'Cool!' and walked off. By then I had so many fragments, it was time to get back to the Spacex and choose and order them! Which I did. It took surprizingly little time to order the found texts - a heard sentence, card in window, poster, signs, ads, and they seemed to make the five required sentences in a way I liked. We then wrote them in large letters on big paper strips, and finally Liv decided on an order - the tough job! and stuck them together in a large train like a huge snaky poster. They looked great, as everyone had different writing of course and had chosen different colours (green in my case). Liv then bravely mounted a ladder to stick it to the wall, and then read it aloud with great aplomb. And it sounded really good! Everyone had come up with some excellent sentences, and while all in different styles, it hung together really well, and even had some rhythm. We all had great fun and came up with a piece all were pleased with, with laughs, and much tea, coffee and biscuits too. All in all a really lovely afternoon. And I even met a delightful subscriber to Spoken/Written! - Anna Trussler of the Devon Guild of Craftsmen's Gallery in Bovey Tracey who was kind enough to keep us all in the tea and coffee. Big thanks to Liv for being such a great workshop host, to Anna and all at the Spacex for having us, and to Chris, Kevin and Marcus for being such good fun to work with!

Random Acts of Art Blog;

http://randomactsofart-residencies.blogspot.com/

CCANW Fundraiser

At last it was the day for the Fundraiser we were hosting/organizing for the Centre for Contemporary Art & the Natural World in Haldon Forest Park. It didn't rain, although the perennial battle with wind vs. sticky tape for posters had it's first skirmish of the outdoor gig season...! I got there first to set up the body masks, sculptural figures etc. to draw attention to the performance - so the stage was flanked with the moon, a dragon's head, little green goblins etc., while fellow storyteller Deor went to collect three of the performers...and the sky looked grey and slightly threatening...I then began to arrange the book and CD stall, and was glad to be practiced at weighing things down...all the same, I thought - why is it that I seem to hold so many stalls on windy days when I'm convinced there are lots of perfectly still, calm ones?!?

And then Jon arrived, the PA was set up, and not long after more reinforcements came until we were nearly quorate. Then the benches were laid, Chris from the Centre kindly offered us coffee, and we began! Despite the somewhat overcast sky and chilly wind, it went with a bang - Clive Adams introduced the event, speaking of the Centre's past and funding issues, the Hub as it was (shacks in muddy glade!) and how far it had come...then we introduced our first act, and Liv Torc, Wondermentalist, performance poet, comedian and host of Taking the Mic, wowed the crowd with her customary energy, skill, verve and vitality, every inch the professional, and dealing well with the all ages audience! (not least as a lot of her material is of the adult variety). Catch her as poet-in-residence at Exeter Poetry Festival later in the year. We had Clive Pig the Storyfella - see him at this year's Westcountry Storytelling Festival - who tells stories like a one man movie (his sound effects as ever had to be heard to be believed!) stopping folks in their tracks. He was the one who showed that storytelling could be a total theatre experience, and hence inspired Widsith & Deor! Jon Freeman (of Tyburn Jig - catch them at this year's Festival at the Edge, English Heritage properties and at Storyclub) doing his fine performance poetry, and Jade Moon (former Green Woman act at many festivals on the circuit including being a Glastonbury regular and also fire dancer) with passion and movement and appropriately enough, her themes echoing some of Liv's. James Turner, popular poet and author of the 'Forgeries' collection published by Original Plus, proving beautifully that there need be no divide between 'page and stage' poetry, with wonderfully lyrical and intellectual (I mean that in its absolutely positive sense of thought-provoking) yet accessible, pieces and delivered with his trademark mixture of humanity, wit and emphatic-not-dogmatic wisdom. Music was from Gabriel Collins, prolific songwriter (some three hundred original songs in his repertoire), a pianist who kindly brought his guitar instead as of course the piano wouldn't fit on the train! - And we were lucky enough to have David Sawyer (well known sculptor of sound sculptures and artist as well as musician) and Annie Quicke (also of The Surf Messengers), musicians who often play with/in the fabulous improvisational group Children of the Drone (more festival favourites!). David with one of his handmade original and haunting instruments an 'electrochord' and Annie with flute and saxophone filled the Forest with hauntingly lovely yet experimental ambience, as they made unusual and delicious improvised music. Towards the end, James (who is also often part of the Children of the Drone) did poetry while they played, and the effect was simply hypnotic. Finally - having introduced the acts with a short tale or poem, and done one of our spooky forest stories, the event was coming to a close...when Annie and David offered to round off the day by improvising music to a story! It was an offer we couldn't refuse, so we told one of our trademark tales, 'Lady Mary' (also partly set in a forest) and it was fantastic to perform with the music changing mood to the tempo all around - a wonderful experience to end the day on, and a real high! It was hard to express one's thanks - we love the performing with other artists and the each art flowing into the other experience.

Then it was time for more cake (which we'd brought along for all to share), packing up instruments, books, props and all the rest, congratulating everyone on how well it had gone, talking with Clive Adams and Chris Lewis of the Centre about the afternoon and funding wait, (and of course looking in the collections bucket and wishing it had been warmer!) and them thanking us for putting together such a good show (aww shucks). It was all in all a wonderful afternoon, with a marvellously contrasting array of talents. Huge thanks must go to Clive, Liv, Jon, James, Jade, Annie, David, and Gabriel for being so brilliant and coming along to make it happen, and of course to Clive, Chris and Johanna of CCANW for having us and keeping us in tea and coffee! Fingers crossed for their funding re-application...(I know the feeling)...