Turquoise Monster

Sunday saw me dashing off to Stroud for the 40 yr celebration of the canal restoration to read poetry at the Stroud On Water Festival. I was sad I hadn’t made it on the previous days to see some of the fantastic acts but very happy to have been asked to read. We were running late so I had to dash (as fast as you can on a crutch) and leave hubby to park. I arrived and was instantly ushered up to read which was a bit nerve racking but I think I managed it ok. Then I was fed coffee, asparagus quiche and eton mess whilst watching the other poets perform.

There were the Stroud Poets and the Apologetic Poets. I have discovered that there are about four different groups of poets in Stroud. The Football Poets, The Stroud Poets, The Stroud Pamphlet Poets and the Apologetic Poets.

The Apologetic Poets did an interesting little sketch involving a wooden puppet some which I videoed which I will attempt to process later on.

The tent had a respectfully full audience including an apparent Victorian!

At the weekend I took part in the Site Festival Slam in Stroud – it was held in a lovely little venue hidden down a side ally that I didn’t even know existed.

I was very very nervous – but Marcus Moore greeted me in a friendly way and soon familiar faces from poetry readings and festivals started turning up – like Crispin Thomas and Peter Wyton and the I found myself sitting with a fellow finalist for the Gloucestershire Poet place.

I read No Wage Slave out – without taking any paper up onto the stage! And I think it actually did go better than when I have my book with me. the speed of the poem has slowed some what since I recorded it as I am no longer scared I am going to forget so I can put more emphasis on bits of it.

I didn’t get past the first round but people came over afterwards to speak to me about it which was great 🙂 I am hoping to do more slams in future and am working on memorising more of my poems.

This means I have basically four types of poetry:

1. Generally non rhyming serious and/or science-tech poetry

2. Childrens’ poetry which is mostly rhyming though some visual poetry sneaks in there and is often humorous

3. Visual Poetry also known as concrete poetry and is often mixed up with my visual arts – I also include mixed media poems in this category

4. Performance Poetry – mostly rhyming but not always and includes some of my childrens stuff, political rants, the funny bits of my science/tech poetry and the rude stuff

One thing I found funny was listening to the other poets talking about being nervous over winning – I was just nervous about getting up on stage and had I memorised other poems well enough to go on to the next rounds if that happened!

It was a good evening 🙂

I will be performing in my first ever slam tomorrow Friday 25th of May 2012 at the Stroud Site Festival Slam run by Marcus Moore and Sara-Jane Arbury.

Though I have done lots of poetry readings, including performance poetry pieces and even run workshops on poetry, I am finding this a bit scary due to the need to have my poems memorised. My plan is to basically start with the best memorised poems and hope I don’t need to many!

I’ve had No Wage Slave memorised for a while now, followed by I Hate Race Week. I think I just about have Hopscotch memorised too. My friend who is hoping to come along really wants me to do my new poem ADHD is The Polymath Dream but though I have most of this 4 and a half minute poem memorised I am having trouble keeping the chunks in order so am not confident about it at all.

I’m being told it isn’t much different from when I had lines to learn for plays and things but I feel it is as I tended to only have a few lines at a time and other people to act as prompts around me.

Anyway we shall see 🙂

I believe tickets are £5 if anyone feels like popping by 🙂

Today is the International Day Against Homophobia – I was already working on this poem in light of all the gay marriage stuff going around. I wish I could have included more people in the poem but it was becoming unwieldy.

For Those

For those who would deny the Homosexual marriage
Let all endevours of the Gay, Leza,
Trani and Bi be struck from them
Let them not read the words of Oscar Wild
Nor the works of any literature influenced by him

Let them not use the computer of Alan Turin
Nor any technology built upon his mathematic principles

Let them not laugh at the humour of Stephen Fry
Or enjoy such intellectual witisisms as he provides

Let them not dance to the music of Elton John
Nor listen to any music inspired by such music waves

Let them not use bridges, houses or cars
Made by the queer engineer
Nor receive medial treatments
Devised by those of a questioning nature

Let them take all that is purely straight and
Hide in an enclave away from the
Human beings of this world

But most of all let them see the truth
Marriage is not about sexuality or sex
It is about love
From person to person
And back again

Let them see this and become people once more
Let marriage be about marriage
And NOT arbutary sexuality

There is also the song I wrote in response to an incase in homophobic attacks here in the UK and the hanging that are still occurring globally:

And my blog post on my Gay Pride inspired art which I also feel is relavent.

I took a video of my husband helping me with the cards for the monster writing game and made a silly video out of it. I have a bamboo flute I picked up at a festival which I used to create the background music.

I didn’t quiet make it with the challenge of producing 30 visual poetry cards in April – I was just too busy!

But I am not far off so am trying to finish them off this month 🙂

I have also finally unpacked my vispo journal which I want to work on once more.

That is it for poetry challenges this year – I have alot of stuff to edit and shall only be writing what I am inspired by.

I had better get back to work!

Last week saw the Cheltenham Poetry Festival.

I started off by going to see Domestic Cherry – so funny. It was Michael Scott and Hilda Sheechan in the personas of a Swidon Chav and a hyper kitch Housewife.

The I headed out to dinner with one of the stewards and then onto Slak Bar to see Mab Jones and her Welsh Rare Bits – these guys are amazing! Laughter until tears stream down your face. Unfortunatly I had to leave this event early due to family illness.

The next morning saw me up bright and early and sitting in The Muffin Man sipping tea awaiting to share my poetry. I was part of the Poetry Cafe Showcase.

I then stayed on to watch The Stroud Pamphlet Poets.

Then I headed over to Waterstones to watch various poets there

Leeum did like a 20 minute show from memory that had the audience reeling (or in one case wanting to give him a hug).

The next day I had a workshop to run – the Monster Writing Game – it was supposed to be at The Brewery but the weather was just too bad so it was moved to Waterstones.

We stuck around for a Jean to take part in Joy-Amy Wigman’s childrens workshop – also on monster 🙂

We stayed on for the Childrens Poetry showcase with Francis Axon – Jeany loves her poetry which she had heard at Christmas in the Brewery. The other poet unfortunatly couldn’t attend so I ended up performing some of my childrens poems.

The next day saw me back out early for more childrens workshops – this time it was The Poetry Bees and Their Story Tree. My poor Dad had to walk through Cheltenham with a giant papier mache purple tree – only happens to people who know me 🙂

I then got ready for Occupy Poetry – the last night poetry party bonanza.

Alaric was once more forced to listen to poetry – but this time he had company 🙂

I took arty shots

Then the comedy started with Julie Psycho Jones and Josh plus the performance Poet Ash.

It was a brilliant but exhusting week and I wish I’d gotten to see more.

It is now the Cheltenham Poetry Festival and I am running children’s workshops. This all started with poetry dragons and has grown 🙂

So now I have a giant version of part of my Monster Writing game complete with bag to keep it in!

And we have the Poetry Bees who live in the Story Tree with other helpers such as the Word Worms 🙂

I am in the process of making a website to say what workshops I offer which is exciting 🙂 You can at least contact me by going here.

Last year saw the first ever Cheltenham Poetry Festival which as a family we very much enjoyed, I read out my Piaf Poem and we met loads of amazing poets and musicians.

This year it is back – bigger and better!

It runs from the 18th – 22nd of April and I even appear in the programme an’ all, like proper this year! I’m running several workshops for kids at the Brewery 🙂 And reading in the poetry showcase at the Muffin Man.

Workshops are the Monster Writing Game and The Poetry Bees.

It looks to be a great event this year – bigger and better than last year and as last year was ace I am very excited.

Last weekend was not only full of lots of lovely poetry events but I found out that I have won a bronze medal in the Gloucestershire Creative Olympics for my song Windy Gloucestershire 🙂 So I shall be going off to a lovely looking event at the end of April.

Then on Sunday I managed to get through to the finial of the Gloucestershire Poet Laureate selection which shall be at Gloucester Cathedral in August.

Then of course it is NaPoWriMo and I am collecting ideas for some visual poetry – for which Friday night at the Albion Beatnik in Oxford was a wonderful inspiration but more on that in a later post 🙂

Here is my video from Sunday – it is my political poetry.

Now all I have to do is shift mental gear as I am reading my children’s poetry at Waterstones Cheltenham on Saturday!