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If you want to find more about What’s happening in poetry and the spoken word in and around the Midlands you can now listen to Behind The Arras on Radio Wildfire with views on individual events, what we think are the month’s highlights, and discover who our Poet to watch is for the month. |
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What's On - January Mon 2nd SW @N,Newhampton Inn, Riches Street,
Whitmore Reans, Wolverhampton, WV6 0DW.8pm, Poetry, Storytelling and
song, Peter Chand hosts. Tues 3rd Night Blue Fruit, Taylor
Johns, Canal Basin, Coventry 8pm Open Mic, Barry “The Bard”Patterson,
hosts. Thur 5th Yard of Tales,Joules Yard,
rear of 53-55 High Street, Market Harborough, Leicestershire, LE16
7AF.Yard of Tales is a performance storytelling club hosted by Kevin
Walker
www.kevinwalker-storyteller.com Thur 5th Parole Parlate, Little
Venice Worcester 7.30pm. Decadent Divas, plus sundry supporting cast,
Lisa Ventura hosts. Fr 6th Spoken Word & Music The
Hollybush The Hollybush, 53 Newtown Street, Cradley Heath B64 5EA Open
mic, 8.30pm, free in
liveatthebush@yahoo.co.uk, Richard Bruce Clay MC’s, Dave Francis
does the beer. Sun 8th ARTournament’s Sunday
Chill,The New Inn in the centre of Gloucester (opp M&S) City Centre. 16
Northgate Street, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, GL2. UK.First Sunday,
£5in, 3pm-9pm. poetry, Comedy and Music.Suz Winspear, Lisa Ventura,James
Bunting, amongst many. Anna Saunders hosts. Sun 8th Buzzwords, Exmouth
Arms,Bath Road Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL53 7LX, 7pm,Workshop, Open
mic plus Jonathan Davidson, Angela Frances. Mon 9th Pure and Good and Right,
The Sozzled Sausage, Leamington Spa, CV32 4nx 7.30pm, Open Mic with
George Hardwick. Mon 9th Pub Poetry Nottingham The
Canal house, 48-52 Canal Street, Nottingham, NG1 7EH,8pm, : Free in,
Open mic, Contact Nick on
pubpoetry@nottscomedyfestival.co.uk Tues 10th City Voices City Bar King
Street, Wolverhampton WV 1ST , 7.30pm Set Bill, with Simon Fletcher Tues 10th Scribal Gathering The
Upstairs Room at The Crown, Market Square, Stony Stratford, Milton
Keynes MK11 1BE, 2nd tuesday monthly,Entry: free; open mic poetry and
music with featured acts,”Stony Stratford’s première spoken word and
music performance event. Richard Frost hosts.This monthly meeting of
minds will bring together writers, musicians and performers of all kinds
to share their talents, entertain each other and evoke the spirit of
gathering. Join us…” Sign up for the open mic on the night, or reserve a
slot by email:
info@scribalgathering.com.
http://www.scribalgathering.com/ Tues 10th Tales at the Edge,
Bridgnorth, Shropshire,Tales at the Edge is one of the country’s oldest
and most established storytelling clubs, meeting at The White Lion in
Bridgenorth at 8 pm. Wed 11,The Quad Derby QUAD, Market
Place, Cathedral Quarter, Derby, DE1 3AS Second Wednesday 19.30 Free in,
A monthly night of performed poetry for everyone, new performers always
welcome or just come and listen, More details from QUAD or contact Les
on T: 01332 206 734,
http://www.derbyquad.co.uk Wed 11,Jan Spoken Word Open Mic @
‘Old Cross’ Pub, Church Street, Stapleford NG9 8DA An evening of poems
and stories from two local performers – Dave Wood and Richard Young.Sign
up on the door for open spots. Anything spoken word is fine lasting
between 3 -5 minutes. A great chance to try out your writing in a fun
way.Entrance is free. There’ll be a collection for ‘Rainbows Hospice’
and the landlord is kindly organising a beer raffle as a fundraiser for
the hospice.The performance will be ‘in-the-round’ in the upstairs room
in Old Cross pub Wed, 11th , The Voicebox, Forman
Street, Derby, DE1 1JQ 7.30pm sarah Rundle’s “Gawain and the Green
Knight” Gorgeous Gawain, King Arthur’s nephew, rides out in golden
armour on his white horse on a suicidal mission. The journey is cold and
long and he is constantly ambushed – but the greatest danger comes from
his own heart! Love, war and chivalry combine in this classic tale from
the court of King Arthur that will have you watching and listening on
the edge of your seat!. Sophie Snell hosts. Sophie writes: “I met Sarah first about 3 years ago
when we both applied for a commission – it was a delight to watch her
perform then, she was a generous and energetic performer, and all we
have heard of this her latest show has been full of praise!” Sarah, when
asked how she got into storytelling describes how she got locked in a
laboratory but tunnelled her way to freedom. She ran away to drama
school and is now an actor and storyteller. Over the last 7 years she
has performed in theatres, cafes, museums, yurts and even a Saxon
Longhouse! “Sarah Rundle has made the most enjoyable “Gawain
and the Green Knight” I have ever seen. It storms along with an
intelligent irreverence, yet is able to be truly magical when wonder is
called for. You can sense that this is the result of deeply researched
work, every creative choice behind its composition and delivery is
considered yet the result is light and deft… It sparkles with a
particularly glorious English humour. I’ve not had this much spirited
pleasure from anything “Arthurian” since Footsbarn Theatre’s work in the
late 1970′s” Ben Haggarty. “Richly historical and sharply modern, Sarah
Rundle’s “Gawain” is a masterpiece of contemporary storytelling. By
turns poignant and witty, deeply moving and uproariously funny.” Giles
Abbott. “One of the most raucous and fun raising accounts of
Sir Gawain I’ve ever heard. Spiced with modernisms it was lively, and
full of beer cellar swagger. Uproarious!” Del Reid in the London
Storytelling Newsletter. Sat 14th Black Country Evening at
Bilston Voices, Cafe Metro, Church St, Bilston, 7.30pm,£7 inc
buffet,Dave Reeves, Brendan Hawthorne and Madge Gilbey, as well as the
hilarious Fizzog Theatre Company, Emma Rollason doing her Dolly Allen
tribute and Derec Mac.Emma P is MC Tues 17th Poetry Club Giggling
Goblin Coffee Shop, Mill Lane, Ashby de la Zouch– 8:30, free in, with a
licensed bar and great coffee. T Open mic poetry and folk Fri 20th Madcap,Creed Street,
Wolverton, MK12 5LY Milton Keynes, 7.30pm:Danni Antagonist hosts, Milton
Keynes’ most slamtastic spoken word event invites you to come Into The
Enchanted Wood…Whether you get there through the back of a wardrobe, on
the run from your wicked stepmother, or just falling down a rabbit hole,
come into the enchanted forest with Poetry Kapow!, for an evening of
rhymes, tall tales and make-believe cabaret.There’ll be our usual
magical open mic, spellbinding slam, and fantastic featured acts, with a
sprinkling of written competitions, interactive art, and hidden goodies
ready to inspire you.Come down to the lovely MADCAP Theatre in Wolverton.
Bring your words, your imagination, and some breadcrumbs to trail behind
you. Just in case…(And for more of that wonderful photography, go and
see Steve Ellaway’s site at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/steveellaway/) Featuring: * Slam competition* Open mic* Featured artists* Live
acoustic music* Deep, dark loveliness (15+ please!) Contact
wood@poetrykapow.co.uk/ 07904 499049 for more details, or check out
the website –
http://www.poetrykapow.co.uk/ – for more details about What We Do… Sunday 22nd Sunday Xpress Doors
1500, Start 16:30 Adam & Eve Bradford Street, Birmingham B12 0JD,
Brendan Higgins hosts, Open mic,jameskennedycentral@yahoo.co.uk Sunday 22nd Rhyme and Tells at the
Six Bells in Bishops Castle, Shropshire, 8 pm – 10.30 pm. It is free
admission and an open session for poetry, prose and storytelling. Monday 23rd Shindig The Western PH,
Western Rd Leicester, 4th Monday bi-monthly,7.30pm: Headliners and open
mic,free in, Jonathan taylor, matt Nunn and Jane Commane host. Tuesday 24th Fizz, Polesworth
Abbey, Poleworth, Open Mic and Guest Gary Carr.7.30pm, Free in, Mal
Dewhirst hosts. Tueday 24th Poetry Bites, Kitchen
Garden Cafe, York St Kings Heath, 7.30pm, £5, opne mic plus special
guest Matt Merritt, Jacqui Rowe hosts. Tuesday 24th The Telling Space,
Mythstories,Morgan Library Aston St , Wem, Shropshire,7pm,
www.mythstories.com
contact Dez or Ali on 01939 235500 for further information.Meet at 7 pm
for refreshments (bring food to share) or at 7.30 pm for stories. A
chance to listen or an opportunity to tell. Admission is free. Wed 25th 42 Gothic, Horror, Sci-Fi
& Fantasy,Lunar Bar, New St, Worcester, 730pm start, free in. Wed 25th William McGonagall and the
Mystery of Loch Ness,Kitchen Garden Cafe, York St Kings Heath,
7.30pm,Poetry, music and mayhem abound in this Victorian
comedy-thriller! Dinner-Theatre package, to see in Burns Night!William
Topaz McGonagall, poet and tragedian of Dundee, has been widely hailed
as the writer of the worst poetry in the English language. A
self-educated hand loom weaver from Dundee, he discovered his discordant
muse in 1877 and embarked upon a 25 year career as a working poet,
delighting and appalling audiences across Scotland and beyond. His audiences threw rotten fish at him, the
authorities banned his performances, and he died a pauper over a century
ago. But his books remain in print to this day, and he’s remembered and
quoted long after more talented contemporaries have been
forgotten.Presented by “Don’t go Into the Cellar” Theatre Company. Thur 26th Bad Language The Castle
Hotel, 66 Oldham Street, Manchester M4 1LE,7.30pm, Open Mic plus guest
Socrates Adams.Dan Carpenter hosts. Thur 26th Bilston Voices, Cafe
Metro, Church St, Bilston, 7.30pm,£2 in, set bill, Emma Purshouse hosts Thur26th Hit the Ode, Victoria
PH,Birmingham, 7.30pm £5 in, Sue Brown , Luke Wright,Dani Orviz, from
Spain headline, Bohdan Piesecki hosts. Fri 27th Jan Spoken Worlds, Old
Cottage tavern, Byrkely St, Burton on Trent, 7.30pm , Free in, Open Mic,
Gary Carr hosts. Tues 31st Word Wizards Grove Hotel, Buxton 19.30. Rob Stevens hosts, Open mic three minute slam format More info Poetryslamuk@aol.com01298 77362/ 0781 3289358 |