World Book Night at New Brewery Arts - Saturday 5 March 2011

This was an evening in support of World Book Night. A decent crowd turned up at New Brewery Arts, lured by free Seamus Heaney books. Local writers read from their own work and this was interspersed with readings of favourite pieces by the great man. I really enjoyed Cora Sild, who was brought up near where Mr Heaney lived, reading Blackberry-picking. There wasn't just poetry - I read my fairy story/allegory, All in the Same Boat, and Sarah King read an excerpt from her novel The Durian Tree.

Another good night. Thanks to Dr Rona Laycock for organising it, to New Brewery Arts and Cora Sild for the facility, to everyone who read and turned up to support the evening and, of course, to Seamus Heaney for making great poetry.

More About World Book Night
http://www.worldbooknight.org/

Seamus Heaney's New Selected Poems 1966-1987 from Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0571143725/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_2?pf_rd_p=103612307&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0571230962&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=1RPPRWZWBV4PWTXK3EDJ

Other events coming up at Writers in the Brewery


31 Mar 2011 - Arthur Cunyngham and Sue Gibbs


28 Apr 2011 - Simone Mansell Broome


Related event coming up - Cheltenham Festival of Poetry


31 Mar 2011 - 3 Apr 2011 Whats on at www.cheltenhampoetryfest.co.uk


Previous Writers in the Brewery Evenings


Anna Saunders at Writers in the Brewery - Thursday 23 February 2011

John Richardson at Writers in the Brewery - Thursday 27 January 2011

See Mac McFadden's Writers in the Brewery performance

Roshi Fernando at Writers in the Brewery 25 November 2010

Mac McFadden at Writers in the Brewery 28 October 2010

Skip Walker at #WritersintheBrewery, editor of Wilts and Glos Standard

Anna Saunders at Writers in the Brewery - Thursday 23 February 2011

Anna Saunders was the guest writer at Writers in the Brewery. Apart from being a poet, she is the director of the Cheltenham Poetry Festival (31 March - 3 April 2011) , which will include John Hegley, Angela France, John Cooper Clarke, Sam Riviere, Alison Brackenbury, Pascal Petit plus many others (see www.cheltenhampoetryfest.co.uk).

Anna read a number of poems, inspired by such things as Suze Adams' photos, the sea, romantic love, television, pet names. pet names, a daddy longlegs, illness and sex. The poems were warm, funny, insightful and very enjoyable. I liked that she gave a little explanation before reading them - it helped make them accessible.

After Anna, Sue Chad read a couple of her poems, good as usual, followed by Nicola, a singer-songwriter who played guitar and sang a fun and witty poem about sitting on the Cerne Abbas giant's phallus - she was in fine voice. I read my short story, My Friend Simon - about an alien misunderstanding.

A good evening.

See also Poetry director faces up to her portrait in show

Coming up - Cheltenham Festival of Poetry

31 Mar 2011 - 3 Apr 2011 Whats on

Coming up - Writers in the Brewery

31 Mar 2011 - Arthur Cunyngham and Sue Gibbs

28 Apr 2011 - Simone Mansell Broome

Previous Writers in the Brewery Evenings

John Richardson at Writers in the Brewery - Thursday 27 January 2011

See Mac McFadden's Writers in the Brewery performance

Roshi Fernando at Writers in the Brewery 25 November 2010

Mac McFadden at Writers in the Brewery 28 October 2010

Skip Walker at #WritersintheBrewery, editor of Wilts and Glos Standard

#WritersintheBrewery 27 May 2010 Nigel McLoughlin

John Richardson at Writers in the Brewery - Thursday 27 January 2011

This evening Writers in the Brewery welcomed John Richardson ( aka Jay Arr) of Swindon's BlueGate Poets (http://www.bluegatepoets.com/). John read a selection of his love poetry. They were, so he said, part of a lifetime's work that was still in progress. Apart from love, John's poems were inspired by such things as numerology, the power of names, Roy Orbison, Valentine's presents, marriage, wills and the country. I particularly enjoyed one about Isfahan, Iran's third city - wonderful imagery and very evocative.

After John, there was more poetry from local writers. Liz Carew's Woodchester poem was excellent.

John has a number of books published http://www.blurb.com/user/jayarr

• His latest (as Jay Arr) is nietsa http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1785036?alt=nietsa%2C+as+listed+under+Poetry



• and and what do you want? http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/1785024?alt=and+what+did+you+want%3F%2C+as+listed+under+Poetry



• and he has compiled the BlueGate Poets 2010 Anthology http://www.bluegatepoets.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=277 and BlueGate Poets 2009 Anthology http://www.blurb.com/books/872625



• plus a machine for measuring blue is a collection of poems selected by Jar Arr is a first collection of abandoned and neglected poems http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/221545?alt=a+machine+for+measuring+blue%2C+as+listed+under+Poetry
  

John also has some videos on youtube, check out this playlist http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=C8801FC4A84F4BDA

To find out more about John (Jar Arr) and the BlueGate Poets visit the website http://www.bluegatepoets.com/



Previous Writers in the Brewery Evenings

See Mac McFadden's Writers in the Brewery performance

Roshi Fernando at Writers in the Brewery 25 November 2010

Mac McFadden at Writers in the Brewery 28 October 2010

Skip Walker at #WritersintheBrewery, editor of Wilts and Glos Standard


#WritersintheBrewery 27 May 2010 Nigel McLoughlin

Writers in the Brewery April 2010 Blue Gate Poets