Monday 18 September 2017

Summer (only just)

As I write this blog post, National Poetry Day (Sept 28th) is just over a week away and myself and a group of Otley poets will be performing our play in verse, 'Town Below the Steps' at Korks Wine Bar to celebrate. This performance will be very special because we will be joined by musicians Beth Kilburn and Matthew Sturgess (The Silver Reserve), who will play original compositions specifically written for the occasion.

Also, Saturday Sept 23rd will be the last-ever A Firm of Poets gig at Wakefield Literature Festival. I have mixed emotions about the event, but I shall miss sharing a stage and memorable experiences with my friends. We will be supporting dub poetry pioneer Linton Kwesi Johnson, another milestone for me.

Our "song for Otley" project is well underway. The idea was originally Sally Egan's (from Opera North); that the town deserves a piece of music celebrating its heritage and people. Following initial discussions, we decided that the townsfolk should be involved, hence the 'Otley Voice Box' was created. These song-contribution boxes were placed around Otley, inviting people to pen lyrics for the project. It was my job to collate the words and write a poem that can be added to music. The results were very interesting - sometimes baffling - but overall there was lots of material to work with. Musicians Phil Snell and Tony Wright (from Terrorvision), along with Sally, are now putting the finishing touches to the song. Very exciting!

Lastly, I will be performing The Asylum Monologues at Otley Courthouse on October 16th, with punk poet and Edinburgh Festival sensation Matt Abbott and actor Astrid Copeland. Otley has a history of welcoming people in need, therefore it is fitting that such a powerful and topical piece of theatre is being staged here.

I think that's about everything for now, so I'll leave you with a contribution from a 'Voice Box' - which I think makes a lot of sense...