Two Stints at The Poetry Cafe

Two weeks ago, Dino Mahoney launched his debut poetry collection, Tutti Frutti, at The Poetry Cafe in London and the whole thing went swimmingly, if I do say so myself. The venue was packed out like I’ve never seen it before; there must’ve been over 60 people in a space that feels cosy with 30. Susan Evans was a brilliant host, colourful and exuberant with her fun dial turned up to eleven. She also performed some top notch poems, and all from memory! I’ve get a head like a sieve, so I’m always impressed by poets who can memorise their own work. But I digress. I had the distinguished honour of reading first, but the evening featured more than just poetry. Dino joined forces with ‘The Diamonds’ (including Steve Halliwell) to transform his poems into catchy songs, like Hong Kong Bar Hop. To add yet another layer to this onion of spectacle, Drunken Sailor Films were on hand to present music videos and other cinematic interpretations of Dino’s work; the whole thing was a multimedia extravaganza!

Last week, I made my way back up to The Poetry Cafe for another helping of Platform 1, the superb monthly event put on by Ernie Burns. I turned up early and, as I had a large helping of chicken katsu curry from the Waterloo Wasabi and nowhere to eat it, I chatted with Ernie while I helped him set up the chairs. It was a good thing I did as well, because a series of unforeseen circumstances had left him without a featured poet for the evening, and he generously offered me the privilege of taking on the role. Serendipity! Apart from myself, the evening also featured strong work from Michael Wyndham, Isabel Del Rio, Mickey Bee, and others.

Tutti Frutti Launch

Post-launch Clean-up

Platform 1: 9/2/19

Back in The Saddle

It’s a new year and, after a little holiday time off, I’m making my way back to the stage for a top notch poetry event in London. As I mentioned in my last post, the launch of Dino Mahoney’s debut poetry collection, Tutti Frutti, is this Thursday (31/1/19) at The Poetry Cafe, so please come out for this fabulous free evening if you can. I’ll be reading alongside Susan Evans and Dino will also be performing some of his poems with backing music by Steve Halliwell. The night runs from 7:30-9:30pm, don’t be late.

End of the Year Wrap Up

As the great revolving door of time simultaneously swings closed on one year and opens onto the next, I thought I’d take a minute to review what I’ve been up to and make a few announcements about what’s to come.

First, I’m delighted to be reading at the launch of Dino Mahoney’s debut poetry collection, Tutti Frutti. It’s happening on Thursday 31 January from 7:30-9:30pm at none other than London’s infamous Poetry Cafe. This is sure to be a wonderful evening, and Dino was kind enough to read at the launch of my chapbook back in 2017, so I’m looking forward to returning the favour. Why not come along? It’s free!

It’s also worth mentioning that Volume 39 of The Worcester Review, which features my poem Rorschach, is now available to purchase from their site. The Worcester Review is one of the relatively few literary journals who actually manage to offer their contributors a small payment for their work. These small payments mean a lot to authors like me, so I would really encourage people to purchase an issue and help make it possible for them to continue this rare and admirable practice. They just sent me two contributor’s copies as well; an early present just in time for Christmas. 🙂

In addition to The Worcester Review, I’ve appeared in two other publications this year: Where the River Rests: Poems from ‘Tide’s End’, and What the Elephant Said to the Peacock (scroll down to find it). Both of these opportunities arose out of my involvement with local open mic nights over the course of the last year. I’ve been attending the monthly Poetry Performance nights at The Adelaide in Teddington on and off since Oct 2017, so when they opened submissions for their Where the River Rests anthology, I was happy to contribute. In Jan of this year, I branched out to Guildford and tried 1,000 Monkeys, another great monthly event. In this case, the organisers were the brilliant minds behind Dempsey & Windle publishing, and when I heard about their annual Brian Dempsey Memorial Prize, I was keen to enter. Though I didn’t come away with the grand prize, simply being long-listed and appearing in the anthology were an honour.

In addition to reading at open mics, like Write Out Loud Woking, Paper Tiger Poetry, and Platform 1, I was invited to take part in some other events, like Poetry Cafe at the Hampton Hill Theatre (which was positively reviewed by Arts Richmond) and the final iteration of Elbow Room Live. Speaking of Elbow Room, I contributed a little piece to their blog about my experience of getting a chapbook published.

Last but not least, I tried an ask me anything on AMAfeed.com as part of their #AuthorsAMA week. Their site seems to say something about ‘Taking a break’ (whatever that means), but you can still read all of my questions and answers. Well, that’s it for my annual recap. Happy Holidays, everyone!

Worcester Review Volume 39

 

Successful Launch

I’m pressed for time, but I just want to thank everyone who came along and participated in the London launch of my debut poetry chapbook, (Reasons for) Moving. It was an intimate gathering, which is code for small, but loads of fun. I particularly wanted to thank Lucy Furlong, Dino Mahoney, and The Flying Horse for letting us use their cosy basement venue, which I now know is called St. Giles Bar. I’ve borrowed/stolen photos from various people below, so thanks to all of you as well. I plan on promoting this book through a variety of other events and readings, so keep an eye out for more news as it becomes available.

Also, almost forgot: the reading at Kingston went well too. It was a great honour to read with Mario Petrucci. I really enjoyed listening to him and chatting with him as well.

(Reasons for) Moving Launch