DIY Poets Maze 15 November 2018 Second Half Review by John Humphreys A warm welcome from our ever-genial host Andrew and the 2nd part of the DIY poets’ slot had begun. First up in the 2nd half was Sue, with an ever-stylish line of hats for her wonderful mix of feminism and humour and a new poem, about lies insincerity and mistrust – must be those men again. Then from her fabulous book, the monkey mind emerges, with the ape-shit…
[Reviewed by Leanne Moden] Martin Dean is a poet with an incredible talent for lush descriptive imagery and the poems in his first collection, ‘The Curious Dance between Life and Death’, tackle the theme of mortality. It’s an incredibly ambitious subject, and Martin explores it by focusing on individual moments, captured through his evocative words. The collection takes readers on a journey across differing time periods and geographical locations, but the underlying message is the same – life is strange,…
[Reviewed by Leanne Moden] Imagine if George A. Romero had written Dawn of the Dead as a series of delightfully witty, irreverent and gruesome poems, or if Capcom had made Resident Evil with an even more lyrical sensibility. Imagine if Sam Raimi had told the story of Evil Dead as a surreal public service announcement, and Ash spent the entire film kicking butt and talking in haiku. If that all sounds like good fun to you, then you will absolutely…
[Review by Leanne Moden] Sue Allen is a witty wordsmith with a talent for finding the Funny in every situation. ‘Rude Awakenings’ is her first collection of poetry, and it’s just as saucy as the title suggests. There’s plenty of sex and rock & roll sprinkled throughout the book, and Sue does a great job balancing the surrealist pieces with the more serious poems. Whether she’s longing to be Johnny Depp’s string vest, lamenting the puckish nature of her own…
Compiled by Martin Grey I’ve been making a list of all the regular spoken word events in Nottingham. There’s 14 I know about. I might have some details wrong and might be missing some nights or have some that aren’t running, but it’d be good to fix any errors and have a full list for everyone 🙂 Between The Shadow and the Soul – Pay what you can – City Arts – First Wednesday of every month – 7.30pm to…
I am pleased to announce the release of my first collection of poems – ‘The Curious Dance Between Life And Death’. Download a preview The theme is inspired by a quote from Lao Tzu – “Life and death are one thread, the same line viewed from different sides.” The opening piece of the book sets the scene as Jack progresses towards his last breath. From this poignant beginning ‘The Curious Dance Between Life And Death’ explores human experience as one…
DIY Poets have become a bit of a fixture at the Gate to Southwell Festival these days, so it was a pleasure to head back there for a Saturday showcase and a Sunday slam, where the winner would be crowned 2018 Bard of Southwell. Review by Martin Gray Under the red and white stripes of the Steeples Tent, with the stage being the grass in front of the ebbing and flowing crowd, our Andy Szpuk introduced six DIY Poets and…
Review of DIY Poets Showcase At The Maze May 10th 2018 by Jake Wildeman and Martin Grey ‘Just another DIY night at the Maze’… there’s two things wrong with that phrase. The first being ‘just’. This venue is a deeply special place, one of the most intimate you might find in Nottingham. Whether you’re here for music or poetry, you’ll find that there’s no barrier between performer and audience… it’s a wonderful feeling. The second problem is ‘another DIY night’….