A poem by John Merchant, featured poet at our last Maze gig. Here is ‘What Is Good’. What Is Good What is good – not misunderstood What is sound – builds up our hopes What is good – is to hear a song For sound – sound – is a natural Need – what is good – is a melody Puts us in the mood – makes us free For listening with the ear – some Problems – they disappear…
Q. What inspires you to write? A. I know others have said it, but it does seem to be true. I come from a big noisy family and – you may not believe this – I was probably the quietest one, partly cos I was a bit deaf and conversation kept flying by me and I missed loads of whatever was going on. My brothers and sisters are all bright and interesting people, and they were all better at commanding…
Q. What inspires you to write? A. I’ve been inspired by: the sound of summer grass crackling under barefoot tread, by injustices and personal stories, by scary statistics from the so very recent past, by my friends and family, by my cat (yes, I know!) and by odd things that just pop into my head. Oh, and love, heartache and the bits between. This past week I’ve written about house clearance, memoirs, waving at neighbours and spin. I’ve not been…
There is a strong link between the traditions of folk music and spoken word, based as they are on the oral tradition. With this in mind, ten poets recently gathered at Southwell racecourse for The Gate To Southwell Folk Festival on the weekend of 10/11th June 2017 to spread the word. On Saturday they gave the festival public two hours of the very best in self-penned poetry. Topics ranged from dining in the dark to a life in music, from…
A Night of Poetry, Reviewed by Jake Wildeman Jake Wildeman Reviewed by Sue Allen I’ve only performed at the Maze a couple of times, but I find I quite like it. With dimmed lights and a drink in hand (alcohol or otherwise), it’s easy to take a breath and forget the world outside of this room full of poets. There’s also something deliciously intimate about performing in a corner, a certain sweet vulnerability and openness to putting yourself there. Indeed,…
Reviewed by Sue Allen and Frank McMahon Moany Mood DIY poets at Nottingham Night Light was a game of three halves. We’re poets not mathematicians, with a theme of light and dark. The interpretations were free, wide ranging, poetic and creative. Although the audience was small the atmosphere was large and both increased steadily as the night went on. John Merchant kicked us off with a contemplation of those times when you fall flat into a “moany mood” in the…
First half reviewed by John Humphreys: Slightly disappointing audience numbers were more than made up for by the quality of the poetry on display. Opening with Lytisha who announced she had no politics and miserable poems the first called Anxiety and full of “what ifs”. Last Biscuit had a perfect economy telling of brothers being naughty but always missed. Of the other poems, one set in a library with a ‘chid in a big chair on her own private island’…
Diy Poets report for Gig at the Maze, 31st August 2016 Written by Lytisha and Clare Stewart. Our regular evening of three halves began with Andrew Martin doing a sterling job of the nerve wracking role of compering the first half. Our first act was: Martin Dean: Martin kicked the evening off in great style. He opened by considering how salad would be, if presented in a modern art style. He Curated Salad, conjuring many tasty images, including watching as…
DIY poets will be appearing at the Lady Bay Festival on Saturday 3rd September from 12.35 to 13.00 The Lady Bay Summer Festival is a great day for all the family featuring live music, performances, displays, stalls, lovely food and drink, and excellent real ales from Castle Rock Brewery. And all of this for FREE! THE LADY BAY SUMMER FESTIVAL 2016 will take place on Saturday 3rd September at the Poppy and Pint, Lady Bay, Nottingham NG2 5DX from 12…