Week Commencing 18th April 2011

Another gloomy, cool Monday I see but it’s good after

It got stupidly hot in my back garden yesterday afternoon

(40 odd degrees which is mad) which probably explains

Why too I came back from Dukingfield rather warm.

Otherwise, ‘Unique, Driven and Determined’ as you may have

seen happened this Saturday just gone and was rather a busy

night which sadly trickled off towards the end of the night

but still resulted in us raising a fair bit of money with more

money to come in which should give us a nice amount of

money to spread among the three charities.

Hopefully in another few weeks, we should be able to

reveal the final figure but speaking from a personal angle,

I am pleased with what we raised.

This week is going to be a busy one I think certainly,

as tonight I have to pop over to Dukingfield with some

additional money that has come in (We are still expecting

donations for it – cheques can be addressed to unique,

driven and determined or send to paypal viva me).

Tuesday will be band rehearsals where I am hoping to

Get chance to hear a possible new keyboardist in action.

Wednesday as it stands, I should be having tea at my

friend Olga’s and then Thursday I will be chairing ‘Poetica’

a excellent writing discussion group in the centre of Manchester

City Library and then I am going to head over to Freed Up Poets @
the Green Room, Manchester.

Anybody who has heard the sad news about funding getting

withdrawn to Manchester’s ‘The Green Room’ may well

want to attend this Freed Up and the last one at the Green Room

in May, just to show that people still support ‘The Green Room’

as it’s been a hotbed of the best alternative theatre for over 25

years for me in Manchester and to get it’s funding withdrawn

totally is very, very sad news and is a big show of the times

when things like ‘Manchester International Festival’s funding

gets trebled.

Lastly, then when it is bank holiday week-end I am hoping to

finally get chance to totally chill and crack on with my second

book (I sorted out a folder last night and discovered I had tons

of incomplete poems or draft poems which are possibles

for the book). Either way, a launch for September or October

is looking very, very possible this year. 

Unique driven and determined

I'm also involved in a Charity fundraising night tommorrow night...

More details off another website say:

'Charity night at Aldwinians RUFC in aid of in aid of Tameside and Glossop MIND, West Villa Mental Health Centre, Dukinfield and Tameside Blind Association. It will be a variety night of drama, music, and poetry from renowned local poets and other artistes. Also: a raffle and an auction with great prizes to be won. Tickets £4 in advance, £5 on the night.

When: Sat 16 Apr 2011
Where: Aldwinians RUFC, Audenshaw Park, Droylsden Road, Audenshaw (M34 5SN)
From: 19:30
Contact Information: For further information and tickets, phone Catherine Robinson: 0161 344 1245'

Week Commencing 11/03/2011

Dear all;

What a week-end last week-end with the weather.

Ended up walking on Chorlton Meadows yesterday with

my friend, Ray and what a beautiful, beautiful day it was. Perfect

for walking although I didn’t get anything done creative done (lol).

This week we are on now – I first of all went to W.O.L. Stockport

where I gave debut readings to two new pieces ‘Up on the Roof (Strangeways)

and ‘Stealing Beauity’ both of which I was quite happy with and should be making

appearances at other readings afterwards in particular ‘Up on the Roof (Strangeways).

Tuesday I was off from work and will be spending most of it at Cathy’s

sorting out last minute things for the forthcoming charity do this Saturday

coming (Unique, driven, determined for which tickets are still available

From us)

Ditto for Wednesday and Thursday night and on Friday I will be at my

Lucy's 21st bash and then Saturday will be the Charity bash Show which

I'll blog separate soon.

Other news, I am still plodding away with my second poetry book ‘Detective

Novel’. I typed up 20 possible poems for it last week which came to around

48 or 49 pages. I am going to want to have another 10 possibles at least I guess

for it before I make a final selection from it and all things been well – I hope

it’ll be ready for September or October.

From next week, will be focusing a lot more on A Means to an End too as

We have a good gig coming up in Chorlton and I want us to be really ready for

It and then other stuff to follow up (Chance of something came up last night

For something at Stockport Art Gallery).

A possible gig has also arose in Stockport Art Gallery at some point from

End of June to beginning of August too and I am toying round with putting my

Name down for Freed Up Poets next week too since I will be chairing a poetry

Discussion group too.

Jo Mayers - Wearing the Coat (Review)

Jo Mayers – Wearing the Coat

(Self Published Chapbook)

Jo Mayers is from Macclesfield, a town on the outskirts of Cheshire

which I know myself from working there in 2004 and 2005

and states in her short biography ‘she started being a poet at

Marlborough School, but learned to do it properly at the

University of Warwick’.

This self published chapbook I got through from her at  Manchester’s

premium poetry open mike night ‘Freed Up’ at the beginning of 2011,

although she had been going there regularly there for most of 2010

(when I didn’t go for various reasons).

This Chapbook or pamphlet contains only 5 poems which could almost

be classed as an Single or a EP rather than a full length collection but

each one contains a realism that I rarely read in poetry, let alone as

well told as it is for example ‘How bad it is’ with a first line as:

‘We talk, all the time, about annoyance.

 I cannot understand yours’

This is a fascinating start to any poem where the two characters talk

and talk but don’t really talk about atall about lack of froth,

or the fad for red flip flops, or the admittedly strange dearth

of taxicabs on a quiet, rum-and coke type night’, this is poetry

which has a wonderful use of language which is playful but

still has at it’s centre, a message as the poem finishes ‘You

still care, don’t you, about our lives?’

Even more striking is the second poem ‘The Waiting’ which starts

With a striking bit of dialogue ‘I’m not waiting for you’ which is

Almost like it is leading you into a short story or a short play, before

It says ‘nevertheless time passes’ and two Beatles songs, you can

feel the disappointment with the poet in the air, which is drawn

beautifully into the cold pavement.

The only thing I didn’t like if I am honest was the fact there was

Only 5 poems which left me by the end of it making me think this

Would have been a really good introduction to a longer collection

and 5 poems simply wasn't enough.

Hopefully she’ll get to do it someday as there is skill here that

I feel that publishers would be interested in.

Jo runs a blog on Write Out Loud which can be found at

http://www.writeoutloud.net/public/poetview.php?profilesid=1472

and can be emailed on jo0911@hotmail.co.uk



Week Commencing 04/04/2011

Week Commencing 04/04/2011

Typed up Thursday Night 07/04/2011

After a beautiful week of weather last week, this week’s weather

so far has been back to the normal grey skies. Lovely NOT..

Otherwise this week, certainly the plan is to crack on with my

writing. I got the poems into a folder so far for my second book

and was pleasonately surprised to realise there was 20 possible

pieces there, which came up to about 50 odd pages. When I

have a few more poems ready, I should then be able to

make a proper choice from them which’ll bond well for maybe

September or October time.

This week itself on Monday and Wednesday involved a little

Work on my forthcoming play which has the working title

Of ‘Night Camp’. That itself is moving along slowly and if

All goes to plan the 1^st draft may be done by the end of

Summer.

Tuesday was the last meeting before the charity night

‘unquire, driven, determined’ on Saturday 16^th April 2011. So

far, its looking quite good as for the auction we have I think

14 prizes (including 3 autographed things from

Manchester City, 4 paintings and a host of tickets

for shows and sports things). Will keep you informed how

it goes of course.

Tickets can be bought in advance for £4 from Cathy Robinson

0161 344 1245. It will be held at Aldwinians RUFC, Droylsden

Road, Audenshaw, M34 5SN – doors open at 7.30pm.

We also had earlier the latest ‘Guitars and Verse’ event

In Bolton. I missed the March one through ill health, but

Tonight’s feature Kate Hannah and the the well liked Manchester

Poet Dominic Berry. Starts at 7.30pm at Butterflies, so hope

To see you there.

Loads more to follow next week too.