Sunday 22nd September 2013
Nice lie in this morning and
lazy up until lunchtime. After which a quick dash to Newcastle. Jenni taking part in Apples and
Snakes SCRATCH workshop. I decided to just wander round town instead. Checked
out music mags and books in WHSmiths and cds in HMV. Bought food for me and
Jenni then went to SCRATCH night. Good turn out. Some great poems. Home by half
ten. 11.13pm.
Monday 23rd September 2013
Full-on day. Worked on the
Mind anthology this morning. Then lesson plan type-ups after lunch and a load
of research and hand-out prep for this week’s Waddy sessions. Watched a few
writing vids tonight and read some flash fiction. Jenni has been in touch.
She’s had a busy day too. Good to see the Apples and Snakes plug for
JibbaJabba. Good to see the Newcastle and Sunderland nights back to back. Gonna have some supper
then off to bed. Big day tomorrow. 10.45pm.
Tuesday 24th September 2013
Out the house almost twelve
hours to deliver two workshops, each lasted two hours. The first was gruelling,
hardly anyone showed up. Evening session I had sixteen people in the group. We
got through quite a bit of work, but it was all entry level standard games and
autobiographical warm-up material. Some days I wonder whether I’m cut out for
this. I’m not a fiction writer. I displace myself to third person or second, scribble
my grievances. I scratch and scrape. Poke and pry. Keep going round in circles.
The same fucking war every time the sessions go to hell. Running on fumes, lost
the will to push against a brick wall of indifference. Only been home quarter
of an hour. Soon be in bed. Don’t think I’ll make the early bus tomorrow. Fuck
it! 11.11pm.
Wednesday 25th September 2013
Woke from a dream about
murder under a juggernaut and petrol flame trails on white lines at half past
four then an hour or so thinking about options for my courses at Waddy. A bit
frazzled in the morning session but it came pretty good. Pleased with the
feedback from last night’s students. Pleased to get an all-day breakfast. It’s
been good to take it easy this evening. Bit of workshop prep, made up booklet
for MIND. Hope we come up with title tomorrow. Graphic Print is doing the 100
copy run for us next week… Listened to quite a bit of Tim Minchin: Not Perfect,
Dark Side, Rock’n’Roll Nerd… So pleased I don’t have to be up really early
tomorrow. Toyah is singing Voodoo Doll on YouTube. Might read some David Gaffney
flash fiction in bed. Ok. Done for now. 10.27pm.
Thursday 26th September 2013
Bacon, beans, egg, shrooms,
toms and toast. And ginger biscuits dunked in hot orange juice.
The postman woke me at ten
past seven with my full set of printer ink from Amazon. Consett was good. I got
my money okay, was tempted to point out the typo on the cash deposit slot. Two
‘the’s in a row.
Julia Crafts had loads of the
grey card we’re using for the MIND anthology. And the group love the booklet
design. You made a real work of art, said Valerie. We renamed it Luminous
Echoes. Then proceeded to put together a whole load of new kick-starter lines,
a noun journal entry and an internal image exploration.
After bacon and lentil soup lunch
at Waddy I ran an informal Writing for All which repeated the above material
but we played consequences rather than image exploration. Chris and Alex are
keen to read at World Mental Health Day event on 11th October. It’s been a
rollercoaster week. I’m pleased to have pulled it off okay.
Now on X31 from Stanley to Newcastle,
having just been in to Graphic Print to get a sample booklet template cut for
Luminous Echoes. Maybe next week I’ll be able to fold the books on the premises
ready for trimming.
LATER: Good to spend time at
Jenni’s prior to JibbaJabba. Some great guests tonight. Project Leno, Tony
Williams, Kev Howard and James McKay plus some stellar open mic. Finished late
but still made it back to Newcastle
for last bus. Really tired. Bring on the bigly sleep. 11.44pm.
Friday 27th September 2013
From Morning Pages:
September’s Newcastle
JibbaJabba was epic. A superb opening set from Kev Howard who gave us politically
charged pieces with multiple layers of sound on the didgeridoo, interspersed
with commentary about eradication of welfare state and tributes to the original
players of his chosen instrument. Some of the tracks were almost hardcore dance
rhythms.
Mark Potts kicked off a fast
paced open mic with spoof newspaper headlines. More wonderful inventions from
upcoming Poetry Jam guest Julie Egdell. A hair removal nightmare from the
supremely talented AJ Mckenna plus lots of excellent turns from across the
region before a great set from saboteur award-winning flash fiction author Tony
Williams, including a hilarious story about various unwanted pregnancies.
After the break we had Project
Leno featuring Middlesbrough’s Bob Beagrie
backed by a band of acoustic players – including Kev Howard – and electro
soundscapers adding a new dimension to the spoken word.
Apples and Snakes very own
Kirsten Luckins gave us her poem published in Material Magazine – launched at
this evening’s event – about her muse being interrupted by a wannabe novelist
on the train. Chris Harland ditched the mic to share his poetic insights from a
very claustrophobic capital city, and Asa Maddison gave us a little too much
information on the trouble with his parents’ toilet – disgustingly brilliant stuff.
Good to hear from punk-edged Ettrick Scott with his electric cigarette rant,
brilliantly interspersed – due to temporary onstage amnesia – with an anecdote
about a job resignation. We had a very powerful poem on the theme of mental
health from County Durham based Jules Clare and a whole string of people road-testing
new material, ensuring the open mic built momentum before Jenni Pascoe, purple-loving
poet and event host extraordinaire, introduced us to the headline act for this
Apples/Jibba co-presentation.
Following a highly successful
run with The New Popular Reciter at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival, James
MaKay was in fine form at Jibba. At times a rather physical performer, thrusting
himself into a set which treated us to some of his new work including a haiku
sequence, as well as special Jenni-requested popular classics, including one
particularly filthy piece about fornication by John Wilmot, The Earl of
Rochester. Then there was the stunningly hypnotic version of Edgar Allen Poe’s ‘The
Bells’, after which the audience were invited to stand for a hymn finale – about
Bagpuss. A wonderfully potty way to close a top quality night of performance
poetry and music.
The Cumberland Arms is the absolute
north east Mecca
for spoken word. And with Apples and Snakes backing, the quality will stay high
month after month. Every fourth Thursday, come along, pay your four quid to the
baldy doorman, grab a pew before it becomes standing room only, and enjoy
JibbaJabba.
LATER: Bright afternoon on
the 78 approaching Chester-le-Street. The last
commute of the week for some. Pleased to have that shift over and a weekend of
leisure ahead of them. Drinking, indulging, consuming.
The bus stinks. Like a damp
potting shed. Wonder why that is. Tonight I’m going to the first Wearside
JibbaJabba hot on the heels of last night’s Tyneside megabash at the Cumberland. A little
frazzled from a stressful day, was reluctant to leave the house. My computer
won’t print colour despite twenty quid’s worth of new ink cartridges, so can’t
get the Mind booklet cover as I’d like. Hoping it will somehow magically fix
itself over the weekend. Won’t be home again till late Sunday.
The booklet is almost ready
to send the printer. Hoping to have it by midweek, giving me quite a while to
get it folded, stapled and returned for trimming. All I have on my mind is work
and food. I eat to give me something else to think about. I eat too much. Just
had a Greggs chicken oval bite. Before that tomato soup, cheese and tomato
sandwich, two packets of crisps and some golden syrup cake. My gums are sore. I
have a mouth ulcer and I’m gagging on the rank air of this bus.
Only at Chester-le-Street.
Still another forty minutes till I reach Park Lane interchange. I might read
Bible of Ill Will tonight. Might adlib a bit, talk about this bus journey.
We’ll see. 5.43pm.
That early evening sun in
late September
Peeking out from a slither of
cloud
Dusty smell on the final
commuter route
Before the big weekend self
indulgence
Feels like a night for
rock-hopping on trials bikes
Gothic horror dvds and
midnight feasts
We are flagging and the tree
branches sagging
Those sporadic rays of light
across the page
Won’t make it to the cabaret
stage
I will drink the apple tango
and let the slow
Pen stutter as we swerve
beside the white line
PLEASE NOTE: although I never got round to making
notes on Sunderland JibbaJabba at Creative
Cohesion on Nile Street
I very much enjoyed it. A more relaxed vibe than the Cumberland but a great night. Stellar
performances from Asa Maddsion. His set a perfect introduction to spoken word
for the uninitiated – well paced, engaging, accessible material. Good to get a
full set from Chris Harland – Freeze Dried, Cracking Up a highlight, love the
theatricality of Chris’s sets and look forward to seeing him again. It was
great to see newcomers taking to the mic alongside seasoned performers such as Sky
Hawkins and Mandy Maxwell. One guy even read a piece his friends had just persuaded
him to write during the interval. AJ McKenna was a tour de force. She should be
on stage every night and getting top money for hard-hitting social commentary
and poignant poetry. And Alix Bromwich Alexandra is a stunning singer – such a
great set to finish to the night. And thanks to the hard work of host Jenni
Pascoe there’s another Sunderland JibbaJabba on
Friday 18th October at Studio Q, just down the road from the September venue. Kevin
Cadwallender is headlining so it should be amazing. Unfortunately I won’t get to
be there as I’m going to see eighties flame-haired pop punk songstress Toyah Wilcox
at Legends in Newcastle
that evening.
Saturday 28th September 2013
Went to 100,000 poets for change
pop-up performances across Tyneside on little over four hours sleep. Read with
Jenni, Asa Maddison, Terry Dobson and Rowan McCabe in six of the eight
locations visited but flagging a bit by the end. Terry went home at four
o’clock. The others were still drinking when I left Newcastle. Had some sleep, crisps and cake,
checked updates on facebook for a while. 8.47pm.
Sunday 29th September 2013
Lazy lie in bed till almost
twelve trying to avoid food. Ate like a pig yesterday. Need to lose some
weight. Me and Jenni went into town late afternoon – for more food. Watched a
couple of episodes of Big Bang Theory, then The Bucket List starring Morgan
Freeman and Jack Nicholson. Tried to do some prep on the way home. Had a good
weekend but annoyed now. Printer still playing up. Hope to get it sorted
tomorrow.11.10pm.
Monday 30th September 2013
Good to get through the work
and out to the Lit & Phil for a double Red Squirrel Launch tonight. Eileen
Jones and Tom Kelly. Some very clever and amusing poems in Eileen’s pamphlet
Connecting Flights. I loved her poem My Way: “My ego is a pallid speck so delicate a tactful cough could blow it
away.” Or the wonderful Keen Mean Killing Cuisine: Has an isolated swerve of evolution morphed it into something only
natives of this town can safely chew on? Pleased to hear the well deserved rounds
of applause. Tom Kelly is a veteran of the small press scene and has been
giving readings all over for decades. I Know Their Footsteps contains poems
that are rich with distilled northern life. Working class snapshots and poignant
family portraits. Compassion in spades, this man. And a wonderful performer to
boot. Good to chat with Donna-Lisa Healey about writing as well. Wish Jenni had
been there. She has cold. 11.10pm.
Tuesday 1st October 2013
WORK-LOG: Morning Pages.
Copied up journals. Read some Writing Routes prep on bus to Durham. Bit of photocopying at Centre. One to
one stepping stones into fiction, Book of Days by Linda France, some Simon
Armitage poems. Did some typesetting then Clayport evening session. Why Write
recap, A2Z composition generator, Objects and Lies, My Box and ‘I am…’ Inner
critic and other barriers to progress. Read some Meg Rosoff, home to regular
journal. Ok. 11.31pm.
Wednesday 2nd October 2013
Woke at half four and started
thinking about today’s workshop. We did the National Poetry Day ‘water’ theme.
This afternoon I got a preliminary copy of the Mind anthology. Fantastic.
It’s good to be at home this
evening. Jenni had a writing for performance workshop at the Settle Down Café in
Newcastle but I
think participation would have wrecked me. Two more sessions of my own tomorrow
and then the NPD edition of Poetry Jam. These nights just keep getting better
and better.
I sold a copy of Shades of
Grey today. Some of those vignettes are over twenty years old. I think some of
my best writing was done long before attending or running workshops.
Received the deluxe edition
Fish album A Feast of Consequences today. Cd, dvd, 100-page fully-colour
illustrated hardback lyric book and signed print in slipcase. Awesome.
Fifteen years ago today,
although here at home, I was in another place. 8.00pm.
From a journal 2/10/98: “I
left myself in another place. Living inside my mind. A closed world . Steel
shutters and no spaces for the light to invade. A dark cavern. My self in
another place. The body wanders back and forth outside. No comfort there. I
left myself in another place.”
The man is losing his grasp.
Holed up in an empty space. Nothing to negate. The impossibility of existing in
a vacuum. No function. Useless. He knows this and yet still he persists. I
shake my head and walk away, leaving him alone with a no doubt fruitless
endeavour.
I saw someone from another
closed world. Out after a spell of twenty-two months. A friend was with her,
the one called Claire. They both looked really different. Colourful. Enjoying
life. They said they were looking for wrapping paper. And wanted to catch up on
new music. We said goodbye. I wish them well. 8.30pm.
(First published in Jay Woodman’s magazine ‘Rustic Rub’
#10, Spring 1999.)
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