Appearances

I'll be giving a reading on May 8th at Chol Theatre in Huddersfield. Also appearing will be Gareth Durasow and Richard Smyth.

Currently reading

Sworn Virgin Elvira Dones
Collected Stories Lydia Davis

Fictions of Every Kind: Missing - two days after

Gareth Durasow reading at Fictions of Every Kind: Missing

What a marvellous night we all had on Tuesday at the Library. My thanks go out to everyone who came out, making it such a success!

There were plenty of exciting newcomers to the open mic, and some brilliant contributions from our regulars. Many of the pieces were touching and thought-provoking. Approaches to the month's theme were diverse. The creativity in the air was palpable....



Catherine reads a piece on 'going missing' during the Open Mic

Our guest speakers were Gareth Durasow (pictured, above) and Nasser Hussain. We had been expecting Phil Kirby, but he was unable to make it at the very last minute. Gareth read from a set of poems, numbered 1 - 12, and the audience chose (by heckling) the order in which he should read them. It was funny and biting and inspirational, and we were really glad to have him. Nasser, an excellent addition to the bill, is a Canadian-born hip-hop influenced poet. His work riffed off and referenced Stevie Wonder and Run DMC, and his poems were read with fascinating rhythm. If you ever get the chance to see him perform, I really recommend that you go.



The night was closed by the marvellous 7 hertz, whose music perhaps can best be described as "improvised sound-paintings". Though it was late, and much beer had been drunk, the audience listened in a raptured silence, drawn in by the intertwining melodies and counterpoints.



Thanks again to everyone who came out ... hope to see you at the next one!

Late addition to Fictions of Every Kind: Missing

Sometimes life throws you these curveballs. Sometimes they're curveballs that make you want to kick the nearest kitten, and other times they're the sort of curveballs that make you want to jump for joy - like that time I saw an elderly couple riding a tandem around Huddersfield city centre.

Pleasantly enough, I'm pleased to say that life has just thrown you, and me, a very pleasant curveball, in the form of Nasser Hussain. Nasser, a smooth hip-hop poet who graced the stage at the first ever Fictions of Every Kind, will make a very welcome return to Fictions... this coming Tuesday May 24th. He's a late addition to the bill, and we're all pretty bloody excited about it.

Appearing alongside Nasser will be West Yorkshire poet Gareth Durasow, and Phil Kirby, who is writer in residence at Temple Works Leeds. As usual there'll be a writers' open mic from 7.30 onwards, and the music at this event will come from the extremely marvellous, and spookily atmospheric, 7 Hertz.

The theme of the night is 'Missing', but don't feel you have to stick too closely to it. You won't get thrown out if you don't. It's at The Library on Woodhouse Lane, and entry is £3. See you there!

Fictions of Every Kind: Missing

I'm glad to say that planning for Fictions Of Every Kind: Missing is now all complete, and the full line-up can be revealed (whoop whoop!) You can expect yet another evening of engaging performances,exciting words and ideas, and getting drunk and pretending that it counts as "being cultured". It's on May 24th at The Library pub, on Woodhouse Lane, and runs from 7.30 - 10.30pm.

The theme is "Missing". Whether you're missing somebody, or don't know where one of your favourite socks is; whether you've missed the boat, the bus, or the point - Fictioners are invited to engage with this month's theme in whichever way they see fit. As usual, the theme is by now means strictly enforced, and divergers will not be strewn out.

Our guest speakers this month are:

Gareth Durasow an award-winning poet with a strong West Yorkshire sensibility, Gareth "collaborates with the audience to create a truly unique spoken word experience that alternates between the disarmingly endearing, the riotously funny and the blisteringly intense".

Phil Kirby Temple Works' writer-in-residence collaborates with artists and writers to create something rather new and exciting, exploring the fringes of fiction and art. Currently working on works of Imaginative Life Writing / fourth genre, Phil is likely to be full of surprises.

This month, music will come from the rather marvellous 7 Hertz. Long-standing troupers on the DIY scene, 7 HERTZ create fascinating textures and interweaving lines of melody through improvisation on violin, violin, and double bass.

The open mic will start between 7.30 and 8.00; please sign up from 7.30 onwards. Entry is £3.

Currently Reading

King Crow Michael Stewart
They Knew Mr Knight Dorothy Whipple