july to december 2o¦8

Super Saturday at WATERSTONES BOOKSHOP, TORQUAY

DECEMBER 6th - 12noon to 1pm

Ridiculous to Sublime, a seasonal poetry reading, designed to be a welcome relief from the more usual pre-Christmas shinanigins. A small group of Oversteps Poets eased shoppers through some calm thoughts, with well placed words and more than a pinch of humour. The new editor of Oversteps Books, Alwyn Marriage hosted this event.

Poets Friday at COCKINGTON COURT, nr TORQUAY

DECEMBER 5th - 4.30pm

Susan Taylor & Simon Williams joined Graham Burchell, Deborah Treliving and William Oxley for a seasonal teatime event in the fairy tale setting of Cockington Court.

Devon’s got talentat the PHOENIX,  EXETER

SATURDAY 15th NOVEMBER

Belinda & Josephine hosted, with their usual dynamism (& opitimism), a special Surreal Saloon in honour of Exeter’s Autumn Festival. Nemo Jones stole the show with his artful songs, but all of us wordsmiths, be they chanteuse, comedians or poets had a fun evening, with much good spirited applause of each other’s acts. Well done to the Surreal team and bouquets to the two supporting bands, Dyspraxia from Totnes & Rebel Music, all the way from surfin’ Bude.

 

MALTSTERS MASH at THE MALTSTERS ARMS, nr TOTNES

SATURDAY 8th NOVEMBER

An evening suffused with a bubbly mix of music, poetry, song & storytelling. Performers & audience came along to stir this quintessential brew &  take a nightcap in the Breakfast Room. It’s free entry & for details email: susan@farmhouse.ac

for details of the Maltsters Arms on romantic Bow Creek - click below

                                                                               www.tuckenhay.com

Totnes storytell at THE DARTMOUTH INN, TOTNES

TUESDAY 4th NOVEMBER

Reclaiming Moor Myths with guests, Julia Thomas, Howard Frey, Simon Williams & Susan Taylor. Two couples combine into a quartet to perform as MythRythM. They are constantly unearthing, to deliver afresh, a plethora of songs, stories, music and poems based on the legends of Dartmoor, with an intriguing assortment of musical accompaniments, including small pipes, whistle, mandolin, concertina and drum.

 

sUN ON THE WATERat Mr B’s EMPORIUM of READING DELIGHTS THURDAY 30th OCTOBER, 14-15 John Street, Bath

3 Bath Spa University alumni, all 3 from Devon, 3 new poetry collections!

Alyson Hallett, The Stone Library, Peterloo Poets

Julie-ann Rowell, Letters North,  The Brodie Press

Susan Taylor, The Suspension of the Moon, Oversteps Books

The early cold snap influenced this reading - there were snowy poems from Canada, Newfoundland, Norway, plus the Bath Spa University campus, where each of these poets studied for Masters degrees at different times. This reading was a sell-out, thanks to Mr B’s superb promotional skills - this bookshop was awarded the Independent Bookshop of the Year Award for 2008 and, we can assure you, Mr B is not resting on his laurels!

 

Calling down the muses at TORQUAY’S BREEZES BAR

MONDAY 27th OCTOBER , 10.15am - 12, Princess Theatre, Sea Front

‘Yet not... Cease I to wander where the Muses haunt’ John Milton, Paradise Lost

Poetry workshop, led by Susan Taylor, who took a light-hearted look at the Nine Muses. These archetypal Greek characters are intricately involved with the way we make up and process poetry.  Fourteen of us worked in a semicircle with an fine view of the Bay, so that by the end, the sea entered our Sapphics... oh, and all the Muses were summoned and we hope we gained their approval!

Torbay Festival of Poetry, 6 The Mount, Higher Furzeham, Brixham TQ5 8QY

 

Hoot@Hennock nr BOVEY TRACEY

SATURDAY 25th OCTOBER at 8pm

Witchalicious & wizardy goings on & decor to match!Thom the World Poet, had broomsticked in from Austin, Texas to headline this evening - which is the only Devon stop on his UK tour. Other wordlocks appearing were Jackie Juno,  Simon Williams & Susan Taylor.

 

Trade winds IN HOLNE VILLAGE HALL, nr ASHBURTON

FRIDAY OCTOBER 24th

Trade Winds breezed a mile or so up the hill from Scoriton, for a session with its dear neighbours in Holne. We enjoyed the versatile lighting in this cozy little hall, and it enhanced some really chilling ghost stories, including the desperate tale of Okehampton’s Benjie Geare spinning ropes of sand and a great rendition of the Foggy Dew! Thanks to everyone who made this a great evening. For those not in the know, Trade Winds is an ad hoc session for performers of all trades. Principally supported by poets, storytellers, musicians, singers & songwriters, we have also featured barbershop, stray raconteurs, opera singers, classical musicians, jazz, wassail choirs, comedy,  one man shows, fooling… the remit expands.

 

Song and poetry at BRIXHAM COMMUNITY COLLEGE THURSDAY 23rd OCTOBER with Susan Taylor & Simon Williams

a morning of poems & songs with a Dartmoor focus

This event was the first one of the Torbay Festival of Poetry 23rd to 27th October and was excellently hosted, thanks to both William & Patricia Oxley and the ACE Group (Access to Community Education) in Brixham.

 

MALTSTERS MASH on the River Dart at Tuckenhay

SATURDAY 11th OCTOBER 8.00 ‘til late

We had a near perfect balance between spoken word and music at  this month’s Maltsters Mash. This happens sometimes, at random and possibly by magic. The pub is a great one in its lovely setting alongside Bow Creek. We’re sure this helps!

For details of Maltsters Mash - email: susan@farmhouse.ac

for details of the Maltsters Arms on romantic Bow Creek - click below

                                                                               www.tuckenhay.com

Escape : LIVE & Lyrical, BARBICAN THEATRE, PLYMOUTH
THURSDAY 2 OCTOBER at 8pm

Star of the performance poetry scene Zena Edwards headlined the first ever Apples & Snakes night at the B-Bar as a partner event to the Hidden City Festival. Always fresh and unforgettable, Zena's live performances fused jazz and hip-hop with sensuous rhythms and intricate rhymes. In support were poets from across the region (actually mainly from across Dartmoor) airing work developed in Zena's Escape masterclass. The night was hosted by the B-Bar's resident soul-jazz floozy Mama Tokus.
 

Trade Winds in SCORITON VILLAGE HALL, nr. Buckfastleigh

FRIDAY 26th SEPTEMBER  

What is the best collective word for a gathering of singers and songwriters?

A constellation of singers is what I reckon we had at Trade Winds in September. Spoken word was just the occasional sparkle of stardust in a great musical event.

We give ourselves time to stop and breathe deeply, to feel the satisfaction of what has been achieved, to start to relax  - Emma Restall Orr on the Autumn Equinox, (Harvest Home or Mabon.)Trade Winds is an ad hoc session for performers of all trades, principally supported by poets, storytellers, musicians, singers & songwriters... but really, anything goes.

Surreal Saloon CABARET at EXETER PHOENIX

SATURDAY 27th SEPTEMBER 8.30 till late

The usual flaming barrels of energy rolled out in the form of compering by Belinda & Jo. Among the wildfire tonight, were the fabulous Elvis and his backing band of Geishas - you really need to see these people, they are fabulous! A great mix of soul-warming & startling entertainment was in the air throughout this month’s extravaganza, plus the obligatory red top jokes about Big Brother, plus plus poems from James Turner  and others, including Simon & Susan. Only a shame the event wasn’t supported by an appropriate ‘packed to the rafters’ audience..

 

Uncharted MOOR POETS  LAUNCH CD at TOTNES FESTIVAL

SUNDAY 14th SEPTEMBER, 7.30pm in Bogan House, Totnes

Moor Poets celebrated again the release of UNCHARTED, this time in the fabulous surroundings of Bogan House. It was great to have Chris Waters and Hilary Jupp, two poets who couldn’t make it to the Exeter launch, or the first premiere evening at Chagford.

 

gathering of joys at TOTNES FESTIVAL

SATURDAY 13th SEPTEMBER 6 - 7pm in the Civic Square, Totnes

Wearing bird masks, celebrating with music, mask & ceremony! What to do when 250 racing pigeons cancel out on your gig? Run up and down, flapping arms and pretending to be pigeons, of course! Looking forward to 2009, the next spectacular Lantern Procession will be on the theme of Air. This event was a chance to feed in ideas to Helen & her team. Email: helen@harbertonfslife.co.uk

 

MALTSTERS MASH on the River Dart at Tuckenhay

SATURDAY 13th SEPTEMBER 8.00 ‘til late

This regular monthly mix of music, poetry, song & storytelling continued all the way through the late summer festival season. A small but select crowd this month, as we were competing with about six other events at the culmination of the Totnes Festival, and this did give us a chance to hear Eleanor Davies, one of our regular musicians, performing her final MA composition with violin, viola and treated sounds from a cross Devon pipeline. Thanks to all who deserted the town to come to Maltsters. Wasn’t sunset on the autumnal trees magnificent too?

For details of Maltsters Mash - email: susan@farmhouse.ac

for details of the Maltsters Arms on romantic Bow Creek - click below

                                                                               www.tuckenhay.com

 

Poems from birdwood at TOTNES FESTIVAL

MONDAY 8th SEPTEMBER, 7.30 - 9pm at The Bay Horse Inn, Totnes

Launch evening of  the first Poems from Birdwood poetry pamphlet

Poetry Intuition is a Totnes grown, grass roots poetry workshop group, which meets in Birdwood House. It reached its fourth birthday tonight! The poets who have been involved in the group celebrated this milestone with readings from their newly published collection.  

 

Moor poets workshop :  Mystery & Imagination

SATURDAY 6th SEPTEMBER  with Susan Taylor & Simon Williams

11 – 5pm in Scoriton Village Hall, Scoriton, nr Buckfastleigh

As the nights started to draw in and rain swept across the Holybrook in white veils, we spent a day minting new poems from the rich resource of local tales, both ancient and modern. Pixies only intruded a tiny bit into the day’s proceeding, but the evil Squire Cabell of Scoriton and ‘The Scoriton Mystery’ were much in evidence. Thanks also to Helen, for her story on the hoary old Hairy Hands.

 

Totnes market NOW WITH ADDED POETRY!

- part of FESTIVAL WARM-UP DAY FRIDAY 29th AUGUST 10am to 2pm

Susan ran a poetry bookstall on the pavement with Moor Poets friends: Jackie Juno, Jennie Osborne & Graham Burchell. Jackie Juno had her festival hat on and did stand-up poetry slots for interested bystanders and believe us... they were interested!

 

Uncharted MOOR POETS at THE PICTURE HOUSE, EXETER

SUNDAY 24th AUGUST, 7.30pm - CD launch celebration reading

In the stylish surroundings of a candlelit Picture House bar Moor Poets celebrated the release of UNCHARTED , with the help of our mc for the evening, Ian Royce.

 

Trade winds on the road

In August, we went to the Seaside, hosted by Richard in the massive & superbly appointed Stoke Fleming Village Hall, near Blackpool Sands. Lots of new faces and voices were seen and heard at this event, as well as a good few regulars.

 

MALTSTERS MASH on the River Dart at Tuckenhay

SATURDAY 9th AUGUST 8.00 ‘til late

This regular monthly mix of music, poetry, song & storytelling continues to run successfully all the way through the summer festival season. The heavy rain brought out a storm of dark pieces about drowned rats, pick-pocketing & hangings,  but all this was balanced by the singing of Tennyson’s ‘Crossing the Bar’ and Holst’s delightful planets... truly!                                                                               www.tuckenhay.com

 

westival Sundae at THE BREWHOUSE THEATRE, TAUNTON

SUNDAY 27th JULY

Susan & Simon sowed wild word seeds among a world mix of music & dance,  including MeanFeetDance, Fong, Grantchester Choir and Tom Toomey & Simon Swarbrick.

 

Hidden histories at WAYS WITH WORDS

SATURDAY 19th JULY 2.30pm in Dukes Room at Dartington Hall  

Click on the poem title to read Susan Taylor’s poem ‘Kitty Jay Speaks’  which will be one of the poems presented at the launch of the Hidden Histories project pamphlet, featuring six poems from each of the westernmost counties of England: Dorset, Devon & Cornwall.This project was coordinated by Greta Stoddart, Writer in Residence at the University of Exeter.

 

MALTSTERS MASH on the River Dart at Tuckenhay

SATURDAY 12th JULY

A bubbly mix of music, poetry, song & storytelling. Mavis Hewitt, one of our regular storytellers mc’d this session as both Simon & Susan zipped off to Ledbury Poetry Festival, to take part in the Poetry Slam. Meanwhile, at the Maltsters Arms, performers & audience came along to stir this quintessential brew &  take a nightcap in the Breakfast Room. It’s free entry & for details email: susan@farmhouse.ac

for details of the Maltsters Arms on romantic Bow Creek - click below

                                                                               www.tuckenhay.com

 

Trade winds at Ways with words

FRIDAY 11th JULY on the patio outside the White Hart, Dartington

We had the honour of helping to kick-off the 1st day of Ways With Words We had a host of wonderful musicians and singers, who overcame the dampish Devon evening with a beguiling array of different styles, as well as words ‘with wings’ from both festival goers and T W regulars.

 

 

 

 

 

Click here for archive records Jan to June 08