Rehearsals and performances and feedback

We are busy preparing for the launch of The Don’t Touch Garden next week, and spent yesterday morning rehearsing with musicians Sarah Lloyd and Ian Kennedy, who we worked with for last year’s Solstice Shorts.

Ian Kennedy & Sarah Lloyd

Ian Kennedy & Sarah Lloyd

Ian & Sarah will be providing linking music for the various sections of the long narrative poem The Don’t Touch Garden which is the title poem of Kate Foley’s eighth collection (but first with us).

Here is a very small segment to give you an idea what they are up to together. They came up with a particularly good lullaby!

PLUS!
Some feedback from an audience member at the Woodbridge library reading last week, via Sylvia Fairley one of the musicians who played at that performance.

What a wonderful evening on Friday. We so loved it. You and your piano playing friend did the most perfect interplaying of music that added so much to such a marvellous poem… I hadn’t heard Kate before or read any of her poetry so what a treat that was. Wow, what a woman and didn’t the audience soak it all up. One of the best of evenings, truly.

Caroline Hawksley

And finally, a photo and video snippet from Kate’s performance at Incite @ The Phoenix Artist Club last night. incite3

Hoping the multi-talented Anny Knight will share her photos of the evening later, as she was a lot closer to the action than I could get.

The Story Sessions: Short Story Week

Osos story sessions flyerSHORT STORY WEEK: Wednesday 19th November 7.30pm South London:
The Story Sessions, Cafe of Good Hope, 216 Hither Green Lane, SE13 6RT £3

Yes, we know its short story week – so why are we reading poetry? – because this is narrative poetry – it tells stories!
Readings from Arachne Poets featured in The Other Side of Sleep: Anne Macaulay, Inua Ellams Jennifer A McGowan, Bernie Howley.
Also reading but not in the book: Anny Knight and Gloria Sanders and hopefully a couple more poets,including you? Join in with flash from the floor.
PLUS! We will be announcing the WINNERS of the SOLSTICE SHORTS FESTIVAL SHORT STORY COMPETITION.

November Readings for The Other Side of Sleep

We are continuing to launch The Other Side of Sleep with more events through November.

Saturday 8th November MiddlesboroughWestgarth Social Club, 99 Southfield Rd, Middlesbrough, TS1 3EZ. Doors open 7pm. £3 entry. Readings from Adrienne Silcock, p.a. morbid (accompanied by Kev Howard), Judi Sutherland. Also performing are Kirsten Luckins and Emma Whitehall.

Saturday 15th November Amsterdam: The English Bookshop, Lauriergracht 71  Amsterdam 4pm. Readings from Kate Foley, Robin Winckel-Mellish, Simon Brod, Sam Small, plus music from Daniel Brouns.

SHORT STORY WEEK: Wednesday 19th November 7.30pm South London:
The Story Sessions, Cafe of Good Hope, 216 Hither Green Lane, SE13 6RT £3
Readings from  Anne Macaulay, Inua Ellams Jennifer A McGowan, Bernie Howley.
Also reading but not in the book,  Anny Knight and Gloria Sanders and hopefully a couple more poets,including you? Join in with flash from the floor.
PLUS! We will be announcing the WINNERS of the SOLSTICE SHORTS FESTIVAL SHORT STORY COMPETITION.

 

The Story Sessions – Video of Feminist Fables and Folk Tales

Here are some video snippets of last night’s Story Sessions, feminist folk tales for international women’s day. (Yes, I do know it was Saturday, I’m a woman ALL year…).

So here we go:

Cherry Potts reading from The Bone Box

Catherine Blackfeather reading from Sleeping Beauty and the Gnome

Anny Knight returning to join in with Flash from the Floor

Carrie Cohen reading in for Emily Cleaver (who was moving house so couldn’t come) with The Frog

and Jelena Ćurčić, reading from The Maiden who was Faster than a Horse

There was definitely a theme for the evening of clever girls outwitting people who thought they knew better.

(for reason’s known only to techies, this videos don’t always play in internet explorer – if you have problems, try Mozilla Firefox instead.)

The Story Sessions is taking a break for April. We’ll keep you posted when and where we are next, but we are lining up more themes: Science Fiction, Journeys, and Beasties. If you would like to read for us to any of those themes get in touch – it doesn’t have to be new work, just yours. Perfectly happy for you to promote a book or whatever.

If you are a venue and would like to host us, get in touch!

The Story Sessions photos from Feminist Fables & Folk Tales

So here’s the photos from last night’s belated celebration of INternational Women’s Day at the Ivy House

Jelena Curcic tells us about the Maiden who could outrun a Horse

Jelena Curcic tells us about the Maiden who could outrun a Horse

cherry folk tales2

Cherry Potts reveals what is in the Bone Box…

Carrie Cohen Flips thorugh Frog by Emily Cleaver

Carrie Cohen ‘Flips’ through Frog by Emily Cleaver

A flash fable from Anny Knight

A flash fable from Anny Knight

Cath Blackfeather gets to the point of Sleeping Beauty

Cath Blackfeather gets to the point of Sleeping Beauty

Queer Tales at the Story Sessions – the videos

So here’s some snippets of video from our lovely readers last night.

Clare Summerskill reads us Jeffrey, talking about the 1930’s from her oral history of Lesbian and Gay lives, Gateway to Heaven

Rebecca Idris reads from her novel The Sitar

Cherry Potts name checks folk songs while reading from The Ballad of Polly & Ann (Mosaic of Air)

Anny Knight observes the perils of the Lesbian Disco, and suggests a way of getting rid of overstaying guests

And Catherine Blackfeather rescues a selkie…

(Cherry’s mini tour of London for LGBT History Month continues on Friday at Crofton Park Library where she will be reading two-handers from Mosaic of Air with Alix Adams, and at The Cafe of Good Hope in Hither Green next Wednesday, where she is joined by Rebecca and Catherine again, plus V A Fearon. more info here.

Unconnected to LGBT History Month, Cherry is running a poetry workshop 1-3 This friday 21st Feb at the Donald Hope Library, Colliers Wood.

The next Story Sessions is on 12th March, and is Feminist Fables and Folk Tales, for international women’s day.

If you have an idea for a theme and would like to read for The Story Sessions, get in touch

The Story Sessions, Queer Tales, Photos

We had great fun at The Story Sessions last night. here are a few photos to whet your appetite for the videos to come…

Anny Knight reading poetry

Anny Knight QT Anny KnightCatherine Blackfeather reading a tale of Selkies

Cath Blackfeather QTClare Summerskill reading Oral History from Gateway to Heaven

Clare Sumerskill Clare Summerskill QTRebecca Idris reading from The Sitar

Rebecca IdrisAs usual, no pictures of Cherry Potts, who was behind the camera when not on stage, all photos © Cherry Potts 2014.

LGBT History Month events

LGBT History month poster smallLGBT History month is keeping us busy this year. Cherry Potts is reading from Mosaic of Air at a number of events (Incidentally, should you be keen enough to want to come to all the events Cherry is involved in over February, she will be making an effort to read something different each time, and the focus will vary too, as will the company!

Lewisham Library 199-201 Lewisham High Street, SE13 6LG
6th February 7.45  for 8, until 9.30
free, but ticketed. 40 tickets available so probably wise to book.

Cherry will be joined by poet Kate Foley, humorist  V.G. Lee and debut novelist V.A. Fearon.

The Story Sessions, Queer Tales, 19th February 7.45 at the Ivy House SE15 3BE – Cherry, Catherine Blackfeather, Anny Knight, Rebecca Idris and Clare Summerskill (Voluntary financial contributions welcomed, and of course you can join in with 100 words on theme in Flash from the Floor.)

North Kensington Library 108 Ladbroke Grove, North Kensington, W11 1PZ
(11th February 18:30) is Cherry on her own, reading from Mosaic of Air and some newer work, and discussing how things have changed since MoA was first published. Free.

Walthamstow Library, High Street Walthamstow, E17 7JN 12th February 19:00 is Cherry and actor Sarah Feathers, reading from Mosaic of Air and from Lovers’ Lies in an event called Holding a Mirror up to the 80′s, Lesbian Short Stories now and then, so more historical observation! This is a ticketed event but still free.

And finally: in company with Alix Adams, local author Cherry Potts reads from her short story collection Mosaic of Air, grief, old age, spiders and song, all from a lesbian perspective. Free. 7pm Friday 21st February Crofton Park Library 375 Brockley Rd, London SE4 2AG.

…oh, not finally – we’ve been asked to do another:

Cafe of Good Hope, Hither Green Lane SE13 6RT. Wednesday 26th February. 7pm. Cherry Potts, Rebecca Idris, V.A. Fearon, Catherine Blackfeather Tickets £3.

Literary-2014-A6

The Story Sessions: Queer Tales

Queer Tales flyer19th February 7.45 for 8, at the Ivy House 40 Stuart Road, Nunhead SE15 3BE:

February’s Story Sessions celebrates LGBT history month.

Clare Summerskill

Stella Duffy is unable to join us after all, but Clare Summerskill has stepped up to fill the gap (Thank you Clare, for helping out at such short notice.) Clare will be joined by Rebecca Idris author of The Sitar, ably supported by  local author Cherry Potts, Cath Blackfeather and poet Anny Knight.

Don’t forget you can join in with our Flash from the Floor floor spots after the interval: 100 words of your own poetry or flash fiction on theme.

The theme for LGBT month this year is music,so if that additional element inspires you, nothing to stop you preparing your 100 words in advance!

**The Story Sessions are normally free, however, as we are paying our headliner, we wil be asking for a voluntary contribution of whatever you think the evening is worth!**