quietly planning for big things

Happy Springtime greetings to you all! The days are getting longer and the birds are getting frisky, this is a great time of year to be a poet! Now, I know I’ve been a bit quiet recently, but I’m trying to just stick to relevant news and stuff. Well since getting my car locked into the Odell’s Yard car park after Scribal Gathering, (it was fine, I managed to rescue it the next morning) I’ve not had much time to spend in Stony Stratford, but I’ve got Stony AHA and Stony Live on my mind. I’m not yet sure how I’ll be involved in the former but should at least get my thinking cap on.

I’m currently making necessary arrangements for the printing of my book, and wondering whether I can stretch to 200 copies or stick to 100. This and the planning for adventures, poetry-related and otherwise, are taking up a lot of brainspace at the moment. I’ve also performed at the lovely Morgan’s Wine Bar in Leighton Buzzard (for Oxjam), and Raising the Awen in Northampton. Very, very different gigs but with the same hugely-talented handful of poetry friends, taking our respective schticks to new audiences.

I’ll be dropping in at the MK Arts Gateway mingle on Wednesday, and again highly recommend these gatherings as a great way to meet creative professionals and enthusiastic amateurs, and learn about what funding is available, where it goes, and how to get some.

And as the days get brighter and warmer, it’s definitely time to step out and enjoy our beautiful town and its surrounding greenery. Get all the latest news and information on Stony Stratford at www.aboutmyarea.co.uk/Buckinghamshire/Milton-Keynes/MK11

Out of the darkness...

After a bit of a break to enjoy other aspects of my life (including, but not restricted to, jumping up and down for hours in a darkened room filled with NOIZE!) it’s high time for getting back on the writin’ and recitin’ trail.

I’ll be at Scribal Gathering in Stony tonight (Tuesday 13^th), now at the Bull. Free entry, and as well as the usual open-minded open mic, music from Harry Pane, and no doubt a little chaos and catastrophe, there will be a feature set from Mark Niel too!

 

Then on Sunday Ian Freemantle and myself (and Jess Midwood?) will be performing in Leighton Buzzard at some as-yet unspecified wine bar in aid of Oxfam! Sounds interesting, and as precise as us performers are used to!

 

I shall also be getting involved in the Stony Paint Jam event, on the 18^th and 19^th August. It sounds like a fantastic fusion of performance and visual art happening right in the creative hub of Stony, and I’m hoping to lend a hand in the planning part, as well as taking part in the event itself.

 

It’s good to get back into the habit of these things for a while, and to head back to Stony Stratford. Being some distance across town has stopped me spending any time there of late, and my stern message to myself also goes out to everyone else too: grab whatever creativity you have and enjoy, keep thinking, making and doing. And if you are creative I recommend heading along to the MK Arts Gateway mingle at the Gallery on 28^th March. You’ll need to pre-register at:  http://www.artsgatewaymk.org.uk/ Get connected, and get involved!

and don't forget to check out http://www.aboutmyarea.co.uk/Buckinghamshire/Milton-Keynes/MK11 for the latest goings-on in Stony Stratford.