KAF Creatives | awritersfountain

I spent Friday night at KAF CREATIVES Re-launch and what a fabulous event it was to be a part of. We performed Spoken Word and Music in the upstairs gallery, surrounded by walls full of Art, which was being sold. A fair few poets are artists too and this was amazing to discover.

I wrote 4 poems especially for the event; Streetart, Flight, Kiss Salesman and Make Believe. Heather Wastie liked ‘Make Believe’ so much she is using part of it as quotation. (Proud and flattered.)

The audience were hugely attentive and the small space was packed!

I even joined in with the Drumming Workshop (held after the upstairs event and before the band!) it was great fun, certainly a work out! Great energy.

It was a great opportunity to be involved in and the whole night was one GREAT, BIG, HAPPY CELEBRATION!

Heather spent the evening taking photos and I thought you might enjoy seeing them too, as they capture the essence of the night!

It was my 1st paid gig, in the form of a beer token, usually reserved only for musicians! Honoured!

Thanks a billion to Kidderminster Creatives!

PICTURES TO FOLLOW

And a busy one at that. My work alarm was still set, so I was awake about an hour before I had planned. This did mean that I got an early start, which is probably a good thing as I have to write 3 poems about Art and get them printed off before 4pm for the KAF Creative Relaunch this evening. Writing under pressure about a specific subject or particular commission is one of the hardest things to do.

Right now I have my giant mug of coffee and am seeking inspiration. I have devoured my Degas book and Duchamp and managed to write 5 unconnected lines… it’s a start…. this has taken half an hour. I am now online and looking for other poems about Art to read for ideas and inspiration. I plan to have my poems written by lunchtime, so I can speedily digest them and still allow for some editing time later before emailing them off and printing them before the 4pm deadline.

I’d cross my fingers but I need to type.

Last night I prepared my list of TO DO for today, I haven’t had the pleasure of a writing day for over 2 weeks and that day was an interview and a Stanza meeting, so it didn’t actually involve any writing time, the day before was spent performing at Poetry For Lunch so the last time I slipped into my writing skin was the 6th January! No wonder I was feeling so much like Eeyore!

I had lots of other things I hoped to get checked off today, I realise now some of which will have to wait until the weekend. I have been working all week so far and was out Wednesday performing at 42, the other free time I have mainly spent sleeping.

I missed a gig at the Bristol Pear last night which would have been exceptional. In the end, after work, I was far too tired. Getting home before 6 and finding myself asleep until 8 meant I missed the start anyway.

Writers’ Bloc’s much-loved, raucous performance night is back!

Our second Grizzly Pear headliner will be the wonderful poet, genius behind Hit the Ode, Apples and Snakes West Midlands co-ordinator and all round good guy, Bohdan Piasecki.

I seem to have missed all sorts of wonderful events this month, Pigeon Park Press Winter’s Stories is another one I missed due to double bookings. What I haven’t missed because of clashing dates (Poetry Jam, Word Up, Poetry Bites, The Ort, Pigeon Park) I have missed due to overwork, tiredness or actual sleeping! The gig list for January was epic and for those working in the field a great start to the new year after having most of December off…. but for most of us who have a day job too – just too much to go to! It hasn’t helped that I have spent the past fortnight (apart from today) working full time (and I have another full-ish week next week) my 2 day writing work balance plan has gone out the window – but then again I had 2 weeks in December with no work and no income, so the money will plug a hole and pay for some of Christmas, keep us in heating and food etc. etc.

February’s schedule looks a lot cleaner with less than 10 events planned so far AND a whole blissful week off AND my biggest gig highlight so far (4 months in) I am finally brave enough to ‘Hit the Ode’! Also we have Mr G’s birthday, Valentine’s Day and my younger brother’s birthday to celebrate too!

Tonight’s event is a re-launch party – KAF Creatives are rebranding and have organised an event complete with music, poetry and art. This is the 1st of 2 gallery based bookings.
P R O G R A M M E

Upstairs in Gallery
7.30 – Launch of Exhibition FALL IN LOVE WITH CREATIVITY
8.00 – 9.30 Spoken word and acoustic music
Downstairs
9.30 – 9.45 THE LAUNCH! with drumming
9.45 – Close – Live Music with Time of the Mouth & we Are Fenton

Looks to be a great evening!

I also have a submission deadline today for some Haiku poetry & photography. I will look to do that after my KAF set is complete. Nothing like a day OFF is there! 😉