Lauren Williams | awritersfountain

Thank goodness for Classic Mode – it is unusual when tech is improved to leave an option to use the previous format, glad WordPress have – as I have a lot of blog posts to catch up on.

Let’s go back in time… before my birthday there were many events I didn’t blog about and since then I have been busy with events… I have taken the past 48 hours offline – it is a Bank Holiday weekend and we have had the allotment to sort out and friends visiting from London. I would recommend a offline break to anyone – I didn’t even use my mobile phone, the only tech ipods and TVs.

War & Peace – 12th August

Kidderminster have a brilliant Arts Festival throughout the summer and this month’s Mouth and Music was a festival special. We were all expecting it to be a heavy evening – due to the theme – and the nature of the subject… it wasn’t – it was (as always) a brilliant night!

Jasmine Gardosi – a poet friend from Birmingham and runner up in the recent OXJAM Poetry Slam, is head lining there in a few months time and she came to M&M on the 12th, was great to have her company.

Matt Windle was the poetry headliner this month – love watching him perform – energy, talent and spirit. He is a boxer and is often billed as the Boxing Poet – I like the way he encourages others. Recently, at ‘A Night with Maya Angelou’ I saw Lauren Williams, a student at Birmingham Ormiston Academy & Birmingham Young Poet Laureate perform, having seen her get the acolade last year at the BLF (Birmingham Lit Fest) it was wonderful to see her perform. In conversation she told me that she was inspired by a poet who visited her school…. that poet? Matt Man Windle of course, who was himself a Young Poet Laureate a few years ago.

Matt doesn’t keep still during any performance and the lighting in the venue is a challenge for any photographer.

One of the reasons I like to blog about events in real time is because I still have the energy and enthusiasm for it in real time. Whereas at 9 (now 10) in the morning on Bank Holiday Monday trying to recall the night is somewhat harder.

I just remember uplifted feelings and some incredible poetry, music and dance. Sirkel – the music headliners brought DANCE to M&M for the first time.

SIRKEL
Scandinavian influenced folk duo – sax, flute, violin, accordion, guitar & mandola
plus guest appearance from clog dancer Ayliffe Edwards.

All photographs © Peter Williams 2014

The clog dancing was captivating!

Heather Wastie performing her War & Peace Poetry

Me performing mine.

A moving night and a fantastic audience of festival goers. A good time was had by all!

The most magical night.

Hosted this month by Sarah Tamar, congratulations on such a successful evening!

If you have been reading the blog lately you will have realised that I have had a busy fortnight (10 days) with my first Literature Festival of the year! (Despite having noted Literature festivals on a calendar in the Spring.)

I had hoped to post live the daily feed from the festival events and successes. The laptop mouse control put pay to that… but we are back online with a shiny new USB mouse, very well behaved balanced on the armchair arm for most of the time. (I keep trying to use the laptop one and then I remember the new one next to me! Shhhhh, don’t tell him, he might stop working as well!)

My photos were taken from a smart phone with intention of atmosphere rather than clarity and (as with the rest of the photos on the blog) I own the copyright.

The Launch

The launch night of the festival was a great atmosphere to revel in. I have missed most Literature Festivals I planned to go to this year, so I was happy not to miss one held so locally.

The launch night was also an opportunity to watch performances from the current Poet Laureate Stephen Morrison-Burke and find out who had won the coveted position of City Laureate for 2013/14. Congratulations to Joanna Skelt.

They also announced the Young Poet Laureate – a title I wish they had awarded when I was younger. Congratulations to Lauren Williams.

I went alone, but as I have heard a few times in the past week… the poetry world is a small one and I soon bumped into people I had met at Sarah Leavesley’s book launch (back in September).

As it was National Poetry Day I was delighted to be at a poetry event and I hadn’t been to the new library since it opened, I treated myself to a tour and a browse. Loved it, so new, shiny and exciting… sometimes I have struggled with library modernisation, loved the old system of tickets and stamps, but this new space is incredible and despite size and modern interior, still feels welcoming.

I spent time in the rivers and oceans book areas making a pictorial record for my National Poetry Day effort, the theme was ‘water’.

You can see my poem here

I had another adventure returning to my car, I tripped over on a cobbled street, falling face first onto all fours, trying to catch my glasses, I threw my handbag and all the papers to the floor… a nasty gash on my knee that still hurts and jarred shoulders.

Which was a great shame as I had an epically brilliant night!