Last night was my final WLF event, the festival finishes tonight with the Double Whammy Slammy, which is a poetry slam & a flash fiction slam! As well as it being a party to celebrate the festival, one year I will make it to the final event, perhaps even enter the slam…
http://worcslitfest.co.uk/2015/05/11/double-whammy-slammy-the-details/
I have work tomorrow in two different schools and tutoring as well, so I need an early night and need to recoup some energy, writing time and time with Mr G before another week of busy work and poeting (more about this in this week’s Poetry Wrap).
JONNY FLUFFYPUNK * STAND-UP POET * GIVE-UP GUITARIST * SUSTAINABLE NIHILIST *
I love watching Jonny Fluffypunk perform and was delighted to see him return to the festival. This is the 4th time I have seen him perform and after he’d spent the day in London at the Austerity March, I was bowled over with the energy he still had to carry him through his set.
I was delighted to hear some new material and poems that weren’t in his fantastic book The Sustainable Nihilist’s Handbook – which you should all buy because it is brilliant! I bought it first time I saw him. 
I also won the SpeakEasy raffle that night, hence my prize sharing the photo!
I was equally happy to hear poems from his collection. I always love to buy the books, read the poems at my own pace, dip in and out – but I stand by the fact that it is BEST when you hear the poet in those words, saying them. A delight! As always.
Jonny is currently touring his show 
NEXT ‘MAN UP…’ SHOW:
LONDON MAMA LOSCHENS’@JW3, Finchley Rd
Details/Tickets Here
‘Acute social obsevation, intricate humour, surreal fantasy, sharp irony and wit… and England’s most pretentious moustache’- The Independent
I have to disagree with The Independent on this one – he has the most splendid, ravishing facial hair, it inspired my ever-becoming-more-renowned Moustache Poem with Fact Bombs and I certainly enjoyed performing that one with Tim Scarborough at Mouth & Music in front of the legend himself.
My selfish hope for the future is he publishes a second book. Although having embarked on that part of the poetry journey myself, I know how much work goes into editing a small chapbook collection (just 25 poems) so I imagine, a second book may not be something he is attempting to work towards right now as he is an extremely busy stand-up poet and the only Sustainable Nihilist Poet that we know of!
Last night’s event was great fun and we even convinced Jonny to join us on our Solstice Poetry Walk.
http://www.jonnyfluffypunk.co.uk/
Performing regularly throughout the UK, Jonny has won Poetry Slams in Brighton, Bristol, Brixton, Cirencester, Lydney and Ledbury Poetry Festival amongst others (plus 2nd place two years running in the National All-Stars Slam at the Cheltenham Literary Festival)- whilst remaining, of course, fully opposed to competition both in the Arts and life in general.
Have a watch here – more You Tube videos are available.
FUTURE DATES where you can see the wondrous poet for yourselves – some details TBC – check his website for updated information;
Thurs 25th-Sun 28th
Glastonbury Festival
POETRY ARMY:POETRY CAN F**K OFF
Stage / date / time TBA
PLUS SOLO STUFF AROUND SITE.SPONTANEOUS!
July 2015
Sat 11th
Stroud
SVA
MR FLUFFYPUNK’S PENNY GAFF:
with Liz Bentley: Crash! Bash! Trash!
Fri 24th-Sun 26th
WOMAD Festival
Malmesbury, Wilts
Hip Yak Poetry Stage. Times TBA
Fri 30th-2nd Aug
Port Eliot Arts Festival
St Germans, Cornwall
August 2015
Sat 1st-Sun 2nd
As July 31st
Thurs 27th- Sun 30th
Shambala Festival
Market Harborough
Wandering Word Stage. Times TBA
September 2015
Sat 19th
Stroud
SVA
MR FLUFFYPUNK’S PENNY GAFF:
Rob Auton: The Water Show
October 2015
Sat 17th
Kendal
Lakes Comics Festival
Details TBA
November 2015
Thurs 19th
Torquay
Poetry Island @ The Blue Walnut
7pm £TBA
Photo Credit WLF Team © 2015
The Offa Press Poets
Last year I was fortunate, along with Adrian Mealing to perform a poem before Jonny’s show. This year WLF invited the Offa Press Poets to open the first half of the evening. Bert Flitcroft and David Bingham won the same competition I entered (and was obviously rejected from) last year. I have bought both of Bert’s books previously and recommend them highly.
It was lovely to see him and hear him perform again.
‘Thought-Apples’ is a collection of 25 poems by Staffordshire poet Bert Flitcroft. They are philosophical, occasionally piquant, always accessible and pleasing to the ear. Bert was born in 1946 and grew up in Lancashire.
Nowadays he lives near Lichfield, a retired English teacher. – WLF Programme
I always enjoy discovering new to me poets, David Bingham is the editor of a couple of magazines: Blithe Spirit & Journal of the British Haiku Society and has a selection of wonderful poems in his book. He also chatted freely after the event, which was a lovely connection.
http://www.offaspress.co.uk/shop/
David Bingham’s debut collection from Offa’s Press, ‘The Chatter of Crows’, includes impressive Japanese-influenced haibun and haiku, which amuse and intrigue in equal measure. David lives in Ironbridge, Telford, is a retired Humanities teacher and has a Diploma in Creative Writing from Birmingham University. He’s currently editor of Blithe Spirit magazine.
‘Good on the page and good on stage’ are Offa’s Poets’ watchwords. – WLF Programme
awritersfountain 