Urban Coffee House | awritersfountain

Saturday 12th April was a day of events. There was the Independent Book Fair at the Ikon Gallery, Birmingham. This event was organised by Writing West Midlands, who I was working for in Worcester the same day. I toyed with the idea of getting into the city early for an hour and leaving to journey across the county. I decided I would only have an hour and it wasn’t worth the early start and extra journey. I have read reviews and I know I wouldn’t have managed much in just an hour.

Then I found out that Najma Hush’s event was also in the morning. It was touch and go and I really appreciate her squeezing me in on the line up as I couldn’t confirm until the morning of her opening event. Now an hour of poetry was something that I was willing to make a journey for!

The Diverse Dancers exhibition was such a great event to be part of. I knew I would have a great morning and was sad that I couldn’t stay for the whole event as I had to travel back for my Assistant Writers job.

Female Force is the title given to a selection of photographs taken of statues by Najma Hush. These images been manipulated by the process of multi-layering, to modernise and re-present, a few and various neoclassical and classical sculptures, from the fresh perspective of a digital age. Currently exhibiting at Urban Coffee Co (Church Street Birmingham, from April 6th – May 3rd 2014).

With the exhibition open day held last Saturday 12th April, Hush hosted her very own launch event inviting Poets and Musicians to platform their own skills and celebrate her latest exhibition. You can see all the photographs of the beautiful people who came to support this event on the PhotoGiraffe official page. The theme was ‘Women’ and all performers prepared work to coincide with this exhibition. After all, these open exhibition events aren’t titled, ‘Exhibition for Exhibitionists’ for nothing you know.

I met new poets and had the chance to see some of them perform, it seemed like ages since I had made it into the city to see my Birmingham based poetry friends and reconnecting at this event was lovely! And I had a cupcake for breakfast! Well it would have been rude not to, I was in the Urban Coffee House, ‘where magic happens’ and it is filled with sweet treats.

I read some very personal material. The theme ‘Female Force’ gave us a platform that was safe to share such things and I wasn’t the only performing exposing the edge of realities. Strength and vulnerability meet somewhere on that circle.

It was really hard having to leave in the interval, I am glad I managed to catch Charlie Jordan and Julie Boden before I left.

I missed the second half and it sounds like it was a great day. I am linking Photo Giraffe’s review for you all to enjoy the full scale of this event.

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