EDINBURGH: Rally and Broad

Friday, December 21st, 2012, doors 7.30pm, cabaret 8pm-11pm, dancing until 1am, £5

The Counting House,

West Nicholson Street,

Edinburgh

THE FESTIVE SPECIAL!

Featuring, on words: Tim Turnbull, Sophia Walker, Kath McMahon.

And on tunes, Church of When The Shit Hits The Fan, Hannah O’Reilly & [AWRY] Psychegaelic Ceilidh

After an excellent launch and a superb second album (both attracting sell-out crowds); a one-off special for West Port Book festival featuring award-winning short story writers, new poetry, punk-rock guitars and some exceptionally bendy physical theatre, Rally & Broad is back for the festive season.

Presenting...

TIM TURNBULL:  Tim Turnbull's poems appear in Identity Parade: New British and Irish Poets (ed R. Lumsden) now available from Bloodaxe. He is a former Forward Prize nominee and author of several collections including the award-winning theatre/ poetry collection Caligula On Ice (Donut Press, 2006.)

CHURCH OF WHEN THE SHIT HITS THE FAN: The harbinger of the end of all things as prophesised in the Book of Revelations 3:18: Or, the only defence protecting humanity against the majestic and awesome forces that hover outside a merely thin hymen 'twixt dimensions awaiting any chance to crush us out of existence. Depends who ye ask…

SOPHIA WALKER: Multi-award winning slam poet. Adopted Edinburger, Washington-born, performed everywhere. She’s also one of Scotland on Sunday’s Eligible Folk 2012. Oo-er…

KATH MCMAHON with FIONA KEENAN: poem-songs from this newly formed duo.

HANNAH O’REILLY: Beautifully raunchy, punk-folk tunes with a lyrical twist.

AND…. [AWRY] Psychegaelic Ceilidh! – That’s right. A ceilidh. At a spoken word cabaret. That’s how we roll…

Hosted by award winning poet and promoter Jenny Lindsay (The Big Word/ Is This Poetry?/ BBC Slam Winner 2012) & Rachel McCrum (BBC Slam finalist 2012/ Stewed Rhubarb Press/ Inky Fingers).

LONDON: Lumen Poetry Series

Tuesday, December 18th, 2012, doors open 6.30pm for 7pm, £5/£4, WINE

LUMEN

88 Tavistock Place

WC1

Ruth O'Callaghan presents Dark Ages Press poet John Gohorry and Iain Johnson (Dark Ages publisher and poet). Poets from the floor very welcome.

EDINBURGH: Inky Fingers Open Mic

Tuesday 18th December
, 8pm-11pm, FREE

The Forest,

141 Lauriston Place,

Edinburgh


The Inky Fingers Open Mic takes place every fourth Tuesday of the month, from 8-11pm. It’s free to come and free for anyone to perform, regardless of style, experience, or identity.

We want to hear from everybody. We want your poems, your rants, your ballads, your short stories, your diaries, your experimental texts, your heart, your mind, your body. We want the essay on your summer holidays you wrote when you were four, your adolescent haiku, and extracts from your eventually-to-be-completed epic fantasy quadrilogy. We want to hear your best new work as well. And we want people to care about the way words are performed.

This month we’re bringing you a feature from Bram E. Gieben, a Glasgow-based writer, emcee and musician. Bram is awesomely talented and hugely prolific: his crime novel was nominated for the 2012 CWA Debut Dagger Award; his short fiction has been published by Timid Pirate Press and Drey Magazine, and received a special mention in the Boing Boing ‘Gadget Fiction’ contest of 2009; and he set up Weaponizer Press, an open-source site publishing edgy, groundbreaking fiction by emerging authors. Under the name Texture, he also makes loop-based hip-hop with dubstep, electro, and lo-fi influences, and he also helped set up the netlabel Black Lantern Music, releasing music by more than thirty artists from Scotland and worldwide. Find out more at www.bramegieben.co.uk.

NOTE: WE’VE MOVED BACK! After a year being supported by the lovely Lothian St project, we’re back in our original home of The Forest, now at 141 Lauriston Place.

Open Mic slots are five minutes long; e-mail inkyfingersedinburgh@gmail.com to sign up and be sure of a slot, and check our website at http://inkyfingersedinburgh.wordpress.com for more details.

EDINBURGH: Readeasy Writers' Group

Wednesday 12th December, 2012, 6pm-9pm, FREE


The Forest,

141 Lauriston Place,

Edinburgh

Hello writers! Whether you are a poet, novelist, scriptwriter, or haven’t yet made up your mind, the Inky Fingers  Writers’ Group is for YOU. We meet to read and talk about each other’s work in a fun, safe, and constructive environment. It is a unique (and free) opportunity to get feedback, to experience new writing, and to hear your work read aloud: and best of all, it is anonymous, so you can feel completely at ease.

Every month a group of writers meets in a cosy café to discuss their work. Each member submits a piece of writing for the group, these are anonymised and printed out, everyone is given one piece to read, and then we take turns reading the piece aloud and giving feedback.

To attend for a session, just drop us an email at inkyfingersedinburgh@gmail.com, with a piece of your writing attached. Any genre, and extracts are certainly allowed, but the limit is about 500 words, so that we’ve time to read them all. Also, please use  either .pdf, .odt or .doc (not .docx!) file formats.

Come along on the night, and we will read each piece aloud and chat about it. (Let us know if you’re not going to be able to attend, so that we can make your space available to someone else.) Bring a notepad and your wonderful mind!

Places are limited, so please send your email a few days in advance to make sure you get a space.

LONDON: Word of Mouth

Monday, 10th December, 2012, 7.30pm, £4 on the door

The Last Refuge,

The Bussey Building,

Peckham Rye

SE15 3SN

A regular Monday night of poetry and entertainment! An eclectic mix of featured acts and generous open mic spots. Featuring poets Sh’Maya and Jasmine Cooray, with music from Daniel Belby and hosted by Lettie Mckie

Contact and open mic list: Lettie Mckie outspokenpoetry@yahoo.co.uk

http://www.facebook.com/events/379046738844129/?notif_t=plan_user_joined

Our Christmas line up:

Sh’maya is a spoken word artist who will carry you away with his lyricism and unique performance style.  His slick verbal riffs and incredible imagery will have you spellbound. http://www.shmaya.co.uk/

Jasmine Cooray is a poet who has a wonderful ability to tell moving stories through her simple, beautiful verse. Listening to her gentle but powerful poetry will inspire and uplift you.

Daniel Beilby - our resident pianist takes to the stage this time for a brief musical interlude as well as providing the soundtrack to the night. He blends together jazz, film themes and classical pieces in an improvisatory cocktail.

Open Mic - a chance for poets to perform their own work. From the large to small, the budding flowers to the withered stalks, everyone is welcome to regale our audience with their wit and profundity! Especially if you have never tried open mic poetry before come to visit us in Peckham and get involved in something extraordinary, listen, perform and participate in our friendly, relaxed night.

y chilled recipe for an awesome evening of cultural bliss.

LONDON: Jazz Verse Jukebox

Sunday, 9th December, 2012, doors open 6.30pm, show from 7.30pm, £8 (tickets on door only)

Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club (Upstairs),

47 Frith Street,

London

W1D 4HT

Tube: Tottenham Court Road or Leicester Square

Web:www.jumokefashola.com

Email: JazzVerseJukebox@me.com

December is the Jazz Verse Jukebox Christmas edition! Lighting up our metaphorical Christmas tree – spoken word supremos Tshaka Campbell, Nick Makoha, Hollie McNish and Abe Gibson plus music from jazz singer Julia George and from Jumoké Fashola. Join us for what promises to be a thrilling night of diverse spoken word and jazz from some of the freshest exponents on the scene.

PLUS Jukebox Open Mic: 

Come & sing with our amazing house band (Simon Wallace-Piano/ Oli Hayhurst-Bass/ Winston Clifford-Drums) or perform some poetry.

Special Guests

Tshaka Campbell, Nick Makoha, Hollie McNish, Abe Gibson 

plus music from Julia George

Compered by & with music from Jumoké Fashola

(www.jumokefashola.com)

EDINBURGH: Rally and Broad

Friday, December 21st, 2012, doors 7.30pm, cabaret 8pm-11pm, dancing until 1am, £5

The Counting House,

West Nicholson Street,

Edinburgh

THE FESTIVE SPECIAL!

Featuring, on words: Tim Turnbull, Sophia Walker, Kath McMahon.

And on tunes, Church of When The Shit Hits The Fan, Hannah O’Reilly & [AWRY] Psychegaelic Ceilidh

After an excellent launch and a superb second album (both attracting sell-out crowds); a one-off special for West Port Book festival featuring award-winning short story writers, new poetry, punk-rock guitars and some exceptionally bendy physical theatre, Rally & Broad is back for the festive season.

Presenting...

TIM TURNBULL:  Tim Turnbull's poems appear in Identity Parade: New British and Irish Poets (ed R. Lumsden) now available from Bloodaxe. He is a former Forward Prize nominee and author of several collections including the award-winning theatre/ poetry collection Caligula On Ice (Donut Press, 2006.)

CHURCH OF WHEN THE SHIT HITS THE FAN: The harbinger of the end of all things as prophesised in the Book of Revelations 3:18: Or, the only defence protecting humanity against the majestic and awesome forces that hover outside a merely thin hymen 'twixt dimensions awaiting any chance to crush us out of existence. Depends who ye ask…

SOPHIA WALKER: Multi-award winning slam poet. Adopted Edinburger, Washington-born, performed everywhere. She’s also one of Scotland on Sunday’s Eligible Folk 2012. Oo-er…

KATH MCMAHON with FIONA KEENAN: poem-songs from this newly formed duo.

HANNAH O’REILLY: Beautifully raunchy, punk-folk tunes with a lyrical twist.

AND…. [AWRY] Psychegaelic Ceilidh! – That’s right. A ceilidh. At a spoken word cabaret. That’s how we roll…

Hosted by award winning poet and promoter Jenny Lindsay (The Big Word/ Is This Poetry?/ BBC Slam Winner 2012) & Rachel McCrum (BBC Slam finalist 2012/ Stewed Rhubarb Press/ Inky Fingers).

LONDON: The Morning Star and the Stoke Newington Literary Festival Christmas Assembly

Saturday, 8th December, 2012, 8pm-3am, FREE

Mascara Bar

72 Stamford Hill,

London,

N16 6XS

The Morning Star and the Stoke Newington Literary Festival are joining forces to bring you a one-off Christmas assembly at Stoke Newington's own Mascara Bar, featuring:

Tim Wells (Donut Press, editor of Rising, Forward Prize nominee)

Graham Bendel (cult filmmaker published by Blackheath Books)

Niall O'Sullivan (host of Poetry Unplugged, once poet-in-residence of Wimbledon)

Anne Brechin (poet and editor of the Prague Revue)

Sophia Blackwell (poet and novelist)

Emlyn Hugill (Stoke Newington's favourite butcher)

Also featuring Matthew Hedley Stoppard, Jah-Mir Early, Nicola Gledhill, Charlotte Henson

Plus short talk about the upcoming Fifth Monarchist film by Ian Bone and Suzy Gillett

DJs till late: Graham Bendel + John the Revelator

Prizes donated by Stoke Newington Literary Festival

More acts TBA

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/221755151289608/

http://morningstaronline.co.uk/

http://stokenewingtonliteraryfestival.com/

http://facebook.com/WellVersedMorningStar

TODMORDEN: Grey Hen Press reading

Saturday, 8th December, 2012, 2pm-3.30pm

Todmorden Library

Strand,

Rochdale Road,

Todmorden

OL14  7LB

‘Skeps and keepers, queens and workers, lore, science, craft and myth, all the way from Ljubljana to Aberdeen, down the centuries from the middle ages to our own, in a rich honeycomb of bee-poems' Anne-Marie Fyfe 

Reading, with Jo Haslam, Joy Howard, Gina Shaw, Margaret Speak and Sue Wood.

Wine and mince pies - all welcome

LONDON: Lumen Poetry Series

Tuesday, December 18th, 2012, doors open 6.30pm for 7pm, £5/£4, WINE

LUMEN

88 Tavistock Place

WC1

Ruth O'Callaghan presents Dark Ages Press poet John Gohorry and Iain Johnson (Dark Ages publisher and poet). Poets from the floor very welcome.

EDINBURGH: Inky Fingers Open Mic

Tuesday 18th December
, 8pm-11pm, FREE

The Forest,

141 Lauriston Place,

Edinburgh


The Inky Fingers Open Mic takes place every fourth Tuesday of the month, from 8-11pm. It’s free to come and free for anyone to perform, regardless of style, experience, or identity.

We want to hear from everybody. We want your poems, your rants, your ballads, your short stories, your diaries, your experimental texts, your heart, your mind, your body. We want the essay on your summer holidays you wrote when you were four, your adolescent haiku, and extracts from your eventually-to-be-completed epic fantasy quadrilogy. We want to hear your best new work as well. And we want people to care about the way words are performed.

This month we’re bringing you a feature from Bram E. Gieben, a Glasgow-based writer, emcee and musician. Bram is awesomely talented and hugely prolific: his crime novel was nominated for the 2012 CWA Debut Dagger Award; his short fiction has been published by Timid Pirate Press and Drey Magazine, and received a special mention in the Boing Boing ‘Gadget Fiction’ contest of 2009; and he set up Weaponizer Press, an open-source site publishing edgy, groundbreaking fiction by emerging authors. Under the name Texture, he also makes loop-based hip-hop with dubstep, electro, and lo-fi influences, and he also helped set up the netlabel Black Lantern Music, releasing music by more than thirty artists from Scotland and worldwide. Find out more at www.bramegieben.co.uk.

NOTE: WE’VE MOVED BACK! After a year being supported by the lovely Lothian St project, we’re back in our original home of The Forest, now at 141 Lauriston Place.

Open Mic slots are five minutes long; e-mail inkyfingersedinburgh@gmail.com to sign up and be sure of a slot, and check our website at http://inkyfingersedinburgh.wordpress.com for more details.

EDINBURGH: Readeasy Writers' Group

Wednesday 12th December, 2012, 6pm-9pm, FREE


The Forest,

141 Lauriston Place,

Edinburgh

Hello writers! Whether you are a poet, novelist, scriptwriter, or haven’t yet made up your mind, the Inky Fingers  Writers’ Group is for YOU. We meet to read and talk about each other’s work in a fun, safe, and constructive environment. It is a unique (and free) opportunity to get feedback, to experience new writing, and to hear your work read aloud: and best of all, it is anonymous, so you can feel completely at ease.

Every month a group of writers meets in a cosy café to discuss their work. Each member submits a piece of writing for the group, these are anonymised and printed out, everyone is given one piece to read, and then we take turns reading the piece aloud and giving feedback.

To attend for a session, just drop us an email at inkyfingersedinburgh@gmail.com, with a piece of your writing attached. Any genre, and extracts are certainly allowed, but the limit is about 500 words, so that we’ve time to read them all. Also, please use  either .pdf, .odt or .doc (not .docx!) file formats.

Come along on the night, and we will read each piece aloud and chat about it. (Let us know if you’re not going to be able to attend, so that we can make your space available to someone else.) Bring a notepad and your wonderful mind!

Places are limited, so please send your email a few days in advance to make sure you get a space.

LONDON: Camden Poetry Series

Friday, 7th December, 2012, 7pm (doors open 6.30pm), £5/£4, Wine

Trinity United Reform Church,

1 Buck Street,

Camden Town

1-2 mins. Camden Town tube

Ruth O'Callaghan presents Lumen/Camden Poetry Competition winners Bob Cooper, Zelda Chappell, Peter Kennedy and Eleanor Vale.

                            

Poets from the floor very welcome. Please bring a copy of the poem if you wish to be considered for the new anthology.