Author: Seamus

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Poetic Summer Preparations

With students well into the exam season and schools starting to wind down towards the end of their year it is time for a poet to prepare for the Summer.

The great thing for a poet is having plenty of ideas to work with and I’m in the fortunate position of having, at least half a dozen in progress right now and a few themes waiting to be developed.

works in progress small

There is a new collection slowly developing with the focus of family and friends and a number of ideas for illustrating some of my existing work – more on that here as it progresses. My first collection, “Thinking Too Much”, is available as an ebook from Amazon or you can email here to buy a copy.

There are workshops to polish and refresh for a couple of writing groups, libraries and a reading group and for schools when they return from the Summer holidays.

National Poetry Day falls on the first Thursday of October and the theme for 2016 is “Messages” so I’ll be tweaking some of my workshops to fit in more closely. Unfortunately I am fully booked on the day itself but I still have some availability during the week.

Add to the mix the relaunch of a writing group, a couple of small commissions and the events I hope to take in it should be a fairly busy summer.

All the time I will also be working on my collections of photography and images. Images can be purchased on a range of formats including prints from 10″x8″ size to customisable framed prints and even printed onto mugs. To purchase images go to www.imagesbyseamuskelly.co.uk

 

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Eroica Britannia – The Universal Citizen – a little irony!

So the big day arrived and there I was sitting waiting over to one side of the stage and as the announcer stepped up introduce me I waited for the signal to climb the few steps to the stage.

I’d finally settled on the poems to complete the set the previous evening and they were printed and ready in my hand with a copy of my book as back-up should I decide to make any changes to the set as I went along. All pretty normal except that my hand that was shaking less than it usually might and I was feeling quite calm.

The signal came I stepped onto the steps, thanked the compere for her lovely introduction and walked up to the single microphone in the middle of the stage. There had been no soundcheck so I was a little surprised by the strength of the foldback speakers but at least I knew the audience would be able to hear:

“Hello

I’m Seamus

And I’m

I’m a poet….”

With those first few lines of one of my longest lived poems I introduced myself and hopefully set the mood.

As I did so the organisers projected a massive fluttering Union Jack on the large screen behind me. I had absolutely no idea and as I talked to the audience I had no reason to look back.

Picture of Seamus reading with a large Union Jack projected in the background

Reading at Eroica 2016

Photograph courtesy of my friend Howard Broughton.

My poetry doesn’t shy away from issues and it is no secret that my strong beliefs in social justice and fair treatment for ALL human beings are dear to me and feature large in my writing.

So as I stood (unknowing) in front of that massive symbol of national pride I read “Universal Citizen” pointing out that we are all the same regardless of where we happen to be born, I read “Not like the rest” criticising successive governments for failing to treat some people properly and I read poems about my own Irish (immigrant) background.

I now know (because they told me) that some of the audience loved the irony of that juxtaposition of myself and my words against that flag.

To me Nationalism is all about pride based on things other people have done in a place where we happen to be born or originate from. Of course we can be justifiably proud of our backgrounds but the flag, like all national flags, is not just a symbol of pride and of belonging but it can also be an emblem of difference, a symbol of we are better than you and if not used with care it can become divisive.

I love the place I was born, I love the places my parents were born. There are also other places I have come to love.

I don’t wave flags because where I happened to have been born and where my parents happened to have been born makes me no better, no worse, no more entitled or no more deserving than anyone else.

I am the Universal Citizen; whether you wave a flag behind me or not!

 

As for the set itself? Well the audience were great, very responsive and very attentive. People reacted to all of the less obvious references in the poems although very few picked up the references to Pancho and Lefty. The applause was warm and I was particularly pleased when people I’ve never met before came along to buy copies of my book which of course I was very happy to dedicate for them.

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Sunshine and Poetry – Best way to work

This morning the sun has been shining, the mercury nudged past 24 degrees and the garden bench beckoned. I’ve dealt with emails, checked the social media and then set to work in this rather warm and temporary office.

My set list for Eroica Britannia (now only 11 days away) needed some more thought and, as I tend to doodle while I think, I have ended up with the illustrated set list as shown below:

Picture of the set list with doodles

Set list for Eroica 2016

I’ve yet to decide the order for the set but I know where it will start and I have a pretty good idea where it will finish too and the middle will always find its own way if necessary.

Perhaps I’ll produce some printed copies for the audience once it is finalised – I’d be interested to know if people think this is a good idea; please comment here or let me know on Facebook at – “shaycycles”

 

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Eroica Set List grows

With just 2 weeks today until Britain’s most handsome festival of all things cycling and vintage my set list is taking shape. Like myself it has become a bit larger than it ought to be and over the next couple of weeks it needs to trim down a little.

Picture of my developing set list for Eroica 2016 in notebook

My developing set list for Eroica 2016

There are a poems that have been heard around the country, poems that have only been heard close to home and a few that have never yet been heard in public. The task challenge in finalising a set list is to appeal to the audience, to get over whatever messages are intended, to give the audience a range of emotional experiences and of course to do the things we love to do. For my Eroica set the questions include:

How many poems about cycling? (currently 5 or 6 on the long-list)

How many political poems? (tricky just days before the referendum, 1 or 2 on the shortlist)

How many personal and family poems? (a few that have wide enough appeal)

Can I risk the really serious subjects? (can I avoid them – no – so yes there’s a few in the long list)

Can I risk making the audience cry? (can I even stop them crying)

Should I give them something to laugh or smile about? (of course – even if just to stop them crying)

How many old ones?

How many new ones?

How many can I fit into a half hour set with room to breathe, to listen, to digest, to laugh or cry and to chat with the audience?

So here I am in the middle of the night adding and subtracting from the list, a mini-referendum for each poem; in or out?

And as I think I’m nearly there I wonder about finishing one or two of the bunch of poems still under construction, but it gets late and “what if they aren’t ready, what if they won’t be good enough?” and the poet tries to get some sleep.

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Countdown to Eroica Britannia 2016

Last year the organisers of the UK’s greatest festival of all things cycling and vintage gave me a slot to perform my poetry in their Arts tent. The experience was terrific and you can read about it in my posts from last year’s event.

nib with ink 7

Pen nib with red ink

I am really delighted to say that I’ve been invited back for the 2016 Festival and will be performing at noon on Saturday 18th June.

I’m busy planning my set for the event and I’ll be sure to include some of my poems about cycling and of course some of my newest poetry. It would be safe to assume that the set
will be designed to entertain, to inform and most of all to give pause for thought.

I’ll be reading work from my book “Thinking Too Much” and a range of my more recent work including some about my own family which, although very personal to me, are likely to resonate with any listener. There will be copies of my book available for sale and I’ll be very happy to sign copies after the performance, I may also have a selection of my vintage cycling images for sale and will be happy to take orders on the day.

Come on Hat poem

Here’s one of my recent poems under development- Come on Hat – it may well feature at Eroica Britannia 2016

The full set-list will evolve over the next couple of weeks but it is sure to include:

Too Soon – a poem that looks back to my 3 year old memory of my Grandad and the photo, still displayed in his house, that takes me back 52 years before he was taken too soon.

A minute and a half – one and a half minutes of words that hurt less but evoke the memory and feelings of racing up Monsall Head – a hill that some thousands of riders will tackle the day after my performance; in my case at a much more sedate pace than in the 1980s!

Entitlement – A brief look at the Lance Armstrong story and the American Dream (with a line nicked from John Mellencamp).

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Eroica Britannia at Spin Festival Manchester

Had a great time visiting the Manchester edition of Spin, the urban cycling festival, and was delighted to meet up with Marco Mori who brought Eroica to Britain.

Seamus and Marco Mori 2 at Spin in Manchester

Meeting Marco Mori at Spin

 

Eroica Britannia is a 3 day festival of all things vintage and cycling being held for the 3rd year in Bakewell from 17th to 19th June 2016.

After a successful debut last year I am delighted to have been invited back and will be performing a half hour set of my poetry at noon on Saturday 18th. I will of course also be enjoying the festival and will be doing a bit of bike riding too.

Feeling excited.

More about Spin, including some interesting new products, to follow on my cycling blog over the next few days at http://shaycycles.blogspot.co.uk

 

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Roche Valley Radio

What a great session on Roche Valley Radio yesterday. Arriving at Fairfield Hospital I was a touch apprehensive, unsure what I might be asked and even unsure of the exact format of the programme but ready with information to hand about recent projects and of course a wide choice of poems to read. You can listen again at Roche Valley Radio

Picture of Seamus with presenter Nicky

Pictured after the show at Roche Valley Radio

I was met at the entrance by the, also slightly apprehensive presenter, Nicky Smith-Butler. Nicky normally presents a music show and not the Saturday afternoon show with guests as well as the music so was a little unsure about how the programme would go. She and Dave one of the technical and production specialists on the station showed me the studio, helped sort out the connections, microphone position and explain the system. Basically all I needed to do was to speak fairly close to the microphone and not worry.

By now there were a few minutes before the show went live on air to have a quick chat about what might be discussed and then the opening song was rolling towards its end and after a brief introduction I was talking about the “Stories we could tell project” (see blog post of 14th April). Some more music, more discussion on the project, some more music and a poem – a new poem not yet published or on-line called “Come on hat”.

Through tears from the poem’s ending Nicky asked me about Touchstones creative writing group and then played more music picking some of my favourites from Springsteen and Dylan and a few Irish songs from Van Morrison and The Corrs which seemed in keeping with the feel of the show and my obvious Irish heritage.

A discussion about how I made the move to working as a poet and a few more poems (Standby, Seahorses and Different Dad; all blogged here previously and available in Thinking Too Much) and the hour was up.

There had been laughter, tears and some pause for thought and that reminds me just why I do this stuff; poetry can give words that bit more power, it can speak beyond its brief reading and it can speak individually to each person listening – thats why I have to be a poet.

 

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The Stories We Could Tell – amazing Rochdale project!

I’ve been the resident poet on a amazing Rochdale project “The Stories We Could Tell”

Working alongside artist, John Cooke, singer-songwriter Rebecca Whitehead and storyteller Ray Stearn and led by Steve Cooke. We’ve been working with young people, a mix of asylum seekers, young people in care and young people with mental health issues using our whole range of skills to help them tell their own stories (real or fictional) and the results so far are awesome. Not only have these young people learned techniques, picked up ideas and developed them and created songs, poems, prose, storyboards, visuals and audio recordings but they have gained so much in confidence and community.

And we, the professionals working with them, have been privileged to share this journey with them, we’ve had our eyes opened, our minds staggered and we’ve had our creativity and our communications stretched. I’m genuinely so proud of the young people, the supporting adults, Colin from the venue Bar Vibe and my fellow artists.

I’m looking forward to the final showcase event in May and will report it here.

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Exciting (read “Busy”) times for 2016

Over the first few months of 2016 Shay the Poet has been busier than ever and things show no sign of letting up – which is exactly as I wanted it to be. Details of the various projects and events will appear here shortly but in summary they’ve included:Print

  • The Stories We Could Tell Project
  • Two workshops booked for Touchstones Creative Writing Group
  • Booked for the celebratory return of Weaving Words when Rochdale Central Library reopens after the flood damage earlier in the year
  • National Poetry Day bookings for a High School and for Oldham Library
  • Several new workshops developed
  • A booking to perform for the second year at Eroica Britannia in Bakewell, the countries number one festival of all thing cycling and all things vintage
  • A series of public workshops in Uppermill
  • I’ve released my book “Thinking Too Much” on Kindle and have ordered a second print run of the paper version
  • I’ll be appearing (that surely can’t be the correct word) on Roche Valley Radio this weekend

There are lots of other really exciting projects in development and I’m still finding time to fit in some teaching in schools and colleges and particularly enjoying my freelance teaching with a special needs school in Stockport.

And of course my photography projects and classes are still developing – visit my website at www.imagesbyseamuskelly.uk for more details.

Keep checking back or watch my social media for more….

 

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Lemn Sissay – Poetry workshop in York

Finding that Lemn Sissay was leading a workshop in York provided the perfect incentive to head for a day out in the rich Viking, Roman and Tudor city; sights, shops, poetry and of course Betty’s Tea Room to finish the day.

cat on the Shambles

After a trip down The Shambles, where for some
reason I had not previously
spotted the pictured cat, a jumble sale browse a few shops and a light lunch and off to the Unitarian Church; the venue for Lemn’s workshop. A combination of Google maps and spotting the man himself outside the church and we soon joined the group of waiting writers in the vestibule.

It wouldn’t be right to share the content of the Workshop but Lemn was a lovely host and facilitator and he soon had the whole group feeling at ease and before long we were all writing whilst listening to his unique style of tales, inspiration and tips. The work involved a simple rhyme scheme and with this in mind Lemn offered to be our rhyming dictionary for the session; not only does he have a massive wealth of rhymes and understanding of how words sound together but this also led to a fair deal of enjoyable and informative discussion.

What I can share is a little bit about what I gained from the session:

  • A new poem – see picture below; I had the start of it on the day and 8 or so revisions later I have now read it publicly to a good reception.
  • A new project – I had already written a small number of poems on a theme and had become a bit unsure about adding to them. After the workshop I am now clear that I will continue to add to that project and have since written another piece of what might form the basis of a small collection.
  • A great day out with my wife Maggie with lots of chance to talk about those things we are passionate about.
  • The chance to meet and talk to one of my poetic heroes Lemn Sissay
  • More coals have been added to the fire that drove me to move from doing a bit of writing to being a poet and making my living from my creative work.

Here’s a picture of the work in earlier stages of progress before the final edits were done on my computer (Yes, I know you can’t read the words but it isn’t published yet).

Come on Hat poem