The Online space of PureandGoodandRight Poetry

October 2011...Very Special Guest...

2011-09-26T09:35:00.000-07:00

The late Dick Leith

Join us for what promises to be an inspiring, hilarious and moving evening as the PGR family celebrates the life of one of its most treasured regulars.

Throughout this evening our usual guest poet slot will be filled by a selection of the songs and poems Dick committed to CD before his passing.

If you've ever wondered why the Elephants needed ironing, you'll know this will be a night not to be missed.

Old hands and new poets alike are invited to come and share their wares and raise a smile.

MONDAY 10th OCTOBER

Usual Time. Usual Place.

7.30pm @ The Sozzled Sausage, Leamington Spa

p.s. for those regulars who would like a writing challenge, and who would appreciate the chance to share what Dick meant to them...do take the opportunity to create something new...perhaps beginning 'I celebrate Dick because...'

september's feature poet will be Roy Mc Farlane on 12th with Pgr. further announcement coming soon!!!!!

2011-09-05T12:37:00.000-07:00

2011-07-15T08:13:00.000-07:00

It's so big Ladies and Gentlemen that even John Holmes would be jealous (if he were alive today).

Thanks to the devoted and supportive atmosphere of the PGR crowd, this is one of the most enjoyable slams you'll ever encounter.

There will of course be the option of our usual open mic slots...but the fact that there will be actual prize money and the chance to win a feature slot at a future PGR is surely enough to tempt even performance newbies to come and join the fun

The guidelines are as follows:

The slam will take place over 3 rounds
Each poem should be no longer than 3mins
Each poet will be appreciated according to their content, delivery and audience response
The top scoring 4 poets will duel it out in the Semi-final
The winner will take home a share of the door takings, and will be offered the chance to feature at a future PGR (assuming they've not featured numerous times before)

If you've any further questions, or to register - get in touch - PGRPoetry(at)Gmail.com

Summer Sun...PGR Fun...

2011-06-06T11:11:00.000-07:00

Our next event is on Monday 13 June, at 7.30pm.

Each month we invite a fabulous guest performance poet. This month we are delighted to have the

unique and wonderful

Naomi Paul

Naomi Paul writes, sings and performs. Over the past two years, she has been performing her own work at cabaret/comedy and spoken word events at various venues around the country, including Birmingham, London, Edinburgh and Manchester. She has had slots on local community radio stations Radio Wildfire and Rhubarb Radio, and, this summer, she will be taking a solo show to the Edinburgh Fringe.

'Hear her shopping for underwear in Golders Green, riding a hippy bus out of downtown Oakland, sing a lament as a protest for books thrown out of libraries … and more.’

(Dave Reeves: Radio Wildfire)
‘
‘Hilariously quirky unique viewpoint, beautifully delivered...' (Janice Connolly)

‘Naomi’s shrewd balance of recital, storytelling, and at one stage acapella singing bore testimony to her stagecraft.’ (Gary Longden)

DEFINITELY AN EVENING NOT TO BE MISSED! With open mic support from…….yes……YOU!
Come and share your poems or enjoy the talent of others- seasoned poets & first time performers most welcome!
Admission £3 (£2 Student/OAP)
If you would like to know more about the night, please email pgrpoetry@gmail.com

Look forward to seeing you there!

This Month (May)

2011-05-05T08:46:00.000-07:00

This Month the PGR family is delighted to welcome back...

Julie Boden.

Julie is truly a poets poet...and a poetry lover's 'not to be missed event'.

She travels nationally and internationally, delivering workshops, conducting readings, performing, lecturing, mentoring and judging poetry competitions. She has appeared on Radio 4's Woman's Hour, Poetry Societies and Poetry Please , Radio 3's The Verb,and Five Live's Late Night Currie. Her published poetry collections include: Through the Eye of a Crow (2003), Wasted Lives (2004), Bluebeard's Wife(2005), and Aheenthi(2006) which has been translated into Gujarati. She was the seventh Birmingham Poet Laureate (2002/3) and is currently Poet in Residence at Symphony Hall Birmingham.

'Poetry drips off her tongue like honey from a comb...' Birmingham Post

Julie is a longtime supporter and star of poetry in the midlands. Be sure to come along and experience an artist who is truly a master of her craft

Monday, May 9th, 2011, 7.30pm, £3 (£2 Student/OAP)

The Sozzled Sausage,
Leamington Spa
CV32 4NX

Ides and Hares...

2011-03-08T11:19:00.000-08:00

The Finest Poetry Open Mic Night In England

says...

Happy March to everyone

This month our guest poet is the blossoming

Craig Lambert

Craig's poetry has been accurately described (by him) as a hotchpotch of the serious, the surreal and the self-deprecating. Sometimes combining elements of all three, such that the audience doesn't know whether to laugh or cry!

Your host would describe Craig's poetry as searingly honest, frequently hilarious...and at times 110% guaranteed to get a reaction.

It's been a pleasure to welcome some new faces over the past few months, so if you're reading this blog for the first time and have a secret (or not so secret) love of poetry, come along and experience the unique atmosphere and talents of our amazing evening.

Love and Blessings,

George.

Other events you might want to know about in the area....

2011-01-30T12:51:00.000-08:00

Apples & Snakes in conjunction with The REP in Birmingham bring you a hip-hop graphic novel post-apocalyptic one-man show “The Rememberers” from 4-19 February

Hit the Ode, Thursday 10 February- Bohdan Piasecki's new performance poetry night in central Birmingham

The great Bilston Love Slam on Saturday12 February hosted by Sara Jane Arbury and Marcus Moore

WRITING OUT LOUD! Come and enjoy Warwick Words Writers’ Group reading their poetry, short prose, scripts followed by Open Mic.THE WARWICK ARMS HOTEL High Street, Warwick. Thursday 24 February 2011 at 7.30 pm. Tickets £3.00 available on the door. For further information contact Dorrie Johnson: dorrie.johnson12@btinternet.com

.....Also have you tried tuning into Radio Wildfire?

WHAT IS RADIO WILDFIRE? Radio Wildfire is an independent online radio station which blends spoken word, poetry, performance literature, comedy, storytelling, short stories and more with a novel selection of word/music fusion and an eclectic mix of musical styles. www.radiowildfire.com currently broadcasts live 8.00-10.00pm (UK time) on the first Monday of every month.

Alternative idea for Valentine's night Monday 14 February!

2011-01-30T12:46:00.000-08:00

This month at PureandGoodandRight we are delighted to have with us the very wonderful Lorna Meehan

Lorna has been ranting about celebrities and asking big questions about life the universe and other such ridiculous things through the medium of poetry for ten years. She has performed at Glastonbury Festival, various Apples and Snakes shindigs and to a very confused bunch of old ladies while they were getting their hair done. She also runs 'Rhymes' a jolly good poetry night in Birmingham showcasing local talent and boasting the best raffle this side of the West Midlands.

If you would like to know more about Lorna, have a look at www.myspace.com/ravingbanshee

DEFINITELY AN EVENING NOT TO BE MISSED!

With open mic support from…….yes……YOU!Come and share your poems - seasoned poets & first time performers most welcome!
Admission £3 (£2 Student/OAP)If you're planning to come along, or would like to know more about the night, please email pgrpoetry@gmail.com

Look forward to seeing you there!

January 10- Bohdan Piasecki

2011-01-11T10:56:00.000-08:00

Wow! What a fantastic night!

Thank you to all those who attended our first event on a Monday!

We had a fabulous turn out and the downstairs area that we were using in The Sozzled Sausage was packed to the gunnels. Some familiar faces, some new faces and some that it was a joy to welcome back after a bit of a break.

In addition, we were thrilled with both the quality and quantity of the open micers and the variety of the performances was wonderful. We had also a ballad and some skilful harmonica playing from Dave Reeves from Radio Wildfire.

Our featured guest Bohdan Piasecki was a delight. Blending beautiful poetry In Polish, French and English with entertaining and amusing link pieces. He is a very talented performer, MC and promoter. He runs a new performance poetry night- Hit the Ode in Birmingham. Check it out!

Next month February 14 we have Lorna Meehan.

Hope to see you there!

First poetry night of 2011

2011-01-05T04:05:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to you!

Please come and join us for our first performance poetry night of 2011 on

Monday January 10 at 7.30pm at our great new venue

The Sozzled Sausage, Leamington Spa CV32 4NX
We are delighted to be starting the New Year with the very talented Bohdan Piesecki as our featured poet.

Bohdan is a performance poet and slam host born in Warsaw, Poland, currently based in the UK, where he is putting the finishing touches on a PhD in poetry translation. Before his move to England, Bohdan started the first poetry slam series in his country, introducing Poles to spoken word and creating a platform for a whole new generation of performers. Bohdan has travelled around Europe (with some forays into North America) with his poetry; he represented Poland at the 2007 Poetry Slam World Cup in Paris (and was the only European poet to reach the finals), proudly wore the title of the 2008 Hammer & Tongue Oxford Season Slam Champion, and was an artist in residence at the European Poetry Slam Days in Berlin in 2009. He has a keen interest in literary translation and ways in which it can be used in performance, and actively pursues collaborations with other poets as well as artists from fields such as photography, video, music, and dance.
Bohdan derives a perverse pleasure from inflicting poems in Polish on unsuspecting international audiences. He has a tendency to speak too much, enjoys walking, but not chewing gum, and still hopes to learn to play bass one day. He also finds writing about himself in the third person has lost a lot of its lustre since the advent of social networking sites.
Bohdan is also the West Midlands Programme Co-ordinator for Apples & Snakes. Find out more about what he does there by following this link.
For a more in-depth look at Bohdan’s work, please visit his website, http://wordra.in

DEFINITELY AN EVENING NOT TO BE MISSED! With open mic support from…….yes……YOU!

Come and share your poems - seasoned poets & first time performers most welcome!
Admission £3 (£2 Student/OAP). If you're planning to come along, or would like to know more about the night, please email pgrpoetry@gmail.com

Look forward to seeing you there!

Christmas Greetings!

2010-12-22T08:20:00.000-08:00

Happy Christmas from the PureandGoodandRight team to all of you!

We hope you have a great time and that all this magical weather is suitable inspiration for some creative writing!

We are starting the New Year with a new night for PureandGoodandRight.

Our first date will therefore be Monday 10 January at The Sozzled Sausage with special guest- the amazing Bohdan Piasecki

First night at our new venue last Sunday 28 November

2010-11-30T08:29:00.000-08:00

We were delighted with the turn out for the fabulous Heather Wastie who had braved not only the weather but also illness and injury to be with us.

The upstairs room at The Sozzled Sausage soon filled up and all the very comfy leather sofas fully utilised!! We had to quickly grab some garden chairs to accomodate everyone! Moral of this story- arrive early for the comfy seats!

Thanks to the very helpful landlord, Greg, who stayed open late specially on Sunday for PureandGoodandRight.

Thanks everyone!

Next event Sunday 28 November

2010-11-19T09:49:00.000-08:00

Our next Open Mic poetry event takes place on Sunday 28 November at 7.30pm at our brand new venue, The Sozzled Sausage, Leamington Spa CV32 4NX.

How to get to The Sozzled Sausage.

Each month we invite a fabulous guest performance poet. This month we are delighted to have with us the highly amusing and very clever Heather Wastie.

Heather Wastie is a wordsmith, humorist and musician with a rich professional life as poet, composer, singer, songwriter, keyboard player and facilitator. She has published 3 illustrated poetry collections and often uses technology to create innovative pieces including music, spoken word and found sound. She is proud to be winner of the first PureandGoodandRight Poetry Slam in August 2010!

She has been described as multi-talented, a polymath, and it has been said that her work is clever, sophisticated, funny, touching, original, quirky, probing and poignant. On November 28th, at our fantastic new venue, she will attempt to live up to this reputation by performing poems and songs which represent and illuminate the range of her work to date.
If you would like to know more about Heather, see http://tiny.cc/Wasties_Space

DEFINITELY AN EVENING NOT TO BE MISSED! With open mic support from…….yes……YOU!

Come and share your poems - seasoned poets & first time performers most welcome!
Admission £3 (£2 Student/OAP)If you're planning to come along, or would like to know more about the night, please email pgrpoetry@gmail.com

Look forward to seeing you there!

Great news! A new home for PureandGoodandRight

2010-11-18T09:41:00.000-08:00

At last we have found a brand new venue we think we can reliably call home...we are all really excited!....

Announcing the fantastic pub- The Sozzled Sausage, 141 Regent Street, Leamington Spa CV32 4NX

The landlords have been very welcoming and enthusiastic about our performance poetry night. They have had the pub for just 8 months and in that time have really turned it round into a popular town venue.

The decor is eclectic, with plenty going on on other nights of the week and, amongst other things, a good selection of local beers. You can eat there too! The space we have to use is just great! It is a private upstairs room, a bit like The Fox only more upmarket and warmer! There are lovely leather settees, great decor, a bar......helping to create that cosy intimate space that is conducive to performing our poetry.

Look forward to seeing you all there on 28 November!!

A poem for our blog from Maggie Doyle

2010-11-17T11:02:00.000-08:00

It's such a pleasant, peaceful place

Your wonderful Blog page

And perfectly acceptable

To poets of any age

And so with pen in ageing hand

When I feel the need to write

I will, with speed, (well as quick as I can)

And send it to your site.

9 Nov 2010

Hello!

2010-11-16T03:08:00.000-08:00

We are extremely pleased to announce that PGR now has it's very own blogspot!!! Please have a look and let us have your comments/ poetry!

We also thought we would take this opportunity to let you know of some the upcoming local poetry events:

23 November- Poetry Bites with Jacqui Rowe- guest Joel Lane- at The Kitchen Garden Cafe www.jacquirowe.com

25 November- Hit the Ode- inaugural night- The Victoria, Birmingham. Info from bohdan@applesandsnakes.org

25 November- Birmingham poets book Launch at The Drum, Aston www.the-drum.org.uk/event/when-black-is-red

28 November- PureandGoodandRight with the brilliantly talented and very funny Heather Wastie

30 November & 1 December- SNUG by Brewer's Troupe at The Hollybush, Cradley Heath 8pm. To reserve tickets phone Emma on 07950 165265
or email emmaasif@hotmail.com

9 December- Public Address (Apples & Snakes Tour) at the MAC featuring the wonderful Mark Niel www.akickinthearts.co.uk

Hope to see you somehere soon!

Welcome...

2010-10-24T09:51:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the PGR Blog.

This is a place where poets of any ilk, description, skill or standing can find out about and engage with our inspiring community. If you are a poet seeking to perform...get in touch. If you have work you'd like to publish - email it to us. As long as it it's not deeply offensive (mildly offensive can probably be tolerated in the name of art) or deliberately racist etc, we'll post it up here for everyone to enjoy.

For those who don't know about what we do...we are a communally run poetry event that runs once a month in Leamington Spa. To get in touch with us...send your missive to PGRPoetry(at)Gmail.com

Love always.

P.S. Here's a wee poem type thing to get things started.

Excerpts from love songs…
Three.
I awoke this morning love
With a soul etched song of longing
Stirring in my heart
Dawn had barely licked the sky
And whether or not I dreamt of you
Or even dreamt at all I know not
But I woke this morning love
With a soul etched song of longing
Stirring in my heart

Four.
What am I but you oh Love
Yet sometimes I know it not
Choosing to shut off myself
From all I always am
So the decaying face
Blinking hopelessly in the mirror
Becomes my self-belief
And I let my self shrink me
But if ever I can still, pause
I know another truth so pure
For Love thou hast graced me
With kenning of thy self
Which once know is never forgotten
Blind, stubborn child though I am
And if I can give up being me
I find again my mother’s’ arms