Slam Prep – I’m going competitive!

One year ago, at Huddersfield Literature Festival , I did my first poetry open mic.
A year later, I’ve just been selected to compete in this year’s Hudds Lit Fest Poetry Slam! It’s 31st March at Small Seeds.

I’m preparing for this by performing at the following open mics, if anyone wants to join me:

Wed 15th Getting Gobby in the Lobby, Wakefield.

Tues 21st Word Central, Manchester Central Library.

Mon 27th Attic Stories, Hudds

And I’ll try and get some local music ones in too, if I can manage it without making myself ill. It’s a tricky balancing act, this. 

Ink Spill @ The Head of Steam, 20th Jan

This is a lovely monthly event, which starts with writing workshops, then an open mic. The format works really well: it’s nice to have something to do! Makes it much more fun.

I am trying to keep better records of where I’ve been. It doesn’t always work for me to post things in advance, as I can’t know whether I’ll be well enough to go until the day – so I’m trying to at least post afterwards, to show what I’ve done.

Technical Difficulties, 4th January.

At Technical Difficulties, Puzzle Hall Inn, Sowerby Bridge. 4th Jan 2023.

This is fast becoming my favourite of the electronic open mics, because it is so eclectic: nothing is even similar to anything else.  Over the course of the evening, that creates a huge range of listening, from dance to electro acoustic and everything experimental between!

This was my first outing of the new year, having missed the whole festive period with flu, so I was still feeling a bit flat, with post-viral pain – but I’ve seen video and it didn’t show, which pleases me.  In the early days of performing, it was obvious when I was in pain, but maybe it’s a bit less evident now.

Here’s a really nice photo of me doing my thing, with thanks again to Dave Walker, who always does an amazing job photographing, videoing – and performing at these nights.

Brrr!

Let’s have some gratuitous truck and dog shots from earlier this week. Sunny now, but each day has been progressively colder in the mornings. I woke up to 3 degrees inside today, with the fire still warm and glowing! It’s been -4 outside every night this week up here. In temperatures like these, I’m in loads of pain anyway and can’t be arsed doing any more than staying alive. But I’m doing that. 🙂