Just a quick note to say that I am performing/reading at the Waterstones in Cheltenham on this Saturday (7th of September 2013) at around 1 o'clock in the afternoon - before me are a lovely bunch of poets reading. The even lasts from 11 till 2 and there is a Costa coffee in the shop too for the coffee fiends 🙂
Last night I went to Well Versed at the Muffin Man - I took some blurry pictures on my little touch pad but haven't worked out how to get them onto here yet! It was a fantastic night - the cafe was jam packed with audience! And there was a rich variety of poetry types there, the diversity of works being read gave the event a strong vibrancy and I discovered some poets I hadn't heard before.
The next one is in October which I shall be reading at 🙂
I've been a bit slack with my poetry recently having gotten the prose writing bug again but in the new year I should have a poetry collection coming out so watch this space (or my poetry and music blog). Also October will see the Launch Party of The Little Book of Spoogy Poetry but more on that later!
Both of the poetry events are run by The Cheltenham Poetry Festival 🙂
The danger of home schooling is that the kids only learn what the parents wants
The danger of forced schooling is that the kids only learn what the governments want
The danger of religous schooling is that the kids only learn what the religons want
The danger of military schooling is that the kids only learn what the soliders want
The danger of no schooling is that the kids only learn what the streets want
Teach the kids to think and question and root out the answers for themselves
Teach empowerment and watch them bloom
Teach don't preach
Find the technique that fits the kid
In a group or on their own
A mix of both
Repeating, making, playing, mimic and more
Unfortunately we only caught an hour or so of the final night party Poetry Riot of the Cheltenham Poetry Festival - but what an hour with Trevor Meaney (yes not good photos but light levels were really low by this point as was my energy!):
And the sadly hilarious Clayton Blizzard with his whispered poetry and folk/rap songs that you are either going to laugh or cry or both too.
It was great fun though we sadly missed Mark Neil performing though I almost crashed into him at the top of the stairs and said my normal hello and he responded with his (I can't remember who you are) smile like normal 🙂 - Alaric appears to have transmogrified into Luke Skywalker from Return of the Jedi.
No really look!
I took embarrassing photos of the interns 🙂 (who should start a comedy show up!)
And I took arty pics of people taking much better pictures than me!
Other photos of events can be found at Write Out Loud and Bilt Photography (which is where my current profile picture on FB comes from!).
You can probably tell that I really really enjoyed the festival 🙂
Yesterday I sort of forgot to do any work - after 9 days of intensive festival coverage I awoke tired but happy and helped get the girls off to school mind buzzing with more things to write up about the Cheltenham Poetry Festival. But I had to go to the bank at 10 and somehow this took up the entire morning!
I did find some fantastic bits of wall art to snap whilst out though!
Then my parents and Al had conspired together meaning that I was taken for lunch were I relaxed and ate and drunk and produced the rough first draft of a childrens picture book.
I then came home and slept!
When I got up Jean was home from school and I ended up watching Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs whilst buried in children and kittens. It was then tea time which was eaten in the garden.
With a rabbit for company!
My dad also tried the trampoline.
Then I had a bath and read the book I was given as part of World Book Night during the festival, in bed I wrote two poems and babbled about arty stuff.
Of course today I am staring at the state of the house going eep! And Mary isn't going to let me get much done as I've basically been missing for a week and she is determined to catch up on snugs!
Last night I went to watch my friend Dan Holloway perform his show Some of These Things Are Beautiful as part of the Cheltenham Poetry Festival.
He is a fantastic poet and as always his set was emotionally charged dealing with creative freedom and the intensity of life and death.
Lighting levels at the venue were a bit tricky so I apologise for the quality of the photographs.
Again I did some experiments with long exposures and this photo came out in a way that I just feel fits with Dan's creative zest - to me it is a poet in a spiralling tunnel of thought and creativity.
The event also had two other poets performing - I unfortunately had to run away before the last performer but I did catch James Webster.
Who did a wonderfully funny piece on time travel and the self - it was philosophically deep but light in the presentation.
The event took place in a lovely bar called The Strand in Cheltenham which had some lovely wall art I will have to go back and photograph at some point.
Anna Saunders one of the Festival Directors was there in person to compare and I just love this shot of her I got - I think it shows her fantastically warm and bubbly personality.
Events and Outings, Poems, Sarah, Work, Writing | sarah | 
Thu 5th Sep 2013 8:11 am | 
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