Hammer & Tongue Hackney, November 5th 2013

“Stephen: (He taps his brow) But in here it is I must kill the priest and the king.” – Ulysses, James Joyce

1. On this 5th November at the Victoria, 451 Queensbridge Road, Dalston, E8 3AS, we are preparing a night of poetic fireworks in solidarity with regicides everywhere. So from 8pm, we have two talented spoken word artists for you:

Hammer & Tongue National Slam Final 2013 @ Wilton’s Music Hall, Sat 8th June. 2:30-10:30pm

This year’s slam final promises to be bigger and better than ever before. Winners and runners-up from across the Hammer & Tongue regions will be joined by slam winners from Cheltenham UK All Stars, Swindon Literature Festival and Bang Said the Gun in London and in Manchester to create as comprehensive as possible National Poetry Slam.

The venue is once again, Wilton’s Music Hall – the world’s oldest surviving music hall, home to cabaret, musicals and music hall and now slam poetry. Highlights from last year’s event, curtesy of Rob Blake:

Tickets are £15/12 in advance or £16.50 on the door. Last year it was sold out and people were turned away, so book them online asap! Tickets get you entry for the whole day so you can come and go as you please http://wiltons.org.uk/event.php?p=591

Life in Transit Book Launch, Thursday 15th November 2012, Arcola Theatre Tent

To celebrate the launch of my new book, ‘Life in Transit’, I’ve invited some poetry friends to help me put on a poetry showcase at the Arcola Theatre Tent in Dalston: 2 Ashwin Street, E8 3DL. Doors are 7:15pm. Performing alongside me on the night will be:

Hammer & Tongue Hackney Slam Final! Tuesday 4th September 2012 @ The Victoria, Dalston

Hammer & Tongue Hackney Slam Final
Tuesday 4th September 2012
8-11pm (Doors and DJ 7pm)

@The Victoria,
451 Queensbridge Road
Dalston
London
E8 3AS

£5/4

After a year of live poetry competitions in Hackney, this season’s winners go head-to-head to determine 2012’s Hackney poetry slam champion.

Rap vs Poetry @ Bedroom Bar, Shoreditch, Friday 17th August 2012

As part of a 1extra documentary, Hammer & Tongue and Fat Gold Chain have collaborated to produce an event we are calling:

Rap vs Poetry

@Bedroom Bar, 68 Rivington Street, Shoreditch EC2A 3AY

Doors 8pm. Tickets only £4 in advance if you get them online here.

The concept is that a team of poets will face off against a team of rappers. Everyone will be expected to show something of their own artform, to try out the other art form and to write something on the night or to freestyle something that cusses off the other side.

Mediating all this will be Dizraeli, MC with The Small Gods and a 2 time winner of UK Poetry Slam Contests.

We hope that it will give a chance for people to see where the two scenes are at right now by holding them up to direct comparison and think about how similar / different / better / worse they are. Perhaps it might even introduce people to a genre or genres they don’t know much about.

Poets:

1. Angry Sam (me)

2. curious – sharp tongued, funny, intelligent, political MC-turned-poet

3. Kat Francois – amazing performer, poet, playwright and former world slam poetry champion.

4. Keith Jarrett – very clever, politically sharp poet also with a history of winning big slam titles.

5. Stephanie Dogfoot – distinctive young poet with a trademark method of autobiographical poems that subtly tell universal stories.

MCs (who will have to introduce themselves)

Con Sensus

Leen

Mista P

Solo Cypher

Stowaway                                           RVP_FLYER__A5

Acquired for Development By @ Houseman’s, Weds 15th August 2012, 7pm

The good people at Influx Press, publishers of ‘site-specific fiction’, will be at Houseman’s bookshop, 5 Caledonian Road, Kings Cross, London N1 9DX on Wednesday 15th August. There will be a talk about some of the issues dealt with in the book ‘Acquired for Development By’, which is an anthology of writings around Hackney. 5 of the 25 contributers from the book, including me, will be reading their work and discussing any topics that arise.

http://www.housmans.com/events.php

Wilderness Festival 10th-12th August 2012

I will be performing with the Hammer & Tongue crew at Wilderness Festival, Oxfordshire.

Shows at:

Friday 10th: Secret Forum, 22:50-23:30

Saturday 11th: Bandstand, 16:00-17:00

Sunday 12th: Secret Forum, 20:20-21:50

The festival is about “Pastoral Glamour” apparently, so shepherdesses in their best dresses? For £42.50 you can buy a ‘banquet’ meal cooked by celebrity chefs. It’s real wildnerness, man.

Hammer & Tongue Hackney: Tuesday 3rd July @ The Victoria, Dalston

As the last event before our summer break, we’ve put together a brilliant match-up of 2 contrasting poets experienced and new, Southern and Northern, male and female. Mark Gwynne Jones and Deanna Rodger

A Tribute to Christopher Logue, Tuesday 12th June, @ The Wreck, Camberwell

After news of the sad death of the great Christopher Logue, my friend Bobby Gandolf (Wormfood / Ethno-bling) and myself were determined to put on a tribute to celebrate the work of a poet who has long been my single biggest influence, and who will one day receive the respect he deserves as a truly great artist.

• “Poets like Mr Logue are luring jazz-conscious audiences to get the same kind of kick out of poetry as they get from music” – Times Literary Supplement, 1961
• “[In the late 1950s] Logue was challenging us to react to nuclear warfare, inviting us to fight against our rulers” – Adrian Mitchell
• “Logue never tried too hard but he had a talent that shone like the sun” – Peter Craven

Hammer & Tongue Hackney, Tuesday June 5th, The Victoria, Dalston

We kick off the Hammer & Tongue summer with touring poet, Andy Craven Griffiths, singer with Leeds-based Middleman, but also a poet who has that rare ability to capitivate.