Dalston Anatomy Poems, live at Ace Hotel, 18th Sep 2014

Full video of a 15minute set of my Ridley Road Market poems performed live at Ace Hotel, Shoreditch, London on 18th September 2014 for Local Transport event, introduced by Michael Salu.

Poem for National Poetry Day 2014: John Berryman’s ‘Of Suicide’

Recently, I opened up some John Berryman again and been enjoying his poetry, so for National Poetry Day, I thought I’d offer up one of his poems. Berryman (1914 – 1972) was, says Michael Hofmann in the introduction to my Faber edition, “of the first generation of American ‘professional poets’”. i.e. he taught in university, toured around giving ‘readings’ and winning prizes. He was also an alcoholic and suicidal. His father had killed himself when Berryman was 12 and the poet himself ended the same way nearly 50 years later. The dates of his publications make interesting reading:

Ode to the Bicycle

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/11/14/angry-sam-poet-ode-to-bicycle_n_2128492.html

Poem recorded for Huffington Post, thanks to Sam Parker at Huff. Poem published in ‘Life in Transit’ by Influx Press. Click the link

If You Suspect It Report It

Animation made by Lily O’Kelly, with words by Sam Berkson. Poem is published in ‘Life In Transit’ by Influx Press.

Sonnet for Salena

To celebrate the birthday of Salena Godden on 25th June, I composed her a sonnet. What a brilliant poet and beautiful person. Good luck to her! Long may she continue.

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.

In Defence of Slams

At the question and answer session after a Michael Horovitz gig on Friday I asked him what he thought were the differences between the live poetry scene of the ‘50s and ‘60s and the scene now. It will not surprise anyone who knows him to hear that his answer was quite long and rambling  and enjoyable. He said the scene of the ‘60s was part of a general democratic movement and that some of those poems actually precipitated various protests and movements. Now, he said, not enough young poets are dealing with the political issue of wealth/class inequality and that there are these ‘dreadful’ things called ‘slams’, which perpetuate, instead of challenging, hierarchies, making it seem like it’s all about being the best. 

To You

“The apparent causes are nearly always trivial and to the superficial eye unjustified. The theory of a few hooligans is not only dangerous but without sense. I know of no instance where a few hooligans have  disrupted a major public function, unless they knew or sensed that public opinion was either on their side or at least netural.” (C.L.R. James, Beyond a Boundary, 1963 – discussing a different riot on a different continent in a different decade sparked by different catalysts)