Poetry and Busses

This is the Way the Term Ends ...

Apologies for the silence these last few weeks ... the writing of end of module assignments really ate up my time. But the last one (my film script) was finished last week and the results for it have already been received, as have the ones from my poetry module.

I got 70 percent for my Poetry 1 poems and its associated reflective essay which, I think, equates to a distinction (and the second marker said she thought the score could have been a little higher, which made me smile). In Screenwriting my 45-minute script got 68 percent, so a comfortable merit, which also made me happy.

Final marks arrive tomorrow with Long Form Fiction and its associated reflective essay. I truly have no idea what grades I’m going to get for that, given the stressful circumstances behind my piece, but I did love the story and characters I came up with and hope the grade is decent :)

Events and Activities

I’ve been doing quite a few poetry open mic events around Swansea ... I can’t believe how active the poetry scene is here! At the last 3 open mic events I’ve done, there were 20+ people wanting to read at the open mic, and at one there were about 60 people attending! It’s literally breath-taking :)

Disabled Poetics

I’ll add the details to my events page shortly, but I’ve been invited to be one of two support acts for a book launch at Spike Island in Bristol in April.

A vibrant hub for production, presentation and debate, we offer opportunities for audiences to engage directly with creative practices through participation and discussion.
... The support of artists and designers, and audiences’ encounters with them, underlies everything Spike Island does. To this end we seek to develop fruitful synergies across the building which is home to:
• A year-round programme of public exhibitions, talks and activities
• Over 70 artists in low-cost studios
• Other contemporary arts organisations such as Situations and Spike Print Studio
• A range of creative companies in fields including: fine art fabrication; graphic, web, product and interactive design; typography; film and video production; CGI; illustration and animation
• Shared space used by over 90 members of the Associates network
• Students and staff from the University of the West of England Fine Art BA programmes
(Spike Island website)
 

The book launch is for Bristol-based poet, Stephen Lightbown, who was paralysed after a sledging accident. There’s me, devoid of sight, and deaf poet, Donna Williams. The event is hopefully going to be signed, and poet Fiona Hamilton, who specialises in writing about wellness will be hosting.

Just like busses, as one disability-focussed event turns up, so does another. A poetry friend of mine, Chris Turnbull (no relation), who lives in Ontario, sent me info on a disability poetics event in Hamilton, Ontario. Whilst I wouldn’t expect them to fund my travel, I’m going to submit a proposal to go over and participate. I’d love to talk about my journey from sighted poet to blind poet, the battle to find technology that could help me perform my work now that I can’t read from a printout, and getting to and from events, whether they be local open mics or transatlantic festivals. The Hamilton festival is in October but my proposal needs to be in by 19 February so, on that note, I’ll mosey on off and start pitching :) xx

Poetry and Buses #Swansea #OpenMic #DisabilityPoetics #Bristol #Hamilton #Ontario @spokeandpencil @ChrisCturnbul @_SpikeIsland