Creative Community Festival, Radstock

photo by June Wentland, BathNES Reader Development Reader

Creative Community Festival: art|works in Radstock
Alan Summers of With Words: Renga at Radstock Library!
September 26th 2009
2.15p.m. - 6p.m.

Alan Summers holding the second shisan renga (12 verse group poem of shared writing) that we did with people before the library closed!

June Wentland, BathNES Reader Development Officer and myself travelled to Radstock in order to get a renga poem happening as part of the festival. Little did we know that people would love the idea of renga so much that we would complete two renga group poems!

This was also due to the wonderful, friendly, helpful Radstock Library staff, and nesa people.

Renga is a group poem of shared writing, and great fun!
We were all so pleased with Radstock Library users being so keen to get involved.


photo by Mel Day (wire sculpture artist: http://www.melday.co.uk/)

L-R: Judy Terry, Radstock Library Manager; June Wentland, BathNES Reader Development Officer; and myself at the end of a long but delightful day!

We just loved all the verses from the public!

This was the second of two With Words haiku related events on Saturday in the South West of England.

Match the Haiku to the Picture: Bradford on Avon Arts Festival

photo by Terry Hogan
With Words Match a Haiku to the Picture Competition
Saturday 26th September 2009
3.30p.m. - 6p.m.

With Words held a Match the Haiku to a Picture Competition at the St Laurence Street Party*.

Kathy Hogan and Karen Hoy ran the competition and stall while I was away at Radstock Community Festival with Reader Development Officer June Wentland as part of Japan-UK 150 and With Words partnership with Bath Libraries.


photo by Alan Summers
Our event was sponsored by Bradford on Avon's own fantastical independent bookshop Ex Libris!


*St. Laurence Street Party
"A festival within a festival: Bradford on Avon comes alive with haiku, music, dance, food, drink, stalls and entertainment for every age!"


photo by Terry Hogan

Kathy and Karen and festival goers sharing a joke.


photo by Kathy Hogan

Re-enacting the very serious moment of randomly picking the winning entry.

Forty five people entered our competition where they had to pick five out of ten haiku that matched five photographs. Out of those forty-five forms handed back we had nineteen correct forms so I had to pick out an overall winner!


photo by Kathy Hogan

I'm holding up the Ex Libris book voucher, and behind me is a painting of Bradford on Avon that hangs in the big room next to our little office in town.


photo by Kathy Hogan

Match the Haiku to a Picture Competition was sponsored by Ex Libris, Bradford on Avon's own fantastic independent bookshop.


photo by Karen Hoy

The Winner!

Emma is a nurse at Bath's A&E Department, a very deserving and enthusiastic winner.

Emma is going to enjoy taking her time deciding which book to buy at Ex Libris as it will be a great excuse to pick Jim's brain about 18th Century novels. Jim runs the always sell out Literary Quiz in the Bradford on Avon Arts Festival.

photo by Karen Hoy

Favourite Word Slam!

photo©Alan Summers 2009
FAVOURITE WORD SLAM!
Organisers: With Words Friday 25th September 2009
8pm The Fat Fowl, Bradford on Avon
The Fat Fowl is only minutes from the train station if you turn left! ;-) Tickets: £5 (price includes a glass of good wine).
FAT FOWL: http://www.fatfowl.com/
MAP: http://www.fatfowl.com/contact.html

We had a terrific bunch of people, some local, some from out of town as far afield as Corsham and Nailsea if you exclude two Americans who fell in love with the West Country years ago.

What is FAVOURITE WORDS what is a Slam!?
It's like a poetry slam except you only have to perform a single word that you might just adore and didn't even know it!

Or it could be a word you are fascinated by, or a word you absolutely hate but need to get that fact off your chest, because you just have to say it!!!


Alan's spelling is rubbish, and his favourite word!

All this in a fun filled laid back three-round event, where you are invited to share these mad cap fab favourite words of yours!

During the breaks we ran little word games with daft prizes!

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Bob, Jane, and Damien seem delighted with their Alphabet Spaghetti!

Every round, the audience can vote for the word that got them laughing, or philosophical, or just plain confused!

The audience have fun putting people through they love or hate so they have to say another word for the second round, and yet again if you get through to the third round!


Even though it was an individual game people enjoyed giving each other support.

So have three words ready just in case you get through to the final!

You don't have to be a "writer" or a "poet" to take part and really enjoy this.


Dictionaries are available on the night, but you'd better start thinking now to be in with a chance of winning decent 1st, 2nd or 3rd prizes!

2nd and 3rd Prizes of With Words Haiku Mugs went to Tom from Boston U.S.A. and David from Corsham.


David wins a With Words haiku mug!

Our Favourite Words Winner!!!!

Tracy wins a fine voucher from our Favourite Words sponsor "Wild Mary Ellis"
A lovely new business just opposite the With Words office offering Holistic Beauty and well being at 5 Market Street, Bradford on Avon, Tel. (01225) 866470
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USEFUL FESTIVAL INFORMATION
The map of Bradford on Avon:
http://www.theartsfestival.co.uk/information.html#Venue
On the map, Fat Fowl is "L"

About the Festival:
http://www.theartsfestival.co.uk/about.html

TRAINS TRAINS TRAINS cars cars!
BRADFORD ON AVON RAILWAY STATION
(about 5-7 minutes away from the Fat Fowl
and ample parking if coming by car):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradford-on-Avon_railway_station

Bristol Festival

Alan's Secret Garden Showcase between 8 - 9pm Friday, 18th September 2009.
I'll be reading two very short poems including BBC Poetry Season "The Lunch Hour" Bristol Summer poem, plus some haiku too! ;-)


A very nice crowd including Bath Spa University BA students with Lucy English.


The festival website: http://www.thebristolfestival.org/

Alan Summers & haiku workshop and haiku writing walks: Wolds Words 2009 Festival

NOTE:
Please click onto the above image for a larger image.

Wolds Words Festival
Lincolnshire
Friday 23rd October 2009

Booking is essential for all events.

How to book...
Call 01507 329437
Email info@woldswords.org.uk

Box Office open:
Monday to Friday
9.00am to 5.00pm


EVENT #1
Haiku & Senryu Workshop £5
10.00am to 12.00pm
Navigation Warehouse, LOUTH
http://www.louthcanal.org.uk/warehouse.html

This workshop is suitable for beginners right through to advanced writers. There will be exercises and group discussion/Q&A and a complimentary Haiku Journal notebook.

*Special Offer:
Only £7.50 if you book onto both Haiku & Senryu Workshop and Haiku Walk.

EVENT #2
Haiku Walk £5
2.00pm to 3.30pm
Begins at Navigation Warehouse, LOUTH
http://www.louthcanal.org.uk/warehouse.html
http://www.louthcanal.org.uk/geography.html

"Haiku are poems rooted in natural history and the seasons; they make us conspirators with wildlife, as nature half-writes the haiku before we've even put pen to paper. Become a co-poet with nature!" Alan Summers
*Special Offer:
Only £7.50 if you book onto both Haiku & Senryu Workshop and Haiku Walk.

Wolds Words 2009 Festival :
http://woldswords.net/festival.html
http://www.woldswords.org.uk/
Louth: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louth,_Lincolnshire

A hint at the kind of scenery, full of rich haiku possibilities, we might come across!

Image by Leew (30 September 2006)
Picture: Remains of a lock on the Louth Canal at Alvingham Leew's statement: "I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. This applies worldwide. In case this is not legally possible, I grant any entity the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law."

FREE Royal Festival Hall "With Words" haiku event

photo©Alan Summers 2009
.Alan Summers of With Words presents two FREE events
with Roberta Beary at the Royal Festival Hall

Saturday 5th September, 10.45a.m. to 1.00p.m.
Poetry Library
Royal Festival Hall
South Bank Centre, London
1st Event
Roberta Beary: a reading

Alan Summers introduces Roberta who will read haiku from 'nothing left to say' her new chapbook, edited by Michael Dylan Welch; and from her Poetry Society of America "William Carlos Williams Award" Finalist haiku collection "The Unworn Necklace" published by Snapshot Press. There will be micro-open mic opportunities as well!
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photo©Alan Summers 2009 _______________________second photo by Mike Keville

The first photo is of Roberta giving fascinating insights into her own life as well as haiku in America. The second photo is when we caught up with Mike Keville who took this amusing picture when I invited a lovely couple we didn't know to pose with Roberta Beary, Annie Bachini, and Matthew Paul as well as myself. The couple had apologised for getting in the way so I just had to include them in the picture! They also happen to be REAL cockneys born within the sound of Bow Bells!

2nd Event
Pestival: The Spirit of Issa
We're going on a haiku writing walk (ginko)!
Roberta Beary, with Alan Summers, roving Japan-UK 150 haiku & renga poet-in-residence, will visit various Pestival events, pausing amongst the insects for inspiration.
This event includes a FREE With Words Haiku Journal notebook.

Haiku Post-its with single insect-themed haiku or senyru on them were left strategically by Roberta Beary, and other haiku poets at various places for the passing public to discover.

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photo©Alan Summers 2009 _______________________second photo by Mike Keville
Towards the end of the day Mike Keville and myself caught up with Sprite who is a delightful French/English haiku writer I've only previously known on haiku internet sites.

in and out
of the lovers' quarrel
fireflies

Roberta Beary
Basho Haiku Challenge Chapbook:
Lilliput Review/Modest Proposal Chapbook series (2009)

convolvulus
a word on my tongue
and the bumblebee

Alan Summers
Blithe Spirit
(Dec 2004 British Haiku Society)
Roberta Beary:
http://www.pw.org/content/roberta_beary
http://www.robertabeary.com/
With Words:
http://www.withwords.org.uk
http://www.withwords.org.uk/results.html
Where to find the Royal Festival Hall & Poetry Library
http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/about/findus/
http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/visiting-us

What is Pestival?!
Click onto Pestival and buzz over to all the events!

Alan Summers & Karen Hoy are now Call of the Page, 

formerly With Words. 

We run online courses and various events: 

https://www.callofthepage.org/learning/

www.callofthepage.org

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