Earlier in the evening Poetry Factory, a Cheltenham-based poetry collective of six published and prize-winning poets, showcased their wealth of talent at Oxfam Bookshop. First up was Chaucer Cameron, whose poems included one about an anti-burglar device at Freud’s Vienna office. David Clarke, another Flarestack pamphlet competition winner last year, read a poem about Lenin’s enjoyment of the English music hall, and one called See England By Train, including its “lines of ragged knickers”. A poem by Anna Saunders about ghosts spoke of “a bruise on the air / a thickening of the atmosphere”, while examples of Philip Rush’s urbane oeuvre included references to Bowie, Jagger, Marvin Gaye, St Augustine, Dylan and Spider-Man. Sharon Larkin, who has a poem in the recent Heart Shoots anthology, was fascinated by science, particularly chemistry and physics, as well as the “shamans and charlatans” who whip up apocalyptic fear. Avril Staple delighted in showing us a collection of travelling show exhibits – the bearded lady who shaved, her husband with three breasts – and concluded with a poem titled The Show Must Go On. Maybe a reference to Cheltenham poetry festival itself? I can only agree.
Tuesday 23 April 2013
Write Out Loud review of Poetry Factory gig
Review by Greg Freeman ("Write Out Loud") of Poetry Factory's performance in the Poetry Festival on 22 April.
Earlier in the evening Poetry Factory, a Cheltenham-based poetry collective of six published and prize-winning poets, showcased their wealth of talent at Oxfam Bookshop. First up was Chaucer Cameron, whose poems included one about an anti-burglar device at Freud’s Vienna office. David Clarke, another Flarestack pamphlet competition winner last year, read a poem about Lenin’s enjoyment of the English music hall, and one called See England By Train, including its “lines of ragged knickers”. A poem by Anna Saunders about ghosts spoke of “a bruise on the air / a thickening of the atmosphere”, while examples of Philip Rush’s urbane oeuvre included references to Bowie, Jagger, Marvin Gaye, St Augustine, Dylan and Spider-Man. Sharon Larkin, who has a poem in the recent Heart Shoots anthology, was fascinated by science, particularly chemistry and physics, as well as the “shamans and charlatans” who whip up apocalyptic fear. Avril Staple delighted in showing us a collection of travelling show exhibits – the bearded lady who shaved, her husband with three breasts – and concluded with a poem titled The Show Must Go On. Maybe a reference to Cheltenham poetry festival itself? I can only agree.
Earlier in the evening Poetry Factory, a Cheltenham-based poetry collective of six published and prize-winning poets, showcased their wealth of talent at Oxfam Bookshop. First up was Chaucer Cameron, whose poems included one about an anti-burglar device at Freud’s Vienna office. David Clarke, another Flarestack pamphlet competition winner last year, read a poem about Lenin’s enjoyment of the English music hall, and one called See England By Train, including its “lines of ragged knickers”. A poem by Anna Saunders about ghosts spoke of “a bruise on the air / a thickening of the atmosphere”, while examples of Philip Rush’s urbane oeuvre included references to Bowie, Jagger, Marvin Gaye, St Augustine, Dylan and Spider-Man. Sharon Larkin, who has a poem in the recent Heart Shoots anthology, was fascinated by science, particularly chemistry and physics, as well as the “shamans and charlatans” who whip up apocalyptic fear. Avril Staple delighted in showing us a collection of travelling show exhibits – the bearded lady who shaved, her husband with three breasts – and concluded with a poem titled The Show Must Go On. Maybe a reference to Cheltenham poetry festival itself? I can only agree.
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