Guests
Reviews of recent guest performers
Amal El-Mohtar, September 2010
Milner Place, May 2010
Steve Allen, August 2009
Rob Nightingale, April 2009
James Nash, March 2009
Ian Horn, January 2009
Kevern Stafford and Andy Humphrey, December 2008
Dream Catcher magazine, September 2008
Don Walls, June 2008
Bob Beagrie, Andy Willoughby and Shaun Lennox, May 2008
Tim Ellis, April 2008
Amal El-Mohtar – guest performer, September 2010
Lebanese-Canadian poet and Cornwall resident Amal El-Mohtar’s debut collection, The Honey Month (Papaveria Press) is the literary equivalent of a concept album. After receiving a gift of samples of 28 different types of honey from a friend, she resolved to taste one each day for a month and write a piece of poetry or short fiction inspired by the taste she experienced. The result was a poetic feast, at times sweet and romantic, but with the sweetness held in check by the occasional tart allegory or bitter reminiscence of love-gone-wrong. As a performer her presence was striking, but never self-conscious, her set enlivened by discreet smiles and asides that created a deeply intimate atmosphere in a crowded room. We were treated to poetry in French and Arabic as well as in English. Whether reading about the tragedies of the modern Middle East, as in Blackberry Honey or her prize-winning Song for an Ancient City, or the more personal tragedies of lost love, Amal gave us sumptuous, beautifully crafted, heartfelt poetry that never failed to captivate. This was one of the best performances I can remember at Speakers’ Corner, and I look forward eagerly to her next collection. (Review by Andy Humphrey)
Milner Place – guest performer, May 2010
Speakers’ Corner had one of its largest audiences ever to welcome Milner Place. He is a man of great reputation (as poet, linguist, broadcaster of his work and mariner – he captained sailing vessels for eleven years.) A prolific poet, he read from his eleventh volume, naked invitation. His first collections were written in Spanish and his linguistic knowledge enabled him to make surprising connections. His work, infused with the sea, travel and the maddening vividness of Spain and Latin America, was imbued with magic realism. Rendezvous and The Hidden Well seemed haunted by the search for a beloved muse-figure and an ideal time. His delivery was languid and at times a little indistinct, but this added to the hypnotic nature of the whole evening. There were echoes of creation myths and parables but the centre wasa celebration of a traveller’s life lived with passionate intensity. The whole evening was a voyage of empathy and fantastical imagination. (Review by Tanya Nightingale)
Steve Allen – guest performer, August 2009
Steve Allen’s CV quotes a newspaper review which reported his ability to “give an audience a slow orgasm with his witty sexual verbosity”. His guest session at Speakers’ Corner certainly upped the ante where innuendo was concerned, beginning with the relatively gentle doubles entendres of “Park and Ride” and “Pay and Display” and accelerating through his 25-minute performance to some positively X-rated material. One of our regulars left saying it was the filthiest poetry performance he’d ever been to (though he said it in a way that suggested he really enjoyed the experience!). To assume that Steve’s poetry is all comedic or all sexual, however, is to do the man a disservice, for he also produced some great lyric poems, beautifully evoking the sensual assault of such exotic locations as roadside India, the street corners of Kuala Lumpur, and, erm, Camden market. He is also one of the finest performers of poetry that I’ve seen, using facial expressions and whole-body movements to bring his poems alive in a way that is rare even for experienced performance poets to master. His first poetry collection is due for publication later in 2009, and I for one will look forward to a return visit in due course. (Review by Andy Humphrey)
Rob Nightingale – guest performer, April 2009
The spirits of Tom Lehrer and quite possibly of Benny Hill were well and truly in evidence at April’s Speakers’ Corner with a virtuoso guest performance from pianist, satirist and all-round wit Rob Nightingale. Rob’s darkly comic songs have a bit of a cult following in York, and he began this showcase in inimitable style with songs about cannibalism, genital surgery and the possible disadvantages of being married to a celebrity chef. Rob’s past works include libretti for musical shows in which most of the cast end up dead, and there was certainly a gleefully morbid streak running through the evening’s set. A light-hearted disregard for the niceties of political correctness was also in evidence – as a result of which it’s unlikely that Rob will ever be appointed Ambassador to France, but he may well be in the wings if an ’Allo ’Allo revival were ever on the cards! (Review by Andy Humphrey)
James Nash – guest performer, March 2009
part of this year’s York Literature Festival, Speakers’ Corner was pleased to welcome Leeds poet James Nash as our guest performer. In the midst of an evening that was already brimming with local open-mic talent, newcomers and regulars alike, Nash read a handful of poems from his latest collection, Coma Songs. Blending a gently dark sense of humor with an uncanny sense of the infinite, his work often left the listener wondering whether the appropriate reaction would be laughter, tears, or some combination of both. Nash has a particularly deft touch when it comes to material that, in the hands of many another poet, would come across as crude or gratuitous – who else, I wonder, could have written about getting up to no good with one’s partner in an allotment with such graceful wit? For my part, Nash’s performance has been the highlight of my two years’ attendance at Speakers’ Corner, and I trust we’ll ask him back again sooner than later! (Review by Adrienne Odasso)
Ian Horn – guest performer, January 2009
Heading to the Deep South of York from his ‘Billy Elliot territory’ home in East Durham, it was a real pleasure to catch up with Ian Horn again. His poems carry a quiet restlessness, whether they’re reclining by the river in Amiens or itching with the Elvis dreams at the local karaoke, delivered with warmth and passion. For a bunch of personal reasons, ‘Where Hares Eat Grapes’ struck a particular chord, its measuredly irregular couplets maturing like the wine which offers ‘a mouthful of sky’, but it’s his classic catalogue of reasons for not lending someone your England shirt that capped the night. This was a relaxed but absorbing reading from a distinctive poet and performer. (Review by Oz Hardwick)
Kevern Stafford and Andy Humphrey with Oz Hardwick
– guest performers, December 2008
It seems somewhat cheeky to be writing a review of my own performance, so instead I’ll use this space to do what December’s session at The Speakers’ Corner was really all about: promoting books. Having featured in Bridge House Publishing’s short story anthology Making Changes (ISBN: 978-0-9557910-5-5), I took the opportunity to read extracts from my short story I Borrowed a Poltergeist as well as excerpts from a couple of the other stories in the anthology. Also launching a book in December was Scarborough’s Kevern Stafford, creator of JookBoxFury, “a cross between Seinfeld and a beat generation Top of the Pops special” which had the audience by turns mesmerised and rolling in the aisles. Kevern’s slightly deadpan delivery did exactly what it was supposed to do – make the pop-culture reference-heavy humour of the story sing from every extract and anecdote. The evening was rounded off gratifyingly with a short set of poems from Oz Hardwick. Having been Speakers’ Corner’s mainstay and MC-in-chief for the last three years, Oz is now stepping down to spend more time with his poetry. December’s performance was a fitting valedictory from a much-loved performer and an inspired poet. I can’t wait to have him back as a guest performer when his next collection is published. (Review by Andy Humphrey)
Joint event with Dream Catcher magazine
– September 2008
It was standing room only for The Speakers’ Corner’s first joint poetry event with another publication. Dream Catcher editor Paul Sutherland has long been a driving force in the Yorkshire (and now Lincolnshire) literary world, and for this special evening he assembled a fine cast of regular Dream Catcher contributors to delight us with their poetry. Leeds’ Ian Parks kick-started the session, and for me provided the highlight of the night with a short set of fiercely quirky poems delivered with charm and panache. Ian’s set was counterbalanced by a thought-provoking reading from Brighton-based Tony Flynn, a Dream Catcher mainstay who is gaining increasing recognition nationally. Pauline Kirk, who now runs the York-based Fighting Cock Press, provided a local flavour. Pauline has guested at The Speakers’ Corner before, and her thoughtful poetic style, combining nostalgic recollection with a subtle but sharp undercurrent of social comment, is always well received. With one of the liveliest (and wittiest) open mic sessions we’ve had, alongside guests of such high calibre, the evening was a feast of rich poetry and has definitely whetted my appetite for more collaborative ventures in the future. (Review by Andy Humphrey)
Don Walls – guest performer, June 2008
As Don is something of a York institution, it was a real delight to be able to welcome him for the first time as our guest performer in June. For health reasons his performances are a lot fewer these days than they used to be, so it was a double pleasure that he was able to make the trek to the Terrier and entertain us with his ingeniously witty and deeply heartfelt poetry. His gift for rhyme in particular is a delight to hear, and gave an extra warmth to his recollections of life with his parents. Wry accounts of shopping trips gone wrong raised many a smile – I’ve never actually seen a rhinoceros run amok in Debenham’s, but I could certainly picture the after-effects! – whilst his childhood memories of starlings and the funeral of King George added an extra poignancy to the evening. Don’s reputation as the elder statesman of poetry in York is unassailable, and the recent release of his third collection gave many of our regulars the opportunity to browse his work at leisure and enjoy it long after the evening was over. (Review by Andy Humphrey)
Bob Beagrie, Andy Willoughby and Shaun Lennox
– guest performers, May 2008
Bob Beagrie and Andy Willoughby are a force to be reckoned with in their native Teesside. Bob’s recent poetry collection Yoik (Cinnamon Press), which gained a 2008 Forward Prize nomination for best collection, has given deserved critical acclaim to a poet with an insistent and mesmerising voice. Combined with Andy’s lyricism and a host of musical instruments – including a double bass, percussion and Celtic horn – they presented us with a tour de force of poetry and music. Much of it was drawn from a work-in-progress inspired by their recent visits to Finland and their subsequent immersion in the mythology of Finland’s national book, the Kalevala. The icy tracts of Finland and the industrial heartlands of north-east England certainly seem to have found a common voice in a poetic performance which kept us spellbound. The insistent choruses (“the iron in the blood points north”) and the quality of the music which overlaid the poetry make this a sort of Waste Land for the 21st century. It was the highlight of my year so far, and I look forward to experiencing the full-length performance soon! (Review by Andy Humphrey)
Tim Ellis – guest performer, April 2008
Harrogate poet Tim has been a welcome addition to the open mic section of Speakers’ Corner for awhile now. He’s a natural performance poet, with a cheeky charm that combines well with a fierce social and environmental conscience. For this extended set he drew on the chaotic (often comedic) experiences of his travels in South America as well as his love of native British wildlife which infuses his first poetry collection Birds of the World in Colour (Flarestack, 2003). The pace and precision of his delivery were awe-inspiring; this is a poet who could teach the professionals a thing or two about how to make their work come alive in front of an audience. (Review by Andy Humphrey)