Saturday 21 September 2013

Poetry Time, come on and bring your friends, we're going to very distant lands

This has been a busy week.  This has been a busy month.  I was chatting with Katie Bonna via the medium of Twitter…when do we freelance poets give ourselves days off?  Do we need to timetable into our schedules?  Do we need to schedule time off into our timetables?

I spent a lot of time last week making a website www.henryraby.com

But on Thursday I reluctantly boarded a train to Manchester to take part in its Superheroes of Slam round.  I was tired, knackered and needed a night off.  As it happened, the standard was phenomenal and really woke me up.  Seeing some nice Manchester friends again picked up my spirits, and I actually had a lot of fun.  I came second, beaten by the very confident and staunch Kieren King.  Manchester, like Hull, Sheffield and Newcastle, is producing fantastic poets.



A slam which really made me think about raising my game, and good contacts to chase up.  So well worth going to, even if my body feels like it’s gone a few rounds with a bulldozer.  The bulldozer knows karate.

New website:  www.henryraby.com

I’ve been finding ways to have some chillout time, and not feel guilty.  Cooking veggie grub is a good time to give yourself space.  I also try not to feel guilty when I don’t use time on trains to read books or write or learn poems.  I use it to sew patches or play Plants Vs Zombies 2.  You’ve got to be kind to yourself.  I watch cartoons.  How good is Adventure Time?  It pays tribute to 80s D&D whilst still having that post-Spongebob knowing oddness.  It, Chowder and Flapjack have really impressed me.  Who says cartoons are no good anymore?

So I’ve been doing a lot of gig and events and writing.  Lots of new stuff, really exciting stuff.  Today is meant to be my day off; just I’m jetting off to Derby to see Kes, directed by my old Youth Theatre Director, Sarah Brigham, starring my old chum John Holt Roberts.

Currently listening to High Dive.  Bloomington is the golden land of queer-pop-punk and folk-punk.  Thanks to the Queer Punx Podcast for the tip!

I also made a new website.  Did I mention that?  www.henryraby.com

In love, anger, in solidarity, in Gengar we trust


Henry xxx

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