Poet-In-Residence

I’ve been on tour!  Three trains a bus to get to Mildenhall, stop #1 on my visit to various venues across Norfolk and Suffolk, all organised by the ace Creative Arts East!

Wed & Thurs this week, I set up a little camp in Mildenhall Library fuelled by many teas.  I chatted to locals, anyone popping through, browsing books or using the Library’s services.  By request, wrote a poem on any topic they’d care to mention, which led me to write about the NHS, Great Expectations, Argentina, the Lake District and sharks.  On Thursday, I visited a Primary school and did some poems for the kids, who I think loved my dancing more than my poems!  Then on Thursday afternoon I performed Letter To The Man (from the boy) in the Library and got some lovely responses and stories from the regulars.  I never thought I’d hear a story of hashcakes in a little lovely place like that!

There’s some naturally odd about a man offering to write people poems…and it does set people on edge.  But at the same time, they like to offer me a challenge, and it becomes an exchange between me and the ‘customer’.  I’m not going to say it gives them totally agency in the art, I’m the one writing it after all.  But it shows the accessibility of art, the heart within the roughness of scribbling ideas and notes to create something special which they are part of and have input.

I shall be returning on tour to a variety of venues across Norfolk!  The details are below, if you live round there come down, have a pint, I’ll make you a poem!

The Cellar House: 2 Eaton St, Norwich, Norfolk NR4 7AB Date of first visit: Monday 18th November 2013 Date of second visit and performance: Monday 25th November 2013

The Peddars Inn: 70 The Street, Sporle, Norfolk PE32 2DR Date of first visit: Friday 22nd November 2013 Date of performance: Friday 29th November 2013

The King’s Head: The Street, North Lopham, Diss, Norfolk, IP22 2NE Date of first visit: Saturday 23rd November 2013 Date of performance: Saturday 30th November 2013

The Lord Nelson: Hale Road, Bradenham, Norfolk, IP25 7RA Date of first visit: Sunday 24th November 2013 Date of performance: Sunday 1st December 2013

(here's a poem written for a girl who had seemingly read half the books in the Library already!)

My Top 5 Asterix books

Top 5 Asterix books

I’m eagerly awaiting the release of Asterix & The Picts, the 35th Asterix book and the first book to be written by someone other than René Goscinny or Albert Uderzo. It is written by Jean-Yves Ferri and illustrated by Didier Conrad.  Asterix was a huge part of my childhood, my parents would ply me with a new Asterix book for swimming extra lengths.  I even went dressed as Asterix to a fancy dress day at Primary School.  Dedication.

Here’s my top 5 books:

Asterix In Britain

I may be biased, but let’s remember Asterix doesn’t really venture much further north than Londinium, so it’s really Asterix In t’South.  But the plot is pretty solid, and an example where the magic potion will be of no use to simply smash the Romans as they try and protect their barrel.  It getting mixed up with wines, the Romans getting drunk and mix-ups, misadventures and, rugby games and mischief means the plot doesn’t just rely on British stereotypes and caricatures (my problem with Corsica for instance).  The film is excellent, with a great intro with the might of the Imperial Roman army being completely undermined by a pesky seagull.

Asterix and the Normans

This is one where factual history gets a little…elongated.  The Normans want to discover the meaning of fear, and so travel to Gaul to learn it’s art.  A very odd set-up, it pits Asterix against a tough enemy who aren’t the Romans or working alongside the Romans, something we only really see in terms of a whole plotline in Asterix and the Goths.  I quite liked pirates as a kid (still do obviously) and whilst the actual recurring pirates are pretty ineffective, I like the danger and fear of these massive dangerous Viking-eseque Normans.

Asterix and Son

A fairly unique story with the introduction of a key player.  Up until now, Brutus has only makes the odd appearance, making a briefly as a running gag in Gladiator, Roman Agent & Soothsayer.  But in Son, Brutus comes into his own as a ruthless and tyrannical enemy.  He bellows at the reader “BUT I’LL HAVE THAT BABY EVEN IF I HAVE TO PUT ALL GAUL TO FIRE AND SWORD!”  The final epic battle involves the village being mercilessly burned to ash.   The art is very special, to the orange glow backdrop Brutus stands against the women of the village, normally reduced to background characters, who here make a stand against him.  Brutus trumps Ceaser as a villain, leaving us with the final banquet aboard Cleopatra’s “sumptuous” galley.

Asterix and Obelix All At Sea

A late additional to the series, I remember this coming out in 1996 and being really excited by the prospect of a new book after completing my collection.  I quite liked the naval tones, introducing the Roman navy who haven’t had a key role before.  It’s an attempt at playing with the running gag of Obelix not being allowed to drink the magic potion, adding a vaguely serious tone that Obelix could be stuck as stone forever, even dead.  Indeed it remains the only Asterix book where a character could be dead, as in theory Admiral Crustacius is trapped as stone forever with Getafix to help out, though Ceaser’s final line hints this might not be the case.  Overall I like it for an attempt at making a likable German character, as the Goths tend to get a bad rep through the series.

Asterix and the Laurel Wreath

I wrote a piece a couple of years ago for York Theatre Royal’s Young Actor’s Company.  It was about the Romans in York and Britain, and was meant to be a little silly and daft, Monty Python/Horrible Histories style.  Naturally I returned to Asterix comics!  Asterix visits Rome in Gladiator, but I love this version because of the more adult tone, with drunkenness & slavery.  Asterix & Obelix are forced to rely on their wit, meet all manner of Rome’s upper-class and bandits with some fantastic locations, such as the moss-covered cell, the court, the slave market and the sewers beneath the streets.

What’s your favourite Asterix comic?  Maybe Picts will join the line-up!  We’ll see on Thursday!

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

There Goes The Summer

Phew.

This has been the busiest, most-fun on summer of Doings I’ve ever done.  It’s featured gigs across the country, putting on events, catching up with lots of mates, making new friends and generally being a busy (hopefully non-dying out) bee.

Let’s start in July, where I took my solo show, Letter To The Man (from the boy) to The Berry Theatre in Eastleigh and got a nice little write-up in The Portsmouth Times which you can read here.  This was programmed by my old Youth Theatre Director Sarah Brigham…

Sarah is now Artistic Director of Derby Theatre.  There is no one in the universe more committed to supporting emerging theatre-makers and artists.  I talk a lot about how if you make art, you should care.  You need to give a shit.  It should be in your heart and soul and spit and sweat.  You should read poems, sing songs and write plays with a passion and a fire.  I dislike it when artists apologise all the time.  Who shrug and put themselves down.  The world needs confidence.  I always thought Joe Strummer taught me that, but it was probably helped along by The Brigham.

At Derby Theatre, Milk Presents held a night of work-in-progress material, and I did a scratch of a new idea for a new show I want to make.  It’s gonna be angry.  And about protest.  But we’ll see what the future holds for it. 

Speaking of protest I went to see Hannah Nicklin’s A Conversation With My Father in Leeds…only to find I’d got the times wrong.  D’oh.

Got the timings wrong for my flyer too when I took my Letter To The Man (from the boy) to the International Youth Arts Festival in Kingston.  Played to friendly audiences though, got some really nice faces and feedback and great to be part of the great expansive festival.  I also spent a vast amount  of money in Banquet Records.  But I did get hold of The Filaments new album, which I believe to be the best album of 2013 so far.  Check it out.

Next stop:  EDINBURGH FRINGE!  This year as a civilian, or at least without a show.  Seemingly the only poet without a show or a event to run, I really enjoyed doing slots of new poems at the odd open mic, Forget What You Heard About Spoken Word, the Word House and Monkey Poet’s Spoke N Heard.  I also caught Daniel Bye’s How To Occupy An Oil Rig, The PaperBirds and Chris Thorpe’s new play.  Thank goodness for Northern Stage.

Last year my good friend Conor helped out with LTTM(FTB) at Edinburgh, this year he asked me to come perform it at Venturer Camp, run by Woodcraft Folk.  I’d never heard of them before, but reminded me a lot of the old Big Youth Theatre Festival days.  I had immense fun getting 700 young people to join in with a poem about a dinosaur before performing the most madcap version of Letter yet!  I also managed to finally see Grace Petrie perform, someone I’ve wanted to see and sing-a-long too for a long long long time.

 

 

 

Something else I’ve wanted to do for a long long time was go to Rebellion Festival, the biggest celebration of punk rock in the UK.  I did 2 sets on the Poetry Stage, then skanked and moshed to a good few fun bands, to many to mention here.  But Jello Biafra was a surprising highlight, as were The Adicts, New Town Kings and Molly Tov.

 

 

Then it was my BIRTHDAY!  I turned 25 and to celebrate got all my chums to do poems and songs in the best restaurant in York, El Piano, before hitting the town.  Cheers Jonny, Chris, Jamie and John.  Thanks to all my lovely friends who came out, I love you all and it meant so much.  It’s pretty slushy and soppy territory now, but it sure was the highlight of the summer, if not the year, if not the life.  We recorded some poems too, so videos coming soon!

Beacons Fest was next, which was a great place to visit, pity I couldn’t stay!  But the set was good fun.  Then back to Edinburgh to perform the new show called Practise Patience I’m working on with Travels By Telephone, which went down really well on the Free Fringe, good feedback, good future.  Also saw Ross Sutherland’s show Stand-By For Tape Back Up.  Very good fun, moving, engaging, experimental… everything the Forest Fringe should provide.

Back for Play In A week with Pilot Theatre & York Theatre Royal, first one since 2009 so lovely to be back in a rehearsal room with young people.  Reinforced how much I really want to write work for young people as performers and plays for youth theatre.

Did a quick gig with Boss Caine, where I compared and wrote some poems for each of the acts, see previous blog post.  Then Galtres Festival where I did a nice intimate set in a tiny tent, all of us huddled and surviving against the wind and the rain.  And got people to do a Poetry Human Pyramid!  I spent the Sunday day and night with some amazing mates and even though we almost died, I would have died happy…crushed between your sniffling and shuddering frames.

A very good friend of mine, Anna Wilcox, became Anna Lewis and her wedding was a very fun day of old faces, old friends, drinking, photos and a little spot of dancing with an excuse to wear my mod suit again.

FINALLY I hit London to perform at the Anarcho-Folk Fest for Freedom Press.  It was a sunny day, lots of angry politics, lots of niceness, free vegan cake and saw some great acts, highlight was (as always) Pog and also Ren Spits At Magpies, who I’ve never seen before but she totally blew me away!

What does the future hold?  Doing loads of new stuff at On Our Turf’s Little Festivals across September.  Working on Practise Patience with Travels By Telephone.  And Matt Baker’s Down In Albion event should be fantastic in November, get in touch if you want to perform work on the theme ‘England’.  At Release The Hounds Festival this month too!  And, of course, Generation 6 of Pokémon comes out in October…

A million thanks to everyone who saw me perform, supported me, programmed me, booked me, clicked Like, RT’d etc etc. Thanks to my ace girlfriend Lizzie for her support, thanks to my friends, thanks to being thankful.

But generally speaking…. rethink and refresh.  Keep rehearsing, rewriting and resisting.

In love, in anger, in solidarity, in Gengar We Trust.

Henry

(P.S. Any gigs, slams, workshops, commissions or whatevers…do let me know at henrythepoet@btinternet.com)

Poems for: The Wynn, the Railway Child, the Larking Skies and Mr Big Bad Boss Caine

Last week I compared Boss Caine’s hometown gig at the Basement (review here), a great showcase of local talent as well as invited guests.  Instead of doing my own pre-written poems, I did a trick I’ve not done for a while and wrote a poem inspired by the set of each act.  This is inspired musically, lyrically and stylistically, with help from their banter and attitude.  I might collect these in a zine someday.

Inspired by Mark Wynn

I just can’t picture me growing up

I’m going to keep falling in and out of love

All these ladies need songs

All these rights end up wrongs

There’s this thing I do

Puts them off, and really so it should

I’m a talker

Quarter jerker-offer

Shit gets shovelled like coals

Fuel for the chatter

Baby, I’m a talker and a lover

And on Saturday nights, my throat does the fighting

Inspired by Joe Tilston

Tonight I’ve been thinking easy thoughts

Easy excuses and easy reasons

Not thinking clearly

Thinking easily

Living in history

But my intention is a singer

My intention is a dancer

My intention hops on trains

Discovers new destinations

Disembarks at unfamiliar stations

My intention has name

And will keep it in the new daylight

Tonight, I’ve been thinking a lot.

Inspired by Skylark Song

Finding thorns in pies and paws

Food is sharper, my claws are clipped

Struggling in streets, obviously alone

Relenting under spiky stars and a sea-storm coloured sky

“Spend your time preparing for mercy

Spend your tonight repenting”, they advised

“Devils & women” I replied.

“Devils & women”.

Inspired by Boss Caine

These nights bite like rats

Each toothmark is a scarred story

That aches in the mornings.

And I am so thankful

These pains are kindly

Like the bruises from bumping out of bed

Whisky-soaked and smiling.

Couldn’t live without those bruises

And if you find that funny, let me show you

A good lovin’ time

Because living is serious business

Like navigating storms

Like rationing failing drugs

Like staying the fool

Inside a 4-wall world.

I want a world that fits within my backyard

For smokes, mates and sunshine

I’ve got toothmarks and bruises

And you.

Here Comes The Summer

Hi everyone, I hope you’re alright.  I really do.

So here’s a little update for you all what’s happened the last few months!

I have been working hard with Travels By Telephone, an amazing musician, to create a new show/set of poetry, spoken word fused with acoustic sounds.  We’re at the Edinburgh Fringe with the show 18^th August midday at the Banshee Labyrinth, and it’s called Practise Patience.

 

I am super-excited to announce I am now an Associate Artist of Red Ladder Theatre Company.  Red Ladder have a strong history of activism and political theatre, supporting Unions and protests with theatre.  Hopefully it’ll be the start of a great relationship, and I’m really proud to be connected to their work.

I’ve just done Hidden Hill Festival, with Galtres Festival coming up at the end of August.  Hopefully a few more festival appearances to announce before the summer’s over.

This coming Thursday 4^th July I’m taking my solo show to Eastleigh, and will be at Derby Theatre on the 18^th July scratching an idea for a new show I’m starting to work on.  It’s part of Milk Presents’ Lucky Dip. It could be the next big show I make, and I’m really excited by the germ of the idea, but more writing to be done first.  But always onwards & upwards, I suppose.

DIO: Do It Ourselves

DIO: Do It Ourselves

Last week I went to Bradford to the 1 in 12 by an event organised by Bradford Uni entitled ‘Do(ing) It Again’ and was very honoured to do a short talk about protest poetry and the community that exists across the UK.  My point was, if theatres and Arts centres feel the squeeze, will the small-scale DIY element of spoken word and pub-theatre flourish, or at least see positive affects from people seeking alternative forms of art?  Bradford seems to do very well from a ‘lack’ as was discussed at the event.  Got me thinking about York, how in some ways we are ‘DIY by Default, not Design’, fuelled by a lack of venues and a loose community rather than a political drive to create new spaces.

So, what am I up to these days?  Doing quite a lot with young children actually, have written a handful of poems which have gone down really well for under 10s.  You’ll see Letter To The Man (from the boy) my solo show, at the Berry Theatre, The International Youth Arts Festival both in July and The HUB in Leeds in September, but still looking for bookings anywhere in the country for any venue!

I’ll be at Edinburgh Fringe, helping out with Six Lips Theatre’s show Faustus, 11-25^th so if you have any open mics, showcases, slams etc please let me know, always looking for an opportunity to perform at EdFringe!

Finally, next week is WORDS & WHIPPETS!  I had a conversation with York Theatre Royal about this in August, and the date was set in October, so it’s been MONTHS AND MONTHS in the planning. I’ve selected 5 amazing slam/performance poets, and you’ll see acts that don’t always come to York, so please come along and together we can make connections, make a community and build a little scene here in York!

Details of W&W here:  http://www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk/shows/words_and_whippets.php

25^th May, 7.45pm, YTR Studio, £5 (+£1 booking fee)