A Poetry Festival aperitif
DEAD POETS SLAM

An evening of scintillating competitive poetry hosted by The Bard of Windmill Hill, Trevor Carter.
Special guest and and chief judge David C. Johnson plus musical support.

Following from the success of last year’s event, recruitment has started for this year’s Dead Poets’ Slam.
This is an open competition and free to enter.
Entrants are asked to present the work of a favoured dead poet. Here are the rules of how it works:
CONDITIONS OF ENTRY AND GUIDELINES TO DEAD POETS SLAM
1. Entrants must select a dead poet and prepare three sets (of one or more poems) for public presentation.
2. Each set must not exceed three minutes. Excess time will be penalised.
3. Judges will score according to the quality of selection, presentation and interpretation, taking into account audience reaction.
4. David C. Johnson is acting as the senior judge, whose decisions will be final.
5. Apart from the time limit there are no rules of how someone may present their offering, which may be read from a script or from memory. The effort must be individual, ‘live support’ is not permitted.
6. After Round 1 three entrants will go forward to the final when they will present their second set.
7. The winner will be invited to read a final poem to conclude the contest. Hence entrants must have a poem / set prepared for the first and second round, and a final poem if they win.
8. Entrants must inform the organiser in advance who they are choosing to represent. They cannot change their minds on the night.
9. The organiser is happy to lend any support or advice to help participants prepare.
10. Entry to the competition is free and prizes will be awarded.

Old Thunder - An evening with Hilare Belloc

A unique event comes to Exeter Cathedral this autumn. Presented by the broadcaster, Sue Lawley, “Old Thunder” is an evening’s entertainment about the life and work of Hilaire Belloc.
Belloc is best known these days for his “Cautionary Tales” in which boys and girls receive dreadful punishment for their childish misbehaviour (‘The chief defect of Henry King was eating little bits of string’; ‘Matilda told such dreadful lies, it made one gasp and stretch one’s eyes’) – verses which are still loved and recited in families all over Britain. But in his long life, Belloc wrote a vast amount of other work – great poetry, history books, novels and religious works. Brilliant, opinionated, controversial and prolific he was one of the most talented and important British writers during the first half of the 20th century. His mother called him “Old Thunder.”

“Old Thunder” was written and devised by Sue’s husband, the author and television executive, Hugh Williams, and was first performed to great acclaim at the 2009 Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival. Since then it has received similar critical success at a performance in St Edmunsbury Cathedral in Bury St Edmunds in March 2010. Now it returns to the area in which it was first conceived for this special presentation in Exeter Cathedral.

The evening is presented by Sue Lawley with Hugh Williams and the MP for East Devon, Hugo Swire. Belloc’s poetry and prose is accompanied by music from the period, performed by Jonathan Watts on the piano, Heloise West, soprano and the baritone Julian Rippon. “Old Thunder” brings Britain’s pre-war world vividly to life. It is a show that will delight and stimulate everyone who loves this country’s literary and musical heritage.

The Very Reverend Jonathan Meyrick, Dean of Exeter, says “We are delighted to welcome Sue Lawley, Hugh Williams and Hugo Swire to the Cathedral for what promises to be an evening of charming entertainment.”

This event has been kindly supported by Packexe.

Tickets for this event are available online from the Exeter Cathedral website, www.exeter-cathedral.org.uk and Exeter Cathedral shop (01392 271354) priced at £20 for seats in the front nave of the Cathedral and £15 for the rear nave and side aisles.

David C Johnson has been appointed Bristol Cycle Festival ( BCF) Poet
The Bristol Cycle Festival Poet post will neatly link cycling and poetry, as the Bristol Poetry Festival overlaps with BCF. The Festival Poet will write a number of cycling related poems and perform them, as well as other verse, at various cycling festival-related Bristol locations.

11th September Saturday – Cheddar Adventure
David C Johnson Bristol Cycle Festival Poet at start and finish of The Cheddar Adventure
9.30am at Create Centre, BS1 6XN informal reading of poems to encourage the participants
6.00pm at Tobacco Factory BS3 1TF reading poems to welcome home the valiant returnees.