New video – part of my one-woman show Confidence Tricks, touring the UK in October and November. Tour dates here.
Tag Archives: gigs
Edinburgh Show Update: Asking Nicely
23 Mar
First draft of my poster
In September last year I wrote about planning to do a one-woman poetry show on the theme of ‘permission’ at the Edinburgh Fringe. (Original blog post here.) My aim is slam poetry crossed with a TED Talk crossed with some funnies. It will look at how, why, when and where we ask for permission – looking at it through an intersectional feminist/sociological viewpoint.
Anyway, it’s now March, with the festival looming in August, so I thought I’d give an update. Continue reading
Videos: Kiss and Tetris
20 OctI played a gig at She Grrrowls spoken word on the 5th of October – it’s a different host and different booked acts every time – as well as open mic slots. Really lovely night – highly recommended. It’s all run by Carmina Masoliver.
The night I was on was hosted by multiple slam champ Cat Brogan, as well as some hilarious and touching poetry from Ebele and comedy from Ann Domoney of Quiltbag Cabaret.
I’ve noticed She Grrrowls have put videos of some of the poems up – so here we go:
Kiss
(very short and sweet)
Tetris as a Relationship Analogy
One Woman Show: It Begins
20 SepI’ve long thought I’d love to do a one-woman poetry show at the Edinburgh Fringe. Initially I thought “that would be really cool, but I’m not good enough yet.” Then I graduated to thinking “I probably am good enough now but I need an idea I can hinge everything on. I need a flash of inspiration.”
In August this year: I had my eureka moment.
I was trying to work out what I could offer an audience, which wasn’t just “if you like me you’ll probably like X thing about my past/my interests” – because, in the tiny window of opportunity you have to flyer each stranger at the Edinburgh Fringe – you need to have something other than “ME! Like me! Love me! I’m well good, I am!”
I mean: I’ve seen plenty of shows that would fit that dismissive description and have been brilliant, but poetry is a hard sell at the best of times, and anyway I’m fed up with talking just about myself.
And then it hit me: my big theme which I’ve been looking for has been here with me for over a year already: Permission.
About a year ago I wrote a poem called Permission, about instances of women acting in ways which were notably bold or in some way kicked against the assumed status quo. It was in part because I was so stunned by the succinctness of the image here*, and in part because I’d been trying to explain to a straight male friend of mine how differently women in gay bars hold themselves. Something about women just being confident in themselves seemed to be subversive and almost revolutionary. I was drawn to the double-edged sword that badass women are
- amazing and
- sadly too rare.
Permission was a poem I initially thought was pretty good, but when I started performing it I saw it usually goes across really well. As in: people remember lines of it and quote them back at me afterwards. Dudes have come up to me saying “sorry, I know that poem wasn’t really for me, but it really spoke to me and I needed to hear it.” This theme seems to have touched a nerve that – though strongly linked to feminism – was bigger than gender politics alone. It is about to get all intersectional up in here. Continue reading
Admitting to Ambition… and Fangirling
16 SepThe last few months have been a rollercoaster ride of realising (some) people think I’m hot shit. In my specialised little world of spoken word poetry stuff I’ve worked a lot, improved a lot, and I’ve started getting booked (paid!) gigs, and things seem to be starting to snowball. I’ve seen my name (projected) in lights, and even been sent fanmail.
I don’t say this just to brag. Well, maybe a bit, but here’s the thing: I am a total Hufflepuff. And a klutz. And a bag of neuroses. I cannot begin to describe how weird it is seeing people nervously coming up to me to enthuse at me after a gig, because I know I’m a complete asshat: I know I consider BBQ sauce on toast an acceptable meal if no one’s looking. I know I write lengthy to-do lists every day and often only manage 2 things on them. I know I haven’t practiced guitar in over 6 months and have forgotten most of the Spanish I ever knew. I know I forgot to buy bread or cat litter today and blah blah blah blah.
Here’s the thing: the stage is a king-maker. Even a small, creaky, room-above-a-pub stage does something to how you perceive the people on it Continue reading
Video: No Little Words
23 JunI’ve finally filmed my first poetry video!
My next booked gig will be at Jawdance at Rich Mix in London on Wednesday July 24th. Come along – it’s free!
Also – yesterday I went to my first ever Forget What You Heard (about spoken word) run by the UK Slam Champion Stephanie Dogfoot and the infinitely talented and huggable Matt Cummins. I go to a lot of spoken word nights and I can honestly say it was one of the best (and friendliest) gigs I’ve been to in a long time. Highly recommended.
