Café Events for January

Café Manager Ely Ahamed looks to the beginning of the New Year at the Poetry Café

I can’t believe that Christmas is nearly upon us! So it is true then: time flies when you are having fun and a lot has been happening at the Café since the end of the summer.

John Paul came back for three dates in the Studio with Farrago Slam Poetry between November and the beginning of December.

The really popular Wolf Magazine launch organised by James Byrne, once again, was well attended. Lainey MacLean is now entertaining us twice a month with Journey Central Comedy Nights.

Anjan Saha has been a very busy man, having successfully hosted “The Chronicles”, a joint event with the British Council in the Netherlands and now with Literature Lounge Master Classes on Saturday mornings. The workshop is really popular with young writers and poets who wish to discover new ways to improve their writing or the way they deliver a live performance.

Roddy Lumsden created “The Shuffle”, a monthly gathering with a wide range of invited readers with a mix of styles with the emphasis on bringing you well-crafted, high quality poetry. 

The New Year also looks really promising with all your regular events such as Poetry Unplugged and Littlest Birds and a couple of new-comers. Monday nights are getting exciting again with a new poetry/comedy event (and a little bit of magic!) hosted by Simon Ellinas and we also plan to introduce a monthly Jazz night at the Café.

The line up will be different every month with a mix of experienced musicians and up and coming artists. The search is on for new talents and if you are interested in participating, just drop a CD at the bar.

After Madeleine Waller and Maya Miyovich, it’s the turn of Anna Courcha to exhibit at the Poetry Café in January. She has been exhibiting for the last 20 years in the UK as well as in Italy and Germany, producing some work consisting entirely of words and letters; using banal phrases or snatches of conversation taken out of context. These apparently random fragments can then take on a new meaning and form a new context, made from feeling and memory. Like a secret internal language. All her recent effort is constructed through “the method of collage, fragments which then form a whole with the aim of conveying an inner world of thought and emotion where feelings can become visual.” 

Finally, I have always liked the festive period as a child but as a grown up, I have never been a huge fan of Christmas shopping but unfortunately this has to be done.

The Poetry Place will be shut from Saturday 22 December to Wednesday 2 January (inclusive) during which the Café staff and I will enjoy a well deserved break!

A few tips for a hassle free Christmas if you are cooking at home: think simple recipes and good quality products. For your starters, anything smoked will look and taste even better (smoked eel). Remember: 25 min per pound for your turkey in a 180 degrees oven and if pastry is your weak point, well, just buy some French desserts!

Have a Merry (and hassle-free) Christmas and see you all in the New Year.

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