Poetry and Performance - Ralph Thoresby School

Sally Bavage writes:

One thing that was indeed intriguing about the evening was how life followed art, in that a couple of young poets disappeared during rehearsals – and never came back. It's not good to have a lurgy rampaging through the poet group, and it was a real shame for altogether five stalwarts that they missed their moments in the spotlight. Agatha Christie might have thought of the plot device first, but in real life it is less than intriguing and more a disappointment for those young people from the 'Own Your Words' group of writers that their poetry was not heard. At least we didn't get down to 'And Then There Was None'!

What we did get down to was a great mixed programme of performance, the young writers performing their poetry pieces in a drama studio set out cafe-style, tea lights flickering (well, LEDs anyway) to illuminate the audience in a dim glow. We even had some torch singers, an upper school band and a trio of dancers. Oh, and a compere who decided to go a la francaise for the evening. “What do you call a Frenchman wearing sandals?” Philippe Phloppe. It did get better after that.

The young people had musical accompaniment once again from Stella Litras on the keyboards; she carefully crafts the music to fit the mood of the poem or the dance. And once again the young poets had been recruited and supported by a dedicated English teacher, Kate Wolstenholme, in their weekly after-school sessions.

This term additional writing and editing support was provided by local poet – in fact, just recently chosen as the Otley Town Poet – Matthew Hedley Stoppard. He took the young people beyond writing, but worked with them on developing the essential skills honing and paring down their own work. Something of the craft of poetry.

The finale to the evening was an ensemble piece, where some of the poets gave reasons to Sir (Matthew) for 'the empty chair'. Some were a bit like the classic, “A dog ate my homework” - imaginative, intriguing – and others set up possibilities that could have been feasible. The occupant of the 'empty chair' finally bounded on stage and in to the 'lesson', with just a teasing smile and no further explanation. Where had she been? We were left with the intrigue and the opportunity to applaud the bravery of those who overcame their nerves to perform their own work.

Thanks are due to the Outer North West area management committee whose funding allowed the work to be developed and also to the support of Will Carr, headteacher of Ralph Thoresby school. He perhaps summed up the evening in a simple sentence: “This event gets better every year; it is so important to provide for young people to have a safe place to write and try to express their personal ideas when the modern curriculum gives so few opportunities.

Audience Comments
A wonderful evening with some extremely talented young people. An absolute joy to be here!

What a fantastic evening. So much to listen to and enjoy. Thank you. You are all fantastic :-)

A very good evening being entertained by the students at Ralph Thoresby School. This was the first performance by young people I have been to and I was impressed by the poetry, singing and dancing.

Lovely to see so many young people express themselves. Enjoyable and very creative.

Fantastically talented kids; lovely atmosphere

Superb event, lovely atmosphere and huge talents! Loved it.

A lovely showcase for young talent. Thank you to the local councillors for sorting funding to allow it to take place

A lovely performance by everyone - they should be very proud of themselves.

Nice touch with the candles :). Brilliant performances. I'd like to have more of these events.

It was very lovely and the children were sensational.

Very enjoyable and inspiring!

Great to see all the emerging talent once again. On a brief after note - a much better setting this year than last, a proper 'jazz cafe' feel. Many thanks.

Nice to have it in an intimate environment

Lovely evening and inspiring performances from kids and adults alike. Thank you!

Good to see such a wide range of performances.

:-)

I think it was very good. My favourite person who performed was Lucy. And also Annie Hallam.

The dancers were best!

Wonderful night. Great performances.

Great talent and a really enjoyable evening.

A very good evening's entertainment, which deserved a bigger audience.

It was good.

I enjoyed it.

Comments from the young people involved included:

“I am now more confident, my writing level has gone up and my teacher has really noticed.” Jack

“It's been fun, man. Feedback on our writing to each other was really worth it and stuff.” Pedro

“I have more confidence in my own writing, and performing. I was timid but now [I have] opened up. Would defo come again if it was available.” Joshua

“Really enjoyable, it's my second time doing this. I even led some workshops on issues to consider when writing. This year we were exploring more serious ideas.” Alex M

“Ideas feedback great, that your ideas count. Enjoyed the writing and appreciated the chance. Feel that my writing has improved and that I have more ideas flowing.” Alex B

“it's been good that I am expressing myself better. Good that it was different ages and what you said was valued. I like poetry, reading and writing now.” Millie

“People were so nice, they were enjoying what they were doing. I am more confident now, and want to write poetry. No-one judges you in this group.” Emma B

“I have more confidence. It was fun, enjoyable, just as the others said. I have more friends. It has helped with my English. Matthew [Hedley Stoppard] has listened carefully to our pieces and given really good feedback. Tough, but safe.” Hannah

“Self-confidence! I enjoy performing with people, a new pleasure for me. My first performance here and I am in year 10.” Lewis [who uses a wheelchair]

“Fun. I am proud of writing my own poetry, and performing it. I want to write more.” Harry

Cinema Stories - James Nash and Matthew Hedley Stoppard

Sophie White writes:

                        Photo by Richard Wilcocks

Matthew Hedley Stoppard, now the Otley Town Poet, performed a selection of the poems he wrote for ‘Cinema Stories’, recalling the rich cinematic history of Leeds and the pleasure of cinema-going.

Stoppard’s poems were filled with memories and reflections of growing up under the glow of the big screen, with a particularly touching poem recounting a young boy’s experience of going to the cinema with his mother. From the excitement of a first date to the tyrannical regime of the usher and his torch, everything we love about the cinema was covered with humour and clarity.

One particular highlight was the use of two ‘skinny sonnets’, which individually formed accounts of two abandoned cinemas, The Star and The Regent, but came together to form a tribute to the lost glory of the picture house. Another was the creative use of the haikus which used some favourite, classic film quotes to form a fresh narrative.

The performance was interspersed with tales of their adventures discovering the sites of old and abandoned cinemas around Leeds, and their personal stories about the role of the cinema in their own lives, both as children and now.

All that was missing was the velvet seats and popcorn!

Alex Paddock writes:

Before the Second World War, there were around seventy cinemas operating in the Leeds area catering to a relatively new art form of spectacle and moving pictures. Unfortunately, the majority of these cinemas now lie dormant and empty, or transformed for another use entirely with just a few of these cultural gems remaining in Leeds today. These include the Cottage Road cinema in Headingley and the Hyde Park Picture House which celebrated its one-hundredth birthday last year.

Cinemas like this might be dying out, but their near extinction has conjured a lyrical reminiscence and nostalgia manifested through the poetic voices of James Nash and Matthew Hedley Stoppard. Their joint collection ‘Cinema Stories’ encapsulates these sentiments and ties them together in an entertaining and often amusing tone.

Nash’s work is unpretentious and unequivocally matter-of-fact, highlighting the beauty and romance of cinema that goes unnoticed by the everyday eye. Gooseberry relates the natural, comic awkwardness of seeing a film with a couple who become increasingly more intimate throughout the duration, and the loneliness that comes with being surrounded by lovers after a recent break-up. In this instance, Nash paints a picture of cinema as a Mecca for those who are young and in love, yet also as a place of solitude and contemplation.

A sense of escapism begins to emerge from Nash’s poems as he continues from a quiet corner of Headingley library. The anecdotal nature of his work incites voyages into the memory and forces old emotions to resurface as he tells the story of seeing the historical comedy drama Pride with his father who participated in the mining strikes of the 1980s, some of which are depicted in the film. The poem is a journey back in time that remembers the period not for its struggle, but for the proud feelings that had been temporarily forgotten.

Likewise, The Star recalls the Leeds cinema of the same name which has since evolved, or arguably degenerated through a number of functions. What was once a source of art-deco cultural intrigue and escape from working lives is unfortunately commodified into use for a bingo hall and eventually a gymnasium.

Although some of Nash’s poems feel sympathetic for the deterioration of a much loved pastime, they look back at youth and memorable experiences from the cinemas of Leeds through a most relatable and endearing lens.

Audience Comments

I'm a sucker for local history and poetry so targeted this event from the off. 

Joyful reminiscence with just the right amount of context added for non-natives like me. 

Poetry is so subjective but I enjoyed the work of both authors. I passed a disused cinema on intrepid bus ride to Middleton. This event has inspired me to track down some more

The event was of a good hearted nature and shared voices of poems of 2 people of different ages but reading the main love of what cinema represented and where a number of cinemas have closed and taken a different disguise. The cinemas that have survived continue to survive.

Enjoyed the poems (and the wine). Sorry no time for questions and comments.

Interesting. Enjoyable and, at times, amusing - what more can you ask for?

Delightful - great memories and some high class writing

Nostalgic poems on old cinemas I know so well

Excellent - lovely verse very well read. So many memories.

James and Matthew. Combined well together ...?... excellent poems and stories from Leeds past. Brings back memories (happy and sad)

Great! Really fascinating subject wittily delivered.

Thought it would be longer and a little louder for the heard of hearing. Lady behind wanted a question session. I liked the poetry about films - slow delivery better.

Most enjoyable. Lovely evocations of cinema's past

Lovely, a well-paired duo. Good length

Entertaining

Intriguing Tales - creative writing groups

Maria Stephenson with Osmondthorpe Hub performers         Photo Richard Wilcocks

Sally Bavage writes:

A Sting in the Tale

Intriguing Tales with the Headingley and Osmondthorpe writers' groups

The audience comments really have said most of it – the descriptions of writing that was fabulous, excellent, amazing, wonderful, humorous, rich, inventive give you the general idea. What mere words alone can't give you is the palpable sense of anticipation as reader after reader exposed their work to the keenly-listening ears of friends, family, colleagues and other audience members. We would have whooped and hollered with glee if sometimes the work had not been a bit dark for an explosion of joy - but we did practically clap the skin from our palms.

Group and single – and singular – poems. Flash fiction. Mini novellas. Pleas and polemic. Life histories and lies. Hopes and heartache. Travel and tragedy. Pets and places. Nature and nurse. Our writers took the LitFest theme of 'Intrigues' and simply ran with it. Well, not simply: much of the writing had a complex sting in the tale.

Sex and relationships, legends and love, murder and madness, distopia and paradise, yearning and youth, psychological torture and a hitman's reminiscences, unfaithful spouses .. all human life was here. Breathtaking.

Thanks are due to our star bakers Rachel Harkess (one of the founders, along with Biddy Coghill) of this now-annual event and Mary Frances, who treated the 50-strong crowd to a cornucopia of feasting on a splendid range of home-made cakes that had absolutely no calories in them at all!

Thanks too to the WEA for supporting many of the costs for the hire of equipment and the venue.

This event wouldn't happen without the dedication of the staff who take up so much of their time to support the nervous performers and the reluctant debutantes and turn them into swans. Alison Taft tutors the Headingley writers' group and Maria Stephenson tutors the Osmondthorpe Hub writers. Not least, thanks to the fantastic team of carers from the Hub – Anita and Claire – who worked so hard alongside technicians David and Gavin to give these writers back their voices.

Headingley Writers: Lynn Alexander, Howard Benn, Karen Byrne, Liam Fitzsimons, Michael Freeman, Malcolm Henshall, Simon Hunt, Hazel Kilner, Dru Long, Jim Mallin, Alice O'Donnell, Jackie Offord and Val Wright.

Osmondthorpe Writers: Malcolm Banks, Paul Bugler, Gaynor Chilvers, Julie Conroy, Lisa Daniels, Jackie Fisher, Carl Flynn, Sue Heath, Mandy Hudson, Paul Jeffrey, Lee Rowley, Jenny Ruddock, Robert Thorpe and Winston Whiteley,  

 

Audience Comments

I really enjoyed the event, and found it inspiring to listen to everyone's poems and stories. The event was well organised and professional and hopefully will continue for many years to come.

Full of interest and variety in the interpretation of the theme

An excellent performance by both groups. The Osmondthorpe group were exceptional. Well organised and professional; hope the event will continue for years to come.

A fantastic morning! Well done to everyone who took part – the hard work that has gone into this was very obvious.

Fantastic event - good to give an opportunity to aspiring writers. And wonderful to have the Osmondthorpe group here. Superb writing from both groups. Thanks to all involved in the organisation.

Some very talented writing both humorous and moving. Osmondthorpe Hub were again very moving and talented.

An excellent event which gave a great opportunity to hear different voices. Thanks.

Some very good and serious poetry from both of the Headingley and Osmondthorpe Hub groups. I particularly liked both of the (illegible) from the Headingley group and thought that is was good that the poetry from the Osmondthorpe group was projected on the big screen

I'm a Yorkshire born person visiting from New Zealand. A fabulous event. The quality of the works was amazing. I might come back next year!!

Very thoughtful rendering of different situations. Very skilful – amazing stories and poems – what a feast! The poetry from Osmondthorpe students was very thought-provoking. A GREAT MIX!

Another excellent two hours. The talent and breadth of writing is amazing.

Amazing talent. Amazing tutors – let's have more.

Excellent!

Outstanding!

Absolutely brilliant – so moving.

An EXCELLENT show! One of the highlights of the Festival

An interesting mix of writings. Thank you.

As always, enjoyed listening to the writing group from Osmondthorpe. Thank you for the invite.

Very enjoyable and impressive range of material

Fantastic to listen to such wonderful poems and meet fab people.

Poetry in school - two LitFest events

Two events in local secondary schools are about to take place, and you are invited. It does not matter at all that you may not be a school student or a parent - just come to hear some of the terrific poetry that has been created by young people, helped along by John Siddique (Poems From A Northern Soul, Crocus Books) and Matthew Hedley Stoppard (A Family Behind Glass, Valley Press) who have been leading workshops for weeks.  Wonders have been worked.

On Thursday 17 March from 6pm at Ralph Thoresby School the Own Your Words group, which meets every week to devise, revise and present its work, will perform alongside student musicians, dancers - and Matthew Hedley Stoppard.

On Tuesday 22 March from 6pm at Lawnswood School a group encouraged and mentored by the English department and by John Siddique will perform in a 'Poetry Gala' - along with the visiting poet himself.

The Worst of Times - with Professor Paul Wignall

Mass Extinctions on a Global Scale

Brian Miller writes:

Paul Wignall    Photo by Sally Bavage

"The 'whodunit' of a satisfyingly oblique murder mystery, that central and dangerous unknown, has whet the popular appetite for crime fiction since Wilkie Collins and Arthur Conan Doyle gave a gritty skin to the genre almost two centuries ago. Few literary sleuths would guess, however, that the printed page they hold in their hand, to make no mention of those hands themselves, are the denouement of a much greater and much more intricate murder mystery than any woman in white or Baskervilles hound. Paul Wignall digs for a solution to that very mystery in his book The Worst of Times: How Life on Earth Survived Eighty Million Years of Extinctions, tracing the smoking gun of some of the most climactic extinctions in history to an unfortunate confluence of conditions on a still (relatively) young earth. The culprit? One that, for being identified, still roams free today: carbon dioxide. "

Sally Bavage adds:

Paul's new and somewhat controversial theory fingers Pangea, the giant supercontinent that 260 million years ago had huge lava flows of basalt, causing a massive rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide. If you think the two degrees Celsius rise that scientists now believe is a red line not to cross, imagine seas of 40 degrees Celsius, fatal to almost all life forms on earth, even the plants and the normally robust insects. The equatorial region was completely barren; life moved to the relatively temperate polar regions where his research in places such as the Arctic, Svalbard and Antarctica has uncovered the evidence.

Forget the cataclysm that wiped out the dinosaurs 60 million years ago; this really was the Big One. And are we on the brink of another mass extinction, the Age of Mankind? Could be, he said. But with a short timescale of perhaps ten thousand years, so not one to worry about just yet.

Audience Comments

Very informative!

Quite interesting, especially at short notice. Not very literary

Wonderful event, widely informative

Very interesting, and not very encouraging for our future. Good discussion

Interesting topic. Would have liked to see the book/cost

Interesting topic but it really only came alive during the questions. The link to LitFest was a bit weak

Sadly, this was not the advertised event (due to illness) and I came especially for it. However, I got to learn something very new to me.

Very interesting talk on Mass Extinction Events before the dinosaurs where the world overheated. Poor CO2 management. Thanks to Paul Wignall for standing in. Well presented and fascinating talk.

A very well explained and fascinating talk. Well worth attending.

Very interesting and entertaining. Groundbreaking information well presented – fascinating new info to me.

Interesting.

Enjoyed it. Very interesting, learnt a lot of new stuff. Yes, I would have been interested in buying the book.