SWOON SPOKEN WORD FESTIVAL
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SWOON SPOKEN WORD FESTIVAL
An
electrifying collaboration between poets and storytellers around the
theme of the PHOENIX denoting fire and rebirth. It's a gathering of the
pioneers and rising stars of the spoken scene who, as D. H. Lawrence
says, speak their words hot when genuine passion moves them.
poet NIALL O'SULLIVAN
poet JEREMY REED
storyteller
NELL PHOENIX
storyteller RAPHAEL
RODAN
storyteller TOM BLAND
host CHRIS HADFIELD
Tickets £25
(Early bird booking
£18)
SAT 24TH MARCH 2012
1:00 pm to 10:00 pm
(with a
dinner break between 5:00 - 7:30)
POETRY CAFE
22 Betterton Street,
Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9BX
For
more info please contact Tom Bland at inward_email.com
Phoenix
The theme of the festival is inspired by D. H. Lawrence’s
poem:
PHOENIX
Are you willing to be sponged out, erased,
cancelled,
made nothing?
Are you willing to be made
nothing?
dipped into
oblivion?
If not, you will never really change.
The phoenix renews
her youth
only when she is burnt,
burnt alive, burnt down
to hot and
flocculent ash.
Then the small
stirring of a new small bub in the nest
with strands of down like floating ash
shows that she is renewing her youth like the
eagle,
immortal bird.
Lawrence describes poetry as:
The essential quality of poetry is that it
makes a new effort of attention, and ‘discovers' a new world within the
known world. Man, and the animals, and the flower, all live within a
strange and forever surging chaos. The chaos which we have got used to,
we call a cosmos. The unspeakable inner chaos of which we are composed
we call consciousness, and mind, and even civilization. But it is,
ultimately, chaos, lit up by visions.
The first picture is the phoenix from Lawrence’s
headstone.
Niall
O'Sullivan THE MUNDANE COMEDY
NIALL O'SULLIVAN
Last
year Niall started a project of writing a poem a day, cheekily naming
it, The Mundane Comedy, affectionately alluding to Dante's epic. He
details big current events, intimate everyday happenings and the tired
rope bridge of opinion that naturally forms between the two. While most
of the poems deal with the expectant arrival of his first child, others
are political, philosophical, deep, shallow, scientific, spiritual or
perhaps a bit daft.
Niall O'Sullivan
was an art school drop out and gardener before performing poetry full
time since 1997. He hosts Poetry Unplugged and teaches at the Poetry
School. His three poetry collections, you’re not
singing anymore (2005),
Ventriloquism for Monkeys (2007),
and Sonnet Hack (2010) are
published by Flipped Eye. His poem, 'The Father in Law,' was highly
commended by the Forward Prize. His website is
www.niallosullivan.co.uk
Niall O'Sullivan _ Book Slam
(2011) Tom Bland FLASHES OF FIRE
TOM BLAND
My
performance explores London as a phoenix city whose streets burn with
fleshly intensity. My focus is on soul, which James Hillman says,
'turns events into experiences.' London is full of images that ignite,
burn and rise again from perfumed ashes. We too are images with
sunlight behind the eyes illuminating the concrete places of this
metropolis.
Tom Bland is a storyteller
and poet who resides in London. He describes his craft as image making
through words and physicality. He is the founder of both the SWOON
Festival and The Quest for Vision conference on storytelling as a
healing art. He can be contacted at inward_email.com
Jeremy Reed
PHOENIX UNDER THE STREET
JEREMY REED
In December
2011 my friend Maurice Huggett the manager of the Phoenix Theatre Bar,
under the street off Charing Cross Road, died in a hospice, and as I
wrote so many books in his under the street bar lit by blue, red and
green light fixtures, and came back to the light with my creativity -
the phoenix is my chosen symbol for transitioning and regenerative
creativity.
Jeremy Reed was born in
Jersey, Channel Islands, and read for his PhD at the University of
Essex. He is one of the most imaginatively gifted poets of his
generation. Bjork says his work is the 'most beautiful, outrageously
brilliant poetry in the world.' His latest poetry collection
is Piccadilly Bingo
including a CD by pop icon Marc Almond (Enitharmon 2010) and
his latest novel is Here Comes Mr Nice
(Chomu 2011). His website is
www.jeremyreed.co.uk
Jeremy Reed 'on Blake's Steps' reading 'A
Thief's Poem' 20 February 2011
Nell Phoenix
RELISH A RESURRECTION
NELL
PHOENIX
Stories ask us to pause for an
instant after the drama of the blaze. Here is a moment of doubt and
fear; we face the void or risk being alive. We are asked to look
closely. Is there a stirring in the ashes, a breath in the stone or
life-signs in the husk of a leaf? And are we brave enough to
trust?
Find a beating heart trapped in
a salty tear
Drink the salty tear for a
healing sip
For re-awaking, drink deep from
both the Water of Life and the Water of Death
Relish a Resurrection Cocktail
Nell Phoenix is a storyteller who passionately promotes
storytelling as a contemporary performance art. She is artistic
director and host of StoryNight at Torriano and at The Emporium Pudding
Club, North London’'s much-loved storytelling clubs for adults. She
tells stories in schools, at festivals and on NTS radio. Xanthe Gresham
says Nell 'tells with wit, humour and theatrical skill.' Her website
is
www.nellphoenix.co.uk
Raphael Rodan
TWO CORPSES GO DANCING
RAPHAEL RODAN
Is the power
of Resurrection only given by God? The medieval books of the Kabbalah
say the devil can infuse a corpse with the breath of life...
With two short stories by Isaac
Bashevis Singer, storyteller Raphael Rodan and the audience dance their
way into the darker colours of the human soul where superstitions,
apparitions and demonic forces are constantly at work within the lives
of rich and poor, sinners and pious alike.
Raphael Rodan is a storyteller who was born in the ancient land
of the Galilee. His artistic quest ventures into the shadow of our
inner self. Raphael runs storytelling workshops and performs all over
Europe. He is the founder of Jiser El Adam
, an international storytelling project for peace in
Israel. His website is www.raphaelrodan.com
When Abel met Cain - Trailer Chris
Hadfield HOST OF THE FESTIVAL
CHRIS HADFIELD
Chris
Hadfield rocks between his strange portfolio of integrative arts
psychotherapy, acting, coaching, hosting events, creative facilitation
in organisations, charities and communities and trying to get lawyers
and bankers to connect to their human side, a thankless task, so he
also works with clowns,
poets and
storytellers. His website is
www.centre4change.com
Tickets
Ticket
TICKET
FOR SWOON SPOKEN WORD FESTIVAL SAT 24TH MARCH 2012 POETRY CAFE, 22
BETTERTON ST, COVENT GARDEN, LONDON, WC2H 9BX
£18
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O'Sullivan Tom Bland Jeremy Reed Nell
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2023 no animals were harmed in the making
What
do you usually do for your date every Valentine’s Day? Eat at a fancy
restaurant, watch a movie, or maybe go out of town? If you’ve been
together for so long, you might’ve already done everything on the
books. You probably even had to consult Cosmopolitan and Buzzfeed
articles for some ideas on rekindling your old flame.
If
you didn’t relate to the statements above, then perhaps you are one of
the people who think Valentine’s is a holiday made by businessmen to
promote consumerism. Nevertheless, it’s still a great excuse to treat
your dear one a little more special than usual, right?
Now, to help you come up with the best date for the upcoming Valentine’s Day, we’ve founded Swoon Festival!
As
a couple who’ve been together for more than a decade, Sanne and Trey
know the struggle of long-term relationships. They already know so much
about each other that there’s nothing new to talk about, mainly because
they’re also working together in their events management business. To
make things interesting, they always make it a point to come up with a
new activity to try each month.
WHY WE STARTED SWOON FESTIVAL
Some
of our friends who are in a relationship for a lot less time than ours
have been asking us how we made it this far. To be honest, it’s all
about making a point of choosing your partner every day. We also try
keeping things interesting between us.
When
we thought about how we can help other couples, we decided to set up an
event where they can do various activities designed to test their
teamwork and make them grow closer together.
Swoon Festival happens every 13th and 14th
of February. The venue is in a resort in California, where couples who
registered can choose among various activities scheduled for the
entirety of the first day. The second day is dedicated to an all-day
concert comprised of several bands and performers that vary every year.
Some of the activities you can try include:
*Some activities need advanced reservations so we can have a smooth schedule as we cater all couples.
Fall in love again as you jive along to the following musicians: The Love Affairs Saving Andy Walking in Minnesota Orange Monkeys 5 of Hearts
Sign up today! We only limit registration to 143 couples!
