Paths and Digressions launched
Publishers Dempsey and Windle hosted the on line launch of Tony’s new poetry collection, Paths and Digressions, before an attentive and appreciative audience in an evening featuring readings from guest poets Liz Barton and Susan Thomas and a lively question and answer session. More events are planned, with the next launch event on 30th June […]
Love letter to the planet
One of the things which has been exercising my mind this week has been the Valentine special we, at Damn Cheek, are running on Zoom. I’m involved in various ways and one of the spin offs, as always, is the motivation to write. One of my contributions is the poem below which I thought merited […]
Shades of Grey
I’ve been thinking about black, white and grey recently. Not black and white as in race and certainly not shades of grey as in 50, but more a concern about polarisation. I took the photo above this morning and took the colour out to make it ‘black and white’. Except it isn’t. Rather, it is […]
Creativity in a time of Covid
It’s a strange phenomenon. Theatres are dark, just a few lights here and there, brave venues operating at 30% capacity. Concert halls have musicians bravely playing to empty seats. Stars of the musical theatre are driving vans. Ballet dancers are encouraged to become cyber experts, an encouragement now denied. And yet, in the midst, creativity […]
Arts Alive becomes Arts E-Live
Arts Alive is back – in a different form, as most festivals are this year. At Damn Cheek we’ve now participated in Buxton Fringe and the Saltaire Festival with on line productions and it’s good to be able to add Arts Alive to the list. Three festivals we have existing relationships with, three festivals where […]
Lines from Lockdown
We had a beautiful creative evening last week, when Mole Valley Poets held an open Zoom session of work created during lockdown. Nine poets, nine styles, and subject matter ranging from grief to joy, looking back and looking forward. We had a guest compere in Darren Cheek and treated the evening as a Mole Valley […]
On line poetry – and history in the making
I’ve tended to have an old fashioned view of libraries – a very positive one, but limited to book borrowing, quiet spaces for reading and a children’s corner. Of course, there is much or to a modern library than that and I have become involved with a couple of aspects of Surrey Libraries of which […]
Relax (don’t do it?)
I suppose the religious analogy is with the ‘last days’ where everything is in a state of chaos and confusion and expectation of the second coming. For us, right now, there are some definite parallels. The chaos and confusion is there, certainly. There are even a couple of candidates for the AntiChrist figure. But the […]
These are the things
I’ve been thinking about what happens next. There’s been a lot of talk in the press, and shared posts on social media, about the stresses of lockdown and I understand that. I’m also aware that I’m in a privileged position with a garden, surrounded by countryside, and no longer worried about maintaining a steady job […]
A day for hope
It’s Easter Sunday and the message of resurrection will be proclaimed from pulpits all over the land – to empty churches with the services beamed into living rooms. Just one example of the changes in our national life over the last few weeks. Whatever our beliefs, faiths or traditions I’m sure we’re all looking for […]