This space is intentionally left blank for a Darren Thomas review.
Nobody does it better, not even Carley Simon.

I apologise in advance for being depressed to all those who had to endure.

despite this I was able to enjoy a superb evening of poetry.

it didnt feel like an endurance pete, folks have good and bad days eh :) x

Some snaps up in Galleries

I was sorry to miss this. Always a good night. Me and Ieuan from Wirral had car problems so couldn't make it across. I'm glad Degys and Ray rocked up though, and poetess Maria.

For summat to do instead, me and Ieaun and a singer called Rachael, went on a crawl of uber-trendy bars in Liverpool.

Outside one of 'em I tried posing as someone pale and interesting whilst holding a cheroot. Trouble is I was trying to to spark up using my memory stick instead of me lighter - so the effect was ruined.

Cheer up Pete!!

See some of you at the Bards on Monday hopefully.

Steve the Obscure

A few alternative pictures can be found at

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3776&id=1811493559&l=e27c426d19

I've not had chance to write anything yet. Any potential words are hiding in amongst the slugs inside my head.

Never again...

The slugs have finally left, but not before they’ve munched their way through the leaf of Thursday night’s memory. So I’ve very little with which to refer to, apart from Paul’s photographs and those few stalks of recollection that remain. So, I’ll be brief..

Thursday night was a great evening of poetry. Some of which was stuffed into the socks of performance and shoved down the front of underpants soiled with the skid marks of ‘in your face’ rhyming couplets. And do you know what? The night needed it. Write Out Loud needed it. We all needed it.

After the last few weeks, where personal tensions and opinions have often been misconstrued, it was the perfect response to reaffirm just what it is about Write Out Loud (and its members) that endears itself to so many people.

There is a real sense of belonging. People who fail to attend, for their various reasons, are often missed but those who did attend, travelled from far and wide. Degsy. Ray. John Darwin. All travelled what the British would consider ‘great distances’ to become involved. This is heartening to say the least, as it reaffirms Write Out Loud’s ‘Wigan experience’ as the benchmark for quality and diversity in modern performance poetry. It has nothing to do with the quality of The Tudor’s Chip Barms, or its quantity of ‘authentic home cooked food’. Poetry and its associated performers; poets and audience alike make this night what it is. Ooh…and the drink.

Can I just make it clear that not everyone consumes large amounts of intoxicating liquor at this venue. Tea and Coffee is also served (apparently) and there are a selection of soft drinks made available for a patron’s disposal. Really?

Stevie Turner whittled the demanding mob into a skilful mix of mirth and melancholy, also known as ‘the drunk and not so drunk’ and with the mandatory ‘Tudor delay’… we were off.

Now at this point - things get a little… hazy? There were well over twenty poets who performed their work. Ranging from the regular to the first timer. The ridiculous to the sublime. The performer to the reader. Each deserved its place and was readily encouraged and appreciated by a knowledgeable and receptive audience. An audience that included non-poets. People who - amazingly - have little interest in poetry but are intelligent enough to respect and appreciate the diversity of another creative muse. The pub’s sound system is piped all through the pub. It’s unlikely (even if they wanted to) that anyone could escape the rantings or the softly spoken observations from the room next door. The beer gardens provide the only potential for bolt-holes and these themselves are not completely poet-proof.

So, instead of swimming against the poetic tide. Our Salmons of ‘other patrons’ find it easier to go-with-the-flow. As a result - some become involved. That’s the beauty of The Tudor. It’s potentially ‘all inclusive’. Like a holiday to the Dominican - but cheaper. Just.

I’ll be honest. I didn’t hear all the poets. I saw some performing. I heard others, but didn’t see them. It was a superb night.

There is a real community spirit developing with its members. And anything that includes the word ‘spirit’ gets my vote…

Incidentally, some of the flowery types were discussing the possibility of having a ‘Write Out Loud poetry and camping weekend’ arranged for sometime in the not too distant future. A weekend where we envelop ourselves in nature and use this potential inspiration to create poetry, words, pictures. Not to mention the grounds for divorce. If any one else is mildly interested can they please contact myself via email and I’ll keep you informed of what the final proposal are… it all depends on numbers and subsequent availability - but it will definitely be in the Lake District. Salford is fully booked.

Yay Darren!
Love reading your reviews... don't ever stop!

Yes I agree Francine and this is such a lovely review - very warm as was the evening. You are right to say that a great community spirit is developing - I feel that too - WOL is a bit like a great big warm extended family - not that I need any more family, but I do like it. Come to think of it we even argue and bicker like members of a family.
Camping and poetry sounds great fun - we could all sing 'Ging gang gooley gooley ging gang' round a camp fire and read our pomes. I'd have to know that the male/female ratio was right - 10 men and one campfire might sound fun, but not in reality! LOL
Isobel xx

Things are happening at the Tudor.You can just feel it in the atmosphere.Unbelievably good night!

Apparently this was a night to remember, can we do it again next month and I'll lay off the Guinness? To be serious I felt the Tudor has come of age as a poetry venue, poetry sits seamlessly with all the normal functions of a good pub, and the regulars and the irregulars weave indistinguishably between the bar, the loos, the stage and the garden. Hoorah!