Making live events happen: talking to musician, poet and community activist Elaine McGinty
Write Out Loud Woking relocated to a new live venue at the end of November. The Fiery Bird community arts and live music venue has opened up in a new ‘temporary’ home in Woking, thanks to the indefatigable efforts of Elaine McGinty, her partner Joe Buckley, and a host of volunteers, over many years of false dawns and setbacks that are still continuing. As well as being a community facilitator and ...
30th November 2023
Get them roaring! How Lion of Newcastle rouses audiences
He strode confidently to the stage resplendent in striking African outfit that glowed in the semi-darkness. When he reached the microphone he exhorted The Stanza audience at North Shields & District Men’s Catholic Club to “roar like a lion”. Not satisfied with the response, he urged them to do it ag...
19th September 2023
‘I’ve loved being out and about’: why poetry’s mystery man Brian Bilston decided to take to the stage and meet his audience
Back in 2016, Write Out Loud interviewed the ‘poet laureate of Twitter’ Brian Bilston about his astounding success. In a wide-ranging interview we touched on why, at that time, he preferred to shroud ...
26th July 2023
A poem in place of a headstone: poet Andy Jackson talks about the Lonely Funeral project
Last month the first Lonely Funeral took place in the UK, when poet Andy Jackson read a specially-written poem at the Dundee graveside of a man called Derek, a former painter and decorator who had die...
21st June 2023
David Cooke looks back on poetry stops and starts as he unveils a bumper volume of poems
We at Write Out Loud have been lucky over the years to include the accomplished poet David Cooke as one of our number. David has regularly posted his poems on this site for well over a decade. Now upo...
25th April 2023
North Shields poet Dean Jolly nets rich harvest of words
A poet from North Shields has published three pamphlets of poems about his home town and the north-east coast in quick succession, to express how much the area holds a special place in his heart. Dean...
20th February 2023
