Write Lion at the Hustle

20/10/2009

James Walker previewed our spoken word event

Megan Taylor and Nicola Monaghan reading at our last spoken word event.

To mark the last day of summer (and with Halloween just a few days away) we’ve decided to put on our darkest spoken word event yet - themed around ‘murder, madness and fantasy’ and taking place at the Broadway Cinema on Sunday 25 October.

We'll take you to the oddities of the Victorian freak show, down the cold clean corridors of the mental asylum, across time, space and galaxies and then back for one final fantasy you’ll never forget. This will run from 4pm till 8pm in the Mezz bar of Broadway Cinema as part of this year’s Hockley Hustle - and it's all for charidee, mate. What pleases us most is that everyone performing has appeared in the magazine in some shape or form over the years, which seems a fitting way to celebrate our most recent accolade – winners of the ‘writing and publishing’ category at the Nottingham Creative Business Awards.

Walking in Pimlico by Ann Featherstone

The spoken word kicks off with our ‘Myth, magic and mayhem’ section featuring Joss Ink, King Henry, Aly Stoneman and Milk. King Henry has self-published a book so extreme in nature that he makes the Marquis De Sade look like Mary Poppins. He’s had difficulty getting readings on account of this and so we wanted to give him an opportunity. So if you’d ever wondered what P G. Wodehouse with turrets would sound like, come on down. Joss Ink believes that large corporations and global super powers have been allowed to peddle myths for too long which are damaging for individuals and society and so puts forward suggestions as to why this is so and what can be done. The final act for our first part features Aly Stoneman and Milk and doesn’t include swearing! Aly is interested in environmental issues and is poetry’s version of Roger Deakin, warning us of the dangers of not learning from the past. Aly and Milk have been a major success this year, playing at various festivals across the country and reviving the old art of acoustic guitar poetry sets.

Our next segment is themed around madness and murder and sees Ann Featherstone in conversation with Rod Maddocks. Ann’s debut novel Walking in Pimlico exposes our fascination with voyeuristic oddities, taking us through the freak shows and carnivals of Victorian London. Rod’s debut novel No Way to Say Goodbye takes a more institutionalised look at madness from inside the confines of Nottingham’s mental hospitals. They are then joined by Nicola Monaghan who reads from The Killing Jar and Starfishing. Her lead characters are hedonistic and determined to succeed, no matter what the consequences. In this sense the ‘madness’ is self-induced through chaotic lifestyles and recreational drug use.

The Enemy's Son - Part of
James Johnson's Erth Chronicles

Our third series of acts are themed around speculative fiction and fantasy and starts with Guardian blogger Damien Walter in conversation with Mark Charan Newton (Nights of Villjamur) about how/why/when speculative fiction invaded the mainstream. They are then followed by James Johnson, creator of the Erth Chronicles, who will be discussing how he utilised new media to create his internet based universe. James will be using visuals in his talk, which will include artwork by some of the greatest illustrators within the genre.

Nottingham’s Mr Sex is our final fantasy, a man capable of reducing an entire room to hysterics simply by raising his eyebrows in a disconcerted manner. Inspired by the success of his Canning Circus debut, he will be reading more from his award winning blog Todger Talk as well as giving us his very unique perspective on sex, relationships and Nanas. What Nick Hornby would have become if he’d discovered his Dad’s mag stash.

Full line –up and times for the day

Myth, Magic and Mayhem
4pm–4.20pm - Joss Ink – (Leading a Horse to Water)
4.20pm–4.40pm - King Henry (England, my England)
4.40pm–5pm - Aly Stoneman and Milk

Madness and Murder
5.10pm–5.50pm Ann Featherstone (Walking in Pimlico) in conversation with Rod Maddocks (No Way to Say Goodbye)
5.50pm– 6.10pm Nicola Monaghan (The Killing Jar, Starfishing)

Speculative Fictions
6.50pm – 7.30pm Damien Walter (Guardian blogger) in conversation with Mark Charan Newton (Nights of Villjamur)
6.20–6.45pm James Johnson (Erth chronicles)