Ledbury Festival, 13 July with William Letford, wahoo.
A couple of readings … May 10, 2013
25 May – the Month of Maying Shuffle in the Poetry Cafe – just a short reading. This will be a TRAILER to the new book.
28 Sept – the September Shuffle at the Poetry Cafe – a longer set. This will be the new book as FEATURE FILM.
Twenty-Four Seven Blossom May 1, 2013
New book, isn’t it handsome? Published Autumn 2013 or so with Salt. A bit more info …
Following Julia Bird’s well-received debut poetry collection Hannah and the Monk comes Twenty-Four Seven Blossom, a book of impossible dreams, poetic optical illusions and lyrics that demand to be read on one puff of breath. While our flowers might never bloom twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, here’s a book to distract and console you while you wait.
A blurb, from Clare Pollard …
‘Twenty-Four Seven Blossom is a joyous, generous book. There isn’t a page that doesn’t gift the reader with a sumptuous image or fascinating fact. Julia Bird creates a cabaret from the ‘small chaos’ of life: a monkey battles a lizard; a kingfisher poses in ‘the colours of jockey silks’; a waitress offers up ‘clotted cream, bramble jam / on the lazy susan of my bum’. It made me want to shout bravo and send the poet a bouquet.’
A puff, from Daljit Nagra …
‘Whether it be a jam jar, the twin of a doll, a full English or a meringue, Julia Bird deftly conceives herself from within her exciting conceits so object and self are illuminated to celebratory effect.’
‘All I’ve ever taken …’ April 23, 2013
‘All I’ve ever taken is a stone / from every beach I’ve stood on’ – a line from one of my Aldeburgh poems, written on the stones themselves …
Beside the Seaside April 5, 2013
During the early months of this year, poets and writers, Simon Barraclough, Julia Bird, Joey Connolly, Rebecca Perry, Anna Selby and Gemma Seltzer took turns to stay overnight in the Lookout Tower on Aldeburgh beach, braving snow, wind,waves and curious dog-walkers.
‘Looked Out’ is a record of their stay: the new poems and pieces they wrote inspired by the shifting Suffolk Coastline.
Saturday 13 April
Read, hear and experience the new work inspired by the Lookout: poetry films, takeaways, exhibitions and live performances. Pay for poems with pebbles, see poems go up in smoke, play hunt the story. Stay for two minutes or twenty, bring your icecreams.
The Tower will be open at the following times: 10am – noon, 1 – 2.30pm, 3 – 4pm
For full information please contact: Caroline Wiseman, Aldeburgh Beach Lookout and Art House, 31 Crag Path, Aldeburgh, Suffolk, IP15 5BS (caroline@carolinewiseman.com / 01728 452754 www.carolinewiseman.com / www.aldeburghbeachlookout.com)
Poets After Dark
So, the Light Show project was one of my favourite things I have ever done as a writer – more details are here.
