Tony Earnshaw's Blog, page 14

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 I was previously unaware.

The first of these is a poetry blog. This is a regular feature which includes poems old and new. Two of the recent new ones have been mine and I will no doubt submit more in the future. The mix is interesting with quite a few local poets featured besides names such as Edward Thomas and Hillaire Belloc and a special section for Lockdown Poems. There is also a list of links for more poetry on line. Well worth a look. https://npdsurrey.wordpress.com/welcome/ .

One of my poems on the blog is entitled ‘Recovery’ and I recently received an email saying they were ‘delighted to inform you that following a request from our colleagues at the Surrey History Centre, your poem ‘Recovery’ has been selected for inclusion in their archive of Surrey during the pandemic – this includes photos and written works such as diaries and journals – which future generations may draw upon to inform them of what it felt like to experience such an event. ‘ 

That feels quite an honour and the archive itself is another example of a response to the current crisis. More information on  https://www.exploringsurreyspast.org.uk/share-your-experiences-of-life-during-shutdown/

And the poem? Here it is:-

Recovery

After so long it was perhaps not surprising 
that the move to touch met with some resistance, 
permission was a while arriving, 
and cautious habits proved quite persistent.

Old friends who had hugged without thought, 
shaken hands, slapped backs, kissed cheeks, 
had shrunk to images on a screen
and retreated over isolated weeks 

till distance as a habit began to form
and many feared returning to old norms.

So many times they’d told each other 
they longed to touch their friends and their relations, 
but now each one came to discover 
a reticence, a terror of contagion

so, like a recovery from any estrangement, 
they were cautious, took their time 
as if by tacit, pre agreed arrangement –
no words, a dance, a mime,

and slowly distances were breached,
hands extended, approaches made, 
agreements on behaviour, on protocol, were reached, 
assurances given, fears allayed, 

till friends could greet the loved ones that they’d missed 
with shake of hands or even with a kiss.

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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 expectation is there too. The expectation of a return – but not of a messiah, rather to some semblance of normality.

As we are told we can relax the constraints a little, we’re nervous about whether we should, whether we dare. We’re suspicious of motivation and confused by the science and the welter of statistics. And in the midst of this, there are a few other things going on. The Brexit trade talks for instance, which appear to be going nowhere. The refusal to countenance an extension to the deadline, a position which is so pig headed, so wrong headed, as to defy belief. The brutal murder of George Floyd and the outpouring of grief and anger which has resulted. The changes we hope may result from that. And the climate emergency. No, that hasn’t gone away.

As a writer I’ve always felt a responsibility, and a desire, to deal with events and crises around me in some way and when Simon Armitage announced that a key part of his role as laureate would be to tackle the climate emergency in his work, Mole Valley Poets, of which I am a member, took up the challenge. Our latest anthology is the result, or maybe just the beginnings of a result. In Even in the Shadows – poems for the planet  a baker’s dozen of poets respond to the climate emergency, looking at the threats, the feelings and the stirrings of hope.

Normally we would launch an anthology in the pub. Not this time. Instead we are following up on a successful run of on line meetings by launching the anthology on line at 7.30pm on 15th June. Contributors will share their work and I will be introducing and MCing the event, and reading.  And in the absence of a crowded pub attendees will have to provide their own drinks and lift a glass from a distance.

Joining the event will be easy, with invitations issued to your email address and no need to download anything. Tickets are £6, and all attendees will receive a free copy of the anthology. As usual, the evening will be interesting, varied and thought provoking with some fine poets reading their work.

In recent weeks quite a few of us have also been responding to the Covid crisis and we’re looking to some form of on line sharing of that work too – perhaps by an adjustment to our website. Maybe the next poetic outpouring will be race related? We’re a very white bunch but maybe that puts even more onus on us. A subject for another blog with more focus.

Tickets for the launch event are available on  – https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/mole-valley-poets/t-jpnoln 

 

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Reasons to be cheerful

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by uncertainty at the moment; by fear of infection; by a craving for closeness with family and friends who have become images on a computer screen. The fact that we simply don’t know how long this pandemic will last, the worry about a second wave, all compounded by a dawning realisation that the government messed up and made it worse to start with and are now no more than muddling through. So, enough of that. What relieves the pressure?

I started on a list…

A good book – I’m reading The Mirror and The Light;
A roof, four walls, a comfy bed at night;
Music – from Mozart to Miles, Mussorgsky to Mayall;
Walking the dog on quiet country trails
but wait, don’t go so fast,
Are these just the comforts of the middle class?

Would I feel the same in tower block flat?
Cramped with four kids, my partner, the cat;
with no job, no footie, no drinks with the boys;
just boredom and worry and telly and noise.

So I stopped the list, tried to think things through a bit more. My conclusion was that maybe we should take this as a timely reminder to remember how it is for other people. My relative comfort is not a new thing. My awareness that others are less fortunate is not new either. There are , of course, plenty of people with more money than me, real wealth, larger houses and so on, but it’s too easy to compare with them rather than those who have less. I have always felt it best not to compare with anyone, but to value what I have, and I’m not thinking just materially here. The danger of that though is complacency, ceasing to be concerned, and that is not acceptable.

Social isolation and lockdown throw all this into sharp relief. Maybe what should also be thrown into sharp relief is the need to address the inequalities in society, rebuild the safety net that the last few years have seen being destroyed, move to a fairer tax system. There are plenty of voices calling for this, and for a more sustainable and more people friendly approach to recovery, and I’m hoping that they will prevail and looking to support those calls.

In the meantime, I will continue to quietly count my blessings.

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These are the things

The view ahead?

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 so my lockdown pain is about missing family and friends, and cancelling outings and holidays, rather than existential anguish.

Perhaps as a result, my mind has been turning to the aftermath. Many things have changed in the last few weeks. Some of these changes will be quickly reversed, some will persist. Some things need to change and this may be the opportunity to change them – a greener world, a fairer one. But there are, as always, pressures in the opposite direction as well, including governments who have taken more power and may not want to give it up, pressures from the usual vested interests.

All this, and a comment from a friend on Facebook, has led me to sharing a poem which is really work in progress. I’ve wanted to use repetition and a firm rhyme scheme to give a sense of urgency, and come up with what is effectively a wish list. Here it is, in its present form…

Lessons learnt

These are the things that must be done
Leave oil in the ground, use the wind and the sun
Hold onto improvements so hard won
These are the things that must be done

These are the things that must be done
End the daily commute, the drive through the rain
The strap-hanging tube, the crowded out train
These are the things that must be done

These are the things that must be done
End our reliance on factory farms
Live light on the earth, do no harm
These are the things that must be done

These are the things that must be done
Pay the true price for the use of flight
Sustainably source our power and light
These are the things that must be done

These are the things that must be done
Walk or cycle down the street
Respect and honour all we meet
These are the things that must be done

These are the things that must be done
Require all corporates to respect the earth
Stop confusing wealth with worth
These are the things that must be done

These are the things that must be done
Value those who make things tick
Care for the elderly, heal the sick
These are the things that must be done

These are the things that must be done

©C A Earnshaw 25.4.20

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From page to stage and from stage to screen…

The image shows what it used to be like. What it will look like again. A stage show. Dinner theatre. Damn Cheek’s finest. The Greensand band. And, just on the edge of the image, an audience member with tell tale cutlery and glass of wine.

For now, though, everything is on line, and dinner theatre is no exception so last night we presented Blessed Assurance as bring your own dinner theatre. Dinner theatre in the comfort of your home. Our second foray into Zoom theatre, with an audience of about 60, so similar numbers to our first outing. This was a different evening to the first one. On a Wicklow Hill was a two hander, a straight play. Blessed Assurance was a dramatic reading with live music and four actors, all in different places. And we had to adapt to no band – the time lag on Zoom makes playing or singing together a non starter. So we adapted – a cappella singing, solo sax, songs to backing tracks, handovers of phrases from one actor to another. All good fun, and pretty effective in the end. Never ones to shrink from a challenge, the Damn Cheek team came through.

Reactions have been positive, demand for further shows seems high and we’re working on that with plans to stage a master class of play development with my latest script, Preparing for Power, a staging of a revival of Collywobblers by Brendan Murray – a work from the 90s with resonance for today – and an exploration of psychosis in Diary of a Madman by Kelvin Segger. So, work to do.

In the meantime, there are poems to write, the next novel, and more ideas arising from the discussions at last night’s virtual after show party. A quiet life in lockdown?

Finally, lockdown reading – the novel which inspired the dinner theatre can be purchased on Amazon on  https://amzn.to/2Hsktu8

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Virtual Theatre is a hit

Image courtesy of Damn Cheek and Brighton Beam Productions

When Damn Cheek teamed up with Brighton Beam for a co production of Maria MacAteer’s ‘On a Wicklow Hill’, we expected a normal run of small venues, a normal approach to ticketing and marketing, normal performances with an audience seated in front of or around the stage. As it turned out, that’s not normal at the moment and not how it happened.

Instead, following the virus led closure of the venues, we moved on line, not without some trepidation. We’d all become familiar with Skype, and Zoom, and multiple other similar services for meetings and get togethers but how would it work for a performance? The cast in separate places, the audience all sitting in their own homes, no physicality, enforced distance.

In the event, it worked very well. Lots of preparation from cast, director, stage manager. Lots of thought about how to give the illusion of being physically close, how to hand a water bottle from one actor to another while one was in Hastings and the other in London. And lots of thought about the best use of the technology, the strengths and weaknesses. And the result was a very entertaining evening, a very engaged audience, and plenty of enthusiasm to come and see the play in a real physical venue when lockdown is over.

There were 55 participants in the call, some of them with partners alongside them so the total number was about 65, with people calling in from as far afield as Vancouver and Karachi. Feedback was very positive and enthusiasm for what we do next is also there. What we do next is already in planning. We have three confirmed ventures and more to come. The next two will be an on line version of my Blessed Assurance dinner theatre event on the 29th April, and my new play in development Preparing for Power, on 15th May. This will be followed by Diary of a Madman by Kelvin Segger in June, and there will be more to follow.

So, an idea we would never have entertained before is bearing fruit. On line workshops and master classes are also likely to feature in the coming months. Opportunities to gain new skills are being grasped.

The Blessed Assurance event will be at 8.15 on the 29th April. If you would like to attend simply click here to RSVP …or email info@damncheek.co.uk This is a free event although we are currently raising funds for our next big project which a community project in Gateshead – a mystery play involving all generations, with a significant community building aspect which will be especially relevant as we emerge from lockdown. A link for donations will be circulated with the show information – purely voluntary for those who feel they’d like to give.

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Jackdaws and social isolation

Image: Jackdaw nosing in a neighbours chimney, courtesy of Crowcombe Al and Flickr under Creative Commons

These are strange times and we all cope in different ways. Some of my relatives have been amusing me with tales of exploding slugs (of which more another time) and jackdaws in chimneys, a tale which seemed to suit rhyming couplets, so I thought that today I’d simply share the story of Jack Daw…

Jackdaw

Perhaps it was coronavirus that got him all upset 
for jackdaws are a social bird, they live in groups, and yet
here he was, trying to escape. 
Social distancing had got to him, he wasn’t in good shape.

He couldn’t find a face mask that fitted beaked jackdaws 
and sanitisers were for hands, they might not work on claws.
He’d heard a rumour that you could catch the virus from a feather 
and very soon he felt he was at the limit of his tether 

so, leaving Margery behind with all the chicks inside
Jack set out, looking for a quiet place to hide.
He found a pot, a tunnel, dark and deep, 
a private place where he could think, and maybe get some sleep.

But sleep was soon disturbed by a snuffling below –
a dog had sensed his presence, it was time for him to go, 
but though he’d flown in and down, quite easily and simply 
it was quite hard to fly straight up and get out of the chimney.

Remaining there forever was not to be his fate.
Beneath his feet it seemed there was a moving metal plate 
and human intervention now came to his rescue – 
the plate removed he breached the gap, and then he simply flew. 

He left a trail of feathers and a smattering of soot 
on settee, on TV set, on the bed where slept the mutt;
on coffee table, mantelpiece and the carpet on the floor
before he saw the outside world and flew straight out the door.

He’s now back with his family, his right and proper station,
quite reconciled to joining them in social isolation. 

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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 new life after this crisis is over – and hoping for some lessons learnt. 

The screening of church services can be very effective. as can the screening of other events – I’ve been enjoying National Theatre shows on YouTube and at Damn Cheek we’re about to run a series of plays in development on Zoom. Will all this stop when the crisis is over? Not entirely I suspect, although it will be good to get back to actually seeing friends and family, going to the theatre, and all the other activities which are currently on hold.

I was moved to pen a few lines when my local church started screening services, and these are reproduced below.

Covid 19 and the church

Live streamed, dog collared, smile wreathed.
Clear diction, warm tones, reassurance.
In the church a necessary few –
preacher and celebrant, organist and reader,
a smattering of singers and the leader of prayers.
The collect for today finds 
its bandwidthed way 
to laptops and PCs,
smart phones and tablets,
unlike the ones that Moses brought
from Sinai in today’s lesson
and hopefully avoiding the same fate.

A congregation who can’t congregate,
establish connection and community, 
contagion free,
a virtual communion of the faithful.

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Red Ribbon for Blessed Assurance

Just received the feedback from the Wishing Shelf Awards, summed up as  ‘A gripping, character-led story. A Red Ribbon Winner and highly recommended.’

Comments included ‘Worth reading for the wonderful English setting which the author works hard – and effectively – to show to the readers. Family drama with religious/faith undertone. Slow burner in many ways; the author is in no hurry to rush his story. He develops the characters well and shows a strong element of wit in his storytelling.’

A good time to hide in a book right now? – https://amzn.to/2Hsktu8 

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Still more news…

Précis

Journalists are trained,

taught from the beginning, 

to précis,

never to use 100 words

where 10 will do,

and yet

here they are, every morning,

filling page after page

with coronavirus news,

analysis, the latest pet theories,

words to reassure

or just to pile on worries,

anxieties, anguish, doubts

with no possibility,

or so it seems,

that the stream of verbiage

will ever run out.

In a world gone crazy

I long for précis.

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