I last wrote when I was going to Hastings, and I’m writing as I’m about to travel there again on Monday. A kind of enforced break, unable to find enough work, I’m hoping to spend time with my gran, as well as focus on doing some creative projects, and inevitably make my way through the mountain of emails that have formed.
I still have some students I’m tutoring throughout the summer, including new students just for summer, but this is very minimal. I had a week off paid work, volunteering at Latitude Festival. It was a different experience as the last time I was there was when I was performing, back when they had a dedicated poetry stage in 2014. On my way back home nearly a week after my arrival (thank god for the airbed), a producer for BBC Introducing struck up a conversation – a sign to keep my finger in the poetry pie?
Aside from the music listed below, I was also glad to see some incredible theatre shows. I saw Yolanda Mercy, who I had previously reviewed at Edinburgh Fringe, and that was great, despite her saying it was more stripped back than usual. Jade Anouka’s Heart combined spoken word with beat boxing and sounds from her partner and was so touching I cried at the end. Laura Murphy’s A Spectacle of Herself combined lots of different elements woven together, including incredible use of aerial work. I throughly recommend them all!
Since returning I had an intensive couple of days of work, which was quite enjoyable, tutoring Non-Verbal and Verbal Reasoning, and very lucrative thankfully, given I was hoping to be earning around £400 this next week and it’ll be more like £40! Such is the summer when working in education.
I’m looking forward to having a more restful and creative week coming up!
Watching: Abbott Elementary, The Simpsons, Arrested Development
Reading: Adam by Gboyega Odubanjo, Boy Friends by Michael Pedersen, On Connection by Kae Tempest, On Not Being Able to Paint by Marion Milner, In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust (previously read most books but listening on audio).
Podcasts: What Now? with Trevor Noah, GOB, The Process Podcast
Music: Hot Wax, WITCH, Myles Smith, Rick Astley, Kevin Drew, Gaffa Tape Sandy, London Grammar, Rag ‘n’ Bone Man, Pillow Queens, Ash, Nile Rodgers & CHIC, Duran Duran, English Teacher, Ghost Cat, (all Latitude), Hak Baker
Again, if you’re able to share or donate to my crowdfund as I train to become an Art Psychotherapist, or buy some books, please do!
Poet on page and stage. Creator of She Grrrowls. Facilitator. Writer. 