DROITWICH SALT DAY – SEPTEMBER 11
Sarah is getting all ‘salted’ for a new collaborative poetry/art display at Droitwich’s annual Salt Day celebrations.
Following on from the success of her flower and leaves collaborative poetry/art project at the launch of Droitwich Music and Arts Festival in July the poet is organizing a similar writing/drawing event for the festivities on Saturday, September 11.
Sarah will be joined by fellow poet and Poetry Society Worcester and Droitwich stanza member Jodie Ford in running the free salt-themed drop-in workshop/display sessions in St Andrew’s Square, Droitwich.
Local artist Sarah Edwards will also be running art activities and helping to man the poetry/art display at the celebration, which runs from 10am to 5pm.
For the display, residents and visitors of all ages will be invited to have a go at composing their own three or four line poem on the themes of Droitwich, salt (reflecting the town’s brine/spa history and the day’s focus) or ‘home’, which is the theme of next month’s National Poetry Day on Thursday, October 7.
Participants will write (and illustrate, if they wish) their poem onto a cardboard salt cube which they can then place onto the display.
They will be able to choose whether they want to sprinkle their ‘salt day’ poem onto some chips or add their cube to a growing poetic pyramid of poured salt.
Alternatively, they may opt to see how tall they can build a poetic pillar of salt inspired by the biblical story of Lot’s wife being turned into a pillar of salt.
Sarah will be on hand to help writers from 10am to 12.30pm.
ALSO DON’T FORGET:
Friday, September 17 – Sarah will be guest poet at the relaunch of Burton Spoken Worlds at its new venue. The open mic evening (for storytellers, poets and playwrights) will be in old registry office behind the town hall in Rangemore Street, Burton.
Thursday, September 23 – Sarah will be guest speaker at The All Welcome Drop In Club (for people aged 55+) at the Heriotts, Droitwich. As well as reading from her collection Into the Yell, Sarah will be sharing writing tips, offering a poetry Q & A and writing prompts on the National Poetry Day theme of ‘home’ and signing copies of her book. The hour-long event starts at 1pm.
Tuesday, September 28 – Sarah will be one of three guest poets in an up-and-coming women poets’ reading at Poetry Bites at the Kitchen Garden Café in Birmingham (17 York Road, Kings Heath, Birmingham B14 7SA). As well as reading, she will also be signing copies of her new collectionInto the Yell (Circaidy Gregory Press). The evening starts at 7.30pm. (Food from 6.30pm.) Poetry Bites also includes floor spots. Please arrive early to book a spot. It costs £5 (£4 concessions). To reserve a place email jacquirowe@hotmail.co.uk or pay at the door.
Friday, October 1 – Sarah will be doing a 10-minute reading at 12.40pm, from her collection Into the Yell and other poems, at the Thomas Oken Tea Rooms in Warwick as part of the Warwick Words festival live poetryline-up.
EVENTS: A quick reminder of readings and workshops Sarah has coming up, including new events in Burton and Warwick.
Wednesday, August 18 – Sarah James will be joining fellow poet Jenny Hope in a Worcester Festival charity reading from their collections Into the Yell (Circaidy Gregory Press www.circaidygregory.co.uk ) and Petrolhead (Oversteps Books www.overstepsbooks.com). The charity reading and open mic in aid of the Worcestershire Breast Unit Campaign will be held at the Farrier’s Arms in Fish Street, Worcester, from 7.30pm. They will be donating £1 from the sale of each book sold on the night to the campaign.
Friday, August 20 – Sarah will be reading at The Phonic Room at Boston Tea Party in Broad Street, Worcester, as part of a Worcester Festival event starting at 7pm.
Friday, September 17 – Sarah will be guest poet at the relaunch of Burton Spoken Worlds at its new venue. The open mic evening (for storytellers, poets and playwrights) will be in old registry office behind the town hall in Rangemore Street, Burton.
Thursday, September 23 – Sarah will be guest speaker at The All Welcome Drop In Club (for people aged 55+) at the Heriotts, Droitwich. As well as reading from her collection Into the Yell, Sarah will be sharing writing tips, offering a poetry Q & A and writing prompts on the National Poetry Day theme of ‘home’ and signing copies of her book. The hour-long event starts at 1pm.
Tuesday, September 28 – Sarah will be one of three guest poets in an up-and-coming women poets’ reading at Poetry Bites at the Kitchen Garden Café in Birmingham (17 York Road, Kings Heath, Birmingham B14 7SA). As well as reading, she will also be signing copies of her new collection Into the Yell (Circaidy Gregory Press). The evening starts at 7.30pm. (Food from 6.30pm.) Poetry Bites also includes floor spots. Please arrive early to book a spot. It costs £5 (£4 concessions). To reserve a place email jacquirowe@hotmail.co.uk or pay at the door.
Friday, October 1 – Sarah will be doing a 10-minute reading at 12.40pm, from her collection Into the Yell and other poems, at the Thomas Oken Tea Rooms in Warwick as part of the Warwick Words festival live poetry line-up.
RADIO WILDFIRE: On Monday, July 5, 2010, you can hear Sarah readings some poems from Into the Yell on www.radiowildfire.com. The live show is from 8pm to 10pm and is also due to feature some previously unbroadcast recordings from last year’s Ledbury Poetry Festival.
FIRST REVIEW!
Into the Yell – poetry collection by Sarah James There’s a fantastic review of Into the Yell from Magdalena Ball at Compulsive Reader at http://www.compulsivereader.com/html/mod ules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2521 .
Sarah will be reading from her collection Into the Yell at The Phonic Room at Boston Tea Party, Broad Street, Worcester on June 24.
Sarah will be running a joint poetry workshop (with Oversteps poet Jenny Hope) on the theme of ‘Home – and Away’ at Newent Community School and Sixth Form Centre on Friday, July 23, 2010. More details about the course and how to book a place at: http://www.newent.gloucs.sch.uk/news/news.htm .
Sarah has a busy couple of months lined up with her poetry collection Into the Yell launching in July. Events so far include:
July 2010 – Sarah James will be staging a Window on the Arts shop window poetry and art mixed media display in Droitwich Salters shopping centre.
Saturday, July 10 – Sarah James will be launching her poetry collection Into the Yell at Droitwich Music and Arts Festival. As well as staging an art and poetry display in the town centre from 10am to 5pm, Sarah will be reading from her collection and signing books. Specific venues and times to be confirmed.
Thursday, July 15 – Sarah James will be Writer in Residence for the day at Worcester’s Oxfam Bookshop as part of Oxfam’s Bookfest. From 10am to noon, she will run story sessions for toddlers. From 2pm to 4pm, she will be discussing poetry, reading from and signing her new collection Into the Yell (Circaidy Gregory Press www.circaidygregory.co.uk ). A one pound donation from each book sold on the day will go to Oxfam.
Wednesday, August 18 – Sarah James will be joining fellow poet Jenny Hope in a Worcester Festival charity reading from their collections Into the Yell (Circaidy Gregory Press www.circaidygregory.co.uk ) and Petrolhead (Oversteps Books www.overstepsbooks.com). The charity reading and open mic in aid of the Worcestershire Breast Unit Campaign will be held at the Farrier’s Arms in Fish Street, Worcester, from 7.30pm. They will be donating £1 from the sale of each book sold on the night to the campaign.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010 – Sarah will be one of three guest poets in an up-and-coming women poets’ reading at Poetry Bites at the Kitchen Garden Café in Birmingham (17 York Road, Kings Heath, Birmingham B14 7SA). As well as reading, she will also be signing copies of her new collection Into the Yell (Circaidy Gregory Press). The evening starts at 7.30pm. (Food from 6.30pm.) Poetry Bites also includes floor spots. Please arrive early to book a spot. It costs £5 (£4 concessions). To reserve a place email jacquirowe@hotmail.co.uk or pay at the door.
Sarah will be taking part in Droitwich Arts 4 All on Saturday, March 6, 2010 at the Norbury Theatre in Droitwich from noon to 4pm. She will be doing a poetry reading and running a display stand featuring poetry and photography/art, as well as offering a preview of some of the work from her collection ‘Into the Yell’ to be published by Circaidy Gregory Press in July 2010. Entry to the event, which showcases a range of visual and performing arts groups, is free. It is aimed at all ages and includes music, theatre, arts, displays, performances, information and workshops.
Christmas is only six weeks away and Sarah will be running a festive storytelling session (with colouring/writing activities) at Santa’s Grotto next to Bargain Foods in Droitwich on Saturday, December 5 from 10.30am to 12.30pm.
Sarah had a fantastic time as Poet in Residence for the day at Worcester Oxfam Bookshop on National Poetry Day,Thursday, October 8, 2009. It was great to meet some of the volunteers, chat about poetry and launch the shop’s poetry contests, with live broadcasts on BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester’s breakfast and afternoon shows.
Sarah is set to turn Robin Hood to celebrate National Poetry Day on Thursday, October 8, 2009 and launch a range of poetry competitions at Worcester’s Oxfam Bookshop.
She will be donning the costume in keeping with this year’s theme of Heroes and Heroines when she is poet in residence for the day at the shop in Worcester High Street. People will have the chance to pop in between 11am and 4pm to chat about poetry, share a favourite poem or bring their own work for some on the spot feedback.
There will be a range of inspirational exercises/ideas to share and a display of hero and heroine themed poems by members of the Poetry Society’s Worcester and Droitwich Stanza poetry group. She will help Worcester Oxfam Bookshop to launch its range of children’s colouring and drawing contests and a children and adults’ poetry competition on the theme of heroes and heroines, as well as using the day to write her own set of poems inspired by the National Poetry Day theme and her experiences as an Oxfam Bookshop poet in residence.
Oxfam Bookshop manager Amanda Bonnick, who is also a poet, said: “I am delighted to welcome Sarah James to the shop to celebrate National Poetry Day. As the selection of Carol Ann Duffy to Poet Laureate shows, poetry can be both popular and challenging, and we hope to inspire the people of Worcester to contribute their poetic offering. The theme of Heroes can inspire us all!” The colouring, drawing and poetry contests deadline is Saturday, October 17. More details about the competitions are available from Worcester Oxfam Bookshop or by calling Amanda Bonnick at the shop on 01905 26967.
Sarah will be running a series of children/family poetry and short story workshops at Droitwich’s annual Salt Day celebration on Saturday 12th September, 2009. The event runs from 11am – 5pm. For further information contact Janet Yates on 01386 565355 or email janet.yates@wychavon.gov.uk .
It has been a productive and celebratory season this spring after Sarah’s poem Morning Collage won second prize in the writelink.co.uk Spring Fever poetry contest. She has also just finished putting together an anthology of work (entitled Poem Toys and Yummy Mummies) produced by schoolchildren (ages 5 -7) in her recent poetry workshops.
Sarah’s poems Geography, Year Two and Pissenlit:Preparing My Eulogy have both been awarded a Merit in the 2008 Nottingham Open Poetry Competition. She read her poems and was presented with her awards by adjudicator Julia Copus at an award ceremony on Nottingham on November 2.
Thank you to all those who turned up to hear Sarah read some of her poetry and the opening from her story Monday in Remarkable Everyday at Droitwich Spa’s annual Salt Day festival on Saturday, September 13, 2008. It was a great day. Hope everyone enjoyed it. Don’t forget to email her, if you’d like her to sign your copy of the anthology.
Legend Press officially launched the new edition of Remarkable Everyday , containing Sarah’s short story Monday, on August 30, 2008.
