SWOT: arts & literary magazine, haiku article

Article©Swot Magazine 2007

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Writer in Residence, Frome Festival, 7th July 2007

photo©Crysse Morrisson
Check out Crysse's blog for more background information: weblink
and at Hazel Stewart's blog: Hazel's blog link



Here I am, as writer-in-residence with manager Kate, staff members Becky, Jen, Sally, and Saturday volunteer orangey stripy Helen!

Jen Pickup even wrote two haiku with me in!

Resident writer
sitting in the window shade
scribbling lines.

Noise from the stream street
Drifting in past the poet
Into the shop cool.

Jen is wearing the No. 3 purple top! ;-)

The result of my writing, which this time wasn't haiku or other haikai, was revealed on the 23rd July event at Christies Café in Frome.

Check out Crysse's and Hazel's blogs for information on the Frome Festival: crysse's blog weblink and Hazel's: Hazel's blog link

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Haiku balloons at the POW Festival of Arts & Literature, Bath Spa University

photo©Alan Summers 2007

This image is of the haiku balloons, each one of them with a haiku written by students during my workshops, and by visitors to the POW Festival of Arts & Literature:

POW festival poster images designed by Abby Keverne

The POW Festival
Bath Spa University
Newton Park
Friday 15th June 2007


I was involved with a number of haiku & renga workshops at Bath Spa University, hired by ambidextrous who were behind this great festival along with another student society called Play on Words Productions.

Watch the video made by Ambidextrous and Soft C, and leave a comment to encourage current and future Bath Spa Univ. students.
Weblink: haiku video

Here you can see Emerson Leese, of Ambidextrous, checking out my Haiku Wall during the time I was a haiku poet-in-residence at Bristol central cafe Oppo}, as mentioned in this year's "Lonely Planet" guide for the U.K.!
Weblink: click for image of Emerson with me and my haiku wall!

Alan & Emerson photo©Sam Reader, ambidextrous

More weblinks:
Weblink: ambidextrous Myspace site
Weblink: The POW Festival
Alan's "haigu" [sic]
"back by popular demand"
One of many of the Haiku Walls at Bath Spa University

Here you can see some of the balloons in "The Haiku Room". Weather brought them out, but weather later took them out and up up and away too!

First 3 images in this grouping by Abby Keverne, POW 
4th image©Alan Summers 2007

You can see a student hard at work composing a haiku poem.

(haiku writing photo©Alan Summers 2007)

haiku wall/balloons photo by Abby Keverne, POW

The POW Festival team (red POW T-shirts) were out in force for the launch of the haiku balloons.

(1st photo©Alan Summers 2007
Last 5 photos by Abby Keverne, POW)

:

And except for the single spooky silver haiku UFO near my feet, I think a few haiku balloons might still be floating over mainland Europe and even heading over to Japan.

haiku & poetry at Gold Hill Fair

Six poets go to the Gold Hill Fair!
Fast firing words to sensual whispers, an exciting mix of poets from across the South West take a new look at life and tell it like it really is.
Tracy Wall's Tor Poets

Due to severe storm warning the organiser of the Gold Hill Fair managed to secure us the skittle alley in the Two Brewers pub, which is an eighteenth century pub at the bottom of Gold Hill at 24, St James Street, Shaftesbury, Dorset, U.K. weblink: The Two Brewers pub

BTW if you think the hill looks familiar, it was used in a famous T.V. advert for Hovis bread: weblink


The poets on Sunday 1st July 2007 were:
Tracy Wall
Alan Summers
Rose Flint
jennie gilling
Bob Walton
Anna Davies

Gold Hill Fair Website: Gold Hill Fair

Poet's weblinks:
Rose Flint
Wells Literature Festival Slam winner Tracy Wall
Poet/artist Jennie Gilling
Bob Walton, who has won the Welsh Arts Council New Poet Award
Anna Davies, up and coming poet Glastonbury poet

I also brought my Haiku Postbox and as you can see, with Anna's fine signwriting, even the fabulous Two Brewers pub staff were hooked!

Big thanks to Lottie and Kathy for being such cool participants!