5th May, 2015
April's Write Angle brought a full house; the audience from as far as New Forest, Shoreham – to see Susan Richardson, from Wales – her 3rd time with WA. 'I love coming here to perform', she said. ''I always feel so warm and welcome'.
Hard to describe the evening – you had to be there. Susan is sharp, vibrant, dynamic, original, bringing her love of Shamanism, involving altered states of consciousness to encounter and interact with the spirit world and channel transcendental energies into this world. She shared stories, myths, personal experiences, through her poetry and prose;- such as a young girl, abandoned by her family, thrown into the sea from their kayak. She tries to climb back on, grips the side of the kayak, and her father chops off her fingers. She sinks down, becomes the goddess of the sea, each of her fingers, a different variety of fish. She then has to power to decide who's been evil to the environment, and punishes them. 'Do not mistake me for a mermaid..... Do not harpoon me with pity...'
Interested in metamorphosis for years and obsessed with extinction of wild and beautiful animals;- Susan tells of 'The White Dove', inspired by a French fairy tale about a baby girl child cursed by a witch. If sunlight fell on her face before her 21st year, she'd turn into a deer. As she's about to be married, it happens. However as her prince is a hunter, he finds her living in the woods. Susan interrupted herself, 'I know she loved living there' (everyone laughed) but she had to follow her destiny and marry the prince. 'Let my words be bright with animals'.
Susan believes 'becoming an animal is something to be embraced. 'From animal to human'. She spoke of shape shifting. A former snail becoming human and having issues. He must wear sunglasses. He has a human feeling he was born in the wrong body. At the end he's successfully all mole. 'If you're French, my revenge will be especially slow'. Then, a Sorceress who created a huge bubbling cauldron of inspiration for her son and left it with her servant boy, meant to stir but not taste it, which he does. It incurs her wrath and she chases him while he tries to escape, each changing themselves into other animals. Finally she becomes a black hen and pecks him up.
Susan dreamed she had become a penguin. With skin tingling, she went off garlic, crisps, samosas, red curtains, - her fingers bend. Tears taste of fish. She makes a nest of pencils and string. Then faces the hard new truth between her legs, and hatches the egg! She spoke of the first written metaphor, and how animals are used in adverts. 'We name cars after them. We personify in various ways.
There was the lion's argument about superiority of humans. Humans have language. Animals don't. 'If a lion speaks, we could not understand him. We'd correct his grammar. We'd insist he speak English instead of Lionese. He'd say 'take a degree in my language of strangling, ungulate and rangulate with vultures for the meat. Then we'll talk'!'
The audience was won over completely. The 'human/animal' applause said it all! We look forward to having this amazingly creative performer with us yet again!
Meantime, the open mic was pleased to have Dave Allen back. It took him 'over a year to write the poem'. Based on a photo of himself as a boy....and a glider with a one meter wing span, he made, called 'The Dragon Fly' – on its test flight – 'sharing with brothers Wright'. The Dragon Fly flew high. Smash! The crash broke the plane. 'Back then, this boy had dreams. I wonder now if they're still living on the wind'. Wonderful wistful poem!
Chris Sangster, inspired by a Shaman visiting him, wrote, 'The Channelling'. He played guitar singing 'Guardian Angels', told of a child almost run over by a car moving on its own. 'They 'guide us day and night...Guardian angels, watch over me'. Then, gave a good descriptive view of Cambodia's Angkor Wat. Chris brought to life, its rich history, including its kingdom, monuments.
Michael Sherman chose Easter as his theme. The most looked at things including daffodils – He caught the sunlit flowers. He Googled and found kittens, shopping and debt took first place in peoples' interest. He read 'Eulogy to the black bird', following it with 'If there aren't blackbirds in heaven, I may not go' 'Surely a master of nature's music''. Then on a religious theme. 'I felt him enduring the pain...his mortal journey finally shed'. And an excellent poem, 'A Million Starlings'. in a wanton ballet' about Winter which he hates. 'In Secret'. Seagulls wail a constant hunger...' wonderful poet!
Bruce Parry did a very humorous, 'Day Out with Garmin Satnav'. He 'humanised' it with a conversation between them. The Satnav became confused. Very humorous. He played a Welsh tune, 'Valley of the Lambs' on the Dulcimer. Lovely sound. Finally, read from his father's book of childhood memoirs, while his mother produced the drawings – about Moses, the night watchman.
Jamet Turner read poems from her book, proceeds of which will go to 'Jacksplace Hospice for young adults', including' Searching for the Mist' and I cry to the Mountains', as well as 'Self-Catering where she went on a 'self-catering' holiday, which ended not quite as expected! Audi Maserati started with, 'Cheese matures and people just get older'; then read a poem about a 16 yr old soon to be 17!' Followed by 'Timing is Everything;- 'Imagine Jean Luc Goddard in a room with Aristotle, Billy the Kid, and Buffalo Bill, discussing the world.....they polished off the biscuits and sorted out the world'. He played the ukulele, doing 'Strange Animals' including a 3 eyed chicken, 3 headed snake...and 'The Waving Woman' love song. Audi's amazing to watch, no matter what he does!
Robert Redford, one of 4 Shoreham Poets sang 'A Bar of Soap', performed against a CD. 'We changed the World'. About grand hypocrisy', greed, and a need to change things.
Big Jay, another Shoreham poet, attacked the politics of wealth vs poverty. 'No one's helping the poor while the richer get richer'.
Niall Drennan produced a new immigration questionnaire 'what's your real name? What have you got in your pocket? You packed this bomb yourself?' (clever..but sad) . 'I started to start smoking so I'd know when sex was over'. He performed a poem about his mother 'hardly knowing him'.
AP Staunton' phone conversation he had in 1981 in Brighton, called 'I won't keep you hanging on the telephone'. 'The rent's okay...everything's okay...you sound Northern'. 'I am', he said. 'How Northern' she asked. He's a noddie. Carries bricks. She wouldn't take him. They're a truly good group – politically orientated to making it a better world.
It was a really good evening – eclectic and fun. Almost everyone commented, as they left, how much they enjoyed the evening! And, one of the Shoreham poets won the raffle for four free meals at 'The Links', Liphook. (How convenient as there are four of them)! Hopefully it will bring them back! And we know they'll love The Links; the food and ambience. It's a great place to go.
Review is about WRITE ANGLE POETRY & MUSIC +OPEN MIC on 21 Apr 2015 (Event)
