Thursday 10 May 2012

DO Lectures: My Darling Buds of May




Hello there my lovelies, how are you?

This spring 2012 has been a roller-coaster of new work, new ideas and new people

I would like to start by thanking everybody at City & Islington University







view from my train window on my way to wales
NOW
here's some pics and poems from my time at

Photo by Laurie King:

On April 27th I was invited to read at the Do Lectures in Wales. Cool I thought, you know I love festivals, even in the rain...I enjoy the whole thing, I love tents, cider, bluebell woods and making new friends around campfires...but I had no way of preparing myself for the inspiration I found at Do Lectures - I was honestly blown away.  If you ever have an opportunity to go then DO! This was no ordinary festival, but a wonderful and warm gathering of inspirational speakers and active doers. Actions speak louder than words...And here I was at a conference-festival, talks by those that know and the actively involved. Diversity was the name of the game, the bill of fayre included lectures on digital storytelling to bread-making to the plight and the atrocities of the boy soldiers of the Congo and more...see below...



We arrived late in the proceedings, in time for tea on Friday. I walked in to find folk buzzing about drinking tea and talking about Krav Maga with James Victore, Nordic Walking with Tomo Thompson, Salmon Smoking with Scott Davies, this made me laugh as I pictured people chain-smoking cigars cradling fish...James Bridle was there as a guest speaker also, James is the brilliant fellow of Newspaper club who made The Book Club Boutique newspaper. Also present the legendary Tim Smit from the Eden Project! Stunning! To be honest at first I thought I had stumbled upon a cult. I was quite nervous about this gig. Everybody was so unbelievably kind, what on earth was everyone smiling about so much? It was contagious, infectious and soon I was grinning too. So often in life one is told not be too eager or enthusiastic but not here, having some gumption and passion were the name of the game and halleluiah for that...I made some lovely new friends...

I have this short video of the Saturday night. 
Dry your socks off and warm yourself by my campfire gig
Do Lectures Spring 2012 


Big Thank You @filmatu for tweeting them, check out his website: www.filmatu.com



The next day I wanted to contribute to The DO Lectures auction, so I put a bespoke poem up for grabs - I had to write the winner their own poem using their ten favourite words. The auction winner was Sean Carasso of Falling Whistles  Now to add pressure, I decided I had to use the ten words in the order I received them and then perform it to everybody after dinner on Saturday evening in the barn. This gave me about an hour to write it! Scritti Politti had just played a great set, everyone was so lively, in high hopes and high spirits, it was great fun...

SEAN CARASSO, FALLING WHISTLES CLICK HERE

Sean's 10 words

 
-->protest, stand , disruption
 beauty, underground, art
the us’s, white, weapon, generation

The DO Poem

Do protest
and take a stand
make noise, eruption
make disruption
there be beauty
in the underground
beneath the bluebells
in this Welsh valley
do a do
and call it art
we are the us’s
we are the we
the us is solidarity
the white light
is our truth
and our weapon is
faith and hope
and this generation
is the time of now
and here
so protest do
do take a stand
make some time
in the disruption
for here is beauty
in boldheart art
beating in the
underground
forest green
forest true
all the us’s
me and you
the white is pure
the sky is blue
above the clouds
the sky is blue
the weapon
could be pen and page
the weapon
could be that this age
has learned
will listen
and can do
re-generation
protest do
or stand
still
do nothing
until your blood
pumps your will
disruption
is mess you make
with intention
and your intention
we must mention
your intention
for all that hear
and here and hear
how sweet it is
to be loved by you
how sweet it is
to be loved by you
and you and
do do doobie doo
there be beauty
in the underground
overground
wombling free
free is your heart
and whole is your art
the us’s
the us’s
the you and the me
the white is the light
a weapon that’s free
a weapon is a faith
a hope and a true
and the generation is us
and we do
doobie doobie
DO!





I wrote 3 pieces in that hour...
And for fun here's The DO shortstory using Sean's 10 words again:
The Do Story

Susan wanted to write a protest song so she joined the marines. She thought the best way to make a stand would be to cause disruption from the inside. And Susan played up like a beauty. She masturbated in the underground and when she came she called it art. She signed her knickers the us’s and left them on her Generals desk. They were white and so was the Generals fist as he shook it at her in rage. His only weapon was to discharge Susan and go to war, blaming the younger generation on his generation, formed by his father, the General and older generation before him. And the last he saw of Susan, she was chained to a tank and singing, she was singing her song of protest, singing and flashing her white knickers, like a flag, yes you could say that, just like a flag.





LUCY & JAMES


I'd like to share some links to other DO LECTURES dudes: 








If you want to find these beautiful people please just go to twitter 
use the hashtag #dolectures to get more links and photos than these few I have here - 
In fact if you tweet I urge you to follow EVERYONE that follows @dolectures
THANKYOU to all DO'ers for a most memorable weekend!


COMING UP...

http://www.bookslam.com/podcast/






I am back at my desk WRITING for the rest of May
I'm working on my commission as Resident Thinker for nowhereisland, 
Here's a fellow Resident Thinker Ruth Padel's poem:  



lovely daydream: one day i will be the guv'nor of the dolectures boozer, the wine and poetry will flow...


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