Saturday 31 March 2012

April's Amazing Guest

There's no fools this April as PGR welcomes another outstanding talent as it's feature poet
Martin Daws
Personally i witnessed Martin's talent up close at a beautiful festival near the Rollright Stones.
He is amazing, with a lyricism and rhythm that comes straight from the heart.

Here is some more info i ripped straight off his website:
An electrifying poet whose live sets blend free musicality and innovative lyricism in a unique improvised theatre, Martin Daws’ work explores life, nature and who the hell we think we are, anyway! Martin’s poetry shows a rare breadth of style and voice, and he has also been introduced to an audience as ‘a thoroughly nice man’.
Martin is a double Farrago Slam Champ, and has been runner-up in both the Glastonbury Festival Slam and the John Tripp Award for Spoken Poetry. He got a coveted five star review on debut at the Edinburgh Festival (2008) and is the author of the acclaimed book/cd 'Skin Tight the Sidewalk'. Martin Daws is Poet in Residence at Moelyci Environment Centre, North Wales.
Broadcast on numerous occasions, Martin has published in international journals, and performed extensively around the UK and Ireland. His musical collaborations with Electro-Acoustic Composer Rob Mackay have toured internationally, taking video of Martin in performance and recordings of his voice to multi-media performances in 4 continents. Martin’s rare ability to improvise poetry has led him into several ongoing collaborations with jazz musicians performing internationally at concerts, jazz festivals, poetry shows and garden sheds.

Usual Time: 7.30pm 
Usual Place: The Sozzled Sausage in Leamington Spa

Unusual Contributions from...YOU!!!!

See You On Monday APRIL 9th

Monday 26 September 2011

October 2011...Very Special Guest...

 The late Dick Leith

Join us for what promises to be an inspiring, hilarious and moving evening as the PGR family celebrates the life of one of its most treasured regulars.
Throughout this evening our usual guest poet slot will be filled by a selection of the songs and poems Dick committed to CD before his passing.

If you've ever wondered why the Elephants needed ironing, you'll know this will be a night not to be missed.

Old hands and new poets alike are invited to come and share their wares and raise a smile.
*
MONDAY 10th OCTOBER
Usual Time. Usual Place.
7.30pm @ The Sozzled Sausage, Leamington Spa

p.s. for those regulars who would like a writing challenge, and who would appreciate the chance to share what Dick meant to them...do take the opportunity to create something new...perhaps beginning 'I celebrate Dick because...'

Friday 15 July 2011


It's so big Ladies and Gentlemen that even John Holmes would be jealous (if he were alive today).

Thanks to the devoted and supportive atmosphere of the PGR crowd, this is one of the most enjoyable slams you'll ever encounter.

There will of course be the option of our usual open mic slots...but the fact that there will be actual prize money and the chance to win a feature slot at a future PGR is surely enough to tempt even performance newbies to come and join the fun

The guidelines are as follows:
  • The slam will take place over 3 rounds
  • Each poem should be no longer than 3mins
  • Each poet will be appreciated according to their content, delivery and audience response
  • The top scoring 4 poets will duel it out in the Semi-final
  • The winner will take home a share of the door takings, and will be offered the chance to feature at a future PGR (assuming they've not featured numerous times before)
If you've any further questions, or to register - get in touch - PGRPoetry(at)Gmail.com

Monday 6 June 2011

Summer Sun...PGR Fun...

Our next event is on Monday 13 June, at 7.30pm.
Each month we invite a fabulous guest performance poet. This month we are delighted to have the
unique and wonderful 
Naomi Paul
Naomi Paul writes, sings and performs. Over the past two years, she has been performing her own work at cabaret/comedy and spoken word events at various venues around the country, including Birmingham, London, Edinburgh and Manchester. She has had slots on local community radio stations Radio Wildfire and Rhubarb Radio, and, this summer, she will be taking a solo show to the Edinburgh Fringe. 
 
'Hear her shopping for underwear in Golders Green, riding a hippy bus out of downtown Oakland, sing a lament as a protest for books thrown out of libraries … and more.’
(Dave Reeves: Radio Wildfire)

‘Hilariously quirky unique viewpoint, beautifully delivered...' (Janice Connolly)

‘Naomi’s shrewd balance of recital, storytelling, and at one stage acapella singing bore testimony to her stagecraft.’ (Gary Longden)
  
 
DEFINITELY AN EVENING NOT TO BE MISSED! With open mic support from…….yes……YOU!
Come and share your poems or enjoy the talent of others- seasoned poets & first time performers most welcome!
Admission £3 (£2 Student/OAP)
If you would like to know more about the night, please email
pgrpoetry@gmail.com

Look forward to seeing you there!

Thursday 5 May 2011

This Month (May)

This Month the PGR family is delighted to welcome back...

Julie Boden


Julie is truly a poets poet...and a poetry lover's 'not to be missed event'.

She travels nationally and internationally, delivering workshops, conducting readings, performing, lecturing, mentoring and judging poetry competitions. She has appeared on Radio 4's Woman's Hour, Poetry Societies and Poetry Please , Radio 3's The Verb,and Five Live's Late Night Currie. Her published poetry collections include: Through the Eye of a Crow (2003), Wasted Lives (2004), Bluebeard's Wife(2005), and Aheenthi(2006) which has been translated into Gujarati. She  was the seventh Birmingham Poet Laureate (2002/3) and is currently Poet in Residence at Symphony Hall Birmingham. 
'Poetry drips off her tongue like honey from a comb...' Birmingham Post
 
Julie is a longtime supporter and star of poetry in the midlands. Be sure to come along and experience an artist who is truly a master of her craft
Monday, May 9th, 2011, 7.30pm, £3 (£2 Student/OAP)
The Sozzled Sausage,
Leamington Spa
CV32 4NX

Tuesday 8 March 2011

Ides and Hares...


The Finest Poetry Open Mic Night In England
 says...
Happy March to everyone

 This month our guest poet is the blossoming  

Craig Lambert
Craig's poetry has been accurately described (by him) as a hotchpotch of the serious, the surreal and the self-deprecating. Sometimes combining elements of all three, such that the audience doesn't know whether to laugh or cry!

Your host would describe Craig's poetry as searingly honest, frequently hilarious...and at times 110% guaranteed to get a reaction. 

It's been a pleasure to welcome some new faces over the past few months, so if you're reading this blog for the first time and have a secret (or not so secret) love of poetry, come along and experience the unique atmosphere and talents of our amazing evening.

Love and Blessings,
George.