Hammer and Tongue: Keith Jarrett and Aryn Clarke 12th February

Hammer and Tongue returns to The Fountain this Wednesday 12th for the first event of 2014. Headlining is the intellectual, multilingual poet, novelist and teacher Keith Jarrett. Find out more at: http://zoneonetosix.blogspot.co.uk/




He'll be supported by Aryn Clarke. Check out his winning performance at Hammer and Tongue last year in April.




A great line up in addition to the slam which offers the chance of a place in the Cambridge final later this year. For full details and tickets see: https://www.facebook.com/events/179493175594919/?ref_dashboard_filter=upcoming

Hammer and Tongue featuring Stephen Morrison-Burke

The headline act for Hammer and Tongue this month is the 2013 slam champion Stephen Morrison-Burke. He stormed to victory in London after winning the Cambridge heat last year. Now he's on tour to share his powerful work with H&T audiences around the country. To get an idea of what to expect listen to him on this show from earlier last year.

28.7.13 with Stephen Morrison-Burke by Headstand on Mixcloud

All dates are on www.hammerandtongue.co.uk. The most relevant ones to readers of this blog are 7th November in Brighton and 13th November in Cambridge. Support in Brighton comes from another recent guest on Headstand Tommy Sissons.

Next month it's the Brighton final which I'll be competing in on December 6th.

Show: 20.10.13 with Tom Sissons

This show features an interview and poetry with Tom Sissons. At 18 this Brighton based poet has already published his first pamphlet, reached the national finals of Hammer and Tongue Poetry Slam and done a national tour with Apples and Snakes.

You can also hear:

The Undertones - Teenage Kicks
Melt-Banana - Infection Defective
Euros Childs - Tête à Tête
Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer - Hail The Chap
Arnaud Rodrigues - Turma Da Poiê
Chris T-T & The Hoodrats - The Bear
Tom Sissons - Poetry
Gran Kino feat Ayanda Nhlangothi, Burni Aman, Manelis, Jitsvinger - Brand New Day
Afrodita Nikolova - Thresholds
The Handsome Family - Owls
Polymath - Vertex
Isolation - Kafuka

20.10.13 with Tom Sissons by Headstand on Mixcloud

Poetry in Brighton

Ross Sutherland

I've been in Brighton nearly three weeks now but I've yet to properly discover the poetry scene here. So I'm looking forward to going to Redroaster coffee house tomorrow evening (September 26th) for a reading by Brendan Cleary who's launching his new collection on local press Pighog who are hosting the night. You can find out more about the event here.

Next week Hammer and Tongue starts a new season at Komedia on October 3rd. I have interviewed headliner Ross Sutherland and it's due to appear in The Argus this Friday. I look forward to meeting him again and hearing about his recent visit to a network of secret tunnels under Disney Land, Florida (seriously!) and seeing his latest show Stand By For Tape Backup. Find details here and come to enjoy some top quality performance poetry and maybe compete in the slam. I know I'm going to.

Poem: Stars and Strings by Stephen Morrison-Burke

This Sunday's show features a set by Hammer and Tongue national slam champion Stephen Morrison-Burke. Here's one of the poems that won him the title broadcast on an earlier show.

Hammer & Tongue and Shindig

I've been out of the loop recently but here are some events to check out this week.
On Monday Cambridge Harmony Chorus are doing a free warmup show before taking part in a national competition. The performance is at 8 at Christ The Redeemer Church, Newmarket Road, Cambridge, CB5 8RS.  It's near the McDonald's fast-food restaurant and Barnwell Roundabout.  http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=CB1+3RW. Check out their facebook page for more info.
Hammer and Tongue returns on Wednesday with Tim Clare and Hannah Jane Walker. For more info, tickets and to book your place in the slam go to: https://www.facebook.com/events/237437786398586/?fref=ts.
Finally Shindig returns this time to CB1 with music from Hour Hands, Slushy Guts, and Mouth. I'll be compering and there will be show and tell open mic. It starts earlier than usual 5pm. Full details here.

Ian Keteku and Wordfest

Hammer and Tongue is back this week with headliner Ian Keteku all the way from Canada. Ian has played Hammer and Tongue in Cambridge before and it's great to have him back. Tristram Fane Saunders will also be performing and of course there's the slam. I can exclusively reveal that slammers will include recent Headstand guest Rychard Carrington. His performances are infrequent but always surprising and memorable. If you fancy slamming yourself be sure to book in advance as it's been a full slam the last couple of months. Full details here.

On Thursday head down to CB2 for an hour of comedy plays by Paul Richards. There appear to be two performances in the evening and the shows touring various other parts of the country. details and tickets here.

Finally next weekend is wordfest. Whether you like poetry, prose, fiction, non-fiction of whatever genre there's bound to be an event for you as some of the best known contemporary writers come to Cambridge for this leading literary event. Head over to the website: www.cambridgewordfest.co.uk.

Poetronica - Cambridge Poets on Video

Blazej Mikula's new site poetronica.co.uk features videos of Cambridge based poets performing their work. Many of them have been on Headstand. Now you can see them in action. There are live performances from Hammer and Tongue and studio productions. Check out a couple of his videos of Fay Roberts and winner of the March Hammer and Tongue slam Tess Gardener below and find more on the website.



 I first met Blazej through Polish Waves, Cambridge 105's Polish show. Here's an episode on which I contributed a piece about my experiences living in Poland. You can hear all the latest episodes on Mixcloud too. Good luck to Blazej with Poetronica. We look forward to more videos.

Polish Waves 2012-04-08 by Polish Waves On Cambridge 105 on Mixcloud

This Week: Hollie McNish, Stephen Morrison-Burke, Mark Niel, The Antipoet and me.

I'll be doing support duties at a couple of poetry events this week. On Wednesday 13th it's the next round of Hammer & Tongue with a headline set from Hollie McNish who needs no introduction to poetry fans in Cmabridge and listeners of headstand and support from Stephen Morrison-Burke winner of the Cambridge heat in last year's slam. If you're a poet you might just be able to squeeze into the slam though last I heard there was only one place left. That means it'll be incredibly exciting! Where do I come in? I'm kicking of the slam as sacrificial poet, not competing but setting a bench mark for the competitors. For full details and tickets click here.
Next Sunday it's the Rhythm Method tour headlined by Mark Niel and The Antipoet, both terrific acts who don't get to Cambridge often enough. Check out the videos below. Leanne Moden and I will be supporting and Fay Roberts is hosting. More info here.
If I hear of anything else worth recommending in the next week I'll let you know on Twitter via the show's new feed. Follow @headstandradio

Steve Larkin

Performance poet Steve Larkin was in town this week to perform at Hammer and Tongue - the event he started nearly ten years ago. Tune into the show this Sunday to hear him talk about the origins of Hammer and Tongue, Slam poetry and his own prolific career. Here's a poem from his acclaimed show Nonce: