Fisher on facebook

Due to the joys of the twenty-first century (and Ashley finally working out the technology) all those facebookers among you can follow Ashley Fisher on facebook by clicking here and hitting the "Like" button.

Poems, Prose and Pints

Last night I had the pleasure of performing a guest slot at Poems, Prose and Pints at the Tap and Spile in Harrogate. Having been there once previously I knew that they were a very friendly crowd and was really looking forward to the night, especially as the carshare poets were in attendance to do the open micing. Participation in these nights is particular encouraged as you get a 50p discount on entry if you are doing a turn!
The good-sized crowd were really appreciative and welcoming both to myself and the rest of the Hull contingent (Nicky Ellam, Joe Hakim, Jim Higo, Catherine Scott, Rob Swan and Mike Watts all putting in fantastic performances). Friendly hosts, good beers and a welcoming audience, what more could you ask for? Will certainly be returning in future to open mic! Huge thanks to Jim Higo and Trevor Holmes for driving (carshare poets wouldn't go anywhere without the cars!) especially as conditions were horrendous on the way back.

Off The Road @ Xanders

Jayney Wright's Off The Road open mic night at Xanders on Newland Avenue may only be two weeks old, but it is already proving to be a great success. The second installment of this weekly event occurred on Sunday evening and included an eclectic mix of music, poetry, mime and comedy and was very well attended in spite of hideous weather. Every Off The Road night provides a great mix of acts and this seems to be even more the case with Jayney's foray into the world of open mic. For me, the musical highlights (from a very talented selection of musicians!) were Lindsey Simpson, who is an absolutely amazing guitarist, and the four-string maestro Ukulele Bill. It was also great to see support for performance poetry there, as well as myself Eddy Watts, Mike Watts and Joe Hakim all did spoken word turns. All this entertainment with very welcoming organisers and a friendly venue that serves proper beer make these nights thoroughly enjoyable.

The Shipping Forecast

Thursday saw two carloads of Hull poets travel down to Sheffield for The Shipping Forecast at the Rude Shipyard. This fantastic venue is a very friendly cafe-cum-bookshop serving marvellous tea and some very good cake. The event itself, hosted by Stan Skinny, takes place in an upstairs room of the cafe which is small enough for there to be no need for a mic. There was standing room only with a good-sized and fairly lively crowd (including a drunk or two who were ejected half way through the evening after rather a lot of heckling). Some good performances from regular "turns" as well as sets from our own Ruth Dixon, Bob Swan, Julie Corbett, Joe Hakim, Mike Watts and myself. A very enjoyable evening out, huge thanks to Ruth and Peter Dixon for driving down!

Speakers' Corner

Wednesday saw the carshare poets' second outing to the Yorkshire Terrier in York for Speakers' Corner. The cosy upstairs room in the pub was pretty much filled with poetical types enjoying some fine beer and some very good poetry. It was good to catch up with members of the Scarborough Poetry Workshop (hopefully a Hull / Scarborough poetic exchange is in the offing in the near future). The Hull contingent consisted of myself, Catharine Scott (who kindly agreed to drive), Jim Higo and Nicky Ellam and all performances were well-received. I even got to perform in the round due to a lack of space in the venue - something I haven't done for sometime. Great night, will hopefully be going back in the near future!

Wordorama

A busy few days started on Tuesday with Bob Swan's first Wordorama night upstairs at the Haworth in Hull on Tuesday. This was the first night Bob had hosted and he did an exceptionally good job. An excellent turn out of both performers and non-performers ensured that Hull's latest spoken word night started with quite a bang! Wordorama will return on Thursday, July 14th at the Haworth. Take a look at the Wordorama facebook page for details.

Sparkbright

Ashley's poem "Sepulchre" appears in issue six of Sparkbright. You can read the zine by clicking here.