Thanks to Derek, Kate, and Julie – as well as their fantastic audience – for Wednesday night at The Ivory (on Glasgow’s south side). It proved to be a very well-attended and atmospheric evening.
Donny O’ Rourke was his usual entertaining and big-hearted self, treating us to – among several other highlights – many of his song lyrics for the Swiss-Irish band Morgen (interspersed with his pithy and self-deprecating observations on life).
The open-mic then passed to Donald Fraser, who read out a Seamus Heaney poem in honour of that great bard’s recent passing, before Bryan Owen delivered several Bangladeshi poems (applauded, as it happened, by several lovely students from said country). Then, young rising star Erica Von Stein recited her witty poems which reflected on contemporary culture.
After the interval, Ivory organiser Kate Tough made what was (incredibly) her own debut, airing some highly innovative poems based on the alteration of ‘found material’ to reveal subconscious revelations among the everyday. Kate has recently landed a publishing deal with Cargo, and her first book is due in the new year. Douglas Thompson of the SWC (co-sponsors of the event) proceeded to worry everyone by impersonating Derek Parkes’ accent (badly) and promising to read a sci-fi novel extract. But in fact, and to everyone’s relief, it all sounded strangely like poetry!
Seasoned performer and poetry event favourite Sheila Templeton hit the floor to rapturous applause, before Donny closed the evening with his part two. Sheila’s poem, inspired by the Sami world-creation myth that the stolen heart of a reindeer beats at the centre of the planet, went on beating in our heads for many hours afterwards…
