Just to congratulate Francesca Lisette on the successful and gripping first of the 'Chlorine' readings in Brighton last night. On the bill were the Grasp press poets: hirsute warrior Luke Roberts, swaying his vibrating leg and tapping his little foot in rhythmic splendour; Francesca Lisette whose calm and concentrated reading penetrates, and Timothy Thornton, trouser braces magnificently coordinated with bovver boots, who read from his Grasp work with increasing confidence and charm. Keston S. headed up the rear and finished off the night with brio.
The Hope in Brighton was a welcoming and clammy host of the evening. Fran introduced the poets to an assembly of poet-tasters numbering in the mid-range of the thirties and receiving booze from a pleasant bar.
Luke Roberts, smelting under the heat of a yellow gel spot light, water supping voraciously, read from his Grasp Press work _Witness Protection_ which contains the two super poems 'With Abandon' and 'The Pretty Redhead'. Also featured were the poems 'Spanning What Exactly' for Neil Pattison and 'Blacking Out Quietly & Underwater'. There were other poems and they were excellent. I continue to be intrigued by the objet maritime in Luke's work and have connected this with his water-quaff and bath fetish (and reading Apollinaire in them). Luke happily gifted his pamphlet to me as well as the two poems on foolscap for all of which I was grateful particularly as he sacrificed an eyeball to book-binding tape to fashion the pamph. Luke is an impassioned CHampion of poetry and I quite agree with him when he said to me that there are extremely exciting things going on in contemporary poetry at the moment. His work and efforts contribute to such.
Francesca read calmly and surely from Grasp Press's _Tar Orchid_ as well as a number of other poems, one of which was dedicated to Prynne "if he'll have it". It seems to me that Fran is on to something in her poetry which her new sequence (I can't remember its title, sorry) extends and deepens. Characters, twisted and mal-formed by the social clamour out of her poems with an edgy beauty. I can't describe it, but can recommend it. Watch the assured space.
After a short break Timothy Thorton stepped up and read from Grasp's _Now Vulgate_ and another long set of poems. I have just read _Now Vulgate_ which I picked up at the book 'stall' as was struck by its careful detail and sense of lonely intricacy: from 'Now Vulgate' (I hope he doesn't mind):
her sheer spirit in brilliant blue swaddled among the singing lint them. Only now confirmedly athetoid in the factory is there moonlight everywhere, on everything. It looks back. It looks sharp to the wax city, walls and ruck anti- thixotropic on the carousel, it hands well inside the all of you on your raw knees in a goose-V found.
His reading was soft and nervy but caring, delicate. This perhaps sounds glib but the care and pathos invested in the lines was compelling. He also read from a thin-leafed paper pamphlet which he grasped in fingerless gloved hands. Towards the end he kept asking if his time was up (reading-wise) but I agreed with Fran that he could "read as much as he liked" and when he finished I wanted to hear more. This is first time I've heard and read Timothy's work and I like it.
Keston came last, fresh off the plane from his WORLD tour of Chicago with Mr Prynne. He started with a poem dedicated to the thoroughly lovely Jonty Tiplady "finished just today". It was great and reminded me of his translations of some of Jean-Michel Espitallier's poems. Slowly and carefully read it was a treat to start off the reading. Next came a poem from _The Rictus Flag_ requested by Luke Roberts and read with great energy. Keston then read a short prose work which was intriguing, absurd and highly enjoyable. Last up was 'Roger Ailes' from _Neocosis_ which is a superb poem capturing, culling and stuffing the Fox propaganda machine and all its contorted logic. The repetition of 'fuck all that' had me nasal laughing every time. A splendid reading from a splendid poet.
A great evening and one highly recommended. Well done Fran. There should be pictures of the event up soon at:
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GARETH FARMER WRITES:
Just to congratulate Francesca Lisette on the successful and gripping first of the 'Chlorine' readings in Brighton last night. On the bill were the Grasp press poets: hirsute warrior Luke Roberts, swaying his vibrating leg and tapping his little foot in rhythmic splendour; Francesca Lisette whose calm and concentrated reading penetrates, and Timothy Thornton, trouser braces magnificently coordinated with bovver boots, who read from his Grasp work with increasing confidence and charm. Keston S. headed up the rear and finished off the night with brio.
The Hope in Brighton was a welcoming and clammy host of the evening. Fran introduced the poets to an assembly of poet-tasters numbering in the mid-range of the thirties and receiving booze from a pleasant bar.
Luke Roberts, smelting under the heat of a yellow gel spot light, water supping voraciously, read from his Grasp Press work _Witness Protection_ which contains the two super poems 'With Abandon' and 'The Pretty Redhead'. Also featured were the poems 'Spanning What Exactly' for Neil Pattison and 'Blacking Out Quietly & Underwater'. There were other poems and they were excellent. I continue to be intrigued by the objet maritime in Luke's work and have connected this with his water-quaff and bath fetish (and reading Apollinaire in them). Luke happily gifted his pamphlet to me as well as the two poems on foolscap for all of which I was grateful particularly as he sacrificed an eyeball to book-binding tape to fashion the pamph. Luke is an impassioned CHampion of poetry and I quite agree with him when he said to me that there are extremely exciting things going on in contemporary poetry at the moment. His work and efforts contribute to such.
Francesca read calmly and surely from Grasp Press's _Tar Orchid_ as well as a number of other poems, one of which was dedicated to Prynne "if he'll have it". It seems to me that Fran is on to something in her poetry which her new sequence (I can't remember its title, sorry) extends and deepens. Characters, twisted and mal-formed by the social clamour out of her poems with an edgy beauty. I can't describe it, but can recommend it. Watch the assured space.
After a short break Timothy Thorton stepped up and read from Grasp's _Now Vulgate_ and another long set of poems. I have just read _Now Vulgate_ which I picked up at the book 'stall' as was struck by its careful detail and sense of lonely intricacy: from 'Now Vulgate' (I hope he doesn't mind):
her sheer spirit in brilliant blue swaddled among
the singing lint them. Only now confirmedly athetoid
in the factory is there moonlight everywhere, on
everything. It looks
back. It
looks sharp to the wax city, walls and ruck anti-
thixotropic on the carousel, it hands well inside
the all of you on your raw knees in a goose-V found.
His reading was soft and nervy but caring, delicate. This perhaps sounds glib but the care and pathos invested in the lines was compelling. He also read from a thin-leafed paper pamphlet which he grasped in fingerless gloved hands. Towards the end he kept asking if his time was up (reading-wise) but I agreed with Fran that he could "read as much as he liked" and when he finished I wanted to hear more. This is first time I've heard and read Timothy's work and I like it.
Keston came last, fresh off the plane from his WORLD tour of Chicago with Mr Prynne. He started with a poem dedicated to the thoroughly lovely Jonty Tiplady "finished just today". It was great and reminded me of his translations of some of Jean-Michel Espitallier's poems. Slowly and carefully read it was a treat to start off the reading. Next came a poem from _The Rictus Flag_ requested by Luke Roberts and read with great energy. Keston then read a short prose work which was intriguing, absurd and highly enjoyable. Last up was 'Roger Ailes' from _Neocosis_ which is a superb poem capturing, culling and stuffing the Fox propaganda machine and all its contorted logic. The repetition of 'fuck all that' had me nasal laughing every time. A splendid reading from a splendid poet.
A great evening and one highly recommended. Well done Fran. There should be pictures of the event up soon at:
http://chlorine-readings.blogspot.com
and fer god's sake buy the pamphlets at:
http://www.grasp-press.co.uk
What splendour indeed...
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