Speak Easy, Stretford - A summer adventure

 Hello!

 Having performed at a number of the central Manchester spoken-word nights, such as One Mic Stand, Speak!, Bad Language, the Poetry Pop Jukebox Co-op and Stirred, I started venturing further out. I recently read at Verbose in Levenshulme, which was lovely, and this week I tried out Speak Easy in Stretford.

 I had never been to Stretford, and as it was a sunny evening, I decided to walk there from the centre of Manchester after work. The journey took me around an hour and a half, and I stopped from time to time to talk photos in the lovely summer light.

 I arrived at Stretford Sip Club and enjoyed a fun and genuinely varied night of performance, with a mix of humour, seriousness, and some singing, which was quite different and refreshing. It was really nice when everyone got the chorus and joined in.

 I enjoyed performing my poetry to a new crowd, and was really happy to be invited back to do a longer set. I hope to return - watch this space! I caught a tram back to Manchester, as walking all the way back might have been a bit much! But I am glad I walked there.

 Thanks to Speak Easy for having me, and to the warm and welcoming audience, and thank you for reading my blog and sharing my adventures.

 Liz x

Now Then - Word Life 58

 Hello!

 September's issue of Now Then Manchester has arrived, and I enjoyed curating the Word Life section. I set this month's theme as "Messages" and received a variety of responses, some quirky, some moving. 

 I hope you enjoy the pieces I chose: fiction from Anne Sheppard, and poems from Kieran Egan, Lisa Reily, Peter Burrows, Antony Owen, Ann Christine Tabaka, Joan McNerney, Glen Sorestad and Ion Corcos.

 There are also listings for literary events in and around Manchester this month. There are quite a few, from the Northern Quarter to Levenshulme to Stretford to Salford. Hopefully if you live in the area you will find something for you.

 Enjoy Issue 58!

 Liz x