2009
Monday 21 December
Bath Storytelling Circle - 10th anniversary session. Upstairs at the Raven, Bath. 7.30 for 8.00 p.m. Entry free. Contact: David 01225 482170
Monday 7 December
Winter’s Turning. Pint of View - December special of this community discussion event hosted by MBC. Midwinter is the turning point of the seasons. Christmas celebrates a turning point in history. And we may be living through another turning point as the earth’s climate changes gear. Fire Springs storytellers Anthony Nanson and David Metcalfe offer some stories - and music - to invite quality discussion about these pivotal times through which we live. Black Horse, Amberley, near Stroud. 7.30 p.m. for 8.00 p.m. Contact: Jane 01453 872818.
Saturday 28 November
Heaven’s Gate: the first Stroud Festival of Poetry, Music & Storytelling - on William Blake’s birthday. Featuring: Robin Williamson with Bina Williamson, Subterraneans front man Jude Rawlins, Kirsten Morrison, poem-lyric fusions from guitarist John Gibbens and bassist Armorel Weston (The Children), Phoenix trio Jay Ramsay, Gabriel Millar, and Ella Bloomfield (with Sam on didgeridoo), Paul Matthews, Aidan Andrew Dun, Niall McDevitt, Christopher Twigg (Chicken in the Woods), green goddess Helen Moore, Dennis Gould and Jeff Cloves, Adam Horovitz and Rick Vick, Kevan Manwaring and Anthony Nanson (Fire Springs), and Irina Kuzminsky (including the launch of her book Dancing with Dark Goddesses). Subscription Rooms, Stroud. 8.00 p.m. till midnight, with two intervals. £15. Tickets: 01453 760991
Friday 27 November
What a Performance! The D. K. Angus Launch - a small collection of Dave's words, lyrics and more, readings from the same, opportunities to buy (proceeds to CND), and music of that ilk. Plus stories from Anthony Nanson. And hopefully a song or two … are you listening, Beth? Gallery Room, St James Wine Vaults, Bath. 8.00 p.m. Donation. Contact: Richard 01225 420683.
Thursday 26 November
Stroud Story Circle at a private venue in Stroud. 8.00 p.m. Entry free. Contact: Kirsty 01453 840887
Monday 16 November
Bath Storytelling Circle upstairs at the Raven, Bath. 7.30 for 8.00 p.m. Entry free. Contact: David 01225 482170
Sunday 1 November
Garden of Awen. An enchanting evening of the finest spoken word: poetry, storytelling, monologue, song, acoustic music, and other Arcadian delights. This month’s theme: Death and Rebirth. Featuring guitar-shaman/songsmith James Hollingsworth, ecobard Anthony Nanson, poet Marion Faulks, balladeer David Metcalfe, and more. Chapel Arts Centre, Bath. 7.30 p.m. for 8.00 p.m. £5 special opening night price. Licensed bar. Contact: 01225 461700, bookings@chapelarts.org, www.chapelarts.org, www.awenpublications.co.uk
Friday 30 October
What a Performance! Spoken word, music, and verbal antics. Storytelling from Kirsty Hartsiotis. Performance of Dragon Dance by Kevan Manwaring. Special feature: The Poetry of Moyra Caldecott, Bath's premier writer; readings by WAP!ers and Moyra herself. Gallery Room, St James Wine Vaults, Bath. 8.00 p.m. Donation. Contact: Richard 01225 420683.
Thursday 22 October
Stroud Story Circle at a private venue in Stroud. 8.00 p.m. Entry free. Contact: Kirsty 01453 840887
Monday 19 October
Bath Storytelling Circle upstairs at the Raven, Bath. 7.30 for 8.00 p.m. Entry free. Contact: David 01225 482170
Friday 2 to Sunday 4 October
Exotic Excursions - Othona Community, Burton Bradstock, near Bridport. Wondrous voyages to unknown islands form some of the most alluring tales in the mythology of both the Celts and the Greeks. They strike us now, not just as travelogues, but as explorations of the imaginative/spiritual realm where the island can be an image of paradise. How do they speak to us - and for us - today? Anthony Nanson leads a storytelling-based workshop in which we follow the likes of Brendan and Bran, Odysseus and Jason. Anthony’s own odyssey has included a recent expedition to islands in the South Pacific. His book of short stories Exotic Excursions enlivens the Othona bookstall. Anthony will also feature in our One World Worship on Sunday evening. Course fee: £22. For accommodation costs, contact Othona: 01308 897130; mail@othona-bb.org.uk; http://www.othona-bb.org.uk
Wednesday 23 September
Bath Writers Workshop. Jay Ramsay and Anthony Nanson feature as guest writers in conversation. 7-9 p.m., New Inn, Monmouth Place, Bath. Contact: Kevan 01225 334204
Monday 21 September
Bath Storytelling Circle upstairs at the Raven, Bath. 7.30 for 8.00 p.m. Entry free. Contact: David 01225 482170
Tuesday 15 September
Tidal Shift. Anthony Nanson and Kevan Manwaring present poet Mary Palmer’s final collection. Join us in the shop as we hear her poems brought to life by her friends. Iona Community Shop, Iona. 7.30 p.m. Entry free.
Wednesday 9 September
Stroud Story Circle meets at the Bear at Rodborough, near Stroud. 8.00 p.m. Entry free. Contact: Kirsty 01453 840887
Tuesday 8 September
Tidal Shift - the launch of Mary Palmer's posthumous Tidal Shift: Selected Poems <http://www.awenpublications.co.uk/tidal_shift.html>, from Awen Publications, with readings from friends and family plus acoustic music. Profits from the book will go to Dorothy House Hospice, where Mary spent her final days. Waterstone’s, Bath. 6.30 for 7.00 p.m. Free. Tel: 01225 448515. www.awenpublications.co.uk
Sunday 30 August
A Cascade of Words and Music. Celebrate the Centenary of the Poetry
Society at Prior Park Landscape Garden, Bath. Three 45-minute sessions of readings and music in the Wilderness. Featuring: Nikki Bennett, Rose Flint, June Hall, Kevan Manwaring, Helen Moore, Crysse Morrison, Anthony Nanson, Peter Alfred Please, Alan Summers, Duncan Tweedale. There will also be open-mike sessions, with free admission for anyone who brings a nature-themed poem to recite. 1.30 p.m. Contact: 01225 833422, www.nationaltrust.org.uk/priorpark, www.poetrysociety.org.uk/content/events/bath
Monday 17 August
Bath Storytelling Circle upstairs at the Raven, Bath. 7.30 for 8.00 p.m. Entry free. Contact: David 01225 482170
Wednesday 12 August
Stroud Story Circle meets at the Bear at Rodborough, near Stroud. 8.00 p.m. Entry free. Contact: Kirsty 01453 840887
Thursday 29 July to Sunday 2 August
Big Green Gathering. The world's premier and award-winning green festival. Huge array of events, including inter alia: Kevan Manwaring, ‘Lost Islands: Inventing Avalon, Destroying Eden’, talk; Anthony Nanson and Kevan Manwaring from Fire Springs, ‘An Ecobardic Manifesto: A Vision for the Arts in a Time of Environmental Crisis’, talk incorporating stories and poetry; and two Bardic Circles with performances by David Reakes, Tim Hall, Anthony Nanson, Dearbhaile Bailey, Kevan Manwaring, and Nathan Lewis Williams. Fernhill Farm, Cheddar. Contact: 01458 834629, info@big-green-gathering.com, www.big-green-gathering.com
Monday 20 July
Bath Storytelling Circle upstairs at the Raven, Bath. 7.30 for 8.00 p.m. Entry free. Contact: David 01225 482170
Wednesday 8 July
Stroud Story Circle meets at the Bear at Rodborough, near Stroud. 8.00 p.m. Entry free. Contact: Kirsty 01453 840887
Friday 3 to Saturday 4 July
4th Olympus Storytelling Festival, Tempe, Greece. Performances and papers on the theme ‘Fairy Tales and Myths’. Anthony Nanson will present a paper on ‘The Storytelling Imagination as Catalyst of Tolerance and Imagination’, run a workshop on ‘How to Bring a Story to Life in the Heart and Imagination’, and perform ‘The Tale of Eithne’. Mainly Greek language. Contact: graikos@otenet.gr
Monday 15 June
Bath Storytelling Circle upstairs at the Raven, Bath. 7.30 for 8.00 p.m. Entry free. Contact: David 01225 482170
Wednesday 10 June
Stroud Story Circle meets at the Bear at Rodborough, near Stroud. 8.00 p.m. Entry free. Contact: Kirsty 01453 840887
Monday 18 May
Bath Storytelling Circle upstairs at the Raven, Bath. 7.30 for 8.00 p.m. Entry free. Contact: David 01225 482170
Wednesday 13 May
Stroud Story Circle meets at the Bear at Rodborough, near Stroud. 8.00 p.m. Entry free. Contact: Diana 01453 750009 or Anthony 01453 840887
Thursday 30 April to Sunday 3 May
Beltane Ecobardic Mini-Fest: a gathering of storytellers, poets and musicians creating for the earth. There’s a growing band of musicians, poets, storytellers, and comedians - performers of the bardic arts - who are passionate about lending their voices to the movement for sustainability and earth care. Cae Mabon and the Tales to Sustain network invite you to Cae Mabon in Snowdonia at this magical time of year to explore with others performance that engages audiences and energises action: in a word, to transform. Limited to 30 people, so book soon. Opportunity to share work in progress, to appreciate, comment upon and learn from others active in this field. Also an opportunity to build upon ideas outlined in An Ecobardic Manifesto published by Fire Springs last year. A fertile ground to seed ideas and springboard projects at this critical juncture in planetary history. For those who can make it for the Thursday there will be a Beltane celebration. The mini-fest proper will begin at noon on the Friday with lunch. £110 (for 3 nights) including excellent vegetarian food and exquisite eco-cabin accommodation, or £80 if only coming for two nights. Contact: Eric 01286 871542; eric@fachwen.org
Monday 20 April
Bath Storytelling Circle upstairs at the Raven, Bath. 7.30 for 8.00 p.m. Entry free. Contact: David 01225 482170
Wednesday 8 April
Stroud Story Circle meets at the Bear at Rodborough, near Stroud. 8.00 p.m. Entry free. Contact: Diana 01453 750009 or Anthony 01453 840887
Wednesday 25 March
Transition Stories. This will be the first meeting for all those interested in using stories to illuminate and emphasise the Transition messages. We are living in a time of massive upheaval and the time is ripe to find new stories to live by. If we can tell a different story maybe we can break the spell we have been living under. You don't have to tell a story unless you want to. Just bring your friends and come and listen. 7.30 p.m. Star Anise Arts Cafe, Gloucester Street, Stroud. Contact: Fiona 01453 834793
Friday 20 March
Places of Truth: an ecobardic showcase. Celebrating the launch of Places of Truth: journeys into sacred wilderness, a new collection of poems by Stroud-based poet and psychotherapist Jay Ramsay, on World Storytelling Day and Earth Day. Hosted by Kevan Manwaring, publisher of Awen Publications. Including place-based storytelling, performance poetry, and acoustic music from: Mary Palmer (Iona), Helen Moore (Selected Ecopoems and Hope and the Magic Martian), Peter Alfred Please (Clattinger: an alphabet of signs in nature), Anthony Nanson (Exotic Excursions and Storytelling and Ecology), Richard Selby (The Fifth Quarter), and David Metcalfe (singer-guitarist with Fire Springs). 7.00 p.m. Waterstones, Milsom Street, Bath. Tickets £3 from Waterstones. Refreshments provided. Tel: 01225 448515. www.awenpublications.co.uk
Monday 16 March
Bath Storytelling Circle upstairs at the Raven, Bath. 7.30 for 8.00 p.m. Entry free. Contact: David 01225 482170
Wednesday 11 March
Stroud Story Circle meets at the Bear at Rodborough, near Stroud. 8.00 p.m. Entry free. Contact: Diana 01453 750009 or Anthony 01453 840887
Monday 16 February
Bath Storytelling Circle upstairs at the Raven, Bath. 7.30 for 8.00 p.m. Entry free. Contact: David 01225 482170
Wednesday 11 February
Stroud Story Circle meets at the Bear at Rodborough, near Stroud. 8.00 p.m. Entry free. Contact: Diana 01453 750009 or Anthony 01453 840887
Wednesday 28 January
FolkTales - featuring Simon Airey, Anthony Nanson, and other storytellers and musicians - at the Scout Hut, on the waterside near the Ostrich pub in central Bristol. 8.00 p.m. £3 on the door. Further details: www.myspace.com/folkhut
Thursday 20 January
Stroud Story Circle at a private venue in Stroud. 8.00 p.m. Entry free. Contact: Diana 01453 750009 or Anthony 01453 840887
Monday 19 January
Bath Storytelling Circle upstairs at the Raven, Bath. 7.30 for 8.00 p.m. Entry free. Contact: David 01225 482170
Friday 16 January 2009
Drive the Cold Winter Away - a celebration of Celtic song and storytelling - with Roy Searle, founder of the Northumbria Community, storyteller Anthony Nanson, and band led by Bobbie and Richard Johns, musicians who’ve played at Greenbelt and Spring Harvest. Entry £4. Star Anise Arts Café, Gloucester Street, Stroud. 7.30 for 8.00 p.m. Contact: 01453 761938