Was invited to write a poem about the ‘future of fashion’ by the good people at Litro magazine. I imagined people wouldn’t need clothes in the future. The editor says: Ryan Van Winkle imagines a future in which nudity is the new haute couture, in his poem that was joy she said, a modern take on the Emperor’s new clothes.
Back on the trail, folks, at the Banshee Labyrinth on Friday 26 September with Thomas Truax, our friends Faith Eliott and Jack of Diamonds of Black Diamond Express and Dog on a Swing. It costs £5, doors fly open at 7pm, hope to see you there.
New York City’s Thomas Truax (pronounced troo-aks) is a left field troubadour and inventor/player of strange self-made instruments like his now legendary ‘Hornicator’ and a motorized mechanical drum machine called ‘Sister Spinster’. He employs these and other contraptions as well as traditional instruments in exceptionally crafted, witty and often touching songs. Splendid magazine recently called him “one of the five or ten best singer/songwriters in the world that you’ve never heard of…an exceptional talent, unique and resistant to comparison, yet fairly accessible even to casual listeners.”
Ryan Van Winkle is a poet, a performer and someone that makes things happen. His first collection of poems, ‘Tomorrow, We Will Live Here’, won the Crashaw Prize and he has been published in The American Poetry Review, The Scotland on Sunday and many magazines you have likely never heard of. Ryan will be joined on guitar by Jack Of Diamonds, founding member and frontman of Scotland’s most exciting eight-piece blues band; The Black Diamond Express.
Faith Eliott performing music is merely one string to her artistic bow, and as such is a rare treat. Heartfelt, heart breaking, passionate songs, that will give you goosebumps and shivers down your spine.
Dog On A Swing is the pseudonym under which Ed Ritchie writes and plays music. It’s usually just him, but he likes to bring in other musicians on a fluid and flexible basis.
What: Thomas Truax (+ Support)
Where: Banshee Labyrinth, Niddry Street, Edinburgh
When: Friday 26 September, 7pm.
How Much: £5.
I was hugely pleased and honoured to chair a conversation with a unique and committed artist and writer, Alasdair Gray. You can hear the whole conversation on the Edinburgh International Book Festival website, or if you’d prefer, you can take a two-dimensional vision at us in action on the wonderful artist Grace Wilson’s website. What a pleasure to be so colourful. There will soon be an edited version of that conversation, keep your eyes peeled.
I’ll be reading alongside Kevin McLean and Jane McKie at the NLS’s free spoken word event Tricolour, tomorrow, Monday 1 September, from 6.30. Hope to see you there!
What: Tricolour
When: Monday 1 September, 6.30pm
Where: National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge, Edinburgh
How Much: FREE.
Really pleased to have a collaborative piece with Amelie Koning de Bourbon in the collection 26 Atlantic Crossings. It’s a free eBook that you can download here.
Really pleased to have ‘Everybody Always Talking About Jesus’ translated into Slovenian by Andrej Hocevar in the most recent edition of LUD Literatura. Najlepša hvala!
We did it live on August 6 at The Forest in Edinburgh. Featuring Louise Orwin talking about her show Pretty Ugly at the Forest Fringe, an excerpt from the fantastic Room, music from The Jellyman’s Daughter and the Culture Laser House Band featuring Snake-faced Jake. Presented by Ryan Van Winkle (@rvwable) and recorded by Alasdair Kampff. Produced by Colin Fraser (@kailworm) of Culture Laser Productions (@culturelaser). With thanks to Creative Scotland for their financial assistance.
Delighted to be joining the genial hosts of Rally & Broad for the very last show of the Edinburgh International Book Festival. It’s the glorious return of the Ampersand Edition, in which poets and musicians are teamed up to make something new and glittering. There will be whisky, there will be gin, and even better, it is FREE ENTRY. It’s on Monday 25 August, 9pm, Charlotte Square. Do come and join us.
We’re the closing Unbound at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, and to celebrate we’re putting on one of our Ampersand Editions!
We pure love oor Ampersand Editions, we do! Chucking two awesome acts together to create a set is one of our favourite things to do, to the extent that we’re actually doing it ourselves this time too! The collaborations are…
Don Paterson & Rachel Newton!
Ryan Van Winkle & Dan Willson ( Withered Hand)!
Rachel McCrum & A New International!
Jenny Lindsay & Lake Montgomery!
….. and Rally & Broad, of course….
It’s free and drop-in (arrive early to ensure entry!)
It’s also our last event til October…. Come gin with us! 🙂
Culture Laser Live
6 August, 19:00
Forest Down
141 Lauriston Place
FREE
“That’s Right – We’re Doing it Live”
The Multi-Coloured Culture Laser enters the Fringe fray for a night of performance, discussion, drinking, and hot hilarious august action. A podcast experience for your eyes & your hearts – done fucking live.
Featuring:
* ROOM w/ Jemima Yong & Alan Fielden
Room is bound to be a highlight of the 2014 Fringe Festival. Part radio play, part interactive storytelling, ROOM is inspired by analogue, literary based computer games like Dungeons and Dragons & Interactive Fiction. Catch the show at Pleasance all August
* PRETTY UGLY w/ Louise Orwin
Pretty Ugly is a show about a recent worldwide trend of teenage girls posting videos on YouTube asking viewers to rate their looks. This is a show about our obsessions, pretensions, and teenage girls. Catch the show at Forest Fringe
A mesmerising concoction – part melancholic, part unplugged post-rock, part bright folk lullaby. We love it. You’ll love it!
+ tunes from the Culture Laser Collective Band feat Jack of Diamonds & guests from the Midnight Train!
Auld Enemies was a very special project. Our friend Ross Sutherland has documented the entire experience, and you can watch the 35 minute documentary right here, or head to SJ Fowler’s YouTube channel for all the individual collaborations. Many thanks to everyone involved, please enjoy.
The Enemies project: Auld Enemies was a transnational poetry collaboration where six poets worked in rolling paired to produce original works for readings across the breadth of Scotland and where in each event also featured numerous pairs of writers from the region, who also presented brand new poetry collaborations. Beginning on July 9th and finishing on July 27th, the project visited Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Lerwick and Kirkwall, before a wrapping up in London. Auld Enemies was a groundbreaking exploration of contemporary Scottish poetics through the potential of collaboration. Supported by Creative Scotland
During the tour, Ross Sutherland documented the project in this extraordinary documentary.
