The Forest, FREE – 1pm – 3am

Here it is — the last ever Golden Hour at the Forest Cafe at 3 Bristo Place. After this marathon event, we’re going to all rest up and think about new ways to do what we love — mixing poetry, stories, cartoons, music, drunkeness and dancing. In the meantime — you’ll have this massive event to remember us by — featuring our true loves: Tom Pow, Jonny Berliner, William Letford, Emily Ballou, Robin Grey,Anna Crowe, Ericka Duffy, Kirstin Innes, John Glenday, The Little Big Band, Alan Bissett, The Ghost of Joseph Seal, Jed Milroy & Hailey Beavis, Paper Cinema, Jason Morton, Jane Flett, Toby Mottershead, Jen and the Gents and Dolphin Boy + much more including films by Roxana Pope and some special Reel Festivals gubbins. You will want to buy a hamburger.

11am-7pm at The Forest Fringe, FREE

I’ll be speaking at ‘flash-conference’ featuring topics such as public perception of art, theatre, performance and the audience. I’ll be discussing ‘How can we stop making capitalism?’ with other interesting people. For more details, visit the Edgelands website. It should be interactive and exciting!  This day is not about railing against authority or the great institutions of the arts. It is a day for everybody to gather at the edges of those big institutions and organisations, on equal terms. To ask daring questions and suggest implausible answers. To share a spirit of generosity and a galvanising sense of hope; that despite or perhaps because of the political, financial and environmental circumstances in which we find ourselves, the arts can and will play a part in imagining and realising a better possible future.

Artists. Audiences. How can we do this better? 

Why have we failed to convince people the arts are important? Are the arts still important?

So now we have the full four, what’s next? Well, the very exciting opportunity to grab a ticket, along with our first list of confirmed speakers/artists/participants! Currently confirmed are:

• Chris Goode
• Tim Etchells
• Chris Thorpe
• Kieran Hurley
• Laura McDermott
• Harun Morrison
• Rohan Gunatillake
• Annette Mees
• Ryan Van Winkle
• Third Angel
• John McGrath
• Emma Adams
• Matthew Somerville
• Rachel Coldicutt
• Emily Sexton (Next Wave)
• Tom Armitage
• Gob Squad
• Fuel

And you can now grab a ticket from the first batch over at edgelands.eventbrite.com. There will also be another batch released along with the final list of speakers/artists/participants next month.

As ever, do share/talk about the event on Twitter using the hashtag #edgelands, and finally, do go and check out all of the wonderful partners who will be supporting the event.

The Forest 6-9pm, FREE

The Naughty Boys make improvised electro po-noize.  Poems vs computers vs drums vs salvaged keyboards and whatever else we can find. You will come.

The Naughty Boys are:  * DanSeizure on keys and computer loop. * Stevie Paterson on keys and percussion noises. * Ryan Van Winkle —Spoken Words.

Also appearing: Alison Smith, Colin Herd, Fiona Soe Paing, Mark Mace Smith, Nuala Watt, Rachel McCrum, ShellSuit Massacre & Sophie Mayer

And here’s a little poster gallery for you. What’s your favourite?

shhhhhhh… 

This should be a pretty amazing August. Between parties at Forest and the general buzz of the Edinburgh International Book Festival I’ll be doing a few readings and performances as well as hosting two Golden Hours. There will probably be more but — in the meantime — here’s the dates for your diaries:

Sunday, 7 August — The Naughty Boys at Faceplant, The Forest, 6-9pm, FREE

The Naughty Boys make improvised electro po-noize.  Poems vs computers vs drums vs salvaged keyboards and whatever else we can find. You will come.

The Naughty Boys are:  * DanSeizure on keys and computer loop. * Stevie Paterson on keys and percussion noises. * Ryan Van Winkle —Spoken Words.

Also appearing: Alison Smith, Colin Herd, Fiona Soe Paing, Mark Mace Smith, Nuala Watt, Rachel McCrum, ShellSuit Massacre & Sophie Mayer

Thursday, 18 August — The Golden Hour at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, The Spiegeltent, Charlotte Square, 9-11pm, FREE

Live and Kicking in the Spiegeltent! With Kelly Link, William Letford, Joe Dunthorme, Billy Liar, Mikel Krumins and Earl Grey and the Loose Leaves!!!

Saturday, 20 August — The Edinburgh International Book Festival with Rachael Boast & Will Eaves, Charlotte Square, 8.30-9.30pm, £7/5

Considering all the things they’ve done, it is perhaps surprising that these three talented poets are only now publishing their debut collections. Will Eaves is an established author and Arts Editor of The Times Literary Supplement; Ryan Van Winkle is host of the much-loved Edinburgh literary evening The Golden Hour; and Rachael Boast has a PhD in Creative Writing from St Andrews University. Join them to hear how their experiences translate into fresh, exuberant, thought-provoking new verse.

Sunday, 21 August — Edgelands — a conference from the borders of performance, 11am-7pm at The Forest Fringe, FREE

Wednesday , 24 August — The Golden Hour , The Forest, FREE – 1pm – 3am

Here it is — the last ever Golden Hour at the Forest Cafe at 3 Bristo Place. After this marathon event, we’re going to all rest up and think about new ways to do what we love — mixing poetry, stories, cartoons, music, drunkeness and dancing. In the meantime — you’ll have this massive event to remember us by — featuring: Tom Pow, Jonny Berliner, William Letford, Emily Ballou, Robin Grey, Anna Crowe, Ericka Duffy, Kirstin Innes, John Glenday, The Little Big Band, Alan Bissett, The Ghost of Joseph Seal, Jed Milroy & Hailey Beavis, Paper Cinema, Jason Morton, Jane Flett, Toby Mottershead, Jen and the Gents and Dolphin Boy + much more including films by Roxana Pope and some special Reel Festivals gubbins. You will want to buy a hamburger.

Friday, 26 August — Words Per Minute at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, The Spiegeltent, Charlotte Square, 9-11pm, FREE

Join your hosts, Kirstin Innes, Kirsty Logan and Helen Sedgwick for an evening of special treats where all performers get ten minutes to impress the audience – no matter how famous they are. Expect the unexpected and some familiar faces at WPM at Unbound including, novelist, playwright and dazzling performer, Alan Bissett and American author Adam Levin and other American — me.

22 June, 8pm, The Forest, Edinburgh

Free. BYOB.

Ladies and gentlemen — join us for the first in the final trilogy of monthly Golden Hour Events. We promise the usual melange of zesty new words, honourable music and visual rubbish all in a beautiful space. Bring yourself. Bring friends. Bring booze. This is a night we can not prepare you for.  Words from: Tracey Emerson (The Short-Story Doctor is In!), Richie McCaffrey (young poems with a familial lustre) & Gavin Bowd. With Music From:  BenOfficial (electro art performance for which you are all woefully unprepared), Doug Johnstone (acoustic and solo and acoustic and alone), & Jade and the Jacks – Pure, relentless, funky fun. You will hot up.

The GOLDEN HOUR
23rd March, 8pm

FREE, BYOB

This month with:

Robin J. Thompson — Leave Your humanity at the door. Robin launches “Leave Your humanity at the door.”

Jen and the Gents —- Poppy loveliness which warms all the cold bits.
Panda Su — raw emotional honesty and blunt lyricism framed with an impressive array of strange and wonderful instruments.
The Chans — unstoppable, upbeat Scottish Soul Music! Boom!

This month we’ve got a spectacular line-up of bands and exciting new writers — all fresh to the GH stage!

23 March – The Forest – BYOB – FREE – 8pm

Featuring:

with performances by writers with work that sings and bands who provide thought provoking words with brilliant chops.

February 16th, 2011
8pm
Forest Cafe, 3 Bristo Pl
Free! Free! Free! (byob)

Words:

Kei Miller – sings a song of light.

Jim Carruth – Scotland’s leading rural poet brings the lyric.

Rodge Glass – The novelist who fronts a band.

Music:

Burnt Island – folk pop laments!

Endor – They sing and play drums, guitars, glockenspiel, harmonica, melodica, organ, rhodes, portasound , sticks and stones. They like science, books and the flashing of cameras.

+

Manje – time travellers/musicians on a quest to discover altered states of musical adventures.

Let’s get Lyrical!

January 19th, 2011
8pm
Forest Cafe, 3 Bristo Pl
Free! Free! Free! (byob)

Words:

Juliet Wilson – The Green Poet

Kirsty Logan – unleashes the story.

JL Williams / James Iremonger / Atzi – Experi-Mental PoAmbient Fusion for your soft ears….

Music:

Lipsync for a Lullaby – Loud and long songs composed of classical harmonies, beats of slo-core, remains of post-rock, ashes of punk, and modernist intervals.

Zebra-Eye – Boom Bang Crash!!!

John Knox Sex Club – The sound of a warm tea cup…. On a fresh paper cut.

See you there!