Bedford Events 2017

Forgive me website, for I have sinned, and not updated thee for pretty much a year. I won’t bother with my excuses – though I have them. So to begin a near-flurry(!) of posts let me mention some events in Bedford which are coming up.

Ouse Muse is still alive and kicking. We have five more dates in this season, the first is Stephen Payne on 22nd Feb, followed by Sarah Westcott (Mar 26), John McCullough (Apr 26), Angela Topping (May 24) and John Clegg (Jun 28). I’ve also been joined by some wonderful co/alternate hosts, Caroline Davies, Steve Kendall and Hazera Forth. I hope this is a sign that the poetry and spoken word culture in Bedford is growing and becoming more resilient. All the Ouse Muse events include open mic time, and are at 7.45pm at The Auction Room on Duke St.

The other established Bedford open mic event is the Poetry Cafe at Frescoes on the last Friday of the month – now starting a little earlier at 2.30pm. This is always well attended and has a very supportive atmosphere for anyone who is new to the business of reading their work in public. Meanwhile the Swan Theatre Company continue to give their excellent monthly readings of published work, now at the Eagle Bookshop on the first Sunday of the month at 7pm.

However the exciting news is that there are more regular and irregular opportunites to bring poems/spoken word to the town. A new venture at the newly re-opened (and re-wound) Bear on the High St is an open mic session every Sunday at 8pm. The amiable Amy and Matt are looking for both musical and verbal contributions and deserve your support. A second newer arrival comes in the form of the Pulpit Sessions on the last Friday of the month at 8pm at Rogan’s books – I’ve not been yet but hope to show this coming Friday 24th Feb and report back.

As for the irregular – a group of poets is presenting a show ‘The Journey’ using mainly local work to make an evening of entertainment which tries to enhance poems with music, stage setting and group performances. The Journey is at The Place on 12th March, 7.30pm, tickets £5 surplus proceeds to the British Heart Foundation. Meanwhile the excitement that is BedSlam! returns on 20th April, with a fabulous and nationally known headline act – Hollie McNish. Sign up to slam or just come and enjoy the show, tickets for both shows from www.theplacebedford.org.uk.