Examples of poetry from A to # and gig archive
A to C
- A Little Box That Goes 'Beep'
- Actor, The
- Celebrating Differences
D to J
- Economic Boganry
- Equality is Cool
- For Those Who Could Find The Staple, We Salute You
K to S
- Luzley
- Quack
- Rewind and Return Before 7pm
T to W
- 'The Smiley People'
- They Sold Me A Hospital On Pawn Shop Interest Rates
- Urbanite Myth
X to Infinity
- 45 Minutes to Longbridge
- 56 Grid Attack
Gig archive
- Previous gigs
- Public speaking engagements
- Writing groups
"The Travelling Poet"
My original reason for writing poetry came about as an extension of my visual work. At the time, I thought that 'building Utopia' through drawings alone weren't enough. It was at this time I decided to start writing poetry.
Knock-on Effects
What was originally an exercise in creating a verbal Utopia became one of self-disclosure. Coinciding with recent awareness on my Semantic Pragmatic Language Disorder, I was able to write about myself more. I was able to show emotion throughout my works which were hard to describe in conversational forms.
Most of my works cover a range of subjects from autism spectrum disorders to public transport and autobiographical themes. As a poet, I see myself more as an observer 'from above', like an alien from a spaceship over the Pennines. Most of my pieces come from subconsciousness, imagination, intense research and personal experience. Another favourite field is parody and satire.
I am able to explain myself more eloquently in written form than in conversation. In conversation, I am most happy speaking about my pet subjects, with little thought. Anything outside of public transport, computers, the Electric Light Orchestra and Supertramp, and Stalybridge Celtic requires more thought.
Live Performance
Since June 2003, I have been involved in a Stalybridge based creative writing group. The group, People's Performance were formed as 'People's Poetry', as part of a gallery in Stalybridge, the People's Gallery. In October 2003, we became independent of the People's Gallery and renamed ourselves People's Performance.
On a personal note, I have performed my own pieces live with this group in Stalybridge, since inauguration. Venues have included the Q-Inn and the gardens of the former town hall. I have also performed, albeit rarely, pieces by other poets to provide an alternative view.
Since 2005, my poetry has been heard at lectures featuring persons on the autism spectrum like myself. For example, 'Celebrating Differences' was read in front of 300 people at one of Donna Williams' lectures in Aintree. A lecture at Sunfield School (Lower Clent, Worcestershire, near Stourbridge and Hagley) has included three other pieces. Present during that lecture was fellow poet and Australian author Wendy Lawson.
With the Stalybridge based writing group being dormant of late, I have joined (April 2009) another group in central Manchester, by the name of 'Poetica'. They meet on fortnightly Wednesdays at the Central Library.