Live Literature Lives

On the stage in the Phrased and Confused tent at last year’s Summer Sundae festival I was asked if when I was writing ‘Me and Mickie James’ I knew that I would be expected to go out and read from it, living the ‘rock & roll’ lifestyle, as it were. My answer was simple.
“No.”

Sure, I knew performance poets existed, but I was neither a poet or a performer.

My personal experience of writing had been sitting at home alone fretting away at keys, drinking coffee. I had dreams of being published but I also had dreams of being really small and not being able move my forefinger and thumb together.

So to suddenly find myself thrust in front of hundreds, or dozens, or sometimes just a single person and be expected to be witty, funny, and to play at being an author at the same time was a shock.

But I had read my Charles Darwin. I adapted.

Or was that the Borg.

(Years ago I used to go out with this bloke. I saw him once a week, the only time I wasn’t writing, and on that one night we used to sit and watch Voyager, back to back. He had them all on VHS.
Voyager in my head is like yoga for other people.)

Things I’ve learnt.

Don’t read from the book for more than seven minutes. Break it up with some amusing anecdotes. If you haven’t got any, make them up. If the anecdotes are any good, weave them into the next story you write. Leave plenty of time for questions. That’s what people are there for. They want to probe you.

(Note from ed – ‘Aren’t you writing about local live literature? You’re talking about yourself…)

Sorry. In my defence, it’s not that I’m obsessed with myself. I actually don’t like myself a great deal which is why I write. I can create alternative versions of a better me. And I still always write about losers.

Boom Boom.

The lovely Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze said at the last Short Fuse, Leicester’s Short Story night, that her writing came from an oral tradition, siting around the stove, telling stories. It shows. She was great at reading.

“I want to be like her,” I thought.

Unfortunately I don’t come from an oral tradition. I come from a long line of misanthropes.

(Ed – ‘Now you know that’s not true.’
Me – ‘I know. Just an anecdotal filler’)

What I love about Short Fuse is that it takes place in a beautiful old theatre. It has enormous round jazz tables with red tablecloths, candles in the centre of them. It has a great sound system (heaven compared to most of the other readings I’ve done). And you can take wine in and get quietly drunk while listening to a whole host of people read to you.

Seriously, it’s nice.

As Polly Tuckett, its director says, ‘Short Fuse aims to bring the pleasures of the short story to a wide audience, beyond the usual literary insider clique.’

And I have proof of this, having taken people with me who wouldn’t normally go to that kind of thing. They liked it.

Now you might sense a common theme here when I tell you that the next local live lit event I’m going to mention also serves alcohol. Don’t blame me. I’m not making it up.

Catherine Rogers, one of the founders of Hello Hubmarine, tells me she set up the event as she wanted ‘a hub to do creative stuff centred around writing but with a strong spoken word element also. I wanted to see a regular live literature event in Derby along the similar lines of City Lights in San Francisco and Shakespeare & Co in Paris.’

It’s the same as Short Fuse as it has a relaxed, chilled out atmosphere, but different as Hello Hubmarine is more multi-media. They have films, live music, poetry, and short stories all in the mix. There’s something for everyone. Unless of course you’re the kind of person who doesn’t like anything.

What Polly Tuckett and Catherine Rogers both share is a passion to get live literature out there (and in Hubmarine’s case I mean literature etc) and both have firm ideas of how their events will progress.

Polly is talking of recording the stories and making them available online, Catherine says that Hello Hubmarine have a website in development, ‘Pixel Lab are working on the website with support from Writing East Midlands and designer Jim Cork who has done a lot of the posters is going to work on the branding – it’s all pretty exciting.’

It is exciting.

But don’t take my word for it. After all, I get paid to make stuff up.

(Ed – ‘A bit like an MP without the expenses?’
DG – You’re not funny ed. Just go and get me a duck island.)

Go along. Have fun.
And if you see me why don’t you buy me a drink? Then feel free to probe me.
Short Fuse takes place on the third Tuesday of the month. Click here for details.

Word! is Leicester’s open mic poetry night. Takes place on the 1st Tuesday of the month. Click here for details.

A L Kennedy writes a great blog on writing and performing. Click here to read it.

BookSlam is a London literary night. They have a great website here and you can subscribe to their podcast and listen to all sorts of famous people reading.

Homework is another London literary night. Click here for their Myspace page.

I am reading at Pride Words – 1830 22nd July 2009 Foyles, London – Details below:

Come for an evening where the power of the novel will be explored. We welcome favourite Stella Duffy (Stonewall Writer of the Year 2008), comedienne VG Lee (As You Step Outside), a sharp Adam Mars Jones (Pilcrow), multi-faceted Karen Macleod (In Search of the Missing Eyelash), LAMBDA Award Finalist Drew Gummerson (Me and Mickie James). Hilarious, insightful, intimate, queer, here and proud these authors will also read from their latest works. We’ll look at identity, love and pain, hope and despair and there will be plenty of time to ask your burning questions.
Visit www.londongaytheatreclub.co.uk using promotional code: LGP22 £5

Finally, feel free to add you own links to any live lit events in the comment boxes below.

Supported by Writing East Midlands.

Drew Gummerson’s first novel ‘The Lodger’ was published in 2002. It was a finalist in the Lambda Awards in the States. Drew’s latest book ‘Me and Mickie James’ was published by Jonathan Cape in July 2008. Drew is also an award winning short story writer, his short fiction being widely published and featured on Radio 4.