Tongue is a collective of performance poets who all met at the Big Mouth Performance Poetry Master Classes in Bristol in the autumn of 2006.
The eclectic mix of poets, including several slam winners, regularly perform together and individually at festivals and gigs across England.
The poets are based in the south west, including Bristol, Oxford, Totnes and Glastonbury and they all have one aim - to bring the fantastic art form of performance poetry to as wide an audience as possible.
All the poets can be contacted for bookings through this site or find out more about them on their individual MySpace sites.
The Poets:
Joe Butler –
lives in Oxford and has performed at festivals in London, Reading and Oxford. He also teaches writing workshops. Joe's collection of poetry called 'Hearthstone' about blacksmithing and domestic violence is published by Two Rivers Press. He loves the directness of performance poetry, the honesty of the feedback-loops, and the adrenalin kick of "live" poetry.
www.tworiverspress.com/Josephbutler/Hearthstone.html
Rosemary Dun –
is the founder of Big Mouth Poetry and runs Big Mouth Cabaret, Folk House Open Mike Nights and Big Mouth Poetry Tent at Ashton Court Festival. She won the Bristol Poetry Slam in '97 and performs and runs workshops on performance poetry and creative writing at various venues and festivals across the UK. Rosemary has an MA in Creative Writing and has been published in several poetry anthologies and has self-published.
www.rosemarydun.co.uk
Mark Edwards –
is a regular on the Bristol Poetry scene. He writes from personal experience about life and love. He says: "My writing has to mean something to me and I often use it as a tool of expression and self-awareness. I aim high and want to perform to large clouds. I'm pretty deep, spiritually minded and always seeking to grow. Please check out my personal my space. I welcome comments, am completely open and would love to hear from you - and if you see me, I love hugs! ; )
www.myspace.com/sharksbait
Beryl The Feral -
The Hammer & Tongue slam winner, based in Totnes. Beryl performs regularly in the South West at events such as One Night Stanza, Word Command and the Wondermentalist Cabaret, and she co-hosts a women's performance cauldron called Warts n All. She has also been commissioned to make a new interventioanl poetry-based work for the Whitstable Biennale. Beryl has a self-published cd and two small paperback collections; 'Poims And Other Stuff For Lovely People' and 'Got Poims?'. Her poims are cheeky and honest with quirky and surprising rhyme.
Gordon Graft –
is a slam winner and has performed his poetry extensively in the Bristol and Bath area. He has just completed his BA in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University and is currently working hard at his MA in Creative Writing.
Derrick Hines – Versatilla The Hun -
hails from North Carolina. A man of many talents he has performed at poetry readings throughout North Carolina and Atlanta, Georgia; recorded numerous cd’s; was an original member of the Ncognito Culture Camp and has acted as storyteller for a number of after school enrichment programs as well as teaching hip hop as poetry. He currently performs as a musician and poet in Bristol and London and is in the process of recording poems and editing his first poetry book.
www.myspace.com/otherpeopleinderrickshead
Emerson Leese -
is based in Bath, and has just completed his BA in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University. Emerson was anti-poetry in a northern working class kind of way but then he became hooked, and is now writing and performing poetry. Emerson set up the highly successful Ambidextrous, promoting poetry and music in the South West in 2006. www.myspace.com/bsu_ambidextrous
Steven Payne –
is a Bristol-based Poet. He has performed at Ashton Court Festival Poetry Jukebox, Bristol Folk House, and Oppo Poetry Nights.
Pauline Sewards –
is a Bristol poet who has recently completed a Diploma in Creative Writing at Bristol University. She has performed her poetry in and around Bristol and has a poem displayed at the Here Gallery in Bristol.
Byron Vincent -
described as 'looking and sounding like he could easily have stumbled off a passing Arctic Monkeys tour bus', Byron is a multi award winning poetry slam champion. Currently busy making several spoken word films he has only agreed to do a handful of live performances this year at choice events including Latitude Festival, Port Elliot Lit Fest and the Tip Of Your Tongue festival.
www.myspace.com/byron_vincent
Tracy Wall –
has won several slams and regularly performs her poetry across the south of England.
She is currently studying for an MA in creative writing specialising in poetry at Bath Spa University.
www.myspace.com/tracywall.
Bob Walton –
won the Welsh Arts Council New Poet Award. He has a lot of experience of performance in various contexts. He has performed poetry with music, dance, theatre, and film at the Brunel200 celebrations, Brighton Fringe Festival, the Adur Festival, Hastins Festival, Bath Literature Festival, Womad Gran Cararia and others. He was an artist in residence at The Create Centre, Bristol, in 2000.
