Blog - Page 9 of 11

Frank McMahon’s Fourth Published Volume of Poetry – ‘Forthright’

12 May, 2015 Andy Szpuk

It’s Frank’s fab fourth, a typical collection of snappy verse, encapsulating the experience of a 20th century poet as he brings his unique world view into the here and now. Frank effortlessly sets his inner Tardis to random as he weaves tales from his more distant past and stitches them to the present day. Cultural references settle around the reader like winter snowflakes on a lumpy seventies football pitch, and mid way through the second half, Shane MacGowan almost ends…

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DIY POETS at The Maze – May 14th – Spoken Word At It’s Finest!

17 April, 2015 Andy Szpuk Comments 0 Comment

However many billions UK politicians pledge to put aside to fund the NHS, even when the election is over, it’ll still only cost £3 to see DIY POETS perform at the Maze, and that includes a free copy of the latest magazine! The evening will conclude with live music from Louis Antoniou. That’s our manifesto, pretty straightforward really.

Review DIY Poets Thursday 12 February 2015

16 February, 2015 Andy Szpuk

By Clare Stewart and Lytisha DIY POETS Maze gig 12th February 2015. Another great evening at the Maze, congratulations to all who read. It was fantastic that we had equal numbers of men and women. And nice to have some newcomers in amongst the old-timers… Grace. Great set of poems for her first time at a diy gig. With honest and universal themes, she spoke about the evil in us all, but compassionately conceded that we’re all going through a…

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DIY POETS Present ‘Suck it and See’ – Jam Cafe, Tuesday March 31st – FREE ENTRY!

14 February, 2015 Andy Szpuk

Sick of cruising the drag bars night after night? Suck it and see with the DIY POETS instead! An opportunity to sample some of Nottingham’s finest spoken word as one of Nottingham’s most well established performance poetry collectives tear it up at the Jam Cafe, see below for details, shaping up to be a grand night. FREE ENTRY!

‘From Green to Black’ Poetry by Frank McMahon – Download Here

6 January, 2015 Andy Szpuk

DIY Poet, Frank McMahon, has released his second book of poetry this year, and his third in total. It’s another thoughtful and energetic collection. Frank’s poems are usually quite short, but he has the knack of packing a lot into a few lines of verse. The material is autobiographical in tone, with many keen observations on modern life, history and society. The book is usually available at DIY POETS gigs and other associated events, priced at £3. It’s also…

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Performance Poetry Workshop at Nottingham Writers Studio – 9th November 2014

3 December, 2014 Andy Szpuk

FRANK MCMAHON REPORTS: Five DIY Poets met on Sunday 9th November 7- 9pm at the Nottingham Writers Studio for an informal poetry performance workshop. The aim was for each poet to increase their skills and confidence when reading/ performing their poetry. Each poet gave a history of their performing their work and how they would like to develop in terms of performing their work. During the session each poet read one of their poems to the group and reflected on…

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DIY POETS – Gig Reviewed – All the Action from Nov 13th, 2014

16 November, 2014 Andy Szpuk

Martin Grey doing the honours: The evening of November 13th 2014 was unseasonably mild, not because of the instability of the gulf stream due to climate change, but because it was the night of the latest DIY Poets event. After all, what better way to while away a late autumn evening than with some of Nottingham’s finest poets? Exactly. Our leader, compere and guru, Frank McMahon, waited for the audience to filter in before kicking things off, explaining that each…

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DIY POETS Quarterly Gig – November 2014

13 October, 2014 Andy Szpuk

By Frank McMahon: Local bards DIY Poets present the latest in their quarterly nights of spoken word and music at the Maze. Featured poet is the fantastic Andy Szpuk, curator of the DIY Poets website. Acoustic music is provided by the wonderful Ital Pip. £3 entry A bargain as always!

Vintage Poetry: ‘The Owl’ by Edward Thomas – discourse by Frank McMahon

26 September, 2014 Andy Szpuk

The Owl is a poem written by Edward Thomas, one of the most celebrated of the poets writing about the First World War. Most of his poems are not directly about the trenches but the war features in a more oblique way. It is a poem about both fulfilment and deprivation, and draws on Thomas’s experience of the front line. It is also a poem about the emotions of empathy and guilt. The poet is tired, hungry and cold but…

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DIY POETS Quarterly Gig Report – 14th August 2014

18 August, 2014 Andy Szpuk

Eagle Spits reports: After brief introductions from Frank McMahon, founder of DIY poets, Poeticus Autisticus (AKA Trevor Wright) took the stage to deliver a finely tuned set with sharp wordage about subjects as diverse as time travel and drones. Often the political nature of some poets limit their vocabulary which reduces their work to propaganda as opposed to art. This is not the case with Poeticus who speaks the truth articulately and the message is delivered, well crafted and poignant….

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