Gladsongs and Gatherings Poetry and its Social Context in Liverpool since the 1960s

by Wade, Stephen

• ISBN13: 9780853237273
• ISBN10: 0853237271
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-03-01
• Publisher: Liverpool University Press

Summary

With the ‘Liverpool Scene', poetry registered nationally as a popular art form arguably for the first time. Since then, poetry appears to have contracted once more to its metropolitan, literary heartland. So what happened to the ‘Mersey sound'? Gladsongs and Gatherings examines this question through the ideas and reflections of poets and poetry readers. The book includes interviews with the famous 60s trio, and places their experience alongside that of contemporary poets who continue to find the city a rich source of inspiration.

Author Biography

Stephen Wade is Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Huddersfield Carole Baldock is coordinator of the Dead Good Poets Society, which holds monthly Open Floors and guest evenings at the Pilgrim pub, Liverpool. She is also a well-known editor and writer on writing skills Peter Barry was born and brought up in Liverpool and attended London University (King's College and the Institute of United States Studies). He taught at LSU, Southampton, for several years before moving in 1995 to the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, where he is now reader in English David Bateman was born in Kent in 1957. He is a freelance writer and teaches poetry and creative writing part-time for the University of Liverpool, Liverpool City Council and the Windows Project Spencer Leigh was born in 1945 and spent many memorable evenings listening to the Liverpool poets during the 1960s and early 1970s. He has a twice-weekly music show on BBC Radio Merseyside and has written several music books Michael Murphy's poems have appeared widely in journals including Poetry Review, Poetry Ireland Review and London Magazine. In 2000 he was awarded a North West Arts Writer's Bursary, and he is shortlisted for the 2001 Dearmer Prize. His essays on modern and contemporary poetry have appeared in the UK, Europe and Australia, and in 2000 he completed a doctoral thesis on poetry and exile Deryn Rees-Jones is Reader in Poetry at Liverpool Hope University College Matt Simpson lives in Liverpool. He retired from lecturing at Liverpool Hope University College in 1998. In 1995 he was poetin-residence in Tasmania Richard Stakes is a lecturer in Education at Doncaster College and freelance writer specialising in the area of special needs. He is currently researching autism at Sheffield Hallam University. His familiarity with educational issues is surpassed by his encyclopaedic knowledge of 1960s pop music Levi Tafari was born and raised in Liverpool by his Jamaican parents. He attended the Liverpool 8 Writers Workshop to get the intellectual stimulation he needed, and he was soon part of the performance scene. His work has always been rooted in the oral tradition of the griot. Levi has poet-in-residence with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. He has published three collections of poetry and has made guest appearances on television. In 1997 a documentary was made about his journey to Ethiopia Pete Townsend is Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Huddersfield, and a freelance writer. His main interests are literature and jazz Stephen Wade's is Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Huddersfield Dave Ward was born in Northampton. He was a member of Adrian Mitchell's Song Workshop at Lancaster University. His poetry has been widely broadcast and anthologised. Dave has been coordinator of the Windows Project since 1976

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. ix
Poems
Liverpool at the Millennium	p. 1
Streets of Hope	p. 3
Literary Matters
The Arrival of McGough	p. 7
'The Hard Lyric': Re-registering Liverpool Poetry	p. 19
Reflections on the Craft
Liverpool Peasant	p. 45
Screen Memories: The Kiss	p. 53
A Poetry Residency in Tasmania: The Story behind Cutting the Clouds Towards	p. 60
Interviews
Adrian Henri: Singer of Meat and Flowers	p. 73
An Interview with Brian Patten	p. 103
Autobiographies/Social Histories
Open Floor! Live Poetry Nights in Liverpool, 1967-2001	p. 111
Dead Good Poets, Dead Good Poetry	p. 138
All You Need is Words	p. 143
The Windows Project	p. 150
Broader Views
These Boys: The Rise of Mersey Beat	p. 157
Jazz Scene, Liverpool Scene: The Early 1960s	p. 168
Notes on Contributors	p. 177
Select Bibliography	p. 181
Index	p. 182
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