Cullercoats seafront venues - The Fourth IRON Press Festival of Words and Music - Cullercoats Brewery
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‘IRON Press is a phenomenon.
Very few literary presses of that quality
have continued in such style and stayed
true to their roots for so long.’
- Melvyn Bragg
The Fourth IRON Press Festival of Words and Music
Cullercoats seafront venues
June 20th - 23rd 2019
Introduction Onwards! And we’re off again - for the fourth IRON Press Festival! What was planned in 2013 as a one-off celebration to mark forty years of IRON Press went on to win Best Event Tyneside in The Journal Culture Awards and has now become a regular feature round the harbour of our distinctive seaside village. As far as I know, it’s the country’s only literary festival built round a small press. We’re small and that’s how we intend to stay. Non-stop growth is a naked capitalism philosophy we don’t buy into. Just as the press itself some years back found its natural publication level at four or five books a year (a level it’s remained at), so too the festival is happy to settle on four days, once every two years. Nor is our programme a random selection of famous names or celebs-cum-authors plucked from some national touring list. Festival writers are almost all associated with the press or the region or often both. We have been delighted to welcome the likes of Ian McMillan, David Almond and Melvyn Bragg but they all have links to IRON. You may well never have heard of many of our featured writers. But the over these festivals the public have slowly come to trust us - the writers are all worth turning up for. Rather than buying tickets for well-known telly faces, you’re on a journey of discovery. Thus in 2019, you can have the gently intelligent humour of poet John Robert Brown’s, new book, Odd Socks, or Jack and Bill & The Fogrunt Amulet, the controversially irreverent poetry of The Brothers Grime. Try The Bairn, Elaine Whitesides’ beautifully written evocation of a 1950s Cullercoats upbringing (reprinted for the festival) or a breakfast lecture by Doctor Joyce Leeson, the widow of South African activist Zola Zembe that brings the apartheid struggles of South Africa to The Boat Yard. Try the combustible Tyneside poetic legend, Tom Pickard, or Zephaniah Haddock & The Stolen Star a brand new commissioned play, written by yours truly and performed by pupils of Cullercoats Primary School. On the same bill is the intoxicating music of the famous North Tyneside Steelband. There’s poetry and prose from our two anthologies inspired by UK islands, powerful verse from persecuted writers world-wide (Voices of Conscience), plus the launch of This Cullercoats, a new book featuring six working writers from the village. And on Saturday you can Sing Yer Bloody Head Off! in the good hands of Cullercoats diva Ruth Lambert.
Try the unique poetry of Katrina Porteous’ book The Wund an’ The Wetter, elegiacally written in the dialect of North Northumberland fishermen and performed with live accompaniment on the Northumbrian pipes from Chris Ormston. There’s also a chance for artists and writers to create new impressions of our small coastal settlement. Which is not to mention 21 talented musical acts from our area performing in our third al fresco Festival Fringe taking place on the sea front, seamlessly organised as usual by Janice & Terry Jones. Writers wanting to avail themselves of our new IRON Proof Editorial Service can step inside The IRON House itself for a free consultation. Hands-on events include a workshop from Harry Venning, creator of the celebrated Clare in the Community series in The Guardian and on Radio 4 and a memoir writing workshop from The Bairn author, Elaine Whitesides. And as ever, after the events, you can relax in the convivial atmosphere of The Festival Club at The Salt House from 10pm – midnight (free) where some of our fringe musicians may just turn up to entertain you. Most of the literary events have a musical content too. For the first time those coming to each event will be greeted outside the venues by the distinctive sounds of the Northumbrian pipes played by Whitley Bay musician and IRON Press writer Christine Goodwin. And don’t forget the popular Inpress Literary Quiz, hosted by Sophie O’Neill. Thanks to my fellow brave steering group members, Kitty Fitzgerald, Terry Jones, Sue Pethybridge, and Dave Shaw for help and support guiding us through the choppy waters and to Kyle Morley and Dylan Mortimer for technical support. Also Dave Turnbull for extra photographic work. And to all our volunteers who keep you, our audiences always heading in the right direction. And of course to the village of Cullercoats itself. The Festival could not work as well as this anywhere else. Christine Goodwin Peter Mortimer Editor, IRON Press Front cover photograph, Cullercoats Dawn by Dylan Mortimer Brochure design Brian Grogan & Peter Mortimer
Thursday June 20
Cullercoats Primary School in
ZEPHANIAH
HADDOCK &
THE STOLEN STAR
Cullercoats Crescent Club
7.00pm £6.00
A Fantasy Adventure by ilcliffe
Libby B
Peter Mortimer
MUSIC: North Tyneside Steelband
We kick off with a
specially commissioned
Elliot Fenn
new play rooted in our
Enya Fitzgibbon
village and performed
by pupils of Cullercoats
Primary School.
Seeing the 1969 moon
landing on TV, Cullercoats
lad Zephaniah Haddock
is inspired to climb into
space on a window
cleaner’s ladder where
he steals a star. Before
long the star begins
to devour everything
Libby Wake
around it - including
the Crescent Club - and
just who can stop it?
rson
Lucy Pea Peter Mortimer’s comic
fantasy includes music,
mime, choreography and
ff ta
physical theatre. ne Longs
maker
Josie Bow
Gracie An
Artwork from school pupils
The evening’s opening music comes from North Tyneside Steelband, the region’s finest
and most exciting young persons musical combo.
Members of North Tyneside Steelband
Don’t Forget 10 till Midnight, the Festival Club at the Salt House, Admission FREE!Friday June 21
THE BAIRN
7.30pm - The Crescent Club, £7.00
A Cullercoats Childhood by
Elaine Whitesides
MUSIC: The Keelers
Elaine Whitesides
is a Cullercoats born
author now living
in Nottingham.
This vividly written
account of growing
up in Cullercoats,
published by IRON
Elaine Whitesides
Press, is both a
description of a
unique community
and a microcosm
of postwar 1950s Britain, an era within many
people’s memories, but also seeming strangely
distant. The book has been reprinted specially
for the festival. Elaine will also run a workshop
on memoir writing (see Sunday evening).
MUSIC; We are delighted to welcome back our very own sea shanty quartet, The Keelers,
locally based but with an international reputation for fantastic harmonies.
The Keelers
5 Club at the Salt House, Admission FREE!
Don’t Forget 10 till Midnight, the FestivalSaturday June 22
THE IRON BREAKFAST
LECTURE
9am - The Boat Yard £10
(includes South African breakfast)
With Dr. Joyce Leeson and
MUSIC by Wakanda Charden
Together Against Apartheid
Joyce Leeson is the widow of
Zola Zembe who died last year in
Tynemouth, aged 90. Zola was a South
African freedom fighter and close
colleague of Nelson Mandela with
whom he was imprisoned. For many
years he was a leading member of
the ANC and the South African Trades
Union movement. His wife, Dr Leeson,
was an Anti-Apartheid activist on
academic secondment from Manchester
University when she met him in 1967.
At that time he was a Commander in the
uMkonto we Siswe, the ANC Liberation
Army, on active service in Zambia. Their
life together is the backdrop to Joyce
Leeson’s talk. There will also be extracts
read from Zola’s autobiography, Freedom
in Our Lifetime. Ticket price includes a
South African breakfast.
Dr. Leeson will be in conversation
with Ozzie Riley, artistic director of
Dodgy Clutch Theatre Company. Joyce Leeson
LIVE MUSIC from Wakanda Charden,
a political activist from the Congo, at
present living on Tyneside.
Wakanda Charden
Don’t Forget 10 till Midnight, the Festival 6Club at the Salt House, Admission FREE!Saturday June 22
ODD SOCKS – John Robert Brown
11am RNLI £7.00
MUSIC: The author will blow a few tunes on his
beloved saxophone and more music comes from the
guitarist James Birkett
IRON Press recently published this quirky collection of
comic verse from the Ilkley author John Robert Brown
and we are delighted to bring him to the festival for you
to savour his wit and humour, be he writing about the first
traffic island in Japan, in praise of galoshes, the wonders of
Nuneaton, or a particularly intimate and painful medical
procedure. The book is illustrated by Harry Venning writer
of the hugely popular Radio 4 series Clare in the Community
based on his own cartoon strip in The Guardian. Harry
Venning will be running a workshop in the Fishermen’s
Mission at 1.00pm (see details on next page).
Speed
Late for the funeral
He drove without heed for fate.
Took two too many chances;
Now he, too, is late.
John Robert Brown
John Robert Brown
JACK & BILL AND
THE FOGRUNT AMULET
12.30 RNLI £6.00
The Brothers Grime
MUSIC: Readers’ Wives, 50 Plus
Newly published by IRON Press, this single long poem,
described as ‘an epic in dubious taste’ emerges after 40
years of joint writing labour from The Brothers Grime
who will be on hand to read extracts from its occasionally
scurrilous content. Set in the fictitious country of Cloudland,
the poem tells of the perils of an over-exposure to
pornography. It sits somewhere between Eskimo Nell and
Geoffrey Chaucer and boasts such characters as Kitty Flaps,
King Wobblyknobble and the dreaded Forty Teat Sow.
Not for the faint-hearted.
MUSIC: Bizarre sounds from Readers’ Wives 50 Plus - sweet
harmony it isn’t.
Don’t Forget 10 till Midnight, the Festival Club at the Salt House, Admission FREE!Saturday June 22
THE ART OF THE CARTOON
1pm - 3pm Fishermen’s Mission £10.00
A Workshop by Harry Venning
Harry Venning is the artist and writer who wrote Clare in
the Community, a major success both in cartoon form in The
Guardian but also as a comedy drama series on BBC Radio 4.
This is a hands-on workshop for those interested in combining
images and text. Workshop limited to twenty people so please
book early:
Harry Venning
SING YER BLOODY HEAD OFF!
2pm – 6pm Community Centre £10.00
Ruth Lambert
As our hi-tec world slowly sends itself insane, the distinctly
lo-tec activity of communal singing is increasingly being seen
as the perfect antidote. It frees the soul and allows the spirits
to soar. Try it for yourself - experience this four hour singing
workshop led by the experienced Cullercoats singer and
performer Ruth Lambert. Ruth will nurture the participants
to a high level of choral singing – so much so that for the
final 20 minutes they will perform for whichever members of
the public wish to attend (free of charge) or for themselves if
no-one else turns up. All you need to bring to take part in the
workshop is your voice. Tea, coffee and biscuits available.
The workshop is limited to 20 people, so book early.
Ruth Lambert
Don’t Forget 10 till Midnight, the Festival Club at the Salt House, Admission FREE!Saturday June 22
THIS CULLERCOATS
2pm RNLI £6.00
Music: Alan Jones
Six working writers who live in Cullercoats were invited to
contribute to this anthology, each responding in his or her
own way to being a part of the village. The book’s writers are
Carol Clewlow, Kitty Fitzgerald, Harry Gallagher, Peter
Mortimer, Pauline Plummer and Josephine Scott.
An intriguing mix of poetry, fiction and mythology.
One of the region’s most talented singer/song writers
Alan Jones provides his own distinctive sounds. The book
is launched at the festival and five authors will read a short
extract. Special launch event book price: £5.00.
Alan Jones Pauline Plummer Josephine Scott
VOICES OF CONSCIENCE
4pm RNLI £7.00
Poetry From Oppression
Colette Bryce, Kate Fox, W. N. Herbert & Sean O’Brien
Our biggest ever book; work from 150 renowned 20th century
poets world-wide, whose writing saw them imprisoned,
persecuted, or executed by the state. Translated from 40
languages, a major publication and possibly the only book to
include the poetry of both Oscar Wilde and Ho Chi Minh. Plus
the likes of Pablo Neruda, Nazim Hikmet and Bertolt Brecht.
Selected and read by four of the region’s best known writers:
Colette Bryce, Kate Fox,W.N. Herbert & Sean O’Brien
Colette Bryce Kate Fox W N Herbert Sean O’Brien
Don’t Forget 10 till Midnight, the Festival Club at the Salt House, Admission FREE!Saturday June 22
THE WUND AN’ THE WETTER
7.30pm St George’s Church £7.00
Katrina Porteous
MUSIC: Chris Ormston
Katrina Porteous lives in Beadnell and is one
of the region’s most celebrated poets. Her book,
The Wund an’ The Wetter marks an extraordinary
collaboration between herself and the
Northumbrian piper Chris Ormston and is a single
long poem written in the dialect of the dwindling
fishing community of North Northumberland. It
has Chris’s music accompaniment throughout. The
poem and music were specially commissioned by
IRON Press and the book was soon into its second
print. It includes a CD of the two performing the
237 line poem. It also includes a glossary of almost
200 north Northumberland dialect words and
phrases.
MUSIC: Chris Ormston himself will provide
the live accompaniment.
Katrina Porteous Chris Ormston
Sunday June 23
IRON PROOF TASTER
10am – Midday The IRON House - FREE
5 Marden Terrace Cullercoats, NE30 4PD
Kitty Fitzgerald (prose), Carol Clewlow (prose)
Peter Mortimer (poetry)
The 2019 festival sees the launch of the new IRON
Proof Editorial Service where for a reasonable
fee authors can submit their prose (short stories,
novels) or poetry collections for in depth critical
appraisal by professional writers associated with
the IRON stable. Book your initial 15mns chat
with one of three of our main assessors. These
initial sessions are FREE but available only with
the purchase of at least one ticket to a paid
festival event. Please book well in advance as
spaces are limited. See the wondrous IRON House
into the bargain.
No booking fee for this event, but participants need also
to contact IRON Press on 0191 2531901 to book a specific
time and editor Carol Clewlow Kitty Fitzgerald
Don’t Forget 10 till Midnight, the Festival Club at the Salt House, Admission FREE!Sunday June 23
POSTER POEMS
11am - FREE
Poets and visual artists are invited to take
part in this short project which will define the
village in words and images. Each participant
on the day will be given a specific Cullercoats
Jyl Friggens
location and asked to respond to it in either
words or images. IRON Press may publish a
small book from the results, depending on
quality. This is a free event but booking ahead
is essential as numbers are limited. You can
book individually or as a poet/artist team.
An example of poet
and artist combining
is shown here with the
work of Mike Wilkin
(poet) and Jyl Friggens
(artist). These were
created as an IRON
Press poetry card
(1992).
No booking fee for this event, but participants need also to
contact IRON Press on 0191-2531901 for more information
MEMOIR WORKSHOP
(preparing to write your own memoir)
Cullercoats Bike & Kayak Centre
(The Snug) midday - 2pm £6.00
With Elaine Whitesides - author of The Bairn
Come and sample techniques that enable you to
explore your memories, experience again some
of the episodes and emotions of your past and
record them as scenes that illuminate your life
story. This is how many of our great novels
began to take shape . If you like to write, this
workshop can offer ways of enjoying it even more.
Run by the experienced author and workshop
organiser Elaine Whitesides, who also reads from
her book The Bairn on Friday evening.
Don’t Forget 10 till Midnight, the Festival Club at the Salt House, Admission FREE!Sunday June 23
A TYNESIDE LITERARY SON
2pm RNLI £8.00
Tom Pickard
Music: Pete Shaw
One of Tyneside’s great contemporary literary sons, Tom
Pickard was not only published with his long poem America in
the first edition of IRON Magazine in 1973, but this first edition
itself was born at the Gateshead flat of Tom and his wife
Connie Pickard, where Peter Mortimer was the attic resident
at the time. Founder, along with Connie, of the legendary
Morden Tower Poetry Centre in Newcastle, much published
poet, erstwhile enfant terrible of the literary world (arrested for
obscenity at the Newcastle Literary Festival and once banned Tom Pickard
from the North Sea), Pickard remains a controversial and
provocative figure and a fine writer.
MUSIC is provided by Pete Shaw, one of the region’s most
talented and prolific singer/songwriters. For one of the best
music experiences in the region, try Mr.Tighes in Bebside, Blyth
each Sunday where Pete hosts an array of talented artists - and
it’s all free! Pete Shaw
ISLAND WRITERS
4pm – RNLI £6.00
James Knox Whittet
MUSIC: Anna Macrae
James Knox Whittet edited for
us two books of writing about
islands, One Hundred Island Poems
and Writers on Islands (prose) James Knox Whittet
collections which included the likes
of John Betjeman, Virginia Woolf,
George Orwell and W.B.Yeats. Both
books went to a second print. Here
James selects and reads from the
two books and is joined by fellow
authors Kitty Fitzgerald and Carol
Clewlow, plus David Shaw.
Anna Macrae
MUSIC Hebridean songs from the Barra born singer Anna Macrae
Don’t Forget 10 till Midnight, the Festival Club at the Salt House, Admission FREE!Sunday June 23
THE INPRESS LITERARY QUIZ
6pm Cullercoats Coffee, £5.00 entry per team
(maximum 4 people per team)
A great success in 2017, the Inpress quiz is run by Sophie
O’Neill and the staff of Inpress Ltd, who represent IRON Press
(and many other independent publishers) to the trade. It’s a
lot of fun but will also test your knowledge on matters literary,
local, national and international. Bumper bundles of IRON Press
books to be won! Hot food and drink available.
Book early, limited space!
Test Yourself!
Below are photographs of three North East authors (though
one was born north of the border) plus a famous north east
literary location. There is also a well-known actor depicting one
of literature’s great anti-heroes (No. 5). Can you name the actor,
the book (the film has the same title) and the anti-hero. No Sophie O’Neill
prizes to be won, this is purely for fun!
1 2 3
(Pinkie, Brighton Rock)
5 Richard Attenborough
4 Morden Tower
3 Jack Common
2 C P Taylor
1 Ann Cleeves
4 5
ANSWERS
Don’t Forget 10 till Midnight, the Festival Club at the Salt House, Admission FREE!Sunday June 23
THE FESTIVAL FRINGE Free
Corner of Mast Lane and Beverley Terrace
SATURDAY/SUNDAY 12 noon to 5 pm
Once again, the sounds of live music will echo over the Bay as Terry and Janice Jones
host the alfresco Music Festival Fringe. Located at the seafront corner of Mast Lane and
Beverley Terrace it will feature an eclectic mix of 21 local acts and showcase some of the
finest musicians around. For the third festival running, the event will be hosted by Phil
Mitchell and you can look forward to some fine original music, Blues, Americana and even
a Ukulele Orchestra. It all happens between 12 noon and 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday –
and best of all, it’s totally free!
Artists appearing
45 Spread
Neil McBride
Bay Uke
Paul Urbanowicz
Carmen Curran
Pete Shaw & Friends
Clark & Conway
Jacqui Clark Ray Rowley Phil Mitchell
HEK
Renata & Trev
Jonathan Woodward
& Janet Tomlinson
Sarah Holmes
Karl Douthwaite
The Corn Shacks
Larry Page
The Sandboys
Mike Waller
& Alan McCulloch
The Swamphoppers
Muddy Line
Jonathan Woodward Ray Rowley
Tony Bengtsson
Calum Kewen
Sound Equipment :
Jonathan Woodward
Hosting :
Phil Mitchell
Don’t Forget 10 till Midnight, the Festival Club at the Salt House, Admission FREE!QUICK COLOUR CODE GUIDE TO EVENTS
June 20 Zephaniah Haddock 7.00pm Crescent Club £6.00
June 20 Festival Club 10-12pm Salt House FREE
June 21 The Bairn 7.30pm Crescent Club £7.00
June 21 Festival Club 10-12pm Salt House FREE
June 22 Festival Lecture 9am Boat Yard £10.00
June 22 Odd Socks 11am RNLI £7.00
June 22 Jack & Bill 12.30pm RNLI £6.00
June 22 Harry Venning 1pm Fishermen’s Mission. £10.00
June 22 Sing Yer Bloody Head Off 2pm-6pm Community Centre £10.00
June 22 This Cullercoats 2pm RNLI £6.00
June 22 Voices of Conscience 4pm RNLI £7.00
June 22 The Wund an’ The Wetter 7.30pm St.George’s Church £8.00
June 22 Festival Club 10-12pm Salt House FREE
June 23 Poster Poems 11am Various FREE
June 23 IRON Proof 10am-midday IRON House FREE
June 23 Memoir Workshop 12-2pm Bike & Kayak £8.00
June 23 Tom Pickard 2pm RNLI £8.00
June 23 Island Writers 4pm RNLI £6.00
June 23 Literary Quiz 6pm Cullercoats Coffee £5.00
June 23 Festival Club 10-12pm Salt House FREE
No Ticket Source booking fee for Poster Poems and IRON Proof free events (both Sunday)
Tickets!
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Fishermen’s
Mission
Bike and Kayak
Centre
Community
Centre
Ticket Source 0333 666 3366
Cullercoats Crescent Club www.ticketsource.co.uk/ironpress
Coffee Booking fees apply to online and telephone sales
RNLI
Tickets available from Ticket Source from April 1
The Boatyard Salt House
IRON Fringe Direct from
House
Metro 30 mins from
central Newcastle Cullercoats Direct tickets from May 1, daily, 12noon-2pm
Once again our very own
Cullercoats
Primary School Cullercoats Brewery brings
out a celebration festival
beer available at the
Crescent Club, the Rockcliffe
Arms, Boda Homes and
St George’s other fine venues.
Don’t Forget 10 till Midnight, the Festival Club at the Salt House, Admission FREE!You can also read
