by Charlie Hislop. For a city on the coast, split by rivers, not much celebration happens on the water in Southampton. Then last weekend (September 3) along came the All-Aboard Festival, making the most of the River Itchen on a summer’s day with entertainment on the water and along...
Poetry
People in Common: Poetry Platform’s Stephen Ripper Mizzen
by Anita Foxall. Poetry Platform is a warm welcoming spoken word open mic held at the Railway Inn in Winchester on the first Tuesday of every month. I met its incredibly talented host/poet, Stephen Ripper Mizzen, for a conversation about his open mic, his love of poetry and all...
Write a Note poetry evening, July: Holly Hearn, Craig Chalmers & Harley Truslove
by Anita Foxall. Write a Note brings monthly poetry and spoken word at the MAST, in the heart of Southampton. In Common poetry editor Anita Foxall runs and comperes the event. In a monthly article she shares highlights of the evening. July’s Write a Note was a busy evening,...
Write a Note poetry: The Village Boy, Haribo and Steve Lowis
by Anita Foxall. Write a Note brings monthly poetry and spoken word at the MAST, in the heart of Southampton. In Common poetry editor Anita Foxall runs and comperes the event. In a monthly article she shares highlights of the evening. Fourteen poets and spoken word performers graced Write...
Write a Note May poetry showcase: Carrie Myshkin, Chris Higginson & Jim Chorley
by Anita Foxall. Poets and spoken word enthusiasts gathered again at MAST Mayflower Studios, Southampton, on the 23rd of May for another Write a Note. This time there were poems, stories and even some comedy. The variety of styles and the openness continue to be a constant presence, which...
Write a Note April poetry showcase: Graham Barrie Langley, Emma Bailey & Cat Eliza T
by Anita Foxall. Every month Write a Note receives poetry and spoken word at the MAST, in the heart of Southampton, and this month this city has showed me/us once again how much talent it contains. Being an In Common collaborator, I eventually thought that I could make some...
Opinion: being part of Southampton’s City of Culture 2025 bid has already meant so much to me
by Issa Loyaan Farrah-Kelly. In January of this year, I was commissioned to write a poem for the Southampton City of Culture 2025 bid. I was enthused to become a part in the bid, and in a sense represent my hometown. Initially, I had been cynical about the bid....
Creative writing: poetry by Meg Sherman
Meg Sherman has been writing poetry since 2016, and has since written more than 1000 poems. Meg says: ” I always longed to write blistering romantic poetry that transcends the realm of the mortal and is forged in divine fire, but I didn’t have the necessary creative flow, until...
Creative writing: poetry by The Village Boy
Born in the UK, The Village Boy is a written and spoken word poet of Sierra Leonean descent. Inspired by the power of words as a medium and his love of music he integrates the two to create a journey through the emotional psyche. In Sierra Leone the term...
Portrait of a Poet: Andy Buchanan
by Anita Foxall. When poet Andy Buchanan first moved to Southampton, he thought this was a city with a lot of unrealised potential. Even with its large population, being a university city, many parks, and amazing venues, he felt there was still the opportunity to do more. And in...