June 2006
Although completely depleted of funds, the generosity of our performers ensured that The Blue Room went ahead as usual on Sunday 4th June.
Before the evening's readings and music got underway Carol McQuigan provided an inspiring workshop designed to help writers improve their reading skills. The class was well attended, and thoroughly appreciated by all those who came along.
Tom Shakespeare. Tom was our first reader of the night. He set the evening off to a wonderful start with a gripping short story that was both very well read, and very well received. Tom Shakespeare is currently a NESTA Fellow, working on writing and performance projects exploring disability and genetics. He is best known as a social scientist and boi-ethicist who has published and broadcast widely on these themes. He wrote and performed No Small Inheritence for Newcastle's Live Theatre in 2004/2005, and is currently turning this into a full-length book.
Karl Nastrom. Karl suprised everyone with a quick 'live on stage' costume change, as he 'got into character'. His first poem was written in May 1995 on napkins in a pub somewhere in the Yorkshire Dales. Now, after military service, three years of law school and four years of practicing law in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Montgomery, Alabama, Karl is back in England to take his first steps as a serious writer. he is currently a student on the MA-Creative Writing at the University of Newcastle and expects to finish this fall.
John Hume. John gave a stirring reading of his short story about a meter reader and a telly-addict. An astute observation of modern life. John came to the Creative Writing MA from the world of software engineering because it seemed like the right thing to do. He is currently working on a collection of short stories that explore the theme of fear in the everyday world and a serious novel in the style of a techno-thriller. He is currently unpublished but has plenty of irons in the fire.
Richard Farrage. Richard gave a vibrant reading of his poetry. He is currently in the home straight of an MA in Creative Writing at Newcastle University. His poetry, most of which is based on people he knew and stories he heard whilst growing up,invariably makes some sort of transparent social comment. Although his primary interest is film, and he aspires to one day be the next Richard Curtis, he stresses that this is in terms of Curtis's phenomenal success, not his ability to induce nausea amongst more sensitive audience members.
Neville Clay Nev entertained the Blue Room audience in his own inimitable style; providing a great round off to a fine evening. Nev went to art college but gave up a promising career as a burger vendor to become a solo singer-songwriter. He has been twanging around the pubs of Newcastle for nearly 15 years with a variety of inexpensive guitars, and has released three CD albums of locally-inspired songs, only two of which were vanity-published. His last album "Pearshaped" was well received by independent record stations around the world, and he's had fan mail from Albania, Germany and Japan (one fan in each country). His songs have been covered by Kathryn Williams, Beccy Owen, John Egdell, Milky Wimpshake and A Woman Of No Importance, and he once supported Keith Emerson of ELP in a sell-out show at the Tyne Theatre.
Many thanks also to The Pen Shop who so kindly donated a beautiful fountain pen for our quiz prize.