‘D
indsencha’ is an ancient Irish term which relates to ‘Lore of place’, and refers to a body of early Irish poems and stories that explain place names and the mythologies of specific sites within the landscape. Taking this traditional bardic concept, poet Bob Beagrie and composer S.J. Forth created a collection of experimental, contemporary poems, all with musical accompaniment / sound effects which explores a sense of place, identity, visionary interpretations of specific locations – their historical and mythical resonances and the factors that impact upon a sense of self.
This month Apples and Snakes broadcast the whole album, interspersed with reflective and contextual accounts of the poems, their origins, inspirations and intentions and some of the effects employed in their form and structure, as well as discussing poems by other poets and movements which have a bearing upon the work.
We decided to apply for the commission because we felt it provided an exciting new outlet for the experimental work produced during our collaboration and hope that it will reach a new audience through its broadcast and perhaps generate interest across the Apples and Snakes network of poets and promoters. Working on the show was useful in forcing us to reconsider the ordering of the tracks for our forthcoming CD – some slight changes were made especially in terms of movement of mood and the contrasts between pieces.
It was also very useful to be able to contextualise some of the poems relating to their inspiration and aims, and to reflect upon the different ways of collaborative working we have engaged in while producing the album. Initially we found it quite difficult to establish a tone of conversation and discussion between the tracks, and it felt somewhat unnatural and forced, though as we worked on it we felt that we tuned in to a more casual and conversational mode of introduction and discussion of the work. On the whole it was a very interesting and valuable challenge and both myself and S.J. Forth felt that we had learned a great deal from the process.
You can listen to Bob’s broadcast on Thursday 9 May at 1pm on basic.fm!
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After a relatively quiet April, we’re back with a vengeance. Poetry, it seems, is bustin’ out all over. So what’s happening? Well, we’ll be back at the Canal Cafe in Little Venice again 
On the 22nd
Hello all! May! Things are growing. Things are blooming. Things are expanding. Oh, and nature is doing its thing too, or so I’m told. I wouldn’t know I’ve been busy marveling at all the poetry sprouting all around the region. A good place to take a look at West Mids talent will be the Artist Reveal Yourself Festival – if you want an overview of what’s been brewing in the region, the two free weekend sessions featuring up-and-coming and established poets are your answer. On 
To May: on 
It’s May! I’m delighted to welcome Forked back 
The Writing Room continues with Mark Grist and Mixy (AKA Dead Poets) 
It’s here! She’s here! It’s the big one!! Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze heads up a classy playlist at Radikal Words, 
In March we witnessed the birth of 8 new poetic pieces aimed at 8-11 year old audiences from emerging artists, as the One Way Ticket workshops lead by Rosie Harris came to fruition in Brighton. There was also a special event in Totton where Jonny Fluffypunk lead proceedings as the Headway Biscuit Poets presented their hard-bitten (see what I did?) words to a wrapt audience as part of a fundraising showcase. Voices were raised (in a good way) in Canterbury as Patience Agbabi shared her performing poetry wisdom to a full workshop, all of whom have promised to show their faces with their new-found skills at an event near you soon (possibly).
Greetings fine fellow wordsmiths and word lovers. April is a month of contemplation for Apples and Snakes SW, with preparations well under way for a busy summer – though we do have The Rememberers coming to Arnolfini 
After a successful run of 7 workshops, Power Plant has come to an end. If you attend one or more of the sessions, I’d love to hear from you – tell me what you thought of them, whether you think the series was useful, and what you would like future masterclasses to focus on. Let’s make the second season even more powerful. And, er, plant-like, I guess. There’s more – a very special Hit the Ode 
Event-wise, we’ve something for everyone this month. If you find yourself around St. Thomas’ Hospital 
No? Well how about our two participation projects, SPINE and SWITCH? If you (or someone you know!) are aged 12-19, you get to work with Malika Booker and be part of Vauxhall Voices – 
Amuse Bouche comes to Live Theatre on the 19th, so all you Tynesiders can get a free dose of specially selected spoken word from Andrew Sclater, Elaine Cusack and Rowan McCabe. Scratch Tyne 
Juice Festival has been a friend of ours for a while now; they’ve had enormous success promoting spoken word to young audiences, and we’ve partnered with them before on both The Rememberers and Kenny Baraka projects. When we heard about their concept for a roving poet at this years festival, we were thrilled to offer our help. It was clear from the start that whoever was selected for the role would be a part of something truly unique and transformative, and we were proud to be a part of that.
This month starts with the amazing show: Pete The Temp Vs Climate Change plus some wonderful support acts. Wherever you reside in Devon, be sure to head to this multimedia extravaganza as it hits Exeter 
We survived January! Brrr, well done us – and though it’s somehow still not spring yet, I have a lovely load of spoken word to warm your cockles this month. I’m very excited to bring you the truly lovely Richard Tyrone Jones, who has a Big Heart. His one-man show about his personal experience of heart failure is coming to the Lit & Phil 
Gosh, can you believe it’s 2013? When I was a lad, there was a TV programme called Space: 1999, in which glamorous aliens underwent full-body molecular transformation in the time in takes you or me to make a cup of tea. A neat link, there, to The Rememberers, Kenny Baraka’s spectacular sci-fi spoken-word show. Imagine if you knew all the accumulated knowledge of your ancestors. (Think how full your head would be: never again would you be able to say ‘Sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits.’). Imagine a streetwise New York storyteller projecting you into a future where such stuff is not only reality, but the very key to Earth’s survival. Stop imagining, and get yourself down – deep down – to The Old Vic Tunnels, London’s artiest catacombs 
Hello, 2013 is upon us, an auspiciously good year for poetry methinks, but 2012 went out with a double bang as first Big Talk at the Tom Thumb Theatre in Margate drew it’s biggest audience to see Adam Kammerling and Paula Varjack, plus a very high standard open mic. Then at 451 in Southampton we saw Tim Clare, Katie Bonna and plenty of exciting new-to-451 voices fill a rapt audience with poetic joy.
Happy New Year my spoken word lovelies, January 2013 sees Apples and Snakes South West emerged in 
Hooray, it’s a shiny new year to play with! LOTS going on, we’re hitting the ground running – if you missed Simon Mole’s brilliant show Indiana Jones and the Extra Chair at Live last November, you can catch it again at ARC 
To celebrate our first season working with the Newcastle Performance Collective, we’re having a crossover Scratch party up on Floor 6 of Commercial Union House. For those of you who haven’t been there yet, it looks like an office block because it is – an empty office block filled with six floors of exciting creative types. Come along 
Saturday 3 November
Big one for us this month – the delectable and hugely talented Zena Edwards is our guest headliner