Poetry Idol
Shortfuse's contest for up and coming poets, performers and writers
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| Poetry Idol host : Nathan Penlington |
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Full details of the previous SHORTFUSE POETRY IDOL CONTESTs
The world's first Poetry Idol contest: May 29th 2003 Winners: Rhian Edwards and Liz Bentley. Runners-up: Craig Smith, Aime Hansen, Leon Hawkins and Rachel Pantecnikon. October 23rd 2003 Winners: Project Adorno and Sarah Kobrinsky. Runners-up: Andy Hull, David Johnson, Graham Buchan and Jan Noble.
April 1st 2004 Winners: S.P. Howarth and Gareth Jones. Runners-up: Gemma Cammidge, Naina Chavda, Ernesto Sarezale and Robert Yates.
November 25th 2004 Winners: Ritchie Scurvey and Richard Johnson. Runners-up: Brothers Grim, Polly Atkin, Fearless and Jennifer Smith
April 7th 2005 Winners: Suzanne Andrade and Paul Marshall Runners-up: John Hoe, Katie Southall, Patrick Smith and Malgorzata Kitowski
October 27th 2005 Winners: Wayne Smith and Kate Fox Runners-up: Elvis McGonagall, Spinmaster Plantpot, Brett Van-Toen and Kali Hughes.
March 9th 2006 Winners: Ahren Warner and Mat Lloyd Runners-up: Dorna Aslanzadeh, Richard Tyrone Jones, Louise Bennett and Domain Jane  July 13th 2006 Winners: Joshua Ehi Idehen and Musa Okwonga Runners-up: James McKay, Tamsin Kendrick, Kevin Reinhardt and Angela Cleland
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10.3.05 09:54 |
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After the overwhelming success of the first three POETRY IDOL CONTESTS, and the outstanding quality of the writing and performances, we brought together the winners of the first three contests to go head to head in SHORTFUSE...
December 16th 2004 LIZ BENTLEY RHIAN EDWARDS SARAH KOBRINKSKY PROJECT ADORNO SP HOWARTH GARETH JONES It was a closely fought contest, and to honor the event we even managed to persuade a seasonal guest to attend and co-host the night - as the photos below testify. Votes were counted, and recounted, it was close, very close - but the winner was:
LIZ BENTLEY Don't worry if you missed the night you can see Liz perform a feature length second half set at SHORTFUSE soon.
From left to right: 1/2 Project Adorno, Rhian Edwards, S.P.Howarth, Gareth Jones, Santa, Sarah Kobrinsky and Liz Bentley.
Nathan Penlington and Santa.
Santa proves a hit with the girls. |
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10.3.05 09:58 |
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Based in London SHORTFUSE is a spokenword night that has been presenting a weekly fusion of stand-up poetry, performance comedy and music since April 2000. We actively promote up and coming writers and performers alongside established acts such as John Hegley, Rob Newman, Stewart Lee, and Simon Munnery to only name a few, and we have gained a reputation for giving space to performers to stretch the boundaries of what they do. We have also been giving the oportunity for new poets and spokenword performers to present their work to an audience, and to help make the transition from open mic nights to wider exposure and paid performances, with a night we have named:
"I went to a poetry reading at a local pub where over a hundred people, all young, were crammed into a smoky upstairs room, cheering and booing and seemingly enjoying themselves, which is not the norm for poetry readings. The enthusiasm was unnerving..." Hugo Williams, TLS. What?
We make the initial selection of six performers that meet our criteria from all submissions recieved before the closing date for the current contest. The six performers are then invited to perform at SHORTFUSE for 10 minutes each, and then the audience will vote for their favourite. The winning two acts are both given a full length paid set later in the year, and automatically entered into the POETRY IDOL RIVAL IDOL contest. 'Poetry idols give five-star performance', a review of POETRY IDOL 4 in the Ham & High (10/12/2004) said: "Each gave blazing performances in their 10 minutes in the limelight and all six were different in style and tone, sometimes weird and wonderful but never boring. The SHORTFUSE event lived up to its branding 'Putting the spark back into the spokenword', and the paying punters were treated to a creative fireworks display of talent". How are the winners decided? Although SHORTFUSE make the initial selection of six performers, based on a variety of criteria - POETRY IDOL is not a Poetry Slam! Each POETRY IDOL night is run as a contest with the winners are decided by a democratic vote by the audience - each audience member is given a ballot paper to vote for their top three acts of the night. The two acts with the highest amount of points are declared the winners and are booked to perform a full length 20 minute set later in the year. In previous contests the standard of performances have been so high that runner-ups have also been booked to perform at regular SHORTFUSE events. The SHORTFUSE POETRY IDOL CONTEST runs three times a year. Please see the Submissions and Current Contest sections for full details of closing dates for submissions and how to send your work to us. The POETRY IDOL CONTEST's are held at the SHORTFUSE nights which are hosted by:
+ discs of danceness spun by DJ DAVID BUSH Doors: 8.30pm. Admission: £5 waged / £3 concessions. SOME SHOWS DO SELL OUT - so, if there is a show you really don't want to miss our advice is to reserve tickets with us in advance. Just email your full name, the number of tickets you require, and a contact telephone number to: tickets@shortfuse.co.uk. We will hold them for you on the date of the show, they will be available for collection upon payment at the door between 8pm and 8.30pm. |
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10.3.05 09:59 |
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NATHAN PENLINGTON|
 SHORTFUSE POETRY IDOL 6 will be held on Thursday 27th October 2005.
Spinmaster Plantpot Elvis McGongal
Kate Fox
Wayne Smith
How does it work? Hosted by:
+ discs of danceness spun by DJ DAVID BUSH Doors: 8.30pm. Admission: £5 waged / £3 concessions. SOME SHOWS DO SELL OUT - so, if there is a show you really don't want to miss our advice is to reserve tickets with us in advance. Just email your full name, the number of tickets you require, and a contact telephone number to: tickets@shortfuse.co.uk. We will hold them for you on the date of the show, they will be available for collection upon payment at the door between 8pm and 8.30pm. Please see the Submissions section for full details of how to enter SHORTFUSE POETRY IDOL 7 |
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10.3.05 10:00 |
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We are now accepting submissions for SHORTFUSE POETRY IDOL 11. The closing date for submissions is Thursday 30th August 2007. SHORTFUSE POETRY IDOL 11 will be held on Thursday 4th October 2007
We are currently receiving submissions from poets, performers and writers for POETRY IDOL 11*. Please send a short recorded sample of your work (10 to 15 minutes is ideal) in either tape, video, cd, DVD or minidisc format. We are not concerned with the quality of the recording, but we do need to hear the style of your performance, if you think it would help us to judge your work fairly please also include printed copies of your work. We recomend that before submitting your work to us you try and attend a regular SHORTFUSE night, to see the diverse range and styles of poetry that we feature. Click here for current listings. Then just send your envelope clearly marked to: SHORTFUSE, c/o The Camden Head, 2 Camden Walk, Islington, London, N1. Please ensure you include full contact details, telephone number and email address. And include an SAE if you require your recording returned to you. If you require more information just contact us by email: poetryidol@shortfuse.co.uk *all performers must be over 18. |
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10.3.05 10:00 |
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Liz Bentley
She has been performing her own brand of dark-edged life-affirming comedy on the poetry/cabaret circuit for over two years. Her stage character comes from the protagonist of her forthcoming novel Fertile. Her experience as a musician in post punk/psychedelic bands adds songs to a performance accompanied by ukulele and keyboard. She has recently published a book of poems, short stories and songs entitled ‘Tales in the Deep End.’ In December she won the title of ‘Poetry Idol, Rival Idols’ at SHORTFUSE, Camden Head and her Edinburgh show last year with Rachel Pantechnicon, ‘Rachel and Liz get in touch with their feelings,’ earned a 5 star review from "Three Weeks". To contact Liz please email: liz@ebentley77.freeserve.co.uk Rhian Edwards
In the past two years, Rhian has performed in over 30 venues in London alone, and has been published in Poetry Wales, The Wolf magazine, Poetic Hours, Unpublished and the Cake Hole. Rhian was recently commissioned to write a poem for National Poetry Day, which she later performed at the Poetry Society in October 2004. In the same month, Rhian had one of her poems exhibited at the Royal Festival Hall over Poetry International Week. She has worked alongside a number of leading international poets and performers, such as Collette Bryce, Dorothea Smart, Simon Munnery and Rob Newman. Rhian is also a talented singer/songwriter, who composes songs for both the guitar and ukulele, and on occasion integrates her musical skills into her poetry performances. At the current time, Rhian is currently studying a one-year acting course at the Academy of Live and Recording Arts, in the hope of her extending her performing and writing talents to theatre acting and script writing. To contact Rhian please e-mail: rhian_edwards@hotmail.com Sarah Kobrinsky - further information to follow Project Adorno - further information to follow S.P. Howarth
To contact S.P. Howarth please email: info@shortfuse.co.uk and we'll pass on all enquiries. Gareth Jones
To contact Gareth please e-mail:gareth@nhpub.co.uk Ritchie Scurvey
Richard Johnson - further information to follow Suzanne Andrade
"Hypnotically brilliant...Reminds me of William In December 2006 Suzanne also won the coveted SHORTFUSE POETRY IDOL RIVAL IDOLS 2 contest. To contact Suzanne please email: suzanne.andrade@talk21.com Paul Marshall  London born but currently based in the South West, Paul this year took his one man poetry and storytelling show ‘Babble’ to the Edinburgh Fringe to rave reviews. As well as performing in Arthur Smith’s Swan Lake he has also appeared at the Glastonbury festival and most recently the Tip of Your Tongue poetry festival in Penzance. Paul’s work is marked by rhythmic intensity and word-play- a breakneck blast of comic poetry and storytelling, from the profound to the profoundly silly. ‘Paul Marshall is a first-rate performance poet...rhymes of staggering complexity’ - The Scotsman ‘Sparkling poetry performed by a charismatic storyteller’ EdinburghGuide.com ‘These poems are gems….fast and comic…anti-war poems that are actually enjoyable, take note Mr H Pinter.’Three Weeks ‘A brilliant confusion of words and images.’ Arthur Smith To contact Paul please e-mail:paulmarshallpoet@hotmail.com Wayne Smith
Kate Fox
Contact her on: thekatefox@aol.com Mat Lloyd
Widely traveled, having trailed with his family across Europe, he quotes his influence from Gil Scot Herron and Ice-T, to Ray Hollingsworth and Wendy Cope. You can always recognize him by his kinked baseball hat and a Poetry book in the back pocket. To contact Mat please email info@versebym.co.uk or visit http://www.versebym.co.uk Ahren Warner
Musa Okwonga Details to follow. Joshua Ehi Edihen
Email: lordgokal@hotmail.com Myspace: www.myspace.com/apoeminbetweenpeople Scroobius Pip Details to follow Tim Clare
To contact Tim please email: joshureplied@yahoo.co.uk |
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10.3.05 14:57 |
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Liz works as a writer, performer, mother, counsellor, counselling supervisor and trainer.
Rhian only started writing poetry in January 2003, but within this short time, she has established herself as one of the most versatile, compelling and prominent performers on the London poetry scene. As well as establishing herself as the first joint winner of Poetry Idol and frequent performer at Shortfuse.
Steven Purbeck Howarth was born in Lewisham, London 1981, and started writing and performing poetry sometime in his mid-teens. Since then he has ranted at dozens of venues in the U.K. and U.S. He has previously been the winner of Poetry idol, The bard of Brixton and a handful of other slams too obscure to mention.
Gareth Jones was born in 1978 in London, spending his formative years there and latterly in Wigan. He has an MA in Creative Writing from Lancaster University, has had poems and short stories published in various small-press magazines and broadcast
55-year-old alcoholic anarchist Punk Poet Ritchie Scurvey, ex-bassist with earthmoving 70s punk band ‘Dick Scurvey and the Cocksmiths’, lives on a floor in Hackney. Ritchie spits lines like ‘Maggie Thatcher, Maggie Thatcher, from what reptilian egg did they hatch her?’ and alerts kids to the evils of heroin with ‘Socky the Drugs Puppet’ outside schools throughout London.
She cuts up poems she wrote when she was eight years old. She cuts them with a blunt pair of crayola scissors. She sticks them to her bedroom wall with a mixture of salt and milk. She shares her paper cut tales with other people’s Uncles in car parks (after dark) scout huts (As day is dawning) and the patch of wasteland round the back of the bowling alley where butchers constructively criticise her. Her name is Miss Suzanne Andrade. She has come to sharpen her scissors.
Wayne Smith is young enough to still think smoking is cool, old enough to know better. He’s been writing poetry for a little while and has made a handful of appearances at different poetry venues and has won every performance poetry competition he’s took part in. His friend Anthony describes his style as William Blake meets Chaz and Dave,
Kate Fox is a Newcastle based stand up, poet and sometimes stand up poet. She describes herself as Newcastle's answer to Sylvia Plath but without quite so many bees and Nazis, or as Pam Ayres on drugs, without the drugs.
Mat Lloyd simply tells it how it is and is not ashamed of being a little different from your average Poet. Looking like a Hip Hop throw back you would be forgiven for stereotyping until he opens his mouth and then your view will change. He has been writing poetry since he discovered Ice T and he took his Poetry to the stage in his early twenties and has been there ever since. With short spells in various funk rap acts his first love is poetry and the unaccompanied flow of words.
Ahren was born in oxford in 1986 but has spent most of his life in the deserted plains of Lincolnshire moving to London in 2005 to study a BA in English.