Culture

FIRST PUBLICATION: Poet Beth Brooke

Poet’s Birds publication takes flight

A Dorset-based poet has published a collection of her works for the first time in paperback form. A Landscape with Birds by Beth Brooke features works she has previously read at poetry events in Bridport, Dorchester and Cheltenham. Beth describes her work as grounded in nature and the Dorset landscape, but she also writes about universal experiences such as grief, loss, and the ageing process. The former teacher said: “I used to write school text books but now I have retired I can focus on writing poetry in a way that I couldn’t before. I loved teaching poetry but writing it is even more satisfying.” A Landscape with Birds can be ordered from Hedgehog Poetry Press, Amazon, and most bookshops.

West talking to East with Variations

Two musicians from wildly different backgrounds have united to record an album they describe as a ‘dialogue’ between Western and Indian classical music. Pianist Andrew Goldberg, who has a studio in Dorset, and sitar player Ricky Romain are launching their new album Variations in Bridport next month. Variations is the result of a natural and simple evolution that occurred when Andrew Goldberg on piano and Ricky Romain on sitar started improvising with themes and moods based on traditional Indian Classical Music. Ricky describes the album as a ‘journey into a musical world or soundscape that hasn’t really been explored, mainly because of the nature of the two instruments which are not natural bedfellows’. Composer-pianist Andrew Goldberg started studying the piano and harmony in Cologne at the age of eight. Initially introduced to the works Bach, Haydn and Beethoven, Andrew later came to be influenced by the works of Ligeti, Pärt and Reich. This opened the gateway to more ‘spiritual worlds of music’ inspired by compositions for contemporary dance and visual arts performances. During the pandemic Andrew began working on a film score and crossed paths with visual artist and sitar player Ricky Romain, who has been studying sitar and Indian Classical Music since 1972, after becoming ‘obsessed’ with the instrument listening to The Beatles. Ricky and Andrew worked together at Andrew’s studio, going through a series of improvisations until they created something they were both happy with. Ricky said: “We went through a process where one of us would suggest a melody and then go through a process of listening. If we listen back to it and if we both agree it’s good, that’s it. “Andrew then adds his recording magic. For me it is the best I have heard my sitar recorded.” The album launch is taking place at Eype Centre for the Arts at St Peter’s Church, Eype on October 22 from 7.30pm. Tickets are £18 from the town’s TIC or £15 via Soundcloud.

INTERNATIONAL DIALOGUE: Pianist Andrew Goldberg and sitar player Ricky Romain

Bridport Literary Festival tickets went on sale last Friday, with some events selling out straight away. Tickets for PJ Harvey and Hugh FearnleyWhittingstall, who are at Sladers Yard, West Bay, were snapped up instantly. Other events involving big names at bigger venues –such as Dame Sheila Hancock, actor Hugh Bonneville in conversation with Lord Fellowes, politician Lord Patten and bestselling author Maggie O’ Farrell, who are all appearing at The Electric Palace, Bridport – are also selling quickly. Bridport Literary Festival director Tanya BruceLockhart said staff at Bridport Tourist Information Centre “have been working flat out to meet the demand. They always go above and beyond when it comes to BridLit and we’re so grateful for their fantastic support.’ Highlights of this year’s festival include the writer Kit de Waal, who will be at the Electric Palace on Friday, November 11 at 6.30pm, and will be talking to Lisa Blower about her memoir, Without Warning and Only Sometimes - Scenes from an Unpredictable Childhood. Kit, the award-winning author of My Name is Leon, has been reading from the memoir for Radio 4. You can catch up via iPlayer here www. bbc.co.uk/programmes/ m001b3yn In a household of opposites and extremes, and caught between three worlds, Irish, Caribbean and British in 1960s Birmingham, Kit and her siblings knew all the words to the best songs, caught sticklebacks in jam jars and braved hunger and hellfire until they could all escape. Without Warning and Only Sometimes is a story of an extraordinary childhood and how a girl who grew up in house where the Bible was the only book on offer, went on to discover a love of reading that inspires her to this day. Dorset’s very own Joanna Quinn comes to The Bull Hotel ballroom on Monday, November 7 at 3.30pm. A former reporter at the Dorset Echo, Joanna’s debut novel The Whalebone Theatre is receiving rave reviews for the immersive coming-ofage novel set on the Dorset coast against a backdrop of two world wars. The festival launches on Sunday, November 6 at 10.30am at the Bull Hotel with Simon Parker and Riding Out A Journey of Love, Loss and New Beginnings, an inspirational story about his 3,500-mile bike ride across Britain. For those disappointed at missing out on PJ Harvey or Hugh FearnleyWhittingstall, book lovers are urged to consider becoming a Friend of Bridport Literary Festival next year. Friend receive an advance copy of the festival brochure, priority booking, free postal booking and no booking fee, regular events including an annual party, a twice-yearly newsletter and an opportunity to get involved, all for just £15 a year (or £30 for couples). Tickets for Bridport Literary Festival events are available from Bridport TIC in Bucky Doo Square (telephone 01308 424901 and email bridport.tic@bridporttc.gov.uk), and online at bridlit.com

n Simon Parker and Riding Out

n Chris Patten and The Hong Kong Diaries

n Kit de Waal and Without Warning and Only Sometimes Snap up a ticket as literary festival is booking up fast

TOP OF THE SHOPS: Jules Cross’s paintings of Balson’s and Bridget’s and, below, Leakers and T Snook

Artist’s talent in the shop window

Bridport artist Jules Cross is opening a window into everyday life in the town on Saturday, September 10. His 16 oil paintings capture well known Bridport businesses, such as Balson’s and Bridget’s, in such evocative detail they spark a need in the onlooker to go and look at the real thing. Jules began working on the 16 paintings in 2016, completing them in August 2022. He took five years to paint the first 10, then eight months to paint the final six. Jules is hoping to sell the paintings as a set, as a ‘historical document of the town which is ever changing’. He added: “We’ve already lost a greengrocer while I’ve been working on them. They are a sort of legacy and six years of my life. I would like to sell them, at a fair price, to an individual or institution that would keep them together for future residents of Bridport to see and hopefully appreciate.” Jules was born and brought up in north London. His parents retired to Shipton Gorge in 1972 and he maintained links with west Dorset since, moving permanently to Bridport in 2005. He studied at the Royal Academy Schools from 1973-76. After the RA he got involved in archaeological illustration and worked for Wessex Archaeology for 10 years. He said: “My father was a lepidopterist and I inherited his love of the countryside. In 2003 I started work with Carymoor Environmental Trust – a nature reserve and educational facility based on an active landfill site in Somerset. I eventually became reserve officer and worked there for nine years.” The exhibition is on at the Chapel in the Garden, 49 East St, Bridport DT6 3JX, until Saturday, September 24.

Dorchester Arts has announced a packed autumn season, taking place in four venues across Dorchester and Sherborne. Booking is now open for comedy, theatre, music and opera. In addition to its main venue the Corn Exchange, several major performances are scheduled for the new Hardye Theatre, which seats up to four hundred and is a major new arts resource for the town. The beautiful acoustic of St Mary’s Church in Edward Road is a must for a Christmas choral concert. And finally, DA is delighted to be presenting a major music performance, featuring Lucy Parham and its Patron Dame Harriet Walter in Gransden Hall at Sherborne Girls School in October. This will be the most extensive season Dorchester Arts has presented since 2019 and is full of star quality (Isata Kanneh-

AUTUMN DATES: London Tango Quintet and, inset below, A&E Comedy

A packed autumn season for county town arts

Mason, Lucy Parham, Dame Harriet Walter); huge bands (Ronnie Scott’s All Stars, Pasadena Roof Orchestra); familyfriendly shows (Tooob, The Lost Present); comedy and cabaret (Jen Bristow, Charlie Bicknell, A&E Comedy) and firm favourites (Frank Griffiths, Craig Ogden, Living Spit). There are also special talks and film showings, from Pantani: The Accidental Death of a Cyclist to a talk by Touching the Void mountaineer Simon Yates; and a special night celebrating all things vinyl with Dorchester’s own Vinyl Van. With a major fundraiser in November and plenty of festive shows too, look out for full details at dorchesterarts.org.uk

Novelist finds inspiration from on high: Her loft

Georgina Kenway, a farmer in Axminster, has penned her first novel for teenagers, In My Mind’s Eye, which explores the turbulent times of those teenage years. Georgina was having a sort out in the loft, when she stumbled upon her old notebooks – the inspiration behind her first book.

“As the children grew up, I had a few more hours on my hands. As

I was having a good sort out in the loft, I discovered my old notebooks. I found the time to sit down and collaborate my notes on life’s lessons, the highs and lows and the twists and turns I had witnessed, I combined this with the knowledge of how my children had gone through school and I found myself piecing a novel together. “I wanted to be able to offer young teens a relatable book, one that was combined from true events over the years, one compacted with understanding and empathy on how hard and turbulent life truly can be for young teens.”

Book lovers are set to celebrate the compelling line-up of authors and the many brilliant speakers at Dorchester Literary Festival in the county town between October 15 and 22. Author and TV presenter Ray Mears, novelist and former journalist Robert Harris, along with crime writer Minette Walters, novelist Elizabeth Lowry and British ornithologist Tim Birkhead make-up part of this year’s stunning line-up. Robert Harris will discuss Act of Oblivion – a gripping novel about one of history’s greatest manhunts, Max Hastings on Abyss, the story of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Ben Macintyre on Colditz. During the same week you can delve into the lives of our Queen and the Royal family with eminent royal commentators Robert Hardman and Hugo Vickers or learn about Marine Commandos from Monty Halls. Visitors can discover The Celts with Simon Jenkins, the life of artist John Constable with James Hamilton, Mary Seacole’s story with Helen Rappaport, Miss Dior’s significance with Justine Picardie, and Josephine Baker’s life in espionage with Damien Lewis. A range of memoirs that illuminate surprising lives will include Antiques Roadshow expert Ronnie Archer-Morgan revealing his life story, Keith Brymer Jones of The Great Pottery Throwdown, Norman Scott, once at the centre of the Jeremy Thorpe scandal, and Jackie Malton, the DCI whose life provided the inspiration for Lynda La Plante’s Prime Suspect. Highlighting the world of nature is Bushcraft and survival legend Ray Mears, who will reveal how to reconnect with the wild with We Are Nature, Dave Goulson explains the world of insects in Silent Earth, Tim Birkhead shines a light on man’s relationship with birds in Birds and Us, while Dogfather Graeme Hall gives sage advice on how best to look after a new family friend in Perfectly Imperfect Puppy. And for would be writers there’s an afternoon of seminars to help; Sophie Hannah will provide a Writing Master Class and Rebecca Lee will walk you through the publishing process in How Words Get Good. Festival directors Paul Atterbury and Janet Gleeson said: “The lineup for the eighth Dorchester Literary Festival is now confirmed - and what a line-up it is! We can’t wait to welcome audiences in October, meanwhile do keep checking the website and our social media platforms for the latest news.”

n Details of all the events are listed online at dorch esterliteraryfestival.com. Tickets are available at £10 from dorch esterliteraryfestival.com or from Waterstones, 4547 South Street in Dorchester, 01305 257123 You can follow Dorchester Literary Festival on Twitter/ Facebook/Instagram @DorchLitFest

BOOK NOW: Ben MacIntyre’s Colditz, Monty Hall’s Commando, Justine Picardie’s Miss Dior Grame Hall’s Perfectly Imperfect Puppy Simon Jenkins’ The Celts and Robert Hardman’s The Queen

Turn up for these books at literary extravaganza

The West Dorset Magazine, September 9, 2022 47 Culture One more time: Bands reunite for good causes

Bands and musicians from Weymouth music scene of the 1960 and 1970s are getting back together again for another reunion gig at the town’s Centenary Club. It’s the latest in a series of reunion gigs which have raised thousands of pounds to be distributed among local charities and good causes. Performing at the next gig on Saturday, September 24 from 7pm, are: n Violin Shoppe, with Simon Breakspear on keyboards and Mike Stockwell on guitar n Wot 4, featuring Brian Cornish who played with Shandy and The Roger James Band back in the day n The reformed Crystal Ship, featuring original members Alan Hodder, Phil Biggs and Mick Martin n Monkey Jump, featuring local legends Tony May, Steve Peach and Andy Collett Tickets are just £10 and available from Paul Ward at the Centenary Club on 01305 839310.

Sofa, so good for The Chesterfields

Take a seat – The Chesterfields are playing at the Lyric Theatre in Bridport (DT6 3LX) on Saturday, September 24 at 7.30pm, with support from Jody & The Jerms. The Chesterfields came to prominence in 1986 as part of a thriving UK underground scene that had turned its back on bland over-produced 1980s chart music and was looking for back to basics pop music. Bands, independent record labels, gig promoters and fanzine editors were making their own entertainment, with The June Brides, The Wedding Present, Primal Scream and The Loft leading the way, championed by Radio One’s John Peel and Janice Long. They released three albums (Kettle getting to number 2 in the independent charts), five singles (Ask Johnny Dee reaching number 3), and toured the UK and Europe non-stop before splitting in 1989. They reformed briefly in 1993 to tour Japan and release a fourth album, and then returned to action 23 years later when they were asked to play New York Pop Fest in 2016. The current line-up features Simon Barber on bass and vocals, Rob Parry on

BUTTONED UP: The Chesterfields are at the Lyric in Bridport on September 24 drums, Helen Stickland on guitar and vocals, and Andy Strickland on guitar and vocals. n Tickets: Advance £9 / Door £12. Book at bridportand westbay.co.uk/product/ the-chesterfield

Embroidery exhibition of natural inspiration

A hand embroidery exhibition by Bridport textile artist Deborah Tiltman is being held at Art Unlimited, South Street, Bridport from Friday, September 23 until Thursday, October 6 inclusive, from 9am to 5pm Monday to Saturday. Deborah takes her inspiration from local landscapes and nature. She said: “Being blessed with the coast on one side and the rolling hills on the other, I never find a shortage of inspiration. “If I am struggling for inspiration, I can always lie on the grass and watch the clouds with all their delightful colours and shapes. “I then create a wide and varied range of bespoke hand embroidered pictures using different backgrounds from painted, wet felted or chiffon, with each piece of work often taking several twists and turns trough my creative process.”