Ventnor Blog

Just a quick reminder that the Ventnor Library’s Beach Poetry competition closes for entries on Saturday 19th July.

The competition is open to people from all parts of the Island and all ages.

The theme is rather aptly, The Beach, so why not head down there this week and get inspired. You could win a prize!

Image: Ventlindown

This Friday (and every first Friday of the month) sees an opportunity to showcase yourself in front of a friendly audience at Dimbola Lodge.

Kicking off at 8pm and running til 10.30pm the evening, hosted by Catherine Cameron Martin, brings with it Music, Poetry, Readings, Short Stories or Jokes, alongside personal interpretations of covers.

Feel free to take a bottle with you to enjoy or share (depending how generous you are).

It’ll cost you £2.00 for the pleasure and there is no need to book in advance.

Image: hiddedevries

The Electro Magnetic Workshop who recently played Ventnor Park and Ryde Theatre for the album launch of The Shanklin Freak Show, will be making their way up to Ryde this coming Friday.

They have been give a chance to host their own dark wave happening at Oakfield Football Club, Slade Road Oakfield, Ryde and hopefully with any success will become a regular monthly event involving, music, art and poetry.

The first night will feature The Electro Magnetic Workshop with the launch of our new E.P.

It’ll only cost you £2 to get in. Check their MySpace to hear music and see pics of the band.

Don’t forget that this Thursday and Friday sees the return of the MacNaughton Howe Arts and Crafts exhibition.

Festival entries are open to anyone living within a five mile radius of the Winter Gardens and there are tons of classes, so expect to see a wide variety of work at this year’s festival.

It will be open to the public between 1pm-6pm on Thursday and 10am-5pm on Friday, with the award ceremony taking place at around 4pm on Friday.

If you fancy checking out the local talent, get yourselves down to the Winter Gardens.

While the evenings are dark and there are only cookery and home relocation programmes on the telly, this is the time to get crafty. The Macnaughton Howe Arts and Craft Festival is on 15th and 16th May at the Ventnor Winter Gardens.

So impress us all with a piece of home made art or craft.

If you are an amateur, living in the Ventnor area, this is your festival. (more…)

Coming up near the end of the month there’ll be a chance to take part and enjoy a new literary festival on the Isle of Wight.

The idea is to bring together a season of events to celebrate, encourage and involve writers of all kinds, ages and backgrounds at a range of Island venues.

There’ll be all sorts of events happening over the three weeks between 24th September and 15th October, including, book launches, performance poetry, theatre, musicals, storytelling, song writing and short films with a literary theme will be presented by local and mainland artists over the festival period.
(more…)

Mimi Khalvati is an Iranian born poet who grew up from the age of six on the Isle of Wight. When she was seventeen she returned to Iran, coming back to the UK by the time she was twenty five.

She has worked as an actor and director in both the UK and Iran, founding Matrix, a women’s experimental theatre group, and co-founding Theatre in Exile.

She is also Co-Ordinator of the Poetry School, running poetry workshops and courses in London, and is co-editor of Tying the Song: A First Anthology from the Poetry School 1997-2000 (2000) and Entering the Tapestry: A Second Anthology from the Poetry School (2003); and I Am Twenty People: A Third Anthology from the Poetry School (2007).

She is a tutor at the Arvon Foundation, and has taught Creative Writing at universities and colleges in the US and England. She was Poet in Residence at the Royal Mail as part of the Poetry Society’s Poetry Places scheme and has given readings of her work at the Voice Box at the South Bank Centre in London, the Poetry Society and at festivals in Britain and mainland Europe.

So, quite a lot there to talk about I’m sure you’ll agree. If you have any interest in poetry or experimental theatre then this is the talk for you.

Performance Date/Time: Tue 17 Apr 8pm Bar open 7pm
Location: Café/Bar, Quay Arts, Isle of Wight
Ticket Price: £6 / £5
Box Office 01983 822490