Thursday 8 December 2011

Think-in/Drink-in

First, apologies for the temporary radio silence. I'm now well and truly back.

Some of you will know that for the past two years I've run Not the Oxford Literary Festival, an alternative to the regular festival showcasing the fabulous, and local, creativity that never usually gets a look in. It's been such a success that in 2012 we're making a whole week of it, and first and foremost this is an invitation to come and enjoy the wonderfulness - even if you're in Oxford for the main festival, come and join us for a night.

Second, it's a call for ideas - we have three nights spoken for at our amazing venue, The Albion Beatnik Bookstore, but if you have something you're burning to put on let me know - the more creative and outlandish the better.

Finally, I want to say a bit about the thing I'm most excited about. Oxford closes too early. As a city, and as a creative venue. For a while now The Albion Beatnik has made a stand against this and helped to remind people in what is supposed to be one of the UK's leading cities of culture that there are, in fact, not 8 or even 16 but 24 hours in a day, and that these are all equally available for creative purposes. And we want the festival to embody that.

Whether your night is just beginning, or you are heading home from the mainstream festival in search of something more stimulating, drop in to our all night festival of wonders, a place where manifestos will be written, thoughts pulled to their breaking point, performances honed, old favourites murdered on the guitar, films screened, and research, er, researched. Highlights include:


Gin Soaked Sheets





join performer and poetry workshopper Lucy Ayrton as she carries out the world's first scientific study on the effects of gin on creative output




zine workshop - by the end of the night something wonderful will be created that you can take away in your hands




improvlog - creative juices flowing? Let them run then upload the results as part of a global online creative think-in




guerrilla poetry - wouldn't you love to walk into work one morning and find that your route was full of poems? Wouldn't it be better still to make that happen for someone else?


This is your part -have a talk you want to give, an idea or poem you want to share, something you want to teach people how to do, or just want to be part of something fabulous: this is where I add your name and links

11 comments:

  1. If it's what you have in mind I'll bring Rabid Gravy up, can't promise three days but hey!

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  2. sounds badass - wish i could be there.

    Sabina

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  3. Would love to have some Gravy! Probably not the liate-nighter unless it's very late & we've done what we need to before getting arrested!

    Sabina, I'd love to screen a film of yours, maybe several - the store is getting a projector

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  4. This looks totally wonderful Dan - let me know when, and if you think I can contribute in any way - then I'd love to.

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  5. wonderful, Jo! I can certainly see something travel-related would work very well.

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  6. Sounds great Dan, I may not be in Oxford, but let me know when and I may be able to contribute, perhaps a mini exhibition of works - like a zine on a wall.

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  7. I'll have time to line up some proper amplification on this occasion :)

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  8. Actually I'm thinking that if you want to get something going late and long we could get a sort of "headphone disco" thing going, if I could source the kit and it's not prohibitively expensive, I'll have a think ;-)

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  9. Andy, fantastic!!!

    Rabid , there was an exhibit at a recent exhibition at the Town Hall that did something similar - I could ask the artist about the kit. I love that idea

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