Oasis Cafe Theatre
Julie Remembers Nights at the Oasis.
Jonathan and I worked together for a number of years to produce high quality, well attended, fun and informative events at the Oasis Cafe Theatre. These were held at the orangestudio in Bham. In 2005, having moved to Leamington Spa in 2004, I realised it was time for me to hang up my hat at the Oasis. I had originally set these evenings up during my laureateship because I had wanted to host events that would mix art forms, allow people to sing back their own songs to the city and that would also offer a variety of high quality live literature events. I had hoped to run literature events that would have people coming back for more - they did, and apart from a hiccup in March 03, audience numbers were excellent and spirits were high. I would have loved to have continued with Oasis as it was so close to my heart, but the new Residency at Symphony Hall in Birmingham, Poetry Central project commitments and the amount of travelling I was doing, nationally and internationally, left me zonked! Jonathan, with boundless energy and enthusiasm, continued to host further events. To this day though, whenever I play my Dylan Thomas' cd of Under Milkwood, I remember that fantastic performed reading in May of 2003 and a host of other memories come flooding back... happy times...
Oasis Events
February 2003 Love Poetry
Music – Serena Howard Douglas
Food – romantic meal
Poetry – in a variety of languages.
March 2003 Running Man
International Athletics event Competition sponsored by Birmingham Libraries.
April 2003 Memories of Bliss
Book launch – readings by Jo Ind and in conversation
Artwork – Gillian Lever.
May 2003 Under Milk Wood
Performance by The Bishops Players
Welsh themed buffet.
June 2003 Gitanjali Multilingual Society
Poems in seven language
Launch of ‘Oasis Poems’ book
Indian music, art and buffet.
September 2003 Visions of Birmingham
‘Digbeth to Eastside’
Poems by Julie Boden and David Hart
Photographs by Richard Green.
October 2003 Laureate Night
Roz Goddard becomes new Birmingham Poet Laureate. Launch of Julie Boden’s ‘Through the Eye of a Crow’ Sam Fox and Steph West (voice and harp)
November 2003 Poetraits
Roz Goddard interviews painter Graham Kershaw.
Audience vote for favourite poem
SWAN schools poetry and poetrait winners perform.
March 2004 Tilted
Photography exhibition and in conversation with photographers:Seeing the Light.
April 2004 Tindal Street Press
Presentation of new works.
May 2004 Where Spirits Touch
Book launch by Milorad Krystanovich
Music from Posaune Voce trio
Brasshouse read poetry in other languages with music from the trio.
June 2004 Nick Toczek
Poetry performance by Nick Toczek
music from TAPAS
Students from Warwick, Birmingham and UCE read their poems.
July 2004 The Writing Junction
Readings from local poetrysocieties in Wolverhampton, Birmingham and Coventry.
September 2004 All Golden Peachy
Jo Ind presents Nicola Slee and Rosie Miles.
Music from Fluvial
October 2004 The Roar of the Greasepaint
David Calcutt and Rod Dungate
Monologue Slam
November 2004 Dreams are not for Dreamers
Performance by Joolz with in converasation
Music from David Swann with CD launch
Artwork from Maria V Landini and David White
March 2005 The Secret She Keeps
Helen Cross Book launch (Bloomsbury Press) – in conversation with Roz Goddard
Music – Well Tempered Guitar Duo
Poetry - Esther Morgan
8th April, 2005 Ava Ming book launch
Konig (guitarist)
Sue Brown (poet)
13th May, 2005 Peter Blegvad
'The Milk Museum'
"Peter Blegvad's excursion on milk is brilliant", wrote Ian Sansom in The Guardian.
Music - Stella Maris sings a collection of ancient songs.
Hopefully, when this year's Birmingham Book Festival is over, Jonathan will be able to add later Oasis Cafe Theatre events to the archive.