IRON OR - The Fourth IRON Press Festival of Words and Music

‘IRON Press is a phenomenon.

Very few literary presses of that quality have continued in such style and stayed true to their roots for so long.’

- Melvyn Bragg

The Fourth IRON Press Festival of Words and Music

Cullercoats seafront venues

June 20th - 23rd 2019

Introduction

Onwards!

And we’re off again - for the fourth IRON Press Festival!

What was planned in 2013 as a one-off celebration to mark forty years of IRON Press went on to win Best Event Tyneside in The Journal Culture Awards and has now become a regular feature round the harbour of our distinctive seaside village. As far as I know, it’s the country’s only literary festival built round a small press.

We’re small and that’s how we intend to stay. Non-stop growth is a naked capitalism philosophy we don’t buy into. Just as the press itself some years back found its natural publication level at four or five books a year (a level it’s remained at), so too the festival is happy to settle on four days, once every two years.

Nor is our programme a random selection of famous names or celebs-cum-authors plucked from some national touring list. Festival writers are almost all associated with the press or the region or often both. We have been delighted to welcome the likes of Ian McMillan, David Almond and Melvyn Bragg but they all have links to IRON. You may well never have heard of many of our featured writers. But the over these festivals the public have slowly come to trust us - the writers are all worth turning up for.

Rather than buying tickets for well-known telly faces, you’re on a journey of discovery.

Thus in 2019, you can have the gently intelligent humour of poet John Robert Brown’s, new book, Odd Socks, or Jack and Bill & The Fogrunt Amulet, the controversially irreverent poetry of The Brothers Grime. Try The Bairn, Elaine Whitesides’ beautifully written evocation of a 1950s Cullercoats upbringing (reprinted for the festival) or a breakfast lecture by Doctor Joyce Leeson, the widow of South African activist Zola Zembe that brings the apartheid struggles of South Africa to The Boat Yard.

Try the combustible Tyneside poetic legend, Tom Pickard, or Zephaniah Haddock & The Stolen Star a brand new commissioned play, written by yours truly and performed by pupils of Cullercoats Primary School. On the same bill is the intoxicating music of the famous North Tyneside Steelband. There’s poetry and prose from our two anthologies inspired by UK islands, powerful verse from persecuted writers world-wide (Voices of Conscience), plus the launch of This Cullercoats, a new book featuring six working writers from the village. And on Saturday you can Sing Yer Bloody Head Off! in the good hands of Cullercoats diva Ruth Lambert.

Try the unique poetry of Katrina Porteous’ book The Wund an’ The Wetter, elegiacally written in the dialect of North Northumberland fishermen and performed with live accompaniment on the Northumbrian pipes from Chris Ormston.

There’s also a chance for artists and writers to create new impressions of our small coastal settlement. Which is not to mention 21 talented musical acts from our area performing in our third al fresco Festival Fringe taking place on the sea front, seamlessly organised as usual by Janice & Terry Jones.

Writers wanting to avail themselves of our new IRON Proof Editorial Service can step inside The IRON House itself for a free consultation. Hands-on events include a workshop from Harry Venning, creator of the celebrated Clare in the Community series in The Guardian and on Radio 4 and a memoir writing workshop from The Bairn author, Elaine Whitesides.

And as ever, after the events, you can relax in the convivial atmosphere of The Festival Club at The Salt House from 10pm – midnight (free) where some of our fringe musicians may just turn up to entertain you. Most of the literary events have a musical content too.

For the first time those coming to each event will be greeted outside the venues by the distinctive sounds of the Northumbrian pipes played by Whitley Bay musician and IRON Press writer Christine Goodwin. And don’t forget the popular Inpress Literary Quiz, hosted by Sophie O’Neill.

Thanks to my fellow brave steering group members, Kitty Fitzgerald, Terry Jones, Sue Pethybridge, and Dave Shaw for help and support guiding us through the choppy waters and to Kyle Morley and Dylan Mortimer for technical support. Also Dave Turnbull for extra photographic work.

And to all our volunteers who keep you, our audiences always heading in the right direction. And of course to the village of Cullercoats itself. The Festival could not work as well as this anywhere else.

Peter Mortimer Editor, IRON Press Front cover photograph, Cullercoats Dawn by Dylan Mortimer Brochure design Brian Grogan & Peter Mortimer

Christine Goodwin

Thursday June 20 Cullercoats Primary School in

ZEPHANIAH HADDOCK & THE STOLEN STAR

Elliot Fenn

Libby Wake

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rson

Gracie An

Josie Bow maker

Lucy Pea

We kick off with a specially commissioned new play rooted in our village and performed by pupils of Cullercoats Primary School.

Seeing the 1969 moon landing on TV, Cullercoats lad Zephaniah Haddock is inspired to climb into space on a window cleaner’s ladder where he steals a star. Before long the star begins to devour everything around it - including the Crescent Club - and just who can stop it?

Peter Mortimer’s comic fantasy includes music, mime, choreography and physical theatre.

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Libby B

ne Longs ta

Enya Fitzgibbon

Cullercoats Crescent Club 7.00pm £6.00 A Fantasy Adventure by Peter Mortimer MUSIC: North Tyneside Steelband

Artwork from school pupils The evening’s opening music comes from North Tyneside Steelband, the region’s finest and most exciting young persons musical combo.

Members of North Tyneside Steelband

Don’t Forget 10 till Midnight, the Festival Club at the Salt House, Admission FREE!

Friday June 21

THE BAIRN

Elaine Whitesides

7.30pm - The Crescent Club, £7.00 A Cullercoats Childhood by Elaine Whitesides MUSIC: The Keelers Elaine Whitesides is a Cullercoats born author now living in Nottingham.

This vividly written account of growing up in Cullercoats, published by IRON Press, is both a description of a unique community and a microcosm of postwar 1950s Britain, an era within many people’s memories, but also seeming strangely distant. The book has been reprinted specially for the festival. Elaine will also run a workshop on memoir writing (see Sunday evening).

MUSIC; We are delighted to welcome back our very own sea shanty quartet, The Keelers, locally based but with an international reputation for fantastic harmonies.

The Keelers

5 Club at the Salt House, Admission FREE! Don’t Forget 10 till Midnight, the Festival

Saturday June 22

THE IRON BREAKFAST LECTURE 9am - The Boat Yard £10

(includes South African breakfast)

With Dr. Joyce Leeson and MUSIC by Wakanda Charden

Together Against Apartheid Joyce Leeson is the widow of Zola Zembe who died last year in Tynemouth, aged 90. Zola was a South African freedom fighter and close colleague of Nelson Mandela with whom he was imprisoned. For many years he was a leading member of the ANC and the South African Trades Union movement. His wife, Dr Leeson, was an Anti-Apartheid activist on academic secondment from Manchester University when she met him in 1967.

At that time he was a Commander in the uMkonto we Siswe, the ANC Liberation Army, on active service in Zambia. Their life together is the backdrop to Joyce Leeson’s talk. There will also be extracts read from Zola’s autobiography, Freedom in Our Lifetime. Ticket price includes a South African breakfast.

Dr. Leeson will be in conversation with Ozzie Riley, artistic director of Dodgy Clutch Theatre Company.

Joyce Leeson

LIVE MUSIC from Wakanda Charden, a political activist from the Congo, at present living on Tyneside.

Wakanda Charden

Don’t Forget 10 till Midnight, the Festival 6Club at the Salt House, Admission FREE!

Saturday June 22

ODD SOCKS – John Robert Brown

11am RNLI £7.00 MUSIC: The author will blow a few tunes on his beloved saxophone and more music comes from the guitarist James Birkett

IRON Press recently published this quirky collection of comic verse from the Ilkley author John Robert Brown and we are delighted to bring him to the festival for you to savour his wit and humour, be he writing about the first traffic island in Japan, in praise of galoshes, the wonders of Nuneaton, or a particularly intimate and painful medical procedure. The book is illustrated by Harry Venning writer of the hugely popular Radio 4 series Clare in the Community based on his own cartoon strip in The Guardian. Harry Venning will be running a workshop in the Fishermen’s Mission at 1.00pm (see details on next page).

Speed Late for the funeral He drove without heed for fate.

Took two too many chances; Now he, too, is late.

John Robert Brown John Robert Brown

JACK & BILL AND THE FOGRUNT AMULET

12.30 RNLI £6.00 The Brothers Grime MUSIC: Readers’ Wives, 50 Plus

Newly published by IRON Press, this single long poem, described as ‘an epic in dubious taste’ emerges after 40 years of joint writing labour from The Brothers Grime who will be on hand to read extracts from its occasionally scurrilous content. Set in the fictitious country of Cloudland, the poem tells of the perils of an over-exposure to pornography. It sits somewhere between Eskimo Nell and Geoffrey Chaucer and boasts such characters as Kitty Flaps, King Wobblyknobble and the dreaded Forty Teat Sow. Not for the faint-hearted.

MUSIC: Bizarre sounds from Readers’ Wives 50 Plus - sweet harmony it isn’t.

Don’t Forget 10 till Midnight, the Festival Club at the Salt House, Admission FREE!

Saturday June 22

THE ART OF THE CARTOON 1pm - 3pm Fishermen’s Mission £10.00

A Workshop by Harry Venning Harry Venning is the artist and writer who wrote Clare in the Community, a major success both in cartoon form in The Guardian but also as a comedy drama series on BBC Radio 4.

This is a hands-on workshop for those interested in combining images and text. Workshop limited to twenty people so please book early: Harry Venning

SING YER BLOODY HEAD OFF! 2pm – 6pm Community Centre £10.00 Ruth Lambert

As our hi-tec world slowly sends itself insane, the distinctly lo-tec activity of communal singing is increasingly being seen as the perfect antidote. It frees the soul and allows the spirits to soar. Try it for yourself - experience this four hour singing workshop led by the experienced Cullercoats singer and performer Ruth Lambert. Ruth will nurture the participants to a high level of choral singing – so much so that for the final 20 minutes they will perform for whichever members of the public wish to attend (free of charge) or for themselves if no-one else turns up. All you need to bring to take part in the workshop is your voice. Tea, coffee and biscuits available.

The workshop is limited to 20 people, so book early.

Ruth Lambert

Don’t Forget 10 till Midnight, the Festival Club at the Salt House, Admission FREE!

Saturday June 22

THIS CULLERCOATS

2pm RNLI £6.00 Music: Alan Jones Six working writers who live in Cullercoats were invited to contribute to this anthology, each responding in his or her own way to being a part of the village. The book’s writers are Carol Clewlow, Kitty Fitzgerald, Harry Gallagher, Peter Mortimer, Pauline Plummer and Josephine Scott.

An intriguing mix of poetry, fiction and mythology.

One of the region’s most talented singer/song writers Alan Jones provides his own distinctive sounds. The book is launched at the festival and five authors will read a short extract. Special launch event book price: £5.00.

Alan Jones

Pauline Plummer

Josephine Scott

VOICES OF CONSCIENCE 4pm RNLI £7.00 Poetry From Oppression

Colette Bryce, Kate Fox, W. N. Herbert & Sean O’Brien Our biggest ever book; work from 150 renowned 20th century poets world-wide, whose writing saw them imprisoned, persecuted, or executed by the state. Translated from 40 languages, a major publication and possibly the only book to include the poetry of both Oscar Wilde and Ho Chi Minh. Plus the likes of Pablo Neruda, Nazim Hikmet and Bertolt Brecht.

Selected and read by four of the region’s best known writers: Colette Bryce, Kate Fox,W.N. Herbert & Sean O’Brien

Colette Bryce

Kate Fox

W N Herbert

Sean O’Brien

Don’t Forget 10 till Midnight, the Festival Club at the Salt House, Admission FREE!

Saturday June 22

THE WUND AN’ THE WETTER 7.30pm St George’s Church £7.00 Katrina Porteous MUSIC: Chris Ormston

Katrina Porteous lives in Beadnell and is one of the region’s most celebrated poets. Her book, The Wund an’ The Wetter marks an extraordinary collaboration between herself and the Northumbrian piper Chris Ormston and is a single long poem written in the dialect of the dwindling fishing community of North Northumberland. It has Chris’s music accompaniment throughout. The poem and music were specially commissioned by IRON Press and the book was soon into its second print. It includes a CD of the two performing the 237 line poem. It also includes a glossary of almost 200 north Northumberland dialect words and phrases.

MUSIC: Chris Ormston himself will provide the live accompaniment.

Katrina Porteous

Chris Ormston

Sunday June 23

IRON PROOF TASTER

10am – Midday The IRON House - FREE 5 Marden Terrace Cullercoats, NE30 4PD Kitty Fitzgerald (prose), Carol Clewlow (prose) Peter Mortimer (poetry) The 2019 festival sees the launch of the new IRON Proof Editorial Service where for a reasonable fee authors can submit their prose (short stories, novels) or poetry collections for in depth critical appraisal by professional writers associated with the IRON stable. Book your initial 15mns chat with one of three of our main assessors. These initial sessions are FREE but available only with the purchase of at least one ticket to a paid festival event. Please book well in advance as spaces are limited. See the wondrous IRON House into the bargain.

No booking fee for this event, but participants need also to contact IRON Press on 0191 2531901 to book a specific time and editor

Carol Clewlow

Kitty Fitzgerald

Don’t Forget 10 till Midnight, the Festival Club at the Salt House, Admission FREE!

Sunday June 23

POSTER POEMS

11am - FREE

Jyl Friggens

Poets and visual artists are invited to take part in this short project which will define the village in words and images. Each participant on the day will be given a specific Cullercoats location and asked to respond to it in either words or images. IRON Press may publish a small book from the results, depending on quality. This is a free event but booking ahead is essential as numbers are limited. You can book individually or as a poet/artist team.

An example of poet and artist combining is shown here with the work of Mike Wilkin (poet) and Jyl Friggens (artist). These were created as an IRON Press poetry card (1992).

No booking fee for this event, but participants need also to contact IRON Press on 0191-2531901 for more information

MEMOIR WORKSHOP

(preparing to write your own memoir) Cullercoats Bike & Kayak Centre (The Snug) midday - 2pm ÂŁ6.00 With Elaine Whitesides - author of The Bairn Come and sample techniques that enable you to explore your memories, experience again some of the episodes and emotions of your past and record them as scenes that illuminate your life story. This is how many of our great novels began to take shape . If you like to write, this workshop can offer ways of enjoying it even more.

Run by the experienced author and workshop organiser Elaine Whitesides, who also reads from her book The Bairn on Friday evening.

Don’t Forget 10 till Midnight, the Festival Club at the Salt House, Admission FREE!

Sunday June 23

A TYNESIDE LITERARY SON

2pm RNLI £8.00 Tom Pickard Music: Pete Shaw

One of Tyneside’s great contemporary literary sons, Tom Pickard was not only published with his long poem America in the first edition of IRON Magazine in 1973, but this first edition itself was born at the Gateshead flat of Tom and his wife Connie Pickard, where Peter Mortimer was the attic resident at the time. Founder, along with Connie, of the legendary Morden Tower Poetry Centre in Newcastle, much published poet, erstwhile enfant terrible of the literary world (arrested for obscenity at the Newcastle Literary Festival and once banned from the North Sea), Pickard remains a controversial and provocative figure and a fine writer.

MUSIC is provided by Pete Shaw, one of the region’s most talented and prolific singer/songwriters. For one of the best music experiences in the region, try Mr.Tighes in Bebside, Blyth each Sunday where Pete hosts an array of talented artists - and it’s all free!

Tom Pickard

Pete Shaw

ISLAND WRITERS 4pm – RNLI £6.00 James Knox Whittet MUSIC: Anna Macrae

James Knox Whittet edited for us two books of writing about islands, One Hundred Island Poems and Writers on Islands (prose) collections which included the likes of John Betjeman, Virginia Woolf, George Orwell and W.B.Yeats. Both books went to a second print. Here James selects and reads from the two books and is joined by fellow authors Kitty Fitzgerald and Carol Clewlow, plus David Shaw.

James Knox Whittet

Anna Macrae

MUSIC Hebridean songs from the Barra born singer Anna Macrae Don’t Forget 10 till Midnight, the Festival Club at the Salt House, Admission FREE!

Sunday June 23

THE INPRESS LITERARY QUIZ

6pm Cullercoats Coffee, £5.00 entry per team (maximum 4 people per team)

A great success in 2017, the Inpress quiz is run by Sophie O’Neill and the staff of Inpress Ltd, who represent IRON Press (and many other independent publishers) to the trade. It’s a lot of fun but will also test your knowledge on matters literary, local, national and international. Bumper bundles of IRON Press books to be won! Hot food and drink available.

Book early, limited space!

Test Yourself!

Below are photographs of three North East authors (though one was born north of the border) plus a famous north east literary location. There is also a well-known actor depicting one of literature’s great anti-heroes (No. 5). Can you name the actor, the book (the film has the same title) and the anti-hero. No prizes to be won, this is purely for fun!

1

2

4

5

Sophie O’Neill

3

5 Richard Attenborough (Pinkie, Brighton Rock) 4 Morden Tower 3 Jack Common 2 C P Taylor 1 Ann Cleeves

ANSWERS

Don’t Forget 10 till Midnight, the Festival Club at the Salt House, Admission FREE!

Sunday June 23

THE FESTIVAL FRINGE Free Corner of Mast Lane and Beverley Terrace SATURDAY/SUNDAY 12 noon to 5 pm Once again, the sounds of live music will echo over the Bay as Terry and Janice Jones host the alfresco Music Festival Fringe. Located at the seafront corner of Mast Lane and Beverley Terrace it will feature an eclectic mix of 21 local acts and showcase some of the finest musicians around. For the third festival running, the event will be hosted by Phil Mitchell and you can look forward to some fine original music, Blues, Americana and even a Ukulele Orchestra. It all happens between 12 noon and 5 pm on Saturday and Sunday – and best of all, it’s totally free!

Artists appearing

Jacqui Clark

Jonathan Woodward

45 Spread Neil McBride Bay Uke Paul Urbanowicz Carmen Curran Pete Shaw & Friends Clark & Conway Ray Rowley HEK Renata & Trev Jonathan Woodward & Janet Tomlinson Sarah Holmes Karl Douthwaite The Corn Shacks Larry Page The Sandboys Mike Waller & Alan McCulloch The Swamphoppers Muddy Line Tony Bengtsson Calum Kewen

Phil Mitchell

Ray Rowley

Sound Equipment : Jonathan Woodward Hosting : Phil Mitchell Don’t Forget 10 till Midnight, the Festival Club at the Salt House, Admission FREE!

QUICK COLOUR CODE GUIDE TO EVENTS June 20 June 20 June 21 June 21 June 22 June 22

Zephaniah Haddock Festival Club The Bairn Festival Club Festival Lecture Odd Socks

7.00pm 10-12pm 7.30pm 10-12pm 9am 11am

Crescent Club Salt House Crescent Club Salt House Boat Yard RNLI

£6.00 FREE £7.00 FREE £10.00 £7.00

June 22 June 22 June 22 June 22 June 22 June 22 June 22 June 23 June 23 June 23 June 23 June 23 June 23 June 23

Jack & Bill Harry Venning Sing Yer Bloody Head Off This Cullercoats Voices of Conscience The Wund an’ The Wetter Festival Club Poster Poems IRON Proof Memoir Workshop Tom Pickard Island Writers Literary Quiz Festival Club

12.30pm 1pm 2pm-6pm 2pm 4pm 7.30pm 10-12pm 11am 10am-midday 12-2pm 2pm 4pm 6pm 10-12pm

RNLI Fishermen’s Mission.

Community Centre RNLI RNLI St.George’s Church Salt House Various IRON House Bike & Kayak RNLI RNLI Cullercoats Coffee Salt House

£6.00 £10.00 £10.00 £6.00 £7.00 £8.00 FREE FREE FREE £8.00 £8.00 £6.00 £5.00 FREE

No Ticket Source booking fee for Poster Poems and IRON Proof free events (both Sunday) © OpenStreetMap contributors Fishermen’s Mission Bike and Kayak Centre

Community Centre Crescent Club Cullercoats Coffee RNLI The Boatyard Salt House IRON House

Fringe

Metro 30 mins from central Newcastle

Cullercoats

Cullercoats Primary School

St George’s

Tickets!

Ticket Source 0333 666 3366 www.ticketsource.co.uk/ironpress

Direct from

Booking fees apply to online and telephone sales Tickets available from Ticket Source from April 1

Direct tickets from May 1, daily, 12noon-2pm

Once again our very own Cullercoats Brewery brings out a celebration festival beer available at the Crescent Club, the Rockcliffe Arms, Boda Homes and other fine venues.

Don’t Forget 10 till Midnight, the Festival Club at the Salt House, Admission FREE!