WOW Nov 2012

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Offers lessons in

Dance, Singing & Drama Classes held in Chatham and Sheppey For children aged 2 to 18 years.

Take part in shows, pantomimes, examinations, cabarets, festivals or just come along for fun!

Call now on 01634 400177 or 07970 585427 Enquiries: 109 High Street, Kent 4DH WOW ads quark9_Layout 4 Chatham, 17/09/2012 17:22 Page 4

Classes for children in ballet, tap, theatre craft and jazz.

From 21/2 to 12 years of age.

Classes held at St Peter’s Church, Delce Road, Rochester and 109 High Street, Chatham

Tel 01634 847022

Come for fun and also get involved in exams, WOW ads quark9_Layout 17/09/2012 17:22 Page 2 festivals and4shows.

Adult classes at Are you over 18 and fancy doing something for you, meeting new friends or getting fit from new skills?

Then come along and join in...

If you are 30, 40 50+ then come along and keep your body fit Classes every Wednesday at Starquest, 109 High Street, Chatham From 2.45 – 3.30pm £2.50 per session

Enquiries: 01634 400177

Fitness, Body Conditioning, Zumba®, Ballet, Tap, Dance or singing in our adult musical theatre group (you do not need a partner for any of the above)

Call now on:

01634 400177 or 01634 847022

109 High Street, Chatham, Kent ME4 4DH

WELCOME The Best of What’s On Where Once again, there is something for everyone happening in Medway and Maidstone this November. It’s a particularly fine month for those interested in creative writing. There’s a terrific gathering of writers planned for the Hazlitt Arts Centre’s event, ‘Writing Allowed’, on 9th; while here in Medway the always excellent ME4 Writers are exhibiting the results of their ‘Letters Home’ project and giving workshops to boot.

Also, WOW’s imprint, Greenheart Press, sees its second publication this month, ‘Capturing Snowflakes’ by Eve Pearce.

Have a read of The Artist’s Space on the inside back cover.

And just think, if every WOW reader downloads Medway Eyes’ brand new charity download album of Medway music, ME4, what an awful lot of good we could do for Holding On, Letting Go, which is this year’s recipient charity, doing priceless work with bereaved young people. Go to page 11 right now!

Emma Dewhurst editor@wowkent.co.uk Please mention WOW! The magazine depends entirely on its supportive advertisers.

PHOTOGRAPH OF THE EDITOR BY RIKARD ŐSTERLUND

COVER IMAGE: Hand, I by Joe Reddy

Find us on Facebook facebook.com/WOWMedway

@EmmaDewhurst7

Image by Marissa Mardon, one of 34 Nucleus Arts artists opening their studios in Medway Open Studios Winter Festival, 8 & 9 December

CONTRIBUTORS Phil Dillon is a former Medway musician turned photographer who is best known for his work with bands such as Groovy Uncle, Theatre Royal, Wheels, The Lovedays and Stuart Turner and the Flat Earth Society. He is also the principal protagonist in Medway Eyes, an independent, not for profit, creative collective.

Sam Froudist is a writer and bunting enthusiast.

She co-runs bunted!, a bespoke bunting business, and is a card carrying member of the Rochester Vintage Society. You can find her blogging over at hellosamgoodbyesamantha.com.

Zoë Sparkle is an entertainments agent, photographer and music promoter based in Maidstone. As well as working with circus performers, magicians, sound crew and recording studios, Zoë works closely with original musicians and small venues to put on fantastic live entertainment in the town centre. zoesparkle.co.uk Nick Walker is an events director, film critic and filmmaker. His flagship Medway project, The Other Cinema, is a weekly event held every Thursday at the Chatham Odeon. Nick also set up the Screen Classics programme at the Central Theatre, Chatham. He writes, directs and produces short films and is the editor of Film Essay, for cinéastes wanting to write about film culture.

Nick has worked for The Guardian and the London Film Festival. Currently he is Events Director at Film Education and Director of National Schools Film Week.

MeDwAy O P E R A N EE D S

YOU!

Since taking up the torch from the Hudson players in the 70s, Medway Opera has spent four decades staging classics such as ‘Carmen’ and ‘The Mikado’ at local theatres. The group celebrate this milestone on November 17 with a concert mix of opera and operetta at The Rochester Grammar School, 7.30pm, £10 on the door.

WOW magazine was a shortlisted finalist in no less than three categories at the inaugural Kent Independent Traders Awards, going on to win the Best Creative Business Award.

The Editor is still recovering.

Finalist, Best Home-based Business Finalist, People’s Choice Award

The group is currently looking for new voices and talent to keep their torch alight. Music knows no barriers and new members will find Medway Opera’s happy social mix reflects this. Booking enquiries are equally welcome.

You can pay a visit to Monday evening rehearsals (from 8pm) at Anchorians RFC Clubhouse at Darland Ave, Gillingham ME7.

Finalist and Winner, Best Creative Business!

WINTER WARMERS HOO VILLAGE CRAFT FAIR Sun 11 November, 11am-4pm A new fair with a big cream tea corner, shabby chic china, bakery, jewellery and more.

Free entry Hoo Village Institute 25 Main Road Hoo St Werburgh, ME3 Facebook.com/ CraftCalendarMedwayKent TITHE BARN MID WINTER FAIR Sat 24 November (11-4pm) and Sun 25 November (10am-3pm) Two days offering local, handcrafted treasures, teas, light lunch and entertainment Lenham’s wonderful, 14th Century medieval tithe barn plays host to a ‘made by hand’ craft and art market this month, including local food and drink producers. Free entry and parking.

CATERPILLAR CHRISTMAS PARTY WHEN: Sat 15 December, 3-5pm WHERE: Rochester Dance Junction WHO: Kids 2-11 years TICKETS: £5 per child, accompanying adult free BOOK: online at caterpillardanceschool.co.uk

MAKING ART WORK has begun a terrific programme of talks and workshops. All free, or by donation. November’s offerings are:

MAIDSTONE’S NEWEST CONTEMPORARY ARTS SPACE

Sailing Charter - Static Venue - Winter Tea Room

WINTER TEA ROOM REOPENING

GRAND BOOK SALE

Wed 28 November 2.30pm to 5pm Balfour Infant School, Pattens Lane, Rochester ME1 Books for all Ages ALL Welcome!

Fantastic prices for second hand books Childrens/Teenagers/ Adults Fiction and Non-Fiction For further details email: bisa.chair@googlemail

THURSDAY OCT 25th Open 1030-1600hrs, Thurs-Sun throughout winter Homemade cakes and light lunches

MUSIC NIGHTS Fantastic live music in an intimate atmosphere.

Please visit the website for full details.

National Historic Ships Flagship Barge Match Champion 2012

www.edithmay.com Tel: 07814950442

WORKSHOP: INTRODUCTION TO ABSTRACTION with Ruth Payne Sat 3 November 10am-5pm Create your own Modernist masterpiece!

Suitable for all. Book through abstraction.eventbrite.co.uk TALK: AMATEUR PRACTICE IN MODERNITY by Stephen Knott, PhD Sat 17 November 6.30-8.30pm How the concept of amateurism and amateur practice might inform contemporary art, design and craft practice. Book through events@makingart-work.co.uk WORKSHOP: CAMERA-LESS PHOTOGRAPHY with Ali Farmer, Fleur Alston, Karen Crosby Sat 24 November 10am–6pm This workshop will appeal to anyone interested in alternative photography.

The aim is to learn the basic principles of photography and to develop photographic images without the aid of a camera.

Book through: altphotography. eventbrite.co.uk

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Maggie Osborn Studio at Nucleus Arts, Chatham Open to the public for Medway Open Studios 8 & 9 December

For more information/to express interest contact Sam Froudist: 07401 362621 sam@hellosamgoodbyesamantha.com

HEAVENLY FITNESS Tovil Maidstone ME15 6RR

07711 790101 HeavenlyFitness.co.uk KENT’S ONLY ANTI GRAVITY STUDIO Pole Fitness, Pilates, Yoga and more

Rochester-based bespoke bunting by the metre. Your fabric or ours.

Email Sarah or Sam: buntedlifestyle@yahoo.com Tel: 01634 322 385 bunted.wordpress.com

PRINTMAKING STUDIOS Fine art printmaking studio for Medway

NEW COURSES STARTING NOW www.coalshedpress.co.uk

DANCE & THEATRE CLASSES FOR 2 YRS+

Annual Shows Regular Examinations Drop in classes from £3.50 Laura Dudman Tel: 07939 241105 www.CaterpillarDanceSchool.co.uk www.LatinEssence.co.uk

Rochester’s friendly Designer Florist Same Day Delivery Funerals & Weddings Unique plants and gifts Online shop at sweetpeaandolive.co.uk

FLAVOURS OF SPAIN

I thought I liked Ana Caballero and Teresa Holmes shortly after meeting them back in July, but I knew I liked them when I show up on a Sunday afternoon, to be greeted by a bottle of red wine and a selection of some of their finest Spanish imports. It’s a tough gig sometimes.

Flavours of Spain is back in its Rochester High Street pop-up shop for the Christmas period, having bowed to local pressure and enthusiasm for artisan food products and fine wines from Ana’s home region of Galicia.

Galicia, Ana tells me, is in northwestern Spain above Portugal, and is a decidedly more Celtic Spain than what generally comes to mind. No flamenco there, I’m told. What this means is that the region’s food has all the vibrancy that makes Spanish food so spectacularly foreign but also familiar. It was this region that Teresa “fell in love with” during a visit there with Ana and inspired the duo to bring their love of the local produce to a British market.

Their enthusiasm for Spanish food is totally infectious, and their ethos of ‘try before you buy’ comes through strongly. “We want people to have the chance to compare,” says Teresa, “because then they will know how things should taste!” Having made a name for themselves at Borough and Brockley food markets, their products have evidently impressed the discerning London palate, and happily, it’s our turn to taste their wares.

The resurgence of interest in the provenance of the food we eat has been to their advantage, allowing them to focus on the best seasonal fare, yet Ana tells me that it also encourages some reflection in their customers, as “seasonal” means waiting for producers in the age of all-yearround supermarket availability.

It also means that they stand out as quality suppliers, giving a hands-on service that I am delighted to see more of in Medway.

Open in the evenings, you can order pintxos (that’s smaller tapas for the uninitiated) and wine from their “makeshift but thought-through” bar. There are also Christmas delicacies and hampers for gifts. I say “gifts”, but they strike me as the type of “gift” that strategically goes “missing” just before Christmas day.

I guarantee you will get great, enthusiastic conversation and incredibly hospitable service

by Flavours of Spain and wholeheartedly encourage you to bully them into sticking around.

It seems as though this end of Rochester is becoming a bit of a foodie destination, and I for one couldn’t be more pleased to encourage it!

Visit Flavours of Spain at The Deaf Cat Pop-up Shop, 10 High Street, Rochester, ME1 1PT flavoursofspain.co.uk or flavoursofspain.tumblr.com

Words by: Sam Froudist

THE POP-UP DELI AND BAR IS BACK!

LETTERS HOME IS A POIGNANT EXHIBITION OF WRITINGS AND ART INSPIRED BY THE IDEA OF ‘HOME’ – AND IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO WRITE YOUR OWN ME4 are a loose collective of Medway writers who work on projects together and singly. The group was formed

by Sam Hall in 2009, and has worked on literary projects together and hosted events, including performances of new writing at several Dickens Festivals.

‘Letters Home’ is an ME4 project which invited residents of Medway (and further afield) to think about their home, and/or where they are from, and write a letter to that place, which has resulted in a collection of evocative and emotional writing.

ME4 invited local photographer, and regular collaborator, Nikki Price, to take images of ‘home’ to illustrate the exhibition. Artist Heather Haythornthwaite’s atmospheric prints of Rochester also feature.

The exhibition will run at Rochester Community Hub and Walderslade Village library throughout November. There is a launch event where writers will read their work and members of the public will have a chance to contribute their own letter home at Rochester Community Hub on 10 November from 1.30pm to 4.30pm. There will also be community activities for all ages.

LETTERS HOME: AN EXHIBITION ABOUT WHERE WE LIVE Rochester Community Hub, Eastgate, Rochester, ME1 1EW Sat 3 November to Saturday 15 December (Launch event: Sat 10 Nov 1.30-4.30pm) Walderslade Village Library, Walderslade Centre, Walderslade Road, ME5 9LR Sat 10 November to Fri 7 December WORKSHOPS – GET INVOLVED! ROCHESTER COMMUNITY HUB LETTERS HOME: WRITING WORKSHOP FOR ADULTS Wednesday 7 November 2-4pm Walderslade Village library: Letters home: Workshop for 8-12 year olds Wednesday 21 November 3.45-4.45 pm For more information about the workshops visit: whatsonmedway. co.uk/libraries

HOME home was milk kisses nine days late clear plastic soft blanket blue doorway hall whispers glue scissors red mittens home was brown cliff-face white kitchen close quarrel tears drying school blazer soft Nirvana clock chiming love letter home was

Photographs: Nikki Price

cold seminar yellow capsule black coffee blood blister

thatched ceiling bare rafters rat scratching cat calling home is wild rumpus new word sound rough tumble blonde bearhug stained teacup coiled incense ring promise red crayola home is soft peashoot stitched nametag her pillow coarse linen wash dishes watch sunrise let rain fall right here Andrew Day

PHIL DILLON EXPLAINS WHY EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE A LISTEN

Album cover by: Lupen Crook

LOAD

CTIVE E L L O IVE C HAS T A E R C YES E Y A ITS D MEDW E S A RELE ARITY H C L JUST ANNUA , ‘ME4’ H T R FOU LBUM A D A O DOWNL The idea of doing this sort of thing first occurred to the team back in 2009, when we decided to celebrate our first birthday by releasing ‘ME1’, an album containing fourteen tracks by local artists who had contributed to our events, for the benefit of Oxjam, an offshoot of Oxfam. The aim was simply to promote the music we loved and do a bit of good in the process. By the time the third album, ‘ME3’ came about, the rules changed slightly and the doors were opened to bands that we loved but still hadn’t managed to work with yet. In addition, there had been rumours in the mainstream local press that the music scene it had been wilfully ignoring for many a year was dead and we wanted to set the record straight. There were forty-seven brilliant tracks on ‘ME3’ and we think that speaks for itself.

This year’s album, the imaginatively titled ‘ME4’ is even bigger, with nearly sixty tracks on it, including exclusive contributions from Lupen Crook, Houdini, Wolfgang Riot, Darryl Hartley (ex-Vandebilts), The Love Family, Stuart Turner and the Flat Earth Society and The Galileo 7, as well as contributions from artists as diverse as Crybaby Special and the Monsters, Hand Of Stabs, The Objectors, Los Salvadores, Jamie HB, Natalie Evans, Balance Lost, Bear v. Manero and Unlucky Fried Kitten.

We can’t list everyone here, but if you go to www.medwayeyes.co.uk after the album’s release you’ll be redirected to a page with a full track listing where you can download the album on a ‘donate what you will’ basis.

This year’s charity is Medway based Holding On Letting Go, which helps bereaved children and young people between the ages of six and sixteen. All funds donated will go directly to the charity.

Many readers will already be aware of the artists named in this article and will be as excited about the ‘ME4’ album as we are. To those who are unfamiliar with local music, we urge you to download the album anyway. You’ll be glad you did, because Medway is absolutely awash with fantastic, heartfelt, real music and if you haven’t heard it yet it will be a revelation.

If you like what you hear, why not follow the bands online, find out when and where they’re playing and go to a gig? We have some excellent venues in Medway where for little or no ticket money you can see and hear ‘proper’ music close up. Imagine how you’ll treasure the memory when the artist you once went to see has gone stratospheric and you can’t see them in a small venue any more. It’s only a matter of time before that happens.

DOWNLOAD ‘ME4’ VIA MEDWAYEYES.CO.UK FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS YEAR’S RECIPIENT CHARITY, GO TO HOLDINGONLETTINGGO.ORG.UK

WOW’s newest contributor, music promoter and connoisseur Zoë Sparkle, announces the opening of a brand new music space for Maidstone

After years of hard work and networking with promoters, bands and local businesses I have been given the opportunity to open my very own music venue. ‘Rafters’ is set to launch on Saturday 1 December, and promises to be something a little different. Unlike a pub venue, with make-shift stages and early curfews, the space will have a massive in-house PA system and lighting rig, and a raised steeldeck stage. It will showcase live music from local and national bands from 8pm-midnight, and will then have alternative DJ’s right through till 4am, playing indie, rock, hip hop, electro swing, trip hop and beyond!

Aimed at 25-45 year olds, it intends to create a comfortable space to go out for a few drinks with friends, check out some awesome bands, and then dance until the early hours - without the pressure of looking or acting a certain way, or the dubious pleasure of being surrounded by teeny boppers.

An added bonus of this new space is that it sits above a restaurant and coffee shop which has a licence till 6am!

So once you’ve finished for the

night, or if you feel you need to recharge with some caffeine before getting stuck back in, you only have to pop downstairs to the shabby chic ‘Turning Tables’ for a quiet and comfortable chill out. Come along any Saturday in December for a fantastic eight hours of entertainment for the price of a single pint.

Opening Rafters is part of the bigger project to put Maidstone back on the map as a place where things happen, because things do happen here! People just don’t shout about it like they should. We have a great creative community, with arts and music projects abounding, and with each passing month new people are getting involved and helping it to blossom. Just last month another community arts project initiated by local artist Cathy Rogers opened its doors, in the form of the great space on Union Street called ‘Making Art Work,’ which aims to develop and sustain a professional contemporary artistic practice in Maidstone; and Stepping Stone Studios host their first independent film festival, Maidstone Film Fest 2012, running 14-20 November.

And all you up and coming musicians, don’t forget to get out and share your music at some open mic nights! Drakes Cork & Cask will be having one on Wednesday 7 and Wednesday 21 November. Drakes bar is a spirits specialist, with twenty one different makes of Rum alone: a warm welcome always awaits you from Kate and the team, and that isn’t just because of the huge open fire often burning on those cold winter nights!

I for one look forward to a creative winter in the county town, and I hope you’ll join us to celebrate people’s creativity and the driven desire for change. facebook.com/Drakespub www.zoesparkle.co.uk Rafters is situated above what used to be ‘Flaming Henry’s’ in the High Street, near the cannon. It is right by the bus stop and taxi rank and a very short walk from Maidstone West train station. facebook.com/ raftersmaidstone

ALL ABOUT ABILITY Words by Emma Dewhurst

Maidstone-based Helen Morley founded Art About, a new artist-led, not-for-profit Community Interest Company, after she completed her Fine Art degree last year. This was on discovering that a large number of people are excluded from mainstream art education for reasons of disability or disadvantage.

Here in Medway, Wendy Daws is an artist and creative practitioner who regularly volunteers her time to the Kent Association for the Blind, running an art club for mature, sight impaired Medway residents. The work is “inspiring and exciting and directly feeds my creative practice,” she says. “I believe strongly that disability is not an impairment to creativity.”

When the two artists met recently for the first time, it was instantly clear that they had much to share.

“Meeting Helen was like meeting a like mind,” Daws told me. “Everything I believe about why we do our work was so similar.”

Funded by the Arts Council and generously supported by Leeds Castle, Art About has been piloting a local five month project to bring art making opportunities to Maidstone-based adults with learning disabilities and visual impairment, which will culminate in an exhibition at Leeds Castle on Friday 23 November.

Entitled ‘Art About: Ability’, the exhibition will showcase work made with these artists in partnership with Kent Association for the Blind, Spadework and Social Services. During the project the artists have been exploring new materials and techniques and have begun what Morley hopes is a lifetime’s enquiry into new languages of personal expression.

Professional artists Helen Morley and Wendy Daws have been working to bring quality art workshops to adults who have learning difficulties or who are visually impaired.

Working on separate projects in Maidstone and Medway, the artists met recently for the first time and discovered that they had a world in common.

“This is a feasibility study that will help me to find out if the demand really is as great as I am told, for providing a contemporary art opportunity for people who are excluded for reasons of disability and disadvantage. That said, the focus is on ability, not disability”, she says.

Camilla Medhurst, General Manager at Spadework, an independent training organisation which undertakes tuition in a number of subject areas for adults with learning disabilities and one of the Art About partner organisations, reinforces the positive effects of the work on participants: “Low self-esteem can be a real issue for adults with learning disabilities. Experiencing and learning something new is so important in terms of personal development, and finding something you do well gives a real boost to confidence and feelings of self-worth.”

Importantly, too, she stresses the quality of the work itself: “The standard of work has been truly amazing,” she says. “Some of the artwork is absolutely beautiful.”

Morley has encouraged participants in the project to experiment with different types of art media, enabling them to decide what they enjoy and what they would like to develop further.

It is hoped that the next phase of the project will be securing a fully equipped studio that the artists can come and work in at their own pace, which may eventually be able to offer qualifications, internships and supported enterprise.

Photographs: Helen Morley

Photographs: Rikard Osterlund

Over in Medway, Wendy Daws has been working at Rochester Cathedral. Their Education Team has long wished to make the Cathedral’s new (2004) John the Baptist Fresco (the first real fresco to be created in an English Cathedral for 800 years) accessible to an even wider audience. This is to happen by means of a tactile plate, the contents of which have been decided through a series of ‘discovery workshops’ held by Daws with members of the KAB (Kent Association for the Blind) and young people with sensory impairments from Medway’s Aiming High programme.

Following the preparatory workshops, Daws is currently working on the tactile plate itself, creating the clay master of the fresco in her studio. It will be cast in bronze, ready for instalment at the Cathedral in January 2013. Running her regular workshops with the visually impaired is a self-initiated project which resonates with the dissertation she wrote at the University of Brighton in 2004 entitled ‘The Value of Touch, Blind Alphabet C and Museum Approaches to the Visually Impaired Visitor’.

The Art About: Ability exhibition opens at Leeds Castle on 23 November and will run for ten days (usual ticketing arrangements apply).

If you would like an invitation to the free launch evening or are able to offer support to the project, please email Helen Morley at hcmorley@yahoo. co.uk, call 07849 926239 or visit the Art About website.

Art-about.co.uk wendydaws.co.uk // kab.org.uk // leeds-castle.com // spadework.net

The subject, Daws feels, links strongly to Morley’s project, and recently the two artists have begun to collaborate. Daws has delivered a workshop to Morley’s Art About participants and the pair have future plans to bring more workshops to adults and children who might not normally have access to such learning..

It is exciting work with community at its heart, resonating with the artists’ own scholarship, aspirations to quality and commitment to their cause. Morley sums it up in a heartfelt statement on the Art About website: “I have discovered that art is a powerful tool of self-expression, even in the most simple line or mark. Art is classless, it can be transcendent, it should be available to everyone, everywhere.”

FILM HORSEBRIDGE ARTS & COMMUNITY CENTRE 11 Horsebridge Road, Whitstable, CT5 1AF 01227 281174

Kent Film Foundation presents SECTION 28 YOUTH FILM CLUB Wed Nov 7, 6-8pm A monthly, LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bi, trans, questioning) film club where young adults aged 15-25 can meet and make friends. horsebridge-centre.co.uk

MAIDSTONE FILM SOCIETY Hazlitt Theatre, Earl Street, Maidstone ME14 1PL 01622 753922

A diverse range of world cinema.

Licensed bar. Fixed rate parking in Fremlin Walk after 7pm.

Yearly subscription rates: Adult £24; Couples £42; Senior/ Student £19; Guest per film £3.50. maidstone-film-society.org.uk TYRANNOSAUR (18) 2011 Mon 19 Nov, 8pm Dir: Paddy Considine Cast: Peter Mullan, Olivia Coleman BAFTA award-winning British drama. “A brutal, frank, and ultimately rewarding story” of a violent man. (rottentomatoes. com) 92 mins MEDWAY FILM SOCIETY Brook Theatre, Chatham ME4 4SE 020 7638 0012

World cinema programme on 16mm prints. Single shows £6.50 (concs £5.50). Membership available THE BOOKSELLER WHO GAVE UP BATHING (U) 1968 Friday 30 Nov, 7.45pm Dir: Jarl Kulle Swedish period piece about a shy, middle-aged bookseller who marries a rich widow and discovers she has a past.

99 mins. With CHIEFS (1969) Dir: Richard Leacock Wickedly cynical portrait of a US police chief convention in Hawaii.

18 mins medwayfilm.org.uk SCREEN CLASSICS Central Theatre, 170 High Street, Chatham ME4 4AS 01634 338301

A monthly, big-screen celebration of cinema classics. Introduction and post-film discussion over a glass of wine hosted by programmer Nick Walker. £7, concs £5, includes free drink. medwayticketslive.co.uk NOW VOYAGER (U) 1942 Mon 19 Nov, 7.30pm Dir: Irving Rapper Cast: Bette Davis, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Gladys Cooper See Nick Walker’s article.

117 minutes MAIDSTONE FILM FEST 2012 Stepping Stone Studios 2 Museum Avenue, Maidstone ME14 1QX

14-20 November A rich and varied daily programme: Day 1: Cinematic Culture Festival Day 2: An exhibition of film: The Progression of Cinema Day 3: Young Filmmakers Day Day 4: A Future in Film Day 5: The Nest...

Day 6: European Cinema Day 7: British Cinema There is still time to enter your short film, animation or mini-documentary for the Film Fest and First Film Development Award.

Submissions close Nov 9th. steppingstonestudios.co.uk THE OTHER CINEMA Chatham Odeon Cinema, Maritime ME4 4LL 0871 22 44 007

A weekly showcase of quality films from around the world, with

a post-show discussion led by Nick Walker over a free glass of wine. £8.25/£6.25.

November screenings were not available when WOW went to print. For more information please visit and Like the new Facebook page, where the films will be listed on a weekly basis for the time being: facebook.com/ othercinema.rochester

SELECT RELEASES NOV: RUST AND BONE (15) Awarded Best Film at London Film Fest 2012. With Marion Cotillard. Rel 2 Nov BREAKING DAWN PART 2 (Cert tbc) Concluding part of the Twilight Saga. Rel 16 Nov GAMBIT (Cert tbc) Unlikely trio of Colin Firth, Cameron Diaz and Alan Rickman star. Coen brothers’ screenplay.

Rel 21 Nov GREAT EXPECTATIONS (Cert tbc) Latest adaptation directed by Mike Newell with Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonham Carter.

Rel 30/11 Showing at the following: ODEON CHATHAM 0871 224 4007. odeon.co.uk ODEON MAIDSTONE 0871 22 44 007. odeon.co.uk ROCHESTER CINEWORLD 0871 200 2000. cineworld.co.uk THE ROYAL CINEMA Box Office: 01795 591211 royalcinema.co.uk SHOWCASE BLUEWATER 0871 220 1000 showcasecinemas.co.uk/ bluewater

ASK FOR THE MOON. “OH, JERRY, DON’T LET’S WE HAVE THE STARS.”

NICK WALKER PREVIEWS ‘NOW VOYAGER’, THE HOLLYWOOD CLASSIC WHICH GAVE US ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS MOVIE LINES OF ALL TIME Irving Rapper’s 1942 classic Now Voyager is an excursion into psychiatry, about a neurotic spinster fighting to free herself from the shackles of a tyrannical and dictatorial mother. The aristocratic Boston dowager, played by Gladys Cooper, verbally and emotionally abuses her daughter, which contributes massively to the woman’s complete lack of self-confidence.

The film affords Bette Davis one of her superlative acting roles as the spinster still recalling the frustration of a girlhood love. Starting as dowdy, plump and possessed of a phobia that seemingly begs for the attention of psychiatrist Dr. Jaquith, played by the wonderfully restrained Claude Rains. With his support she is transformed from a repressed, hapless patient into a glamorous, attractive woman who soon finds herself, after long being starved for love and respect.

Davis is fantastic in the role (she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress) and her choice of leading man in Austrian actor Paul Henreid was a popular one. The film helped to define his new screen persona: debonair, cultured and genteel. Henreid’s next role was as Victor Laszlo, the idealistic, sensitive, patriotic anti-Nazi leader in ‘Casablanca’, also released in 1942, with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman.

Outspoken in his opposition to McCarthyism and adhering to his rights under the First Amendment, he was subsequently blacklisted as a “communist sympathiser” by the House Committee on UnAmerican Activities.

Davis and Henreid truly sparkle together and the classic moment in which Jerry puts two cigarettes in his mouth, lights both, then passes one to Charlotte, has gone down in cinematic folklore as an iconic image of Hollywood sexuality. It is also one of the screen’s most imitated scenes.

The love affair between Davis and Paul Henreid, a man who also finds love late in life, is brought about via Henreid’s emotionally unstable daughter, The particular distinction of ‘Now, Voyager’ is that another patient at the sanatorium, whose charms it’s probably the single most striking example of a persistent theme in women’s fiction: the Makeover. we cannot ignore.

The tale of a woman blossoming into a woman Davis showed little interest in ‘Now, Voyager’ of substance and position is a simple one but until producer Hal Wallis advised her that female beautifully and charmingly told… audiences needed romantic dramas to distract them from the reality of their lives. It became ‘Now, Voyager’ is showing as part of the one of the best known of her “women’s pictures.”

Screen Classics season at the Central Theatre, The film highlighted Davis’s ability to shape her Chatham on Monday 19 November at 7.30pm. future artistic ventures, as not only did she have a Ticket price includes a complimentary drink. significant role in influencing the decisions over her co-stars, the choice of director was predicated on a need to have a compliant individual at the helm.

MUSIC HIP HOP LEGEND GRANDMASTER FLASH COMES TO MEDWAY. This year marks 30 years since Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five released The Message the record that revolutionised hip hop.

The title track of the album has become one of the most influential hip hop tracks ever.

Medway has an ever growing community of DJs, MCs and break dancers, many of whom will have taken great influence from Grandmaster Flash. On 9 November, he will be spinning records at the Casino Rooms in Rochester with support from locally known DJs Henry Zoonka and [re:fried].

Tickets are available from teaconcerts.co.uk

JAZZ: 144 CLUB AT THE ROFFEN 41 New Road, Rochester ME1 1DX

Wed 7 November, doors open 7.15pm for bar and meal, show at 8.15pm DARIUS BRUBECK (plus TRACEY MENDHAM on sax and band).

Darius Brubeck is the son of the world famous American musician Dave Brubeck. Tunes such as Take Five were made famous by Dave Brubeck; his eldest son Darius (who plays piano too and looks most like Dave Brubeck) is credited with talent and skill equal to his father.

As a university professor of jazz and a commissioned composer Darius will be performing a mix of his own compositions and great Dave Brubeck hits such as Take Five and Blue Rondo. Darius Brubeck will be appearing at the 144Club with the Roan Kearsey-Lawson band with Tracey Mendham on sax.

Tickets £12 or £22 with 2 course meal. www.144club.co.uk or 01634 365453

THE BROOK THEATRE Old Town Hall, Chatham ME4 4SE 01634 338338

JAZZ AT THE BROOK: THE JIVE ACES Tue 27 Nov 8pm Hugely popular jive and swing sextet.

Classics/R&B and their own material. £13 medwayticketslive.co.uk CENTRAL THEATRE 170 High Street, Chatham, ME4 4AS 01634 338338

CITY OF ROCHESTER SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Sat 24 Nov 7.30pm Opening concert in the CRSO’s 43rd season. Highlights include Alexander Ardakov, professor of piano at Trinity College London, playing Rachmaninov’s 2nd Piano Concerto. Adults: £15, £12. Children & Students (up to 18yrs): £1. Concs available. crso.org.uk medwayticketslive.co.uk HASTINGS ARMS FUNCTION ROOM 18 Lower Rainham Road (leading to Danes Hill) Gillingham ME7 2YD 01634 851310

ROCHESTER SWING PRESERVATION SOCIETY: with John Francis, Grappelli style jazz violinist Thu 29 Nov 8.30pm. Raffle and free nibbles. £5.

Tel: 01634 712217 Please ‘Like’ RSPS on Facebook: ‘Rochester Swing Preservation Society’ NAGS HEAD 292 High Street, Rochester ME1 1HS MOTHERBOY night: Pity Party, That Massive Bereavement and Frau Pouch. Sat 3 Nov 8-11pm.

ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL Garth Precinct, Rochester ME1 1SX

MEDIAEVAL BAEBES with the Cathedral Choristers Fri 16 Nov Doors 7pm, show 7.30pm. £17.50 Tickets: mediaevalbaebes.com/live.html rochestercathedral.org ROYAL FUNCTION ROOMS 12 Star Hill, Rochester ME1 1XB

NON LEAGUE EXTREME with LUPEN CROOK, Arrows of Love and more Fri 2 Nov Doors 7pm. £6. JOHN COOPER CLARKE Nov 23 Doors 7pm. The punk poet comes to Medway! £18 wegottickets.com or preservationsocietypresents.com SINGAPORA LOUNGE 51 High Street, Rochester ME1 1LN

MOTHERBOY & WILLOW PROMOTIONS present a night of music and art. STUART TURNER & THE FLAT EARTH SOCIETY, KELLY STANLEY, BALANCE LOST, PUNCHING SWANS, DAN CLARKE and photography exhibition by Katie Blench. Fri 16 Nov 8pm-12.30am. 18+ Free entry STEPPING STONE STUDIOS 2 Museum Ave, ME14 1QX

DODGY JAMMERS JAM NIGHT Every Wednesday 8pm. All welcome steppingstonestudios.co.uk

AT THE MAN OF KENT ALE-HOUSE ROCHESTER NOVEMBER 2012 Thursday 1st Jem Turpin & Nightshift Tues 6th Ukulele Jam Wed 7th Ron Truman-Border & The Strangers Thurs 8th Stuart Turner & The Flat Earth Society Wed 14th Sarah McQuaid Thurs 15th Phil Woollett Wed 21st Kent Duchaine Thurs 22nd Kris Dollimore Wed 28th Ash Mandrake Thurs 29th Tener Duende

6-8 John Street, ROCHESTER, ME1 1YN 07772 214315 www.themanofkent.com

T H E AT R E BOOKISH EVENTS HORSEBRIDGE ARTS & COMMUNITY CENTRE 11 Horsebridge Road, Whitstable, CT5 1AF 01227 281174

VICTORIA MOSLEY: MOONFISHER Wed 7 Nov 7.30pm. Poet, novelist and spoken word artist Mosley reads from Moonfisher, a love story with a supernatural twist set in Second World War torn France and present day London. ‘A fast-moving and adventurous tribute to female courage,’ James Buchan (Guardian Review). Free: donations to charity (British Legion) on door. horsebridge-centre.co.uk

Adult content: strictly for over-18s. £10 PINOCCHIO Sun 11 Nov 2pm.

Image Musical Theatre presents this ‘Sundays are for Kids’ production. Family singalong and kids’ participation. £6, child £5, family of four: £20 CABARET OF CURIOSITIES Fri 23 Nov 8pm. Hugely popular night of indoor circus, burlesque, dancing and more . Not suitable for under 16s. £11 KIDS CABARET OF CURIOSITIES Sun 25 Nov 3pm. Cabaret and circus acts suitable for all. £6, four for £20 medwayticketslive.co.uk

WIGMORE LECTURE Wigmore Library, Fairview Avenue, ME8 0PX 01634 235576

THE WORLD’S MOST DANGEROUS JOBS – Paula Reid Wed 21 Nov 8pm Paula Reid has written a book of the same name, here giving a fascinating insight into the working lives of those who regularly stare death in the face. Tickets: £3.75 BILLABONG CLUB (COMEDY) Victoria Street, Rochester ME1 1XB

KATE SMURTHWAITE, SHAZIA MIRZA and KATE LUCAS Thu 29 Nov. Terrific all-female lineup this month. Doors open at 7.30pm, comedy at 8pm. £9 in advance or with a flyer or £12 on the door. Tickets in advance from the Billabong Club,the Dot Café at 172 High Street, Rochester or from www.wegottickets.com THE BROOK THEATRE Old Town Hall, Chatham ME4 4SE 01634 338338

MEDWAY COMEDY CLUB Mon 5 Nov 8pm. Stand-up comics from the UK comedy circuit.

THE CENTRAL THEATRE 170 High Street, Chatham, ME4 4AS 01634 338338

ALAN DAVIES –Life is Pain The comedy star’s first stand-up tour for ten years. £25, £23 medwayticketslive.co.uk HAZLITT THEATRE Earl Street, Maidstone ME14 1PL 01622 758611

COPPELIA Sun 18 Nov 2pm Presented by the Vienna Festival Ballet, with music by Delibes. £19.50, concs £16.

GONZO MOOSE in WHAT THE DICKENS? The Misadventures of Charles Dickens. Wed 21 Nov 7.30pm. Pegasus presents this absurd comedy featuring three actors playing over 20 roles: ‘An exuberant mash-up of improvisation, physical theatre, slapstick and satire.’ The Stage £12, concs £10 SEAN HUGHES – Life Becomes Noises Fri 30 Nov,

8pm. In bittersweet stand-up show, Hughes tackles the death of his father. Age guide: 16+. £16 hazlittartscentre.co.uk

THE MARLOWE THEATRE The Friars, Canterbury CT1 2AS 01227 787787

Northern Ballet’s BEAUTY & THE BEAST Tue 6-Sat 10 Nov 7.30pm, Thu & Sat Mat 2.30pm.

A new version of the fairytale with a score which includes music by Debussy, Poulenc and Saint-Säens. £16.50-£34, concs available CHICAGO Mon 12-Sat 17 Nov 7.30pm, Fri 5pm & 8.30pm, Sat Mat 2.30pm. Acclaimed Broadway musical starring Ali Bastian, Stefan Booth and Bernie Nolan, with choreography by Bob Fosse. £18.50-£41, concs available GLYNDEBOURNE TOUR: LE NOZZE DI FIGARO (The Marriage of Figaro) Tue 20 & Sat 24 Nov, 7.15pm; RUSALKA Wed 21 & Fri 23 Nov 7.15pm £29-£60; THE YELLOW SOFA (in the Studio) Sat 24 Nov 2.30pm, all tickets £15. World class opera comes to Canterbury. marlowetheatre.com (booking charge applies via internet )

THE ORCHARD Home Gardens, Dartford DA1 1ED 01322 220000

THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES Wed 7 Nov 7.30pm. Eve Ensler’s hilarious Broadway and West End hit. Ages 15+ £21, £19, concs £1.50 off. orchardtheatre.co.uk

A Co-educational Day and Boarding School

Year 7 to sixth form “RIC is such a friendly place. My teachers are great and they make the lessons really interesting. It’s informal but we still get lots of work done. I want to be a GP when I grow up, working with patients and helping them.”

Caitlin, Year 8 student • Very small classes (maximum 12) • No school uniform • Academically non-selective • College minibus services • No open days - visit us any time • Call for an appointment

www.rochester-college.org ISC ACCREDITED | STAR HILL ROCHESTER ME1 1XF 01634 828115 An Evening of Poetry, Prose and Music Dorothy Fryd David Moody Michael Curtis Lyn White Danny Rhodes Wayne Simmons Richard Navarro Alison McNaught & open mic session

Writing Allowed

Box Office 01622 758611 www.hazlittartscentre.co.uk

Fri 9 November 7pm

£6 in advance or £8 on the night

An evening of poetry, prose and music with open mic.

Box Office: 01622 758611 www.hazlittartscentre.co.uk

The Fourth Wall, Hazlitt Arts Centre 9 November @ 7.00 pm £6 in advance £8 on the door

What the Dickens?

The Misadventures of Charles Dickens Wed 21 November 7.30pm £12 Concs £10

‘An exuberant mash-up of improvisation, physical theatre, slapstick and satire’ The Stage

VISUAL ART THE DEAF CAT COFFEE BAR & GALLERY

MAIDSTONE MUSEUM & BENTLIF ART GALLERY

83 High Street, Rochester ME1 1LX

St Faith’s Street, Maidstone ME14 1LH 01622 602838

Open all week 9.30am-5pm ROLLING EXHIBITION OF MEDWAY ARTISTS New submissions policy The Deaf Cat has new, rolling submissions policy, with NO hanging charge and 30% commission.

Artists should submit an image of their work(s) to art@ thedeafcat.com. All work must be priced and ready to hang.

Labels are supplied and you will be informed if anything sells.

Open to all. thedeafcat.com GUILDHALL MUSEUM High Street, Rochester ME1 1PY 01634 848717

A WORLD MADE REAL: Dickens and Victorian Life To 28 Feb 2013. Open 10am-4.30pm (not Mon) An exhibition relating objects in the Museum to social themes in Dickens’ novels. Free HORSEBRIDGE ARTS & COMMUNITY CENTRE 11 Horsebridge Road, Whitstable, CT5 1AF 01227 281174

FRAGMENTS Wed 7-Tue 13 Nov Mon-Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 10am6pm New work from six artists: Dave Bray, Zara Carpenter, Rikard Österlund, Matt Bray, Darrell Hawkins and Rikka Eiro. horsebridge-centre.co.uk MAKING ART WORK 23 Union Street, Maidstone ME14 1EB

See News for November workshops RED is the theme of the second exhibition. Free Preview evening: Fri 16 Nov 6.30– 8.30pm. Exhibition continues: Sat 17 Nov to Sun 16 Dec, open Thu to Sun 10am-4pm. Free entry. makingart-work.co.uk

10am-5pm Mon-Sat, 12-4pm Sun MATISSE: DRAWING WITH SCISSORS Late Works 1950-54 To 18 Nov. Hayward touring exhibition. 35 lithographic prints of the artist’s famous cut-outs. £3 entrance fee museum.maidstone.gov.uk NO.1 SMITHERY The Historic Dockyard Chatham, ME4 4TZ 01634 823800

Daily 10am-6pm to 27 Oct, 10am-4pm from 28 Oct. Adults £16.50, Children £11, concs available. Includes unlimited return to all Dockyard attractions for one year. WHIRRS, COGS AND THINGAMABOBS in No 1, Smithery: The Gallery To 2 Dec. A collection of over 150 antique gadgets.

ART IN THE DOCKYARD – MASTERCLASSES A series of masterclasses for each category of the Art in the Dockyard competition MIXED MEDIA with Frances Cowper Holzhausen 3 Nov 10am12.30pm & 1.30pm-4pm FIGURATIVE/PORTRAIT with Paul Osborne 3 Nov 10am-4pm YOUNG ARTISTS’ WORKSHOP with Louisa Martin 10 Nov 10am-12.30pm & 1.20pm-4pm LANDSCAPE with Marissa Mardon 10 Nov 10am-4pm JUBILEE (60 Years of the Dockyard) with Andrew Kennedy 10am-4pm See website for levels and what to bring.

Most workshops £30. thedockyard.co.uk NUCLEUS ARTS 272 High Street, Chatham ME4 4BP 01634 812108

Gallery opens 9-5pm, closed Sunday Free CHATHAM ZOO: New works

by Artist/Sculptor Christopher Sacre, Painter/Photographer Marissa Mardon and Illustrator/ Designer Mark Barnes. To 1pm on 8 Nov. The artists themselves will be exhibited in an enclosure, waiting to be fed inspiration and materials by the public.

Private Zoo 26 Oct 6-8pm, all welcome. AFFORDABLE ART EXHIBITION - VARIOUS ARTISTS 10 Nov-1pm on 6 Dec. A diverse showcase of original artwork at accessible prices with plenty of gift ideas. Exhibition preview/ meet the artists: Friday 9 November, 6-8pm AUCTION of original works and prints in aid of Nucleus Arts’ social inclusion project Art Inclusive Wed 5 Dec (see website for time). nucleus-arts.com NUCLEUS ARTS ROCHESTER 75 High Street, Rochester ME1 1LX 01634 780932

November’s Featured Artist is Esha Mirari (aka Husna Khatun).

NUCLEUS ARTS MAIDSTONE 2-4 Granada House, Gabriel’s Hill, Maidstone ME15 6JR 01622 690337

Gallery shops with eclectic selection of artworks, cards and jewellery by local artists.

ROCHESTER ART GALLERY & CRAFT CASE Medway Visitor Information Centre, 95 High Street, Rochester ME1 1LX

01634 338319 Mon-Sat 10am5pm, Sun 10.30am-5pm.

UNDER A BRIDGE: SIMON BARKER To Sun 2 Dec. Barker investigates how a place can be defined by the hidden, the missing and the erased.

JENNIFER COLLIER and VIRGINIA GRAHAM in the Craft Case.

FAMILY WORKSHOP: Sat 3 Nov 12.30-3pm with Wendy Daws.

Telephone to book or email arts@medway.gov.uk

Young Artists Exhibition This month’s striking cover image is the work of Joe Reddy from Bethany School, one of the entrants in the 17-18 year old category of the 2012 John Downton Awards, an annual exhibition which encourages and celebrates the diverse talent of a new generation of artists.

Each year, students from schools and colleges across the County are invited to participate, giving young artists the opportunity to exhibit their work, possibly for the first time in their careers.

Apparently record numbers have submitted their work to the Awards in 2012, and the standard of entries is encouragingly high, yielding a lively collection of artworks for the exhibition at The County Gallery in Maidstone.

The annual Awards were established in 2000 at the request of Hilda Downton, the sister of John Downton, the celebrated Kent artist, poet and philosopher, who was born in Erith in 1906.

Partners in the project include: Kent County Council, who host the Awards on behalf of the John Downton Trust, UCA, Turner Contemporary and The Kent People’s Trust.

The Awards are open to young people between the ages of 11 and 18 and artwork within the exhibition includes photographs, mixed media and paintings. There is an impressive panel of judges which includes the lead artist on the Kent Cultural Baton, Nicole Mollett, and Turner Contemporary’s Head of Learning, Karen Eslea. Award winners are selected in a number of categories according to age and media, and there is a John Downton trophy awarded for the best overall submission.

Winners will be announced at an Awards Evening on Thursday 15 November.

Young Artists Exhibition runs from Friday 16 November to Monday 3 December at The County Gallery, Sessions House, County Hall, Maidstone ME14 1XQ. Open Mon – Fri 9am - 5pm (admission free, wheelchair accessible).

For further information email johndowntonawards@kent.gov.uk

‘Marbles’, Elke Jensen ‘Notre Dame’, Milan Limbu ‘ Canterbury Cathedral’, Kieran Haynes

wow winter

GIVEAWAY!

WIN A FAMILY TICKET TO THE LATEST FAMILY TREAT FROM THE BROOK THEATRE

Continuing its well-thought out, much welcomed policy to commission new work specifically aimed at pre-school children from its excellent resident theatre and dance companies, The Brook Theatre, Chatham is about to unveil its latest offering in time for Christmas.

‘The Little Lost Frog and the Christmas Wish’ has been jointly created especially for three to six year olds by all four resident creative companies at The Brook Theatre – Play on Words, Loop Dance, Icon Theatre and Sparkle & Dark. Tailor-made to be approximately 50 minutes long, the festive show is a great introduction to the theatre for young children.

Songs and music, contemporary dance, colourful costumes and mixed media are used to create amazing special effects which the creators hope will gently fuel the imagination of small children as they join the Little Lost Frog on an adventure to get his Christmas wish, solving puzzles and clues along the way.

WOW is offering readers the chance to win a Family Ticket (two adults, two children) to see ‘The Little Lost Frog and the Christmas Wish’ at The Brook Theatre, Chatham at 5pm on Saturday, 22 December. Please email your name and address to the editor at competitions@wowkent.co.uk

by Friday 30 November for a chance to win.

EDITORIAL: editor@wowkent.co.uk 0845 388 2243 (local rate from BT landlines)

Distributed locally to Medway households and public pick-up points throughout the Medway towns and Maidstone.

FREE LISTINGS: listings@wowkent.co.uk

Current print circulation: 5000 copies.

ADVERTISING: advertising@wowkent.co.uk

Excellent discounts for series bookings available to all advertisers. All ads also appear in the e-edition of the magazine at wowkent.co.uk

DESIGN: A Stone’s Throw astonesthrowdesign.co.uk PRINTING: The Colour Factory Ltd, Sittingbourne, 01795 470 825, www.colour-factory.com

Copy/listing deadline for December issue:

PUBLISHER: Emma Dewhurst

©WOW Kent magazine.

20 November 2012

This fantastic show runs from Saturday 15 December to Saturday 5 January 2013. To make the theatre trip even more special, a ‘froggy feast’ can be booked for before or after the show, for as little as £4 a head. Contact the box office on 01634 338338 for more details.

Show tickets are priced at £6.95 per person, with group bookings and concessions available. Phone the box office on 01634 338338 or visit medwayticketslive.co.uk

All rights reserved. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that details in this publication are accurate, we cannot accept responsibility for such. Readers are advised to check listings information to avoid disappointment.

Views expressed by contributors and advertisers do not necessarily reflect those of the editor and publisher. wowkent.co.uk

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@EmmaDewhurst7 WOW magazine is printed on 100% recycled paper

WOW ’ S I M P R I N T , G R E E N H E A R T P R E S S , L A U N C H E S I T S S E C O N D P U B L I C AT I O N T H I S M O N T H

G R ENEENE R G G R E E N Green are the forests – green the fields, green the frogs newly painted, green the ’gages bought in case of hunger.

Green your eyes which the visor shields from overbearing sun.

In their cages the tigers crouch, panthers stalk.

State of the art this, you know, the Keeper boasts, a pyramid of stages where you and they – the animals – can walk, the dignity of both preserved.

The Northern Lights had a great swathe of green, a satin cloak flung into lowering sky the night my childhood ended.

‘CAPTURING SNOWFLAKES’

IS A COLLECTION OF NEW AND SELECTED POEMS BY ACTRESS EVE PEARCE Born in Aberdeen, Eve Pearce spent her early childhood in Nice. She came to London age 12, and regards herself as a Scottish Londoner. She began writing poetry at the age of 70 and in 2007 John Rety published her pamphlet ‘Woman in Winter’ (Hearing Eye). She has had a long and varied career as an actress, making countless appearances on stage, TV and film, and is currently appearing in ‘Getting On’ with Jo Brand on BBC4.

I note the flash of green in the eye of the tiger.

‘Capturing Snowflakes’ is available on Amazon, or please email editor@wowkent.co.uk. £8.99