These Poetry and Reminiscence sessions are all about sparking memory through the sharing and reading aloud of well-loved poems. This summer Caleb Parkin will be our host for the poetry and reminiscence cabaret! Over five weekly afternoon poetry performances, Caleb Parkin will host as we hear poems, play with words and connect through poem-making:
Dirty Cabaret – it’s not what you think! We’ll hear poems of plants, earth, rock and – perhaps – a little mud. Poems of earthy abundance and rootedness from Derek Walcott, Mary Oliver and more.
Don your poncho: in the Soggy Cabaret, rivers and oceans of poetry will flow into your ears, from Wordsworth’s Thames and the ‘cool blue middle’ of Tony Hoagland’s lake.
The Sizzling Cabaret will up the temperature with fiery poems: Blake’s ‘Tyger’ roves alongside poems in praise of the Sun – as well as those of love, lust and longing.
Take flight in the Blustery Cabaret with poems of airy exploration and adventure. From Ted Hughes’ ‘Wind’ to Kwame Dawes’ ‘Tornado Child’, we’ll embrace the blustery and billowing.
Wear your most futuristic outfit for our grand finale: Cabaret… in Space! Through poems about comets and astronauts, space dogs, robots and extra-terrestrials, we’ll set the countdown timer at Poetry NASA and wait for lift off.
These sessions will take place on consecutive Wednesdays from 30 June to 28 July 2021, 4-5.30pm. The full list of dates: 30 June, 7, 14, 21 and 28 July.
PLEASE NOTE: We are intending for these sessions to take place in-person at Exeter Custom House and will be monitoring the latest Government guidance concerning ongoing Covid-19 restrictions.
Cabaret tables can be booked individually or for two people – you and a member of your bubble or a carer. You will be asked to confirm the number of your party (either one or two) when placing the booking. Booking includes light refreshments (tea/coffee and biscuits). You can choose to book to attend all sessions (choose the block booking ticket option) or for individual sessions (choose the applicable date(s)).
Accessibility Statement: This event will take place at Exeter Custom House. The event will be hosted in the historic rooms on the first floor of the building. There is step-free entry to the ground floor and a lift connects the ground and first floors. If you have particular access requirements please let us know by email after booking. We have a budget for accessibility at Quay Words and will do our best to accommodate your needs. We can accommodate free tickets for carers or personal assistants if needed. Please email us on customhouse@literatureworks.org.uk after booking to let us know if you would like to book one of these tickets.
Disabled parking provision: There are five free disabled parking spaces for registered Blue Badge holders next to the Exeter Antiques Centre immediately in front of the Custom House. Maximum stay is three hours.