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Friday 7^thFebruary – COMEDY CLUB – 7pm 

Four up and coming stars of the comedy circuit share their jokes including some new material. 

Get an EARLYBIRD TICKET for just £5 – available until Monday. 

 On the bill: JacobHatton is astand-up and writer with a penchant for jokewriting to back his sharpobservations and flights of fancy.“Brilliantly Britishhumour” EdFringe Review

 SharlinJahan (as heard onthe Now Show, Funny Women Finalist) is a short, Canadian, brown, lady and won’tstop telling (yelling at) you about it.

 LeslieGold has got anendearing cool-auntie vibe on stage and audiences love her well-crafted,intelligent jokes (and her dick jokes too), engaging storytelling, and nativeNew Jersey accent. “Witty, engaging and a keen eye forobservation... the perfect mix." ★★★★ -Theatre & Art Reviews

Richard Todd began stand-up comedy in 2011 andhas won several awards, club sets at Up The Creek, Latitude Festival, downstairsat The Kings Head, and others. Crazily funny stuff.' ★★★★ The Scotsman

Saturday 8^thFebruary - The Turnpike Torch - EDITION 1 - 12 Noon. FREE

Come join us in the creation of our fanzine about Turnpike Torch people, places, books, happenings,whatevers.

We will meet at noon,get our brief from the chief editor, go out to hunt down a story, return to the bookshop, scribble, then type our copy on typewriters.

Editors will then use cut and paste method to set it all out. A newspaper edition written and produced in one day.

Storytelling: BEOWULF parts 2 and 3 Saturday 8^th and 15^th 

Doors 7pm for 7.30pm start. £10 each night or £20 advance booking for all three.

Following the sell-out three-night performance of The Epic of Gilgamesh here at the shop last summer we're delighted to announce that epic storytelling is back. Taking place over the first three Saturday nights in February, come and join us for BEOWULF.

 There’s a recipe for renown: ‘Save the day.Beat monsters. Gift your reward to the right receiver.’ And don’t get old.
Beowulf is destined for renown: he’s made sure of it. He knows his history, andhe knows his enemy. But there are always other enemies, and the ‘truth’ of a history always depends on its tellers …
Dive with Minnie Wilkinson and Laura Sampson and sound artist Sam Enthoven into a mere of epic heroes - a time and place where it’s not about living, it’s about living on. To do that, you have to win. To win, you have to fight. To fight, you have to forget you’re afraid to die.

 There are just a few tickets left so get yourswhile you can.  

TICKETS 

Saturday 22nd February- Poetry Launch: Bettina Schroeder, James A. Smith and guests - 6.30pm. Free.

‘Flirting On An Escalator’ and ‘ISaw Michael Caine’ are two simply brilliant debut anthologies from Bettina Schroeder and James A. Smith. Embark upon a voyage of discovery with Bettina and James and experience poetry live at their joint launch event. There will also be other exciting poetic talents performing, tbc.   

BETTINA SCHROEDER is a London based multimedia artist. She has been writing verse and spoken word pieces with and without musical accomplishment for many years and loves performing live. “Bettina Schroeder revels in the joys of travel on London buses, of passing through the netherworld of airports, of wandering like at wenty first century Dickens through the streets of London. All this with an acute eye, with humanity and with humour. These are sensuous poems that reward the reader” -Hank Wangford

JAMES A. SMITH: On a roll of inspiration since the recent publication of his first book of poetry ‘ISaw Michael Caine,’ James A. Smith will choose from old favourites and brandnew verses, checking in on romance, grief, overheard conversations, and his love of nature, all performed in his characteristic conversational style. “You really capture the atmosphere of places - you conjure up that magic portal where the reader can see and feel what they’re reading. It’s a kind of alchemy”-Robyn Hitchcock

Friday 28th February- Song writing Workshop: Exploring Songwriting with Phil Cooper - Doors 7pm.£10.

Have you ever wondered how a song is born? There’s a magic to it that remains mysterious even to the most experienced songwriter. In “Exploring Songwriting”,singer-songwriter Phil Cooper presents an evening of live music and spoken word, exploring the art of songwriting. Through stories and examples he explains how a song can come into existence within a matter of minutes, and how some songs can take years to perfect. He demonstrates some of his own approaches and methods, in an accessible,interesting and entertaining manner. If you’re fascinated by music there’s loads here for you, regardless of whether you write music yourself.

TICKETS

GALLERY

DRAWING THE LINE FOR PALESTINE - INGA BYSTRAM -Free.

 Friday 24th January – February 24th

This month in our gallery: a collection of live sketches by artist IngaBystram. Inga's work is a personal yet universal story of finding one's own way to resist and support political causes. For Inga, the most suitable way is through her art. At protests, she perches herself on her little stool and diligently goes about depicting the dynamic energy of the demonstrations through her quick yet detailed sketches that she completes in real time.