Things are hotting up in the worlds of books and speech as the music and literature festivals season approaches...

11 June: Southbank Centre presents
THE FUGS + Lewis Floyd Henry

At the heart of the 1960s Beat scene, The Fugs regularly performed with Allen Ginsberg and other American luminaries of poetry, as well as adapting verse by William Blake and Mathew Arnold. Now they return to London for the first time in 42 years for an unmissable concert.

WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS HERE (competition ended)

12 June: Southbank Centre presents
AN EVENING WITH CLIVE ANDERSON & SPECIAL GUESTS


Join Clive Anderson and friends for an evening of music, comedy and drama to launch SANE's 25th anniversary Year of the Black Dog campaign. Special guests include Ray Davies, Jane Asher,
 KT Tunstall and The Leisure Society.  Curated by Ray Davies as part of Meltdown.

Jun onwards: JEAN 'BINTA' BREEZE BOOK TOUR

I’m a third world girl
uncut diamond
unfound pearl
wakened from my dreaming
far too early for my years…. (extract from Third World Girl) 

Third World Girl is the new poetry collection by Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze, published by Bloodaxe.  The book-DVD offers new and selected poems spanning Jean’s thirty years of performing and captivating audiences through her keen observation, earthy style and infectious zest for life and language.

With launches in Leicester, Birmingham and London, Jean will meet and engage with the audiences and the communities that have supported her over many years. The tour has been produced by renaissance one in association with Bloodaxe and many festivals and organisations and you can find out more below.
Watch Jean perform from the book HERE  TOUR INFO

30 June: we support the exhuberant Tongue Fu who offer one of the best-attended poetry nights in London and always impress with their line ups.  The UK’s brightest stars of performance poetry and spoken word mix it up with the supremely talented Tongue Fu Band (UNKLE, Nostalgia 77, Graham Coxon) and this month features Elvis McGonagall – fiery stand up poet, a World Slam Champion and a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4’s Saturday Live - Maria Slovakova – who makes poems, paintings, stickers, clothes, toys, iphone apps and album artwork and has been featured by Tom Robinson on BBC Radio 6 – and Anthony Anaxagorou – a former Slambassador who toured the UK with MOBO winner Akala. Plus special guests, Poet In Residence Shane Solanki and hosting by Chris Redmond as heard on BBC Radio 4’s Pick Of The Week
Tickets sell fast and early booking is recommended.
Join the facebook group HERE   BOOK HERE

19 July: Jean 'Binta' Breeze's London Book Launch

what they say 'A major, perhaps even a great voice. For stature, Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze invites a Caribbean comparison with Maya Angelou, except that her range is broader still. Her poetry shifts effortlessly through standard English to a native Jamaican which has no equal in its emotional depth' The Herald

Jean ‘Binta’ Breeze launches her new Book-DVD Third World Girl in London at New Beacon Books in July.

New Beacon was one of the first venues to host Jean when she arrived from Jamaica as a young aspiring poet and communicator.  As both venue and cultural organisation, it has cut a dash as a trailblazing publisher, a champion for social justice, and a home-from-home for many. 

Event free, early booking advised BOOK HERE
Event in association with New Beacon Books, George Padmore Institute and Bloodaxe

Here's a link to our ABOUT US page

BASS Festival (British Arts and Street Sounds) is the UK’s only month long celebration of Black Music and Art. Every June, through a range of commissions and partnerships, it presents an eclectic line up of events, gigs, masterclasses, showcases, club nights, theatre, conferences and film.
The theme for 2011 is Revolution explored in terms of physical movement, music as a weapon of change and celebrating the creators of radical new music and styles.
Past commissions have included a Live Jazz and Hip Hop night with Jazzanova and Eska Mtungwazi, a Hip Hop and Poetry fusion night with Ursula Rucker and Ty and a Film screening and Q&A with graffiti legends Henry Chalfant and Goldie.  To view the festival programme click HERE

JOHN SIDDIQUE
The writer John Siddique has been notable over the last few years, for his poetry collections, short stories and novel, for co-authoring the Four Fathers collection of stories on fathers and sons with Tom Palmer, James Nash and Ray French, and for fostering a range of public art projects and residencies in Canterbury (Poetry City), Blackpool and other cities. 

His new poetry collection Full Blood is published by Salt and launched in London this month at the Poetry Society Café on 22 June, all are welcome and more information can be found HERE
Read John Siddique's blog here
Read a review of Full Blood

Here's a link to our WHAT'S ON page

Thanks to all those who attended and supported the launch of the Little Hands Clapping paperback by award-winning writer Dan Rhodes, an event we presented last month in partnership with Canongate.  New-York based writer Barry Yourgrau joined Dan at the charming venue - newly-opened Idler Academy - to read and perform some short stories.  Recently we asked Dan about his influences and what he’s up to next.

What themes interest you?


Everything I write is, in one way or another, a love story.


What 3 words best describe you?

Elusive. Evasive. Slippery.


How did you get into writing fiction and micro-fiction?


As a big reader, it was something I really wished I was good at, and after many, many false starts and a lot of failure, embarrassment and aggravation, I found my voice. My main motivation for persevering was the notion that being a writer would be a way to impress girls.

Any writers you're influenced by?    


It was reading Barry Yourgrau that got me into writing very short stories about boys and girls, so it was a real delight to do an event alongside him.


What creative masterpiece do you wish you'd written or created?


The complete works of Chekhov.


Any works in progress you're excited by?


I've just finished an epic blockbuster of a novel, my longest by miles, which will be out in March 2012, and after a break of over a decade I'm writing short fiction again, which I'm very happy about. Hopefully that will follow shortly after. 


What's an important piece of insider knowledge you have as a writer?


Unfortunately, publishers do not jump for joy when they find out one of their authors is writing short fiction.

Read Dan Rhodes' blog

METTA & LONDON LITERATURE FESTIVAL, JULY: Metta will be performing a stage adaptation of Jeanette Winterson's modern classic Sexing the Cherry at the Southbank Centre on 1 and 2 July as part of the London Literature Festival.  Set on the banks of the muddy Thames in 17th-century London, Sexing the Cherry is a tapestry of tales spun with magical threads. Using spoken word, music, animation and puppetry, Metta Theatre brings to life one of Jeanette Winterson's most vibrant novels.
Tickets £20 (£15 concessions) 
Book through Southbank Centre | 0844 875 0073

Find out more about London Literature Festival here

SPREAD THE WORD JUNE EVENTS: don’t miss Spread the Word’s events this month including: 
Recharge! your creative writing with poet Cath Drake at the Poetry Library | 6, 20 June 
Get your Script Noticed – a masterclass for scriptwriters in partnership with BBC Writersroom and Soho Theatre | 9 June 
Writing Short Form, a workshop led by Bidisha | 11 June 
Open Voice with Helen Dunmore, a masterclass in voice and voices in fiction for advanced writers | 18 June 
Info and bookings

ALCHEMY PRESENTS FAIZ IN YORKSHIRE: 8, 9, 10 JUNE
Yorkshire is fortunate to be the only region hosting a three-day programme marking the centenary of the birth of the eminent poet and major literary voice Faiz Ahmed Faiz and involving his daughter, the artist Salima Hashmi. In three very different presentations Salima focuses on three strands of Faiz’s writing – freedom, peace and conflict, at events taking place on 8, 9 and 10 June at Opera North (Leeds), Harewood House (Leeds) and the National Media Museum (Bradford) respectively.  The events are presented by Alchemy in partnership with the host organisations and Ilkley Literature Festival.  You can read the full details here

RICH MIX PRESENTS ANTHONY JOSEPH AND THE SPASM BAND: 14 June
Trinidad-born Anthony Joseph is one of the UK's most exciting and innovative voices via the mediums of fiction, poetry, afro-futurism and musical genres.  The author of three poetry collections, Desafinado, Teragaton and Bird Head Son, and a critically acclaimed novel The African Origins of UFOs, Anthony performs with the acclaimed Spasm Band at the Rich Mix. Book here
 

We have teamed up with Vox Africa who produce Shoot The Messenger, a TV magazine show of news, discussion, insight and performance, presented by Henry Bonsu. renaissance one’s aim is to showcase innovative arts and culture from the African continent and diaspora.

The latest segment in May presents Jean 'Binta' Breeze performing live, and in conversation. Watch here

The April segment features Adisa discussing writing,  mentoring, and performing poems live in the studio. Click here to watch (45 mins in).

The March segment spotlighted Caribbean spoken word and Jamaican folklorist Louise Bennett click here to watch (45 mins in)

renaissance one are producers and advocates who work across literature artforms - from poetry and prose to talks, spoken word, festivals and education work.

Our activity involves

• Writer representation and brokerage
• Producing events and launches
• Workshops
• Tours
• Project management and Consultancy
• Mentoring emerging artists and practitioners

Writers and artists we have worked and collaborated with include Ali Smith, Gary Younge, Caroline Bird, Jason Yarde, Michael Horovitz, Mike Ladd, Jackie Kay, Robin Ince, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Laura Dockrill and Dan Rhodes. 

Our forté is to channel our curiosity, imagination and our wide-ranging understanding of literature into any given project to bring unique results.  Look out for guest editors and new features in the coming months.

Contact us hq[at]renaissanceone.co.uk

Look at some of the artists we work with