Reviews and comment from the Demon Crew - creative writers at De Montfort University, Leicester.

Thursday, 28 February 2013

Calm confidence, and a roar of applause

During this hour long showcase of original literary pieces, I was struck by how calm and confident all of the readers presented themselves whilst expressing their own work. It takes a lot of will power to share something that you have created, pouring hours of time into each individual piece, and even more so in front of an audience of strangers.

Works ranging from poems about the ridiculous and the fantastic to stories dealing with rage, frustration and empathy were showcased.  One performer even strolled up the steps to interact with the audience. It felt as if the personalities and personae of each individual author/poet were carried through into the delivery of their pieces, making their stories feel that much more engaging.

Even though the event took place in a raked lecture theatre, seats were filled from front to back, adding to the atmosphere.  It was wonderful to be part of an experience where writers and readers could come together and silently bounce off of each other while performing or listening. Every person in that room genuinely wanted to be engaged within the story-telling and, judging by the roar of applause at the end, that was exactly what happened.

The dark comedic final poem: ‘I didn’t mean to...’ was a personal highlight. At the final words, the entire room erupted into laughter.

Great Job to all seven writers!
Graeme Tait

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