The Republic of Road Shows - featuring The Eastern

Not content with revolutionary poetry/music shows in the form of the Catalyst Road Show, we're combining it with the Republic of Poets featuring musical accompaniment from The Stray Empire and taking the whole thing on the road with local legends The Eastern.  This will be the most epic Catalyst Road Show ever - and there's two of 'em...

Yep, this time we're sharing the love with North Canterbury - a show in Oxford and a show in Rangiora.  Two classic old-time venues recently restored and perfectly suited to a night of mesmerising spoken word combined with music and a good old fashioned knees-up and throw down courtesy of the band described as 'one of the best modern roots bands' and 'toughest-minded songwriters'.

Catalyst Road Show
- tickets available on undertheradar and on the door.

Oxford Town Hall, Sat 9th May, 8pm

Rangiora Town Hall, Thurs 14th May, 8pm

These shows have been made possible by support from Waimakariri District Creative Communities

Catalyst Road Show: My Republic - book launch and performance in WORD ChCh Writers Festival

#WORDChCh

WORD Christchurch Writers & Readers Festival 2014

WORD Christchurch Writers & Readers Festival 2014

 Wow! Has two years gone by already?  It's that time again, when the Writers Festival hits town and this time it's got a brand new look and is more ambitious than ever - 68 events over 5 days.  2014 also sees a much bigger spotlight on poetry and we are proud to be presenting not one but two shows this year.

Catalyst Road Show reprise: My Republic 
Saturday 30 August - 9pm - The Darkroom - Free entry!

Yep, we're bringing back the popular poetical, musical road trip especially for the WORD Christchurch 2014 festival. Featuring some of the stand-out performance poets from our 2013 slow tour of the city suburbs and one special guest, reunited with Doc Drumheller on guitar, the original seven Road Shows showcased some amazing performance poets in celebration of ten years of Catalyst journals and open mics.  The 2013 shows came with seven limited edition chapbooks (collector's items now!) and culminated with the launch of Catalyst volume 10.  Now this special one-off Road Show brings to festival audiences a taste of this multi-collaboration, song and poem experience and launches the 11th volume of Catalyst 'My Republic'.  Featured poets: Andy Coyle; Ben Brown; Ciaran Fox; Kimberley Holmes and special Auckland guest Grace Taylor of Rising Voices fame accompanied by Doc Drumheller on guitar and songs.


Survivor: Poetry 

Sunday 31 August - 6pm
Rydges Savoy West - $12/$10 entry


Yep that's right, it's the return of the infamous, cut-throat and downright unfair performance poetry competition. Stranded before a live audience, 10 poets have only their guts and wits to see them through a series of challenging rounds of poetical mayhem - only to have to run the gauntlet of Tribal Council. Who will outlast them all to become our third ever 'Survivor Poet'?

So we're looking for fearless (or foolhardy) poets to be our castaways - auditions will be held at our next open mic on the 5th August - 7pm at the Twisted Hop in Woolston. We'll put up a separate post about this to remind you. Come on, you know you want to!