From: info@creative-routes.org

Subject: Bonkers e-mail out – Creative Routes update

Date: September 12, 2007

*Warm Greetings* to all from Creative Routes. Here follows an email update on things passed and things to come. Hope to see you all soon.

*** Inside this bonkers mail out: ***

• Bonkersfest on Tour at Liberty
• Bonkersfest 2008 – call for submissions
• Muses Café returns on October 12
• Camberwell Baths Campaign march Training opportunities on running workshops for poets and writers

***** Bonkersfest on Tour at **Liberty** – THANK YOU!!!!!*

First of all, HUGE, HUGE THANKYOU’S to all the volunteers, performers and artists involved in the outrageously successful Bonkersfest on Tour at Liberty Festival, which took place in Trafalgar Square on September 1, 2007.

The “Half-baked Carnival of the Nutters” zone curated by Creative Routes did a fantastic job in DE-NORMALISING the whole festival. See below for the full list of people to whom we are supremely grateful, and please find attached some photos of the event and an article from the South London Press.

Specifically, thanks to:

• Orly Orbach and her ‘Flour beach and ‘Homonutticus Nutticus’;
• to Lucy Panesar (with Richard Cobelli) for her ‘Marketing Madness’ installation;
• to Isa Suarez and the Human Rights JukeBox;
• to Lennie Payne for his highly original ‘Toast Art’;
• and of course to the Sandwich Board Man, Daniel Lehan.
• Thanks to Mags for his excellent job in leading the Samba Band, which comprised Tracey, Ban, Lizzie, Pete McDonald, Nicola Hussain, Fiona Whelpton, Karim, Michael Kelly, Maite Furlong, Pamela Okwonga, Silvio, Penny and Sandra.
• Thanks to the wonderful performers – our poet laureate Peter Davey, the inimitable MCs Jason Why and “Jazzman” John Clark, Ingrid Andrew, Louise Ajegbo, Hugh Mulhall, Olympic Clamp Down, Belinda Harries, Rona Topaz, Michael Kelly, Tracey, and Unique Technique.
• Last but not least, thanks to our team of volunteers, who in addition to those mentioned above included: Jason Why, Fiona Whelpton (thanks for your minute taking!), Rakshanda Khan, Sarah Tonin, Plazma, Dave Skull, Hugh Mulhall and Maite Furlong.

*Bonkersfest 2008 – call out for partner organisations*

We are now beginning the process of planning Bonkersfest 2008 and are therefore looking for partner organisations to work with.

We are therefore asking interested parties to send us proposals on one side of A4 for consideration.

This should arrive before the end of October.

Please contact the Creative Routes office on 0207 3583138 for more details.

*Muses Café – the big comeback*

Creative Routes proudly announces the return of the Muses Café, with an event being run on October 12 in association with South East London Mad Pride.

The unmissable “Muses Café celebration of Creative Lunacy” is this time being held at the Ivy House (Stuart Road, Nunhead, SE15) from 8pm until 12pm, and will feature Conil, red peckham, Poo Lord, The Birtshaft Orchestra, the City Slackers, Shashe’s World Groove and the Bonkers poet Laureate Peter Davey, amongst many others.

Please contact the office on 0207 3583138 for more details or if you are interested in performing at future event.

Also contact us if you are interested in helping to organise this event – the next meeting will be on Thursday 20 at 2pm.

*****Join us in a march to save Camberwell Baths – Saturday Sept 15, **11am***

The beautiful, listed Camberwell Baths building, home to the Creative Routes office, our workshop space and some fine Victorian architecture, is crumbling away, and there is a talk of closing the pool. We all need to show our support for this campaign to safeguard Camberwell’s only leisure facilities.

The Creative Routes samba band, Secao do Loco, will be there to inject energy and enthusiasm into the march, which starts at the Leisure Centre at 11am and heads for Southwark Town hall, where marchers will be met by the Mayor. We hope to see you there.

*External training opportunity for poets and writers *

*Are you a spoken word artist? Do you need to learn how to promote yourself via the internet? Are you keen to teach your skills to others?*

*Opportunity** 1– with Apples & Snakes*

Led by Apples & Snakes artists, this course will give you practical and useful ideas to be able to use your artistic practice in a variety of educational settings.

There are three elements to the course: training sessions, observation of workshops led by practising artists in education settings and workshop delivery, which aim to give you the confidence, knowledge and skill to run writing and performance based workshops and gain work as an artist working in education.

This course is for poets, *rappers/MC’s, lyricists, and storytellers, i.e. anyone who writes and performs their words.*

Course begins: September 17th 2007

Apples & Snakes is the leading organisation for performance poetry. We aim to stretch the boundaries of poetry in education and performance by giving voice to a diverse range of challenging and dynamic poets.

click here for www.applesandsnakes.org.

*Opportunity** 2 – with DV8*

*DV8 Training Ltd/Eastside Music are offering women who are unemployed and not in education an opportunity to attend the Digital Women’s Club.*

*Based in Walthamstow, **East London**, the course is open to any female living in **London** that meet the above criteria.*

*The course will include web based skills, digital production, marketing, creative writing, music and multimedia editing, giving you the opportunity to build your own on-line profile and website to promote your career and business aspirations.*

*The course will run from Monday 22nd October- Friday 26th October (5 days). There will be opportunities for work experience, “Progression award” qualification and employment support.*

DV8 intend to make the workshops accessible to a broad range of disabled people as possible. For eligibility criteria and to discuss the course further please contact Karlene@dv8training.co.uk<http://uk.f272.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=Karlene@dv8training.co.uk>or call 0208 509 6070

* *

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