It was an interesting evening with other writers and poets reading excerpts from their publications, including Steve Spence, Norman Jope, William Telford, Janet Tamblin and Kenny Knight. A wonderful mix of prose, storytelling and poetry.
'Abbey Place to Zion Street' is part of a body of work investigating my response to living in Plymouth.
By handwriting a list of all the street names in Plymouth, I was introducing a metaphor for duration, referring to the length of time I have lived in Plymouth.
During the process of handwriting the list, I didn't consider the viewer's response in terms of hearing the book read out loud. I was concerned more with the tactile quality of a hand-made book and the spatial quality of the repetitive list form.
Initially, I was concerned that the text would sound dull, but, as I read, I became more conscious of how I intoned the street names, and where and for how long I paused for breath.
By reading out loud from the book, I discovered an interesting, rhythmic, sound quality to the work, which gives it another dimension.
