Music and Poetry Palooza

Music and Poetry Palooza:
Cafe Buzz, 783 High Road, N12 8JY
Saturday 23rd May at 7.00 - 9.00pm

Join Anna Meryt and friends for an evening of performance poetry and music at Finchley's literary café. No need to book but come early if you want a seat!

Mike Gee, has been writing music since he was 14 years old. In the 1970s he played keyboards in various rock bands and in the 1980s he worked in the recording industry before illness stopped his career. In recent years he has made a return to songwriting. Tonight we will here a selection of some of these songs - his first live performance for many years - and it's stripped down, just one keyboard and one voice.

Shanta Acharya, a well published poet and performer who runs regular poetry evenings at Lauderdale House. The author of ten books, she has published 5 poetry collections, and her latest is a novel, A World Elsewhere. Her New & Selected Poems is due out in 2016. She’s originally from India and her poetry combines the mystical as well as some down to earth humour. ‘Her poetry shows a rare combination of lyricism, intelligence, sagacity and a wicked sense of humour.’ Mimi Khalvati

Mimi Romilly, recently published a collection of poems written by her grandmother. After her grandmother died, Mimi found around 800 poems she’d written, in the attic. Grandma grew up in WWI and wrote in secret about her views against the war. Her beloved father did not return from the conflict – killed in action and she was devastated.. Mimi is not a poet, but an experienced singer, so she has put a few of the poems to music and turned them into songs.

Michael Clift is an experienced poet, singer-songwriter and performer. He writes all his own material and performs a mixture of poetry and songs, accompanied by his guitar. His words are thought provoking and funny. He is also the founder of a successful poetry and music night, called Until the Light Goes Out and has just launched his first anthology.

Jonathan Young, a young up and coming poet from Finchley says, that his first poem, titled Brave Soldiers’ was inspired by a history teacher talking about WWI when he was 12. He realised that writing poetry gave him a voice and he soon decided that he wanted others to hear the passion that he was able to express through poetry.

Ursula Troche, writer, performer, poet, expresses issues about nature and art as well as society, identity and dreams. For the Poetry and Music Palooza will perform with James with his Magic Instrument.

Anna Meryt’s first poem, an anti-Vietnam War poem, was published in her convent school magazine, when she was a teenager. She taught Ancient Egyptian history for many years as well as working with victims of violence. Heart Broke and Dolly Mix are her two collections. A review (2014) of Heart Broke by Gold Dust literary magazine said ‘ … here we have a ‘girlfriend book, when there’s no shoulder to cry on, to inspire hope through identification.’ She organised this event last year for the FLF also.