jonnybaker

the poetry of pilgrimage

michael mitton has a new book out - poetry of pilgrimage. together with russ parker he has led pilgrimages around the british isles to sites of celtic saints. i had the pleasure to go with a group of pioneers on one to ireland many years back which was wonderful. the book is a square format, and for each of the 23 celtic saints has a photograph, story, description of location, a poem and some questions for reflection. when i went on a pilgrimage to ireland michael wrote and read a couple of the poems. you can get a flavour of the poems actually on michael's poetry page on his web site here. i have linked to that before actually. it's obviously a great book if you are visiting any of those sites but equally is a lovely book for reflection anyway. the celtic stories are always inspiring and resonate with pioneers in my experience.

michael asked me to give an endorsement and i wrote:

The poems are beautifully crafted... they are soulful, spiritual, and carry a depth and a yearning. They bring to life in a wonderful way the lives of Celtic saints and their mystical longings. They reverberate like prayers. I am drawn back to them again and again.

accents of greatness

amazing to see harry commissioned to write a poem for team gb!

harry smashed it

last night's poet's revival at the royal albert hall was amazing. nine poets performed on a stage in the centre of that magical venue. there was such a range of voices. it was poignant, powerful and prophetic. i have no possible hope of objectivity but harry baker smashed it out of the park. he was last on and on paper you think how do you headline after kae tempest has perfomed? but he was so relaxed, looked completely at ease on that stage, let the performance breathe, and held the audience captive. it was extraordinary. my heart was full!

lionheart was hosting and has been the drive for this event which he has had as a dream for 8 or 9 years. it doesn't seem that long ago when we were upstairs in the roebuck at bang said the gun listening to open mic slots from harry and others and with kae doing a headline slot. those days were amazing too but a decade later these poets are filling the royal albert hall. i am sure there will be more to come!

i am sure some decent photos will appear from others but here's the only one from my phone vaguely presentable as the poets took a bow. i think only 4 people have their eyes shut in it!

wonderful!

harry baker is off on an epic tour with new book set to land as well. hopefully coming to a city somewhere near you. links for all the venues and tickets are on his gig page here

the poets revival

proud dad moment - harry baker is performing at the royal albert hall on may 1 next year. pretty amazing eh?! 

it's an evening called the poets revival also featuring kae tempest, george the poet and others. get your tickets and hope to see you there!

find the poets

happy national poetry day everyone!

i was thinking about poems i have heard that blew me away. ones by linton kwesi johnson, jean binta breeze, kae tempest, nick cave, les murray, edip cansever, harry baker to name a few. but i settled on find the poets by tishani doshi which i heard a few years back on something borrowed and it floored the presenters and me!

i hope it's ok to post it here, largely so i can come back to it.

Find the Poets
I arrived in a foreign land yesterday,
a land that has seen troubles,
(who hasn’t, you might say?)

This land
with its scrubbed white houses
and blue seas, where everything was born,
and now, everything seems as if it could vanish.
I wanted to find out the truth
about how a great land like this
could allow ancient columns to crumble
and organ grinders to disappear.

Find the poets, my friend said.
If you want to know the truth, find the poets.

But friend, where do I find the poets?
In the soccer fields,
at the sea shore,
in the bars drinking?

Where do the poets live these days,
and what do they sing about?

I looked for them in the streets of Athens,
at the flea market and by the train station,
I thought one of them might have sold me a pair of sandals.

But he did not speak to me of poetry,

only of his struggles, of how his house was taken from him
along with his shiny dreams of the future,
of all the dangers his children must now be brave enough to face.

Find the poets, my friend said.
They will not speak of the things you and I speak about.
They will not speak of economic integration
or fiscal consolidation.

They could not tell you anything about the burden of adjustment.

But they could sit you down
and tell you how poems are born in silence
and sometimes, in moments of great noise,
of how they arrive like the rain,
unexpectedly cracking open the sky.

They will talk of love, of course,
as if it were the only thing that mattered,
about chestnut trees and mountain tops,
and how much they miss their dead fathers.

They will talk as they have been talking
for centuries, about holding the throat of life,
till all the sunsets and lies are choked out,
till only the bones of truth remain.

The poets, my friend, are where they have always been—
living in paper houses without countries,
along rivers and in forests that are disappearing.

And while you and I go on with life
remembering and forgetting,

the poets remain: singing, singing.

after the apocalypse

it is always a delight to discover friends creative projects. i spotted on instagram a new collaboration between poet chris goan and illustrator si smith. chris penned a few books of poems and liturgies on proost, and si is probably best known for the wonderful 40 series of illustrations of christ's journey in the wilderness.

after the apocalypse is arranged in three sections - before, during and after written and drawn in and around the pandemic. you'll find yourself in the words and images - it's a landscape we all traversed. artists have a knack of being the kind of nerve endings of a culture or something - a sort of feeling their way on our behalf or something. the times we are living in have made it hard to feel genuinely hopeful but it does blend grief and sorrow with hope against the odds.

chis blogs at fragile tent and is someone who has really stuck with the blog format over the years and done an amazing job. you can see some illustrations from the book and poems if you scroll down - like i want to live on this post.

while i was looking to see what was there i really enjoyed chris' latest 4 posts which are explorations of theopoetics - spirituality through artful making. this is a link to the fourth - click on that and scroll down. well worth a read...

the book is available from seatree argyll - that's also the site for chris and michaela goan's creative projects working in pottery, words, wood. they both left jobs a few years back now to pursue a simpler life where they could explore their passions and creative interests and make a life from that. it seems to be going pretty well! 

unashamed - harry baker back at edinburgh fringe

harry baker has a show at the edinburgh festival doing a two week run that starts tomorrow (16 august) for two weeks. it's in the fringe which means it is unticketed so turn up in good time to get in. jenny and i are headed up from mon-weds next week and can't wait to cheer him on. if you are in edinburgh and fancy a coffee, beer or whisky give me a shout. he has a new book and autumn tour lined up too - see here for the live show info. the poems he wrote in lockdown are incredible - unashamed and impossible are two that spring to mind. unashamed is on the tour page if you scroll down

harry playing 4 nights at soho theatre

harry has 4 dates at soho theatre in march. jen and i are going on march 24. if you fancy going, book that night and see you there...

proost still going strong - free downloads

proost is still going strong i am pleased to say hosted as it is now by space to breathe. there are two recent books that are available as free downloads or you can buy as printed books

the first is a collection of liturgies collated by heather cracknell for fresh expression called opening the doors. mark berry, ruth wells, tim watson and dorothy woods are the contributors so i am sure it is good. i gave printed copies to a couple of people at christmas.

the second is the long promised return? by tim watson, a set of poems and prayers written in the latest lockdown. i have just downloaded it. 

i also noticed future present is currently in the free downloads section so if you have never got yourself a copy of that it's definitely worth getting hold of.

posters

the baker boys (harry and joel) have teamed up to create some posters of lines from harry's poems - see harry baker's store.

i loved his recent poem impossible

you will find us on the periphery

footnotes on life is a blog by kate fox robinson. it's a mix of poetry and reflections. i really loved this reflection on the edges which includes this poem you will find us on the periphery

You will find us on the periphery
In the land of the mapless unknown
You will find us at the edges
Where the wild things grow

You will find us in the liminal space
Where no one knows what to expect
You will find us where the sea meets the shore
And no one knows what will wash up next

You will find us among the hedgerows
Gathering what delights are growing there
You will find us with the bees and butterflies
Connecting over here with over with there

You will find us on ours knees
With the beetles and the ants
Living all together
Without a lot of thanks

For our humble jumbled life
And our muddy handed style
But we would invite you
To come a stay a while

In the land where the wild things are
And the place where the periphery reigns
You may learn things here that serve you
When you return to your pathed way.

Kate Fox Robinson

a father's day poem

harry sent me a poem for father's day which is sourdough inspired and themed. to give a bit of context i have recently helped him get started making sourdough with a few tips and i have to say he is smashing it! 

A Father’s Day Poem

To start you fed me every day,
checked in to see how I was growing. When done right you’re set for life
- you just need help to get things going. You taught me patience and precision, when it comes to hate and greed:
As with your 3-day recipe,
you showed there simply is no knead.

When things got sticky, you’d make sure I’d take it with a pinch of salt
That I would stretch myself,
before you’d always bring me to the fold. You’ve got me covered

on the days it takes to get into the groove, Just like that dough, you let me know when I’ve got nothing left to prove.

Your love is gluten -
in that I still cannot quite describe what it is, But I’m grateful you brought me up
to be tolerant of things.
Because potential is like yeast,
it’s been in the air this whole time - Sometimes it just needs activation
before we can see it rise.

So thanks for keeping me alive,
for building me to so much more.
You showed me kindness is fresh bread, and it is best
when it’s served warm.

something borrowed

the current situation is producing all sorts of creative things in lockdown. harry has started doing a live instagram poetry show with a guest which is on every wednesday evening and works amazingly well on a phone. he has now turned it into a weekly podcast something borrowed... which is the show edited and you can follow in the usual podcast places.

lent - less is probably more

lent means spring so it was nice to see some crocuses and daffodils out and magnolia starting to appear as i walked this morning. it's a season of year i love both for spring and for lent... 

lent in the season of the church's year is a preparation for easter. people interpret it in different ways and do different things. but broadly speaking my assessment of it is that for many it has become a time of year for a focused reflection on faith and what that means. grace, the community i am part of, always have some kind of focus which includes regular meals, conversation and prayer for example and that usually includes exploring a theme or a book together. this year following january's grace which explored themes of soil, soul and scociety we are all being encouraged to take up a practice or practices in one or more of those three areas. and there are a series of gatherings and meals related to those themes. here's the blurb that got sent round

Most things are helped by practise - music, sport, craft, skills. When it comes to faith it's the same - prayer say takes practise. Lent is a chance to try out a new practice (or more).You could pick a practice in each of the areas of soul, society, soil. Or just one (or indeed none - there is no pressure to - it’s not a guilt trip so it's fine to just be). But if you want to then we look forward to seeing what people might come up with and indeed finding what people do anyway. Here are a few suggestions if you are stuck for ideas:

Pray - try a regular time of silence, or use the examen, or try active prayer (when you walk, run, swim…)

Read - we suggest the story of Jesus in Mark's gospel - see below for a couple of chapters each week that if several people followed would mean it was a shared practice. You could try lectio divina or the Ignation way of reading (google them).

Sign up for an email - we could share suggestions in whatsapp but by way of example Richard Rohr sends one out weekly or Enneagram Institute do a daily email for your personality type. 

Get outside in whatever way works - walking, cycling, running, gardening.

Think of a small action you can do to help the planet and add that into your lifestyle.

Grow something - spring is a great time for that 

 

Mark’s gospel suggestion for reading plan - 

W/c 25 Feb Mark 1+2

W/c 2 March Mark 3 + 4

W/c 9 March Mark 5 + 6

W/c 16 March Mark 7 + 8

W/c 23 March Mark 9 + 10

W/c 30 March Mark 11 + 12 + 13

W/c 6 April Mark 14 + 15 + 16

lent kicks off today with ash wednesday where you can attend a service of ashing where ashes are marked on your forehead and the words 'you are dust and to dust you shall return. turn away from sin and be faithful to christ' are spoken to you. i need to hear that call away from my shadow, my dark side, my own selfishness and  to follow in the way of christ whose way is so inspiring and heed the call towards being the best version of me that can shine in the world. i will be attending a service this evening to hear and respond to that call. 

the internet has really made lent boom i think because it means so many people are sharing their ideas or resources which you can jump into. the challenge is that there is a lot around so you need to choose. it could easily end up being exhausting or unfocused or both - less is probably more. 

it's probably a bit late now and you may already be sorted but a couple of things i noticed...

a poem a day podcast from martin wroe. i loved the lifelines book and we used it in our weekly tuesday group to explore themes chosen by different people. and it so happens that the first poet on there is none other than harry baker who is currently on tour round the uk!

cms have produced a resource on lament. it feels like the state of the world calls for plenty of lament, not least the state of the church which continues to feel so flawed. the news of jean vanier's abuse left me reeling this week. 

proost as ever are producing creative things and they too are in the physical object mode sending lent letters to your door which i am sure will be delightful. sign up quick though.

i am sure you know of other things but if you choose to use lent as a season of reflection on life and faith go well. turn and be faithful!

see harry baker on tour

harry baker has a solo poetry tour i am 10000 from feb to may. it may well be coming to a town near you. the rumour on twitter is that london has virtually sold out so not sure if another date will get added but i think other venues are fine. you can see here a list of dates. this is his show from edinburgh festival in the summer which was fab. i can't go to the london gig so am thinking i will make the oxford one if anyone else fancies joining me at that? i really enjoy harry and chris but if you've not seen the solo poetry it is really good too and quite different. go support your poets (and my family!). 

a festival brimming over with life

jenny and i visited edinburgh festival for four days last weekend. it's such an incredible festival with so much going on. i genuinely don't know how they pack all the events into the city let alone where all the people find places to stay. it brims over with life, joy, poignancy, artfulness celebrating life.

we first visited i think in 2009 when harry took part in an open mic at a free fringe event. he was subsequently invited to a poetry event in london and that was the beginning of an adventure which included exploring poetry for a gap year and went ever upwards from there. so it was incredible to be back at the festival again and see harry with a solo show in underbelly and a harry and chris show in underbelly both selling out when we attended. it's harry's seventh festival i think with three solo shows and three harry and chris before now. i of course have a totally unbiased view but they were fantastic. it's not just me as you'll see from these 5 star reviews. i have added some photos to an album here.

we packed in about four shows a day of comedy, circus, theatre and also visited some of the art festival. it's hard to pick highlights but we loved in no particular order occam's razor, john robbins, jessica fostekew, matt winning, milton jones, bryony kimmings, tom crosby, lazerkiwis, nathan coley, alfredo jaar. it's surprising how much you can pack in to a few days (and how much you can spend!).

soul friend

Soul Friend*

Soul friend,
gift to rekindle the fire from heaven
in your
soul friend.

Two friends,
Herbert and Cuthbert.
Inspiration for new adventures
to friends.

Depend
on the One whose Spirit
calls us to dive in the
deep end.

God send
Northern pioneers
to share Christ’s love with those whom
God sends.

Bless then
the journey ahead
and may we become
soul friends.

* Written on the occasion of canoeing to St Herbert’s Island on Derwentwater to celebrate the launch of a Northern Centre for Pioneer Mission as a partnership between Church Mission Society and Carlisle Diocese. Herbert was a friend of St Cuthbert and would visit him on Lindisfarne for spiritual direction.

i don't often write poems but composed one this morning in my head on the drive back from cumbria following the canoeing adventure out to st herbert's island last night - you can see a few photos and read about it here. it's great to celebrate the development of a northern pioneer mission centre as a new collaboration between the diocese of carlisle and cms - more info here. when i say develop, they already have loads going on on the ground in mission and fresh expressions so we are simply joining in the fun to help resource and support it out of our experience with pioneers elsewhere.

i was struck by the soul friendship of herbert and cuthbert - herbert who lived as a hermit on the island would go and see cuthbert on lindisfarne each year for spiritual encouragement and direction. and i am sure cuthbert would have visited and prayed with herbert on the island on derwentwater. and how wonderful it is to find friendships like that where you get one another and can give encouragement to stay true to who you are. anyway that was the thinking and i hope cms and cumbria can develop deep friendship together. richard and i go back a long way so we've got a good start...

harry baker - i am 10000

tomorrow night i am going to see harry's new poetry show i am 10000 (which he will be performing at edinburgh along with harry and chris new show). come along if you are in london and you get to see chris' solo show as well - weird i know. harry and chris but not harry n chris or something...

super proud of harry - just saw today that he has 2 million hits on his exteter tedX talk - wow. i am generally delirious if i get over 50 likes on an instagram photo! i need to up my game clearly though inspired by harry i worked out i will be 20000 days this year on the same day as joel's birthday.

i should also add that the rejected eurovision song contest entry of harry and chris - sorry! - is out today...

harry and chris save the world tour

harry and chris are on tour soon - see here for dates. oxford which is early on has sold out and i have booked in for leicester square even though it is december as that seemed to be selling fast. so check out their dates and go see them if you can. they played greenbelt mainstage this year off the back of a sold out run at edinburgh festival and it was an incredible show to be at. they always seem to have so much fun but what was striking at greenbelt was how many people knew them and knew the words to songs and poems. it was a proud parent moment for sure! i am happy to have contributed some photography for harry and chris publicity and this year's tour poster photo is one of mine again (though the making it snazzy through photoshop is someone else's work).