Comet SWAN (or C/2020 F8) was discovered in images taken by the Solar Wind Anisotropies (SWAN) camera on my birthday this year, March 25, 2020.
In the glare of twilight, SWAN is difficult to find although it is still near the theoretical range of naked eye visibility.
As of perihelion, TODAY, the comet is very diffuse, does not have a visible nucleus and is not a comet that will be noticed by inexperienced observers.
However, our film, MY NAME IS SWAN, will be visible until midnight tonight before continuing on its celestial journey.
Do please share this manifestation of light with your fellow earthlings.
I’ve been running creative writing and poetry discussion groups for over twenty years. I’ve specialised in working with vulnerable adults and ‘hard to reach’ learners in environments such as prisons, homeless shelters and psychiatric wards.
Most recently I’ve been working with seniors and elders within my community. The Covid-19 outbreak has forced the closure of these classes and many learners now face long periods of isolation.
I am extremely concerned for the well-being and mental health of those who’ve come to rely on these sessions and have decided to continue with a group of seniors I’ve been mentoring in Newham, London – a borough with very little mental health provision – by running a free online poetry class for them.
Since many others also face long periods of isolation the need to stay connected and engaged is essential. As a result I have decided to run a weekly, online ‘open access’ poetry class as well.
This class is mainly targeted to senior citizens or those most impacted by self-isolation but is also designed to bring all people together and share a passion for poetry.
Our first session will be on the theme of ‘Connection’ and we’ll be looking at poetry written from prisons, hospitals and warzones. We’ll see how well writers have responded to isolation and take a look at poets who’ve employed techniques beyond the page to send their messages out to the world.
Class begins Monday 30th March
7pm GMT London 8pm CET Milan 2pm ET New York 11am PT San Fransisco
Classes will be limited to 10 places, will run weekly for at least one month and continue for as long as funding is in place.
Needless to say the Covid-19 outbreak has meant that I, like many others, have been left without an income. I will be running these sessions independently, without backing or assistance from charitable bodies or educational organisations, using the conferencing application Zoom that can be accessed for free by users on smartphones, tablets or web browsers.
If you’d like to support me with this initiative, enrich your life and the lives of those at risk and most affected by the virus you can do so for as little as £1 ($1) a month on my Patreon page.
My Name Is Swan premiered at the Curzan, Aldgate as part of the East End Film Festival in London and received its international premiere at the Bowery Poetry Club, New York. Returning to the UK it featured at the Turner Contemporary as part of the Margate NOW Festival who will host the online world premiere on 3rd December 2019.
After launching at the Stoke Newington Literary Festival poet Jan Noble, accompanied by filmmaker Adam Carr, took his poetic monologue My Name Is Swan along the far reaches of the Thames from Oxford to Wapping reading in every ‘swan’ pub along the way. The resulting film, part ‘Night of The Hunter’ part ‘Robinson in Space’, is a meditation on the marginalised taking us down the narrow-ways and river tributaries where litter glitters like supernovae.
Brilliant! | BBC Poetry of strength and impact | La Stampa (Italy) Smart, gorgeous, a pleasure for the eye and ear | Fred Barney Taylor
The poem has been broadcast on BBC radio and the text set on the University of Milan’s syllabus with readings and screenings in Paris, Milan, Venice and Rome including performances at the Teatro Filodrammatici and Poetry on the Lake with former UK poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy.
My Name Is Swan – An odyssey of loss following ‘Swan’ through harrowing withdrawal at dusk to a blissful fix at dawn…
I will be giving a first draft reading of a newly commissioned ‘journey work’ on the opening night of the Stoke Newington Literary Festival, Friday 7 June 2019. This new poetic monologue, commissioned by Professor Maggie Rose of Università degli Studi di Milano, will be adapted for the stage and showcased in Milan in 2020.
Following a special preview in Venice in February I’m delighted to announce the American premiere of our film My Name Is Swan at the Bowery Poetry Club, New York on April 29.
To warm up, we have three shows in the North and North East of England organised with the assistance of Professor Paul Hardwick of Leeds Trinity beginning 27 March at the Newcastle Literary Salon, 3 April at The Hop Shack, Leeds and 4 April at the Waddington Street Centre, Durham.
My Name Is Swan… off schedule… at the Oxford Literary Festival
Sunday 25th March
The Swan & Castle
Castle Street, Oxford OX1 1AY
The Black Swan
Crown St, Oxford OX4 1QG
The Original Swan
Oxford Rd, Cowley OX4 2LF
The landlord of the Original Swan in Oxford has just told me his punters can’t read or write and he’s not interested in live literature. I’m going in there on Sunday to have a word… or two…
If you want to know how I get on I’ll be reading in The Swan & Castle, Oxford at 6pm this Sunday…
Text: +447929548493 for times and details or follow us Twitter: @secretsofswan
