ArtLink Exchange presents:
Taxi Tales - The Exhibition

Local photographer Sarah Jane Daniels has been out and about in Hull taxis and taxi offices. By using a combination of panoramic images and recorded sounds from the taxi ranks, her work for 'Taxi Tales' creates a stark contrast between the frozen silence of the photographs and the exchanges between cabbies and their customers.

The exhibition can be seen at the Take 5 Cafe from Monday 6th & throughout November.

This project has received funding from the BT Reading Challenge

This is part of 'Taxi Tales' - a collection of writings and stories by the taxi drivers of Hull will be available on the launch day and afterwards from ArtLink Exchange (01482) 345104
See also: Festival Publications

Following in the footsteps of last year's Hairdresser's Tales local writer Daphne Glazer has been working with local taxi drivers on a book of stories to be launched on the last day of the Humber Mouth.

Sylvia Plath's tragic suicide was an abrupt end to the headlong flight of a major poetic talent. Her complex and emotive poetry holds many levels of meaning and benefits from repeated reading. Gerard Benson will read a selection of her work and will explore beyond the mysterious 'mirror' which is Sylvia Plath's poetry. Gerard Benson was one of the ground-breaking Barrow Poets of the 1960's and 70's and was jointly responsible for the Poems on the Underground series in London. This event is part of a series which was first commissioned by Bradford Libraries to celebrate the work of some of the great English poets of the last thousand years.
For further information please ring Barry Ward, Hull Central Library (01482) 616809.

Estuary English is a two monitor video installation in which images and sounds of the muddy water of the Humber Estuary and related words spoken by Hull people are edited together. Estuary English deals with discontinuity and association, in relation to locality, language and accent and the way the human ear strains to make connections and meanings.

Joanna Millett is a Hull based artist working in video and sound, and an active member of Hull Time Based Arts.

Estuary English and Volumes of Vulnerability can be viewed at Timebase from Nov 9th - 19th
Monday to Friday 10.30am - 4.30pm Saturday 1.00pm - 4.00pm

Hull Time Based Arts - www.timebase.org

Official Festival Launch
The Winners of the Humber Mouth Writing Competitions
with C.A.Coiffait and Gerard Benson

The festival has pleasure in inviting you to the official launch of The Humber Mouth to meet the talented winners of two writing competitions.
The adjudications of the past two years have been very enjoyable and insighful events for both winners and adjudicators, as well as for the audience. This year will be no exception.

Prolific poet and well known reader at local poetry events Carol Coiffait is the adjudicator of the Open Poetry Competition. Congratulations to the ten winners who were selected from amongst the hundreds of poems sent in by writers of all ages from all over the UK.

Poems on the Underground co-founder Gerard Benson, who writes for both adults and children, will present the prizes for the winners of the Short Story and Poetry Competition for Secondary Schools. He has chosen the winning entries from submissions by Henry Cooper, Kingston, Winifred Holtby and David Lister.

The Humber Mouth Anthology featuring the winning poems and stories will be available throughout the festival period at the price of £3.
See : Festival Publications

The Hofnote Music Academy presents:
Time's Winged Chariot a recital of poetry and music.

In his poem Upon Appleton House Andrew Marvell speaks of the swiftness of time and the expanse of eternity through which people and places come and go. Quoting from the poem and taking its inspiration from it, 'Time's Winged Chariot' is a recital of poetry and music reflecting the continuum of human experience through time. The premiere of a substantial new work by Lester Hough of Hofnote Music Academy, 'Time's Winged Chariot' features poems by Andrew Marvell and Trevor Blacksell and songs by Purcell, Scarlatti, Mozart, Ireland and Richard Rogers. Also featuring sopranos Tamara Hayden and Vikki Francis and poet Trevor Blacksell.

For further information contact Hofnote Music Academy tel (01482) 228483
or find them on the internet www.hofnote.net

Widely regarded as one of the leading poets of his generation, Simon Armitage is also a playwright, travel writer, song lyricist and has written extensively for radio and television. His most recent book, a one-thousand line poem called Killing Time, was the result of a New Millennium Experience commission. Tonight he will be in conversation with the audience at Hull Screen after introducing and showing The Tyre, a 10 minute dramatisation of one of his poems by the same name.

J-Night:
Keith Waithe & The Macusi Players featuring Helen Macdonald

Guyana born flautist Keith Waithe is one of the most innovative and exciting talents in the world. Sometimes described as 'the poet of the flute', he works alongside the major figures of Carribean Literature on TV, Radio and Stage. His music explores an original fusion of jazz and classical, African, Carribean, Asian and Western. The sensational actress, poet and vocalist Helen MacDonald provides the sensuous vocals.

"Keith and his Macusi Players can certainly blow down the walls..." Straight No Chaser

This concert is produced by J-Night for The Humber Mouth. Further J-Night concert dates in this second series are Dec 10th and Feb 18 - see Hull Truck's brochure for details.

In conversation with Germaine Greer

A unique opportunity to meet the Australian author, journalist, media pundit and academic who has been at the cutting edge of feminism since the 1960's. Probably best known as the author of books such as The Female Eunuch and most recently The Whole Woman, Germaine Greer is coming to Hull to be in conversation with 'you' the audience.

"Greer has put her head above parapets others still fear to scale" (Lisa Jardine on The Whole Woman)

The sensational career of Garry Schofield makes riveting reading in his just published autobiography 'Tries the Limit'. Tonight one of the major players in the game will be joined by BBC Radio Humberside presenter Steve Massam to talk about his book, the game at his highest and lowest levels, and about his controversial career. A deep insight into the game of Rugby League and an entertaining evening for sports fans.

Tries the Limit is published in paperback by Mainstream Publishing at £9.99 and copies will be available from the festival bookstall.

Tom Robinson

One of the country's finest singer songwriters, Tom Robinson makes a long awaited return to Hull Truck. Front man of the Tom Robinson Band, he shot to fame in the 70's and 80's with runaway hits such as 2-4-6-8 Motorway, Glad To Be Gay, War Baby and Atmospherics.

An evening of live music at its best.

www.tomrobinson.com

Internationally bestselling author Louis de Bernieres has charmed readers worldwide with his books. He has been described as being '..in the direct line that runs through Dickens and Evelyn Waugh' (A.S.Byatt).
Widely known as the author of Captain Corelli's Mandolin, which has now been translated into 14 languages and is currently being made into a film, Louis de Bernieres has received many prizes in recognition of his outstanding writing.
Tonight he will be reading humourous stories about the holiday adventures of an elderly French couple in 'Andouil and Andouillette begin their Holiday' and about catfood in 'Labels'.

Out of her unique association with Steven Berkoff Linda Marlowe presents.....
BERKOFF'S WOMEN
From the works of Steven Berkoff
Directed by Josie Lawrence

A theatrical exploration of sensuality, revenge, pathos, heart-breaking loneliness and riotous humour.

Having worked with Berkoff for over twenty years, this is Linda Marlowe's compilation of the most rewarding, exciting moments of Berkoff's female roles, featuring excerpts from Decadence, Greek, Kvetch, East, Agamemnon, Sturm und Drang, plus a newly dramatised story From my Point of View.

"Marlowe is a consummate actress.....brilliant, a veritable tour de force" (The Scotsman)

Two of the Britain's most acclaimed contemporary poets return to Hull for a night of verse. Both writers have forged huge reputations with their very individual brands of poetry.

Carol Ann Duffy, renowned for celebrated collections such as Mean Time (Anvil Press, 1993) and most recently The World's Wife (Picador, 1999), has scooped some of the most prestigious prizes in the literary world, as well as an OBE in 1995.

"Accessible and brilliantly idiosyncratic..." (Kate Kellaway, The Observer)

Since the publication of her first collection of poetry The Adoption Papers (Bloodaxe, 1991) Jackie Kay has received a host of awards for her powerful and provocative work. Her first novel Trumpet (Picador, 1998) won the Guardian Fiction Prize and a Scottish Arts Council Book Award.

"One of the freshest and bravest talents to emerge in British Poetry - any British Poetry, for years..." (Eavan Boland, The Independent on Sunday)

.....It's Scunthorpe, it's the hottest day of the year - Errol and his dog Barry have lost each other. Fly into a town that lives on the border between truth and fiction and meet Errol, Barry, DaveWhoWearsAWig, Billy the Van and many more......

This collaboration brings you the offbeat stories of Matt Stephenson and the voice of Matthew Hogg singing the songs of Burt Bacharach and Hal David in a late night festival special.

Matt Stephenson is a local writer selected to take part in the Opening Line Project which develops new writing talent in the region. He works as a features writer for the Hull Daily Mail and is one of the founders of Radar Magazine, The Three Legged Dog Comedy Club and Mr Drayton's World of Quiz which was last seen at this year's Reading Festival.

Matthew Hogg is a musician currently writing and recording his third album, running the Songwriter sessions for The Humber Mouth and rehearsing for an imminent European tour.

The show lasts approx. 1hr 15 mins

Tracing the story of the Blues from its roots in African and American slavery through to the present day this stage show is brought to you by some of the country's finest Blues musicians. Enjoy a journey through musical and cultural history, brought alive through music, folktales, poetry and dance. The show ends with a concert-style music spectacular.

A great finale for The Humber Mouth.