So Some Research Done…Just Write!

As part of my work on writing a new a new choreopoem. I have been immersed in WW1, social history around Leicester, in particular the Cultural Quarter. The factory buildings, the St Georges Church, other buildings that have been demolished now, but were part of my growing up in Leicester. They were  important and of great significance to me and my peers. I have discovered so many fascinating things. I was totally unaware of the glorious proud history/herstory of Leicester in terms of its' politically progressive and radical past.  The development of the Secular Society and its impressive building, the Co-operative Society and Trades Unions and other Socialist Movements. Lastly but not least, the impact of  First Wave Feminism on Leicester  - the Suffragette Movement and women e.g Like Alice Hawkins, but there were many other notable women too. Reviewing a range of archive material from Reports, to Oral history, to looking at photographs of the relevant historical periods, for the narrative I plan to write.  Ned Newitt's historical  book on the Working Poor and Slums of Leicester has been invaluable also. A recent conversation with him yielded some very interesting information and I plan a follow up meeting with him soon.

Since my last post I have attended at Leicester University a marvelous Inscribe Work shop, with Bernadine Evaristo on fiction writing (always good to meet an author whose book  Mr Loverman you have enjoyed)  In some ways this book has been a great inspiration for my current choreopoem and Bernadine was a great tutor-a joy to meet. Such topics as race, gender, sexuality and identity are key for me right now. Grappling with all of those is no easy matter and critically, how do all these issues inform the narrative for the choreopoem I am writing.