Tag: Janet Dean

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More Things To Do in and around York when wizards wander and Romans rise. Here’s Hutch’s List No. 20, from The York Press

The Wizard of York (Dan Wood): Presenting the second WizardFest in York city centre. Picture: The Story Of You

FROM WizardFest to the Wizard of Prog, Roman festivities to musical & poetic nature lovers, Charles Hutchinson picks his hot spots for the Bank Holiday weekend and beyond.

Magical event of the week: WizardFest, York, today until Monday

WIZARDFEST, York’s official Festival of Wizardry, waves its magic wand over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend as The Wizard of York conjures up spellbinding events, tours, trails, workshops, shows and fantastical food and drink.

Wizardry fans can book for the Wizard Walk of York, Brick Magic LEGO workshop, Wizard Family Rave, Giant Bubble Show or Wicked at City Screen Picturehouse.  Expect owl appearances, dragons and the new Wizard Activity Zone on Parliament Street with wand making, face painting and more. Dress to impress for the free fancy dress parade from St Helen’s Square on Monday at 3p.m A digital map and full list of events with booking links can be found at wizardwalkofyork.com/wizardfest.

The Roman Camp in York Museum Gardens, part of the Eboracum Roman Festival in York. Picture: Gareth Buddo

Festival highlight of the week: Living History, Crafts and Combat, Eboracum Roman Festival, York, today and tomorrow

THIS weekend showcases the best of Eboracum with live performances, creative storytelling and historical demonstrations alongside fun family activities, insightful talks and opportunities to dive into archaeology in York.

At the Living History Camp in York Museum Gardens, discover how the Romans lived by talking to the legions in their camp and watch demonstrations of weaving, carpentry, pottery and blacksmithing. Check out military demonstrations and formations with Ermine Street Guard or join York Museum Trust’s Garden Team for a guided tour of the Edible Garden today. Look out too for artillery demonstrations and the Kids Barbaric Battle. For full festival details, visit: yorkshiremuseum.org.uk/eboracum-roman-festival-2026.

Live baking on stage: Ellen Carnazza’s TV cook in crisis Petronella Parfait in Badapple Theatre Company’s Crumbs. Picture: Karl Andre

Bake-off of the week: Badapple Theatre Company in Crumbs, York Theatre Royal Studio, today, 2pm and 7.45pm

DISGRACED TV baking celebrity Petronella Parfait is out of a job and out of her depth, trying to reinvent herself in the cut-throat world of social influencers. Can she keep the lights on – and the oven – as her live comeback show descends into devilishly delicious disaster? 

Expect big laughs, bold flavours, live bread making and a tasty treat for the audience at the end of Kate Bramley’s play as Green Hammerton’s Badapple Theatre returns to the Theatre Royal Studio, where solo performer Ellen Carnazza plays multiple roles. Box office: 01904 623568 or yorktheatreroyal.co.uk.

The Upbeat Beatles: Celebrating the Fab Four from the Cavern to Abbey Road at the Joseph Rowntree Theatre

Tribute gig of the week: Joseph Wilson Productions presents The Upbeat Beatles, Joseph Rowntree Theatre, York, tomorrow, 7.30pm

THE Upbeat Beatles travel the Fab Four’s long and winding road from the early Cavern days through Beatlemania and Shea Stadium, New York City, to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and  Abbey Road, with narrative and full multi-media presentation. Box office: 01904 501935 or josephrowntreetheatre.co.uk.

Nobody puts Baby’s poster in the corner: Dirty Dancing In Concert at York Barbican

Film event of the week: Dirty Dancing In Concert, York Barbican, May 28, 7.30pm

RELIVE the film that stole the hearts of generations with this live-to-screen concert event featuring Emile Ardolino’s 1987 American romantic drama projected in full, accompanied by a live band and singers performing every song from the soundtrack. 

Feel the romance, rhythm and emotion as the love story of Baby and Johnny (Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze) comes to life on a full-size cinema screen. A dance-along encore party follows the final scene. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk

John McCusker: Leading his trio at the NCEM on Friday

Recommended but sold out already: John McCusker Trio, York Festival of Ideas, National Centre for Early Music, York, May 29, 7.30pm

SCOTTISH violinist John McCusker is joined by virtuoso multi-instrumentalist and singer Sam Kelly and flute, whistle and guitar player Toby Shaer in his trio to perform a thrilling combination of instrumental dexterity, heartfelt songs and live energy. Their fusion of original compositions, traditional melodies and contemporary folk bursts with innovation, joy and soul. Box office for returns only: 01904 658338 or ncem.co.uk.

The Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox poster for the The Future Is Vintage tour, visiting York Barbican on Friday

Retro gig of the week: Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox, The Future Is Vintage Tour 2026, York Barbican, May 29, doors 7pm

SCOTT Bradlee’s troupe of singers, dancers and instrumentalists perform a new show in signature time-twisting style, putting a retro spin on everything from Seventies’ rock classics and Britpop hits to the latest chart toppers and movie and video game soundtracks. 

“We’re humbly presenting our own unique vision of a spectacular future; one that is built upon the timeless musical genres of the past and the authentically human spirit of creativity that inspired them,” says founder and arranger Bradlee, who invites you to dress in your vintage best for the full time-travel experience. Box office: yorkbarbican.co.uk.

Mike Amber: Performing Joni Mitchell’s Woodstock songs with Lola-Mae at The Basement next Saturday

Nature lovers of the week: Navigators Art presents Back To The Garden, York Festival of Ideas, The Basement, City Screen Picturehouse, York, May 30, 7.30pm, doors 7pm

NAVIGATORS Art has invited York performers to celebrate and explore the York Festival of Ideas theme of Place and Space with a focus on the peaceful, wild, mythical, inspirational green worlds of gardens.

Original words and music features alongside well-loved works by familiar names in the company of storyteller Lara McClure; Mike Amber & Lola-Mae, taking on Joni Mitchell’s Woodstock; poet and novelist Janet Dean; performance poet Carrieanne Vivianette and alt folk band Sofa Sofa, whose songs are rooted in nature and people, woods, weather, long walks, short thoughts, longing and love. Box office: ticketsource.com/navigators-art-performance or on the door.

Rick Wakeman: Performing with English Rock Ensemble in The Wizard of Prog show at York Barbican next March

Gig announcement of the week: Rick Wakeman, The Wizard of Prog, Ultimate Highlights Concert Tour with English Rock Ensemble, York Barbican, March 11 2027

KEYBOARD player extraordinaire Rick Wakeman, who turned 77 on May 18, will be reuniting with the English Rock Ensemble to focus on a broad sweep across Wakeman’s classic back catalogue, including extracts from epic concept albums Journey To The Centre Of The Earth and The Myths & Legends Of King Arthur & The Knights Of The Round Table, Yes material and surprises.

The band line-up reunites from 2025’s Return Of The Caped Crusader Part 2 tour: Wakeman, Jesse Smith (lead vocals), Adam Wakeman (keyboard, guitars and vocals), Dave Colquhoun (guitars and vocals), Lee Pomeroy (bass and vocals), Adam Falkner (drums) and backing vocalists Sara Davey, Jo Goldsmith-Eteson and Jo Marshall. Tickets go on sale on May 29 at 10am at yorkbarbican.co.uk/whats-on/rick-27.

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Ian Parks tops Navigators Art & Crooked Spire Press line-up at The Basement, City Screen. Who else is on November 21 bill?

Poet Ian Parks with his new collection The Sons Of Darkness And The Sons Of Light

YORK arts collective Navigators Art plays host to An Evening With Ian Parks and Friends on November 21 at The Basement, City Screen Picturehouse, York, presented in  tandem with Crooked Spire Press.

“This is one for lovers of poetry and folk music,” says organiser Richard Kitchen. “Ian is a widely published and much admired poet from Mexborough, described as ‘the finest love poet of his generation’, although his work vigorously addresses the political as well as the personal.”

Parks will be reading from his new collection, The Sons Of Darkness And The Sons Of Light, published in October. In addition, he will be in conversation with Crooked Spire Press publisher Tim Fellows.

Joining Parks will be his chosen guests, award-winning York novelist and poet Janet Dean, poet and critic Matthew Paul and singer-songwriter Jane Stockdale, from York alt-folk trio White Sail.

Navigators Art’s poster for An Evening with Ian Parks and Friends

Parks is the author of Selected Poems 1983-2023 and the editor of Versions Of The North: Contemporary Yorkshire Poetry. He has run the Read To Write Project in Doncaster for a decade.

His translations of the modern Greek poet Constantine Cavafy were a Poetry Book Society Choice.He has been a Hawthornden Fellow since 1991 and has held residencies at Gladstone’s Library, De Montfort Leicester and Hawkwood College, Stroud.

His poems have appeared in The Times, Poetry Review, the Independent On Sunday, Morning Star and Poetry (Chicago) and have been broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

Poet and novelist Janet Dean/Janet Dean Knight explores contemporary themes through the prism of history. She is widely published in anthologies and magazines in print and online.

Poet and critic Matthew Paul

Poet and critic Matthew Paul, originally from South London, now lives in South Yorkshire. His second poetry collection, The Last Corinthians, was published by Crooked Spire Press this year, following The Evening Entertainment (Eyewear Publishing) in 2017.

Paul is the author of two haiku collections, The Regulars (2006) and The Lammas Lands (2015) , and co-writer/editor (with John Barlow) of Wing Beats: British Birds In Haiku (2008) a Guardian book of the year, all published by Snapshot Press.

He co-edited Presence haiku journal, has contributed to the Guardian’s Country Diary column and posts blogs at www.matthewpaulpoetry.blog.

Singer-songwriter and poet Jane Stockdale is a skilled multi-instrumentalist who loves performing a cappella too.

Crooked Spire Press is a new independent publisher based in Chesterfield. Edited by Tim Fellows, it focuses on poetry pamphlets, collections and anthologies.

York singer-songwriter and poet Jane Stockdale

In 2025, it has published an anthology of poems from The Fig Tree as well as  Matthew Paul’s The Last Corinthians and Ian Parks’s The Sons Of Darkness And The Sons Of Light, and will publish a further anthology of poems, based around coal mining.

Published every two months in the north, The Fig Tree is a vibrant online poetry magazine that reflects the diversity of modern life while looking back on childhood memories, working life, the natural world and family history.

The Fig Tree encourages poems in all forms that explore the relationship between poetry and the visual arts, poems that explore the tensions inherent in politics and the nature of the human condition.

“The bar will be open on Friday night and we hope to adjourn for a chat after the show with anyone who’d like to join us,” says Richard. Books will be available to buy. Tickets for this 7.30pm event cost £5 in advance at bit.ly/nav-events or £8 on the door from 7pm.

Navigators Art’s Folk & Words at The Artful Dodger, Micklegate, York, November 20

Navigators Art’s poster for this autumn’s series of Folk & Word events

ON Thursday (20/11/2025) – and on the third Thursday of each month – Navigators Art play host to Folk & Word in The Artful Dodger’s function room, in Micklegate, York, at 7.30pm.

“This is a low-key and warmly welcoming open-mic night where writers and acoustic folk musicians can present new and original work,” says Richard Kitchen. “Each month we invite a poet and a musician to co-host the evening and bring a guest performer; then the floor is open to the audience. 

“Come and enjoy the safe, calm, friendly vibes of this unique monthly event. Entry is free with a purchase from the bar. Sign up from 7pm if you’d like to speak or play. Access is by the stairs only as it’s a listed building.” 

Explaining the modus operandi of Folk & Word, Richard says: “Time and ethos-wise, it fits somewhere between the long-running York Spoken Word, held monthly at The Exhibition, in Bootham, and the bi-monthly Howlers sessions at the Blue Boar, in Castlegate, with the bonus of a musical element.

“Although open-mic events are everywhere these days, not many highlight poetry and acoustic sounds, so we’re focusing on people with words to perform, whether spoken or sung – and spoken word can include stand-up comedy as well as poems! 

“It’s developing into a small cosy club. Everyone is supportive of each other and it feels good for one’s mental health. People leave feeling at peace, even if they move on to the bigger, noisier Thursday events elsewhere!”

Navigators Art co-founder Richard Kitchen

Navigators Art: back story


LOOSE collective of York creatives that embraces visual art, spoken and written word, live music and community projects.

“We’re passionate about giving emerging artists and performers the opportunity to shine alongside more established names,” says co-founder Richard Kitchen.

“We oppose bigotry in any form and strive to achieve gender balance and across-the-board inclusivity in all our events and activities. Since 2020, we’ve worked with more than 200 individuals and organisations.

“We welcome commissions and new collaborations with artists, writers, musicians and performers of all genres.

“Our YO Underground events offer a platform for new work and experimentation. For details of all our events, visit https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/navigators-art-performance.”

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Navigators Art to present poet Ian Parks and Friends at The Basement, City Screen. Who else is in November 21 line-up?

Poet Ian Parks with his new collection The Sons Of Darkness And The Sons Of Light

YORK arts collective Navigators Art plays host to An Evening With Ian Parks and Friends on November 21 at The Basement, City Screen Picturehouse, York.

“This is one for lovers of poetry and folk music,” says organiser Richard Kitchen. “Ian is a widely published and much admired poet from Mexborough, described as ‘the finest love poet of his generation’, although his work vigorously addresses the political as well as the personal.”

Parks will be reading from his new collection, The Sons Of Darkness And The Sons Of Light. Joining him will be York novelist and poet Janet Dean, critic and poet Matthew Paul and singer-songwriter Jane Stockdale, from York alt-folk trio White Sail.

In addition, Parks will be in conversation with publisher Tim Fellows, of Crooked Spire Press.
Tickets for this 7.30pm event cost £5 in advance at bit.ly/nav-events or £8 on the door from 7pm. “We hope to adjourn for a chat after the show with anyone who’d like to join us,” says Richard.

The poster for Navigators Art’s November 21 bill at The Basement, City Screen Picturehouse, York

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Wanted! Your poems and doodles for Explore York’s record of this strange year

Stephen Lee Hodgkins: Self-styled “chronic doodler” and community printmaker

OCTOBER 1 is National Poetry Day and the word is: Explore York Libraries and Archives will mark it “in a very special way”.

Explore is launching a project to help everyone to make sense of this very strange year by asking you to send in poems and drawings that will create “a lasting record of what has happened in our lives”.

The project, World Turned Upside Down 2020 #haiflu edition, takes inspiration from spoken-word artist Liv Torc’s pandemic poetry initiative, Project Haiflu, and community artist Stephen Lee Hodgkins’ interest in York’s printing heritage.

Explore is asking you to send two haiku or #haiflu poems on the topic of No News and Strange News but with a flavour of lockdown. If you prefer to portray your thoughts and feelings visually, you can send in a doodle or cartoon instead.

Throughout October and November, Explore will be hosting free online haiku workshops with poets Janet Dean and Penny Boxall and doodle workshops with Stephen Lee Hodgkins.

The first two workshops will be on National Poetry Day itself. At the beginning of November, Project Haiflu originator Liv Torc will present an exclusive online talk and poetry show, Haiflu Ever After.

After the November 30 deadline for submissions, 20 pairs of #haiflu and 20 doodles that reflect York’s Coronavirus experience will be chosen for inclusion in a book. Hodgkins will create a 20-page limited-edition chapbook printed in the traditional way on handmade paper.

Each contributor to the final piece will receive a copy; every library in York will be given one too, and a copy will be lodged in the Explore York archive, alongside the original World Turned Upside Down Chapbook from 1820.

You can find full details and more information on how to take part in the project on Explore’s website, www.exploreyork.org.uk, and book the workshops on their Eventbrite page.

In addition, Explore has made a short film about the project, to be posted on their YouTube channel at 11am on National Poetry Day.

Spoken-word artist and slam champ Liv Torc

What is Project Haiflu?

AT the beginning of lockdown in March, spoken-word artist Liv Torc posted on Facebook to ask how her friends were feeling when life-as-they-knew-it stopped.

She wanted them to tell her what they had noticed, either in haiku form – a three-line poem with five, seven and five syllables and no rhyming – or by posting a photograph.

She brought words, pictures and music together in a weekly film and Project Haiflu came into being. Liv made 12 weekly films, one overall 45-minute project film and an extra film based on contributions for public libraries.

The films contain more than 600 contributions from 250 people. Around 30,000 people have watched them so far; you can do likewise and discover more about the project on Liv’s website: https://www.livtorc.co.uk/.

What is The World Turned Upside Down, or No News, and Strange News?

DURING lockdown, community artist Stephen Lee Hodgkins was experimenting with an old Adana 8×5 tabletop letterpress printing machine. When searching for old instruction manuals, he came across the work of York printer James Kendrew, of 23 Colliergate, who had produced a series of chapbooks in the 1800s.

These chapbooks, or “cheapbooks”, were small, roughly printed booklets adorned with intricate woodcut illustrations. Chapbooks kept alive folklore, nursery rhymes, fairy tales and school lessons and were sold by travelling merchants across town and country. 

The World Turned Upside Down, or No News, and Strange News is an example of nonsense rhymes and riddles produced in 1820 that gives an insight, through a quirky lens, to life 200 years ago. Copies can be found in the archives at York Explore.

The Artists:

Liv Torc

SPOKEN-WORD artist, published poet and producer who “plunges the vast caverns and dormant volcanoes of the human and planetary condition”.

This former Bard of Exeter and now co-host of the Hip Yak Poetry Shack runs the spoken-word stage at the WOMAD festival, Project Haiflu and the Hip Yak Poetry School. 

In 2019, her poem about climate change in the face of motherhood, The Human Emergency, went viral, being seen by 80,000 people. She performed at Glastonbury Festival on the Poetry and Words stage and represented Somerset for the BBC’s National Poetry Day celebrations.

In 2020, she was chosen as one of four Siren Poets by Cape Farewell for a commission on climate change in the time of Covid-19 and wrote and filmed a poem for the BBC’s Make A Difference campaign.

Penny Boxall: Poet and Royal Literary Fund Fellow at the University of York

Penny Boxall

HER debut poetry collection, Ship Of The Line, won the 2016 Edwin Morgan Poetry Award. Second collection Who Goes There? was published in 2018.

Penny has won a Northern Writers’ Award and the Mslexia/PBS Poetry Competition. She is a Hawthornden Fellow and has held residencies at Gladstone’s Library and the Chateau de Lavigny.

She has taught poetry on the MA course at Oxford Brookes University and in 2019 was Visiting Research Fellow in the Creative Arts at Merton College, Oxford. She is Royal Literary Fund Fellow at the University of York.

Janet Dean

HER poetry has been shortlisted in the Bridport Prize, commended in the Stanza Poetry Competition and featured in the Northern Poetry Library’s 50th anniversary Poem of the North.

Her work appears in anthologies and magazines published by Valley Press, Paper Swans, Templar and Strix. As Janet Dean Knight, her first novel The Peacemaker was published in 2019 and her second novel in progress was shortlisted for the New Writing North Sid Chaplin Award.

Stephen Lee Hodgkins

THIS “chronic doodler” and community printmaker has an interest in people’s voices, texts and their experiences of places and spaces.

He is a self-taught community artist and visual thinker with a positive attitude, people and research skills, creative energy and a commitment to inclusion and human rights. He has experience aplenty of working with community organisations, applying an arts-based approach. 

He left school with no qualifications and later received the labels of dyslexia, dyspraxia and attention deficit. Reflecting on these tags now, his preference is for the term “neurodiverse”, and he has learnt to embrace and harness his diverse language use and organisational approach to the world.

Returning to university as a mature student, in 2008 he completed a PhD in Social Psychology. An abridged version of his thesis was published as a chapter in an international text in 2009, Disabilities: Insights From Across Fields and Around The World.