In Ancient Rome the New Year started in March, and January and February were dead, unnamed months not recognised in the calendar. That feels about right. I got hit off the back of Christmas work with a big, nasty illness that I only really recovered from in the last few weeks. So it feels like the new year is only just starting for me. Here’s what’s happening:

Monday 10th March - Promised Land at Ropetackle Storytellers

Storyteller Jon Norman-Mason is bringing his Myths of Rock and Roll to the Ropetackle Storytellers, along with a full live rock band! Originally pitched to the Step Up Spoken Word commission, Jon’s re-imagining of rock legends as figures from mythology went down a storm at last year’s Brighton Fringe, and I can’t wait to see it again.

In this piece, Bob Dylan becomes the Trickster Loki, Tina Turner journeys into her own personal underworld as Persephone, and Elvis sets in the West as the Sun King, lighting the way for other wanderers and adventurers. Jon tells alongside band members from Robb Johnson and the Irregulars and Shaw’s Trailer Park, inviting you to sing, rock out, and share in the songs you know and love.

If you can’t join us live at the Ropetackle Arts Centre, buy an online Watch Later ticket and watch the replay any time March 11th - April 11th.

Thursday 20th March - Dionysus at Oxford Story Museum

First stop on my Dionysus 2025 tour is the Oxford Story Museum, in collaboration with the Crick Crack Club. On the day of the equinox, I’ll be sharing the life story of Dionysus, god of Wine, Ecstacy, Madness, Theatre, and Queer Life. Their triple birth, Hera’s curse, the creation of the first vine, their many lovers, their conquest of the world and even facing down Hades himself.

I really don’t know what to say about this piece. I love it, and I am too embroiled in it right now to be able to come up with succinct ways of talking about it. Even a whole evening of storytelling doesn’t adequately cover everything I have to say. If you love Greek myths, hunger for queer representation in your storytelling, or want to take your imagination on an utterly epic ride, you’ll enjoy this show. Come see it live in Oxford, or get tickets to watch the livestream.

March 21-22 - Ayscoughfee Enlightenment: An 18th Century Pleasure Gardens Revival

Ayscoughfee Hall in Spalding, Lincolnshire, is stepping back in time - recreating an 18th Century Pleasure Garden in their grounds for one weekend. Hear poetry, stirring debate and scandalous family arguments in the Air Gardens; spooky tales of local monster Tiddy Mun in the Dark Walks; haunting music and wondrous acts from garden nymphs and fairies; and gather for a stirring Fire Dance on the main lawns for the finale!

You’ll find me hosting the Air Gardens, demanding people debate and speak poetry for my pleasure. Tickets are not on sale yet, but follow Ayscoughfee Hall and events company Heroine City for more updates.

Creative Share’n’Tear

What I’m Watching 📺 Spy/Master on BBC iPlayer. A Romanian espionage drama set in the 1980s. Not one to watch while you’re eating (or knitting) - unless you speak a lot of languages, you’re going to be watching the screen for subtitles. I don’t know a lot about the history of the Cold War, so I don’t know how sensationalised the storyline is, but it is nail-bitingly tense, with car chases, gadgets and hidden doors you’d expect of an old Bond movie, only with real-world stakes.

What I’m Reading 📖 How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell. Given the direction so many of our mainstream online spaces have gone recently, I know I’m not the only one who’s been looking for better ways to connect with each other, ways that don’t shred our attention spans the way social media does. This book is an interesting resource in that journey, looking at how our attention has been captured in the service of upholding capitalist structures, and how doing ‘nothing’ might be one of our most powerful tools to reclaim ourselves.

What I’m Listening To 🎵 THEY! by corook. A dose of happy non-binary queer joy to dance around the kitchen to. It opens with “This is a sweet and friendly reminder/That you are safe here/Show off your binder.” How could I not fall in love with it?