Wow, I really had to admire Emma's Darwin's unfazed manner at a what my partner called a dismal back-street boozer near Nunhead cemetery. She read extracts from her current and forth-coming historical romance novels, The Mathematics of Love and A Secret Alchemy. Sent onstage earlier than billed, she proved a worthy follower in the fine Dickensian tradition of dramatised reading in a passage about a captive at knifepoint followed by a thought-provoking taster from her second novel, contrasting historical and modern settings.

My partner was complaining about the lack of beer on the pumps- no mineral water either - whilst I was struck by the unsuitability of the venue. I've only been to a dozen or so live writers' gigs, mainly in Waterstones, one in Foyles, one at Charlton House, one at The QEH. Well, I think Jeannette Winterson would have agreed to read with coloured lights flashing on and off. The gold-lame curtains and the stage being raised above hot,dark and fairly airless room was bad enough. My partner wondered that they could see their scripts, and I told him that Emma probably relied on rehearsal and memory for her impressive performance.

The Ivy House is a music-venue pub, and I can see it would be fine provided they turned on the air-conditioning.The rest of the programme of readings, rant-style poetry, solo singer with a backing pair and a laid-back female comedienne worked well. Another writer read extracts from her novel. There was more to like than not. Shame about the venue.

The gigs take place quarterly, and the next one is at Brockwell Park, Herne Hill, a picnic event, on September 7th. I'll make a point of attending that.

http://www.pipeandslippers.info/

The laid-back comedienne is called Liz Bentley and will be at Camberwell Baths on June 21st, free, as part of the Camberwell Arts Festival which runs from June 14th -22nd

http://www.southwark.gov.uk/DiscoverSouthwark/EventsSection/whatson/CamberwellArtsFestival

Can anybody recommend any other writers-in-performance venues? I think I'm getting an appetite for it.

Sheila












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I mean JW would not have agreed. Well, maybe she would when she was starting out...