Dave Haslam proves his faith in Manchester poets
DAVE Haslam is generally better known for his DJing than his powers of literary criticism, but with three non-fiction books under his belt, there’s no denying that the man has range.
So Manchester International Festival organisers were taking no chances when they asked him to assemble an eclectic bill of fare showcasing Manchester’s finest creative mavericks.
The series of events, entitled True Faith, will see the likes of everyone’s-favourite-man-about-town Guy Garvey, Haslams’s fellow Didsbury local John Thomson and a range of up and coming musical acts appearing at the Festival Pavilion in Albert Square.
While the majority of the True Faith bill is music-orientated, a high profile literary event with Mancunian poets Lemn Sissay and Jackie Kay will be a highlight for the more discerningly bookish punter.
Creativel diverse
Haslam is passionate about projecting a creatively diverse vision of Manchester on the international stage; ‘‘I hate the mentality that limits what you can and can't like or what you can or can't do’ he says of his choice of guests.
‘‘The music and literature scenes in Manchester are totally, sadly and ridiculously separate. It irks me the way the literature community can be very protective and precious and I hate the way people like Noel Gallagher proclaim stuff like 'I don't read books, me'. The people putting up barriers are just scared, I think.'’
"'Even in the mid-1980s when I was doing my music fanzine, Debris, I was featuring interviews with writers like Tony Harrison and Raymond Carver.
The Festival said I was free to do whatever I thought would be of interest, and that was the only encouragement I needed.’' His choice of writers also reflects something of Manchester’s own international legacy.
Landmark poem
Sissay is a Wigan-born adoptee of Ethiopian descent whose work can be seen all over the city.
Commuters from South Manchester will be familiar with his landmark poem Hardy’s Well, displayed on the south wall of the Rusholme pub, and the concrete verse, Rain, emblazoned above the Gemini take-away on Oxford Road.
Kay is a prolific poet, novelist and playwright of Scottish-Nigerian heritage who received an MBE in 2006 for her contribution to literature.
Both writers were adopted at birth, grew up with white families and have written about their search for an authentic cultural identity.
Odd nattering
They have been publishing since the late eighties in Manchester and are close friends as well as contemporaries. ‘'I chose these two partly because I know them and I thought that would help build a rapport, and because I admire them.
''Lemn I know well and we’ve spent hundreds of hours over the years putting the world to rights in various venues around South Manchester, so it'll be odd nattering in front of an audience.
'‘I absolutely devour Jackie’s work and I love the way she writes poetry, short stories, novels, plays. She's a very honest writer, and very focused.’
Funk, soul and reggae
‘'They both have the gift of the gab, so I'm hoping they'll talk among themselves and I can just sit there and enjoy it!
''Having said that, my personal interest is in the craft of writing, so I could get very writerly about it I think; about where creativity comes from and how words are chosen and what drives the editing processes writers are always engaged in.
'‘Or we might just talk about funk, soul, and reggae; music features heavily in the work of both writers of course. And maybe that's another reason I'm drawn to them.
'‘I'm hoping Lemn will do some of his jazz funk moves at the after-party at the Pavilion Bar.'’
Lemn Sissay and Jackie Kay will be appearing at Manchester International Festival Pavilion Theatre, Albert Square on Tuesday, 14 July. For more information visit the link to the right of the page.
Published: Fri, 03 July, 2009
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