Alex Keelan performing at Pussy Riot benefit Manchester

I performed last night at an amazing Unconvention event at Teacup Manchester, raising money for Pussy Riot.  There was a very thought provoking reading of the testimony's of the three women sentenced, they talked about the deterioration of free thought in Russia.  Their appeal is on Monday, if there is any justice they should be released.  I performed Slutwalks and a new one inspired by the Pussy Riot Punk Prayer.

Poetry for Plebs

I went to a great poetry night last night at Afflecks Place 3MT, its organised by Carly Bennett and Alex Klienburg, each week they choose a different theme, this weeks theme was Poetry for Plebs.  In the spirit of the night I wrote this.


I'm not that cultured, I'm not that well read,
that's why I'm right at home at poetry for plebs.
I'm not adverse to culture or being well read,
it's just 80's telly is how I was fed.

My poems aren't high brow, I wouldn't call them art,
they're not cryptic, mostly rhyme and come straight from the heart.

But mixing in these circles I've come to the conclusion,
all art is subjective and exclusion an illusion.
Hearing other poets, I've also come to find,
that the pleb in me is just a state of mind.

From my trepid trepidation's from a world I felt apart,
I've come to realise all expression is a form of art.

Alex Keelan reads "Matryoshka"

A few years ago a friend at work told me that baby girls are born with all their eggs.  I liked the idea that in 1949 when my nana was pregnant with my mum she also carried the little eggs that were to become my four sisters and I.

Alex Keelan reads "Fledgling"

A first reading of a new poem at the amazing Northern Elements event at Manchester Museum Living World Gallery.

'G.R.A.S.S.' by Alex Keelan

Edinburgh was great and challenging.  I got ill the week before our  fringe show Life or Something Like it (with singer song writer Claire Mooney)  and had visions of me performing with flu and being assisted off stage with a recovery cape a la James Brown.  This did not happen, I was fine.  We were lucky enough to have 3 reviewers there for our first show.  Being a newcomer to all this I made a pretty basic mistake and read one of the reviews at 3am the night before our next performance.  I was staying in a travel lodge and some pissed lads screaming outside woke me up, I checked my emails and there was the review.  It started well but then descended into a pretty tough critique of my performance.  After the initial feelings of nausea I managed to talk myself round from throwing in the towel and realised I am still learning . The next day I tried to relax and perform better than the day before.

Below is a clip of one the poems from that performance. This was the third time I had performed this poem and the first time in front of my four sisters and my mum. It was great having my family there they really spurred me on.  If you have sisters or brothers I hope you relate and enjoy.

p.s If you're nosy (like me) the three reviews were from Broadway baby, Sabotage and Three weeks.