Elemental

Morag Skene, Gráinne Smith and Judith Taylor,
with James Hughes (guitar) & Charlie Styles (harmonica & saxophone)

Monday 28 May 2007
7pm

Musa [Venue 8]

Admission Free

Like harmony in music; there is a dark
Inscrutable workmanship that reconciles
Discordant elements...

Wordsworth The Prelude Book i ll 341-3

Join Morag Skene, Gráinne Smith and Judith Taylor for an evening of strong words and sweet music with special guests James Hughes (guitar) and Charlie Styles (harmonica and saxophone).

Morag Skene was born and brought up in the North-East of Scotland. She even lives in a lovely, traditional North-East farmhouse with a huge garden, just outside Peterhead, which she would really enjoy if she was ever there. Unfortunately, Morag's interests in writing, dancing, drama, her wee grandaughter, jazz and making a fool of herself singing on open mic nights, mean she has to drag herself into the big bad city of Aberdeen far too often!

For the last few years Gráinne Smith has concentrated on writing non-fiction and poetry: Pathways, a small collection of poetry, was published by Koo Press in 2005; Chanceshot, about recent events in the North-East fishing industry, gained 3rd prize and very highly commended in the SCDA 3-act play competition in 2005; John Wiley and Sons published Anorexia and Bulimia in the Family in 2004 (narrative non-fiction based on many interviews, much reading and research – used sometimes as a textbook but doesn't read like one!)

With her next narrative non-fiction book out in March 2007, again with Wileys, Gráinne is now enjoying getting back to her first love: writing playscripts, stories short and long. Always a story up her hand knitted sleeve as Cal Wallace once said....

Judith Taylor comes from Perthshire and now lives and works in Aberdeen, where she is a member of Lemon Tree Writers. She writes poetry in English and sometimes Scots, and her first chapbook collection, Earthlight, was published in 2006 by Koo Press. She was Poet Number 91 in the StAnza 100 Poets Gathering in St Andrews in March 2007.

Charlie Styles had a music lesson in 1958 and, after years of practice acquired a job as lead alto sax with a 4 piece band at the Beach Ballroom in Aberdeen. He then moved on to play with the Fred Cowie Band at the Douglas Hotel. In 1968 Charlie decided to take a gap year, which lasted until 1999, when, having decided to give up the fags he could afford to buy and study the mouth organ. Eventually, in 2005 he gained a place with the Aberdeen Jazz Orchestra. Sadly, in 2006 he was diagnosed with terminal Old Timers Disease.

Promoted by

Wordfringe

Supported by

Musa Art & Music Café