An Evening with James Domestic & Virginia Betts
James Domestic and Virginia Betts team up for an evening of poetical entertainment that you will not want to miss!
Domestic has been wowing crowds across the country throughout 2023/24 with his quirky, humorous, and often poignant observations on the minutiae of everyday life effortlessly crafted into irreverent, punk-ish poems. He’s appeared on BBC Radio a number of times, guested on various podcasts, and even performed on BBC Breakfast telly as part of a feature on the 50th anniversary of Ceefax. With several books to his name, most published by Earth Island Books, and support slots with Luke Wright, Attila The Stockbroker, and Andy Riley, he’s feted by poets and musician alike:
“Words that bite, belch, and bleed in their brilliance” (Mark Grist, multi-award-winning poet, battle-rapper, and star of Channel 4’s ‘Mr Drew’s School for Boys’)
“Integrity, compassion and guts” (Steve Ignorant, Crass)
“James’ poetry sharply focuses in on the raw ridiculous truth of the world that is right in front of us all.” (Scott Coe, former Stamford Poet Laureate)
“Relentless” (Attila the Stockbroker, social surrealist poet and songwriter)
“A unique collection of poetic ventures into the human condition, with humour, anger, and a canny use of language: inspired and inspiring!” (Dick Lucas, Subhumans)
Virginia Betts is an author, poet, actor and tutor. She has written four books: The Camera Obscure, a collection of supernatural and noir stories; Tourist to the Sun, a poetry collection, That Little Voice, poetry by Virginia Betts and Burnt Lungs and Bitter Sweets, Virginia’s debut novel, a darkly comic slice of urban grit about four punk friends and their antics spanning over four decades. She has a third poetry collection and another book of short stories in the works.
Virginia has been widely published in journals and magazines, both online and in print, and won a number of awards for her work, which has received much critical acclaim:
“Uniting the directness of modern poetry with the musicality of traditional verse” (Suffolk poetry Society)
“Seedy, gutsy and occasionally psychotic…if you like Martin Miller’s Lux The Poet, you’ll love this.” (Jane Savidge, best-selling author and Britpop lynchpin)
“Rich in beautiful metaphors and sublime imagery” (Bristol Noir magazine)
“Any subject can inspire this talented Suffolk poet, from space travel to parenthood and childhood” (Tim Saunders, publisher, journalist and poet)
Kicking the evening off with a couple of short sets are “neuroshiny” novelist and poet, Dawn Vincent from Colchester, and actor and writer, AJ Deane with his Sci-Fi and Fantasy poetry.