The Castalians was a Poetry and music / spoken word event held at the Dovecot Arts Centre in Stockton on Tees between 1982 and 1985 and one of the most important developments on the Cleveland (UK) writing scene at the time.
local poets and musicians. Ann and Colin agreed to talk to
 |
| Ann Wainwright organising the Castalians at the Dovecot arts centre, Stockton 1982 – photo by Brian Stubley |
The name ‘Castalians‘ was Colin Walker‘s idea and came from Herman Hesse‘s Novel The Glass Bead Game. Colin had originally wanted to include esoteric speakers in the programme.
The monthly sessions were lively,creative and brought together some of the people who would become important to the Cleveland Writing movement in the future including John Miles Longden, Peter Stockill and Johnny Nichol. John Mile Longden and Peter Stockill had been involved in early groups and humourist Johnny Nichol took on compère duties. Trev brought along poets and musicians from the Poly’s Multii-Media Society and new poets came along including Mel McEvoy, who would later be an co-founder / editor of Outlet and Stiletto Pigeonetto – a Guisborough poet in the style of John Cooper Clarke.group of poets from the University of Crewe / Alsager’s BA in Creative Writing.
 |
| Dovecot Arts Centre |
In 1984 Trev Teasdel – now graduate and with more time on his hands – agreed to help re-develop and re- The Castalians, retitling it The New Poetry Scene. They re-organised it along the lines of a folk club with a paid guest one month and a local poets night the next. The first session kicked off with a performance by Bradford poet Little Brother who had proved popular at Teesside Poly gigs. Trev took over compère duties and he and poet John Quinn did a broadcast on Radio Tees to re-launch it, during which John Quinn read poems on air to music the DJ played in the background. New members came along, again some of whom became important to later developments – Pauline Plummer who became a co-founder of Outlet Magazine and later still a well published poet and tutor on the MA Creative Writing course at the university of Northumbria. Terry Lawson, a lifeboat man, shop keeper, poet and Jazz musician from Staithes who came along with the Guisborough Poetry group and became a co-founder of Outlet and Write Around.
brand
