Reading, writing, drawing. Never really got over leaving school.
Music
Indie, and some rock-but actually fairly ecceltic. Favs at the mo include: The Long Blondes, Jonny Cash, PJ Harvey, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Skin, Viva Voce...you get the picture. Oh, also-some of the better amongst you may notice I already have a friend (!) Met him in a bar one night, stole his myspace address and stuck him on my site like we'd been going back for years. Did you see he's holding a guitar?(see about me to understand what this might mean...I know muso's!!) I quite like his stuff too-all acoustic and lovely.
Movies
Amelie, Pans Labrinth, anything by Quentin Tarantino but in particular Kill Bill, Mirror Mask, Kung Fu Hustle (just sat up late watching it-was really cool. I now want to be a kung fu Hero)
Television
Sci-Fi Series to the degree of addiction that I'm working my way through them like crack. Eventually exhausting each vein and moving onto the next...Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Battlestar Gallatica, Heroes, Hex.
I also go crazy for ER, Desperate Housewives and Ugly Betty...and am stupid about news programmes...Newsnight, the 6 O'Clock, the 7 O'Clock (Channel 4), the 10 O'Clock...Question Time, that kind of thing.
Books
Haruki Marukami (did I spell that right?), Margaret Atwood,Carol Ann Duffy, Sharon Olds. Mostly, I like female authors, but I make exceptions.
Heroes
You know, my real heroes tend to be people I actually know - poets I admire, weird old ladies who've helped pull me out of odd fixes, friends...The common element is that I'd be far too embarrassed to tell any of them that they're my hero..."hello x, did I ever say that you're my hero?"...see? It sounds ridiculously hammy. So, I guess I'll be very English and keep them to myself:)
When it comes to famous people however...The Dalai Lama, Germaine Greer, Stephen Fry, Will Self, Margaret Atwood...I'll think of more.
About me: Lydia Towsey is a poet and spoken word artist. She owns two sets of fairy lights and one broken lava lamp. She is a woman. She writes about being a woman. She tries not to write about men, but they creep in.
In addition to writing and performing, Lydia is chair of voluntary arts in mental health organization, BrightSparks (brightsparks.wordpress.com). She also co runs The Brighter Side (performance poetry project) with fellow poet, Rob Gee.
She organizes arts in mental health projects for the NHS, facilitates poetry workshops and coordinates Leicester's principle spoken word night, WORD!
In 2007 Lydia was commissioned to write and perform for the ‘Freedom Showcase'. Doing so made her very happy. The show has plans to tour in 2008.
Shortly after the Freedom Showcase, Lydia was asked to play The Devil in a short film, 'Hindmost'. She tries not to take this personally. The film was recently screened at Phoenix Arts, as part of their CAN Film Festival.
Lydia's had her work published in a number of magazines. She won't list them here. She feels it would be persnickety. However, she would like to take this opportunity to say that Graham Joyce (impressively impressive author) once called her work 'brilliant and haunting' and Melanie Abrahams (impressively impressive renaissance one producer) has referred to her as 'a fast rising star on the literature and poetry scene'. She has of course considered covering the entire surface area of her flat with both quotes. But she worries about her deposit.
In 2009 she will be featured poet in Coffee House Magazine. Meanwhile she is completing her first collection and developing work for a new touring show. She can be found facilitating in any number of schools and community groups. She drinks alot of tea.
If any of this interests you, you should really read her wordpress blog: secretagentartist.wordpress.com ...that where she keeps all the really weird stuff..
Who I'd like to meet: Dispensing with the amusing third person...artists of any kind. Writers and visual in particular-but also musicians and djs to make me look cool;)
What I've got in mind here: some boheamian collective of uber cool luuvies, all hanging out, drinking coffee and chain smoking in a European haze of artistry.
However, seeing as I don't smoke..and am trying to give up coffee I might just settle for hanging out, drinking tea/decaff/gin and talking about stuff. Would also be lovely to do some kind of collaborative work together (potential, non-axe murdering friend). Would love to put some of my poetry to music if you write it, or work with a writer to illustrate their work (as I also do a bit of that...) David Tennent (the current Dr Who) if you're out there, there is NOTHING i wouldn't do to meet you.
BASS SLAM win £500, Fri 27 Jun, Peepul Centre - Leicester
Introducing the spoken word slam - expect an evening of explosive verbal impact as artists compete to become the Bass Festival's first slam champion and win a £500 artist development bursary.
Judges include Stephanie Hernandez - Apples & Snakes, Dave 'Stickman' Higgins - Blackdrop Spoken Word, Lydia Towsey - Chair of Word, Compered by Carol Leeming (The Mainstream Partnership)
To enter the slam please arrive at the venue's registration desk at 7pm on the night.
Wow! A bit of slap, nice frock, a trip to the hairdressers and ... instant vixen! Have a good one at Damien's bash if you're going - give the birthday boy a kiss from me!
As I spin round, I get giddier, Lydia As the road gets wet, it gets skiddier, Lydia There's a nasty little tree called a Piscidia, Lydia Obvious rhyme with chlamydia, Lydia
It went really well thanx. Nick & Jo(n) played a stormer on the spoken word from. Lots of acoustic lovelyness too. Made some money for charity too. Good luck for tommorow. Let me know how you get on. I've got mine on Thursday. It's for 'Hearing Voices Groups Project Manager' for Mind in Camden. It's a really amazing job, so fingers crossed xxx
Yup. It is :-) If you come down i'll make sure i put you on nice and early so you can get home and sleep. I had an interview on thursday (and am thru to the second round this thursday) so know how you feel. What's the job? xxx Rai
Yeah, It was well scary, woke up early sunday with a severe migraine, numbness,etc... But I'm all gd now!
Yup...U'll have to mail me in some sort of Freedom code! LOL
Yeah, I think we should all get together just to gel our peices together and that.... By the way, have you guys got any spare flyers, posters,etc... because I only took a few on Saturday and posted them in West Indian food shops and that in Notts....
thanks 4 the page comment...yeah I'm ok now,got outa hospital yesterday, but fully alive and kicking!...so i've just gotta sort out the visuals,etc.. with melanie and the tech people...
Wat kinda thing is everyone else doing with the stage for their pieces?
Staring into the sun you say. I won't make any jokes about you looking pale or enlightened then ;) I thought myspace had deleted my background the other day, but eventualy I managed to work out that the url of my midlake picture had changed on the web. Damned nuisance to put it back on again. Unfortunately, I can't blame myspace though.
Aaah, Gateway!! Not my most prolific period! Creativity seemed to be marred by early-day chavs and gangstas trying to kick my ass because I was sporting a slighty effeminate haircut! Vibrant times!!
Love the new profile (and I always thought you looked better with longer hair!). Just remembering how my Mum managed to (accidentally) kill that Peace Lily you gave me all those years ago when I moved from Leicestershire...
hey lydia
looking very cool and windswept how you keeping my old friend (old as in long time and not as in years of age just in case of misunderstanding)
lov d xxx
