AlBarz - Mini Bio

From Stafford to Birmingham and the Black Country to Ledbury and a whole sclunch of gigs between, Al Barz has written and toted poetry, keyboard and/or iPad to regale trapped audiences who listen attentively and nod, weep or guffaw… or sometimes politely applaud.

Al is a slam winner, headliner, event organiser, editor and music maker whose work can be found dotted around a variety of charity anthologies and others, Internet sites and a packet of extraneous cupboards. His book, 'Cacophony of Stardust' holds 150 collected works! "The breadth of material is so great that this collection is several books worth in one!" - Gary Longden.

He has danced on the Albert Hall stage, acted in plays on a dozen others, sung solo, in a duo, with a group and in a choir, edited a science fiction magazine and created half a dozen poetry websites. Once described by Heather Wastie as "poet with a keyboard with a mind of its own", he has since moved on to creating backing tracks using GarageBand and other synth-type apps on the iPad. Some tracks object to the poetry and now sit high on Barr Beacon humming with their fingers in their ears.

Current work-in-progress:

  • novel: about two boys with bikes who come across pieces of a hi-tech military device
  • poetry: there’s always something written, half-written, rewritten, on hold or trashed
  • events: ad hoc, I’ll turn up at various poetry events in the Black Country and Birmingham
  • organising: since January 2019, bi-monthly ‘Spoke - in the Lamp’ at Brownhills with a guest artist
  • best event organised: Bards, Bands & Ballads, a summer Sunday in Walsall Arboretum bandstand
  • favourite performance space: Sunday Xpress at Centrala, Birmingham
  • favourite poetry performers: Hollie McNish, Pandemonialists, Kurly McGeachie, John Mills, Gerald Kells, Paul Elwell, Thick Richard, Heather Wastie, Amy Rainbow
  • books on the coffee table: Stromboli - Matthew Cash (Burdizzo Books); I’m Not A Paki - Susan Vickers (Amazon/Kindle Direct Publishing)