J. Fergus Evans is a yarn-spinnin’, boy-kissin’, spoken word and performance artist from Georgia, USA. He has collaborated with leading arts organisations including Contact and Comma Film in Manchester, Apples & Snakes, Birmingham Rep, Battersea Arts Centre and Twinhead Theatre in Atlanta. Whilst his professional theatre debut was as the ingénue in a drag gospel musical and he once danced in a go-go cage for money, his work now focuses on restaging spoken word through video, soundscaping and sculpture. 'On Euclid Ave' is Fergus's debut poetry collection.

What I Had To Hand 

I took the seesawing sounds of your voices,
the way your back alleys burn bright.

I took the sudden surprise of spring like a celebration,
the long lazy afternoons in your underused beer gardens.

I took the unexpected walks with you in winter,
the sound of my breath and snow melting.

I took the snap and crackle of your anarchy,
the lisp and whisper of your canals.

I took the first time I truly fell in love,
the space it carved out of me

and called it home.

Titles by J. Fergus Evans

On Euclid Ave

The hottest bar in a hot Southern city. A US State Highway twisting its way into the Appalachians. An overcast afternoon in an abandoned park in Manchester...

Using a mixture of intimate confessions and half-imagined anecdotes, 'On Euclid Ave' is a transatlantic gaggle of modern day folk-tales and quiet revelations. It’s full of the stories you tell people when they ask you where you’re from, and learning that once you leave, you can’t go back. It’s about making a home from the things you have to hand.

'On Euclid Ave' is the debut poetry collection by J. Fergus Evans, a yarn-spinnin’, boy-kissin’, spoken word and performance artist from Georgia, USA. Fergus has collaborated with leading arts organisations including Contact and Comma Film in Manchester, Apples & Snakes, Birmingham Rep, Battersea Arts Centre and Twinhead Theatre in Atlanta, restaging spoken word through video, soundscaping and sculpture. He is also a certified life coach and independent producer.

“An exemplary piece of writing - rich, powerful and deeply evocative. Intimately delivered with warmth, wit, tenderness and poignancy.” Ben Mellor, BBC Radio 4 Slam Champion

“Fergus Evans makes statements from the provocative to the droll.” Atlanta Creative Loafing

“If you haven’t heard of Fergus Evans, you soon will.” The Pink Paper

“Witty, emotive and rhythmic. Fergus Evans’s work drives home a concrete truth coupled with a very poetic need to connect. It’s impossible not to be moved by his intention and skill.” Gerry Potter, poet & playwright

“One to watch.” Manchester Mule

Price £7.50

Details

• ISBN 9780957014176
• Publisher Flapjack Press
• Genre Poetry
• Extent 74pp