Forest Café

Jacques Labouchere
June 17, 9pm
Free

Jacques Labouchere - currently on his “I’m From Now” UK Tour will play a gig at the Forest on June 17! Listen to some of his tunes on his website
Come and enjoy!

More ▶

Hard Rock Monday
Live Music, DJs, VJs, 11 Kinds of Nachos
June 13th, 8 ‘till late
Motherfuckers, you know it makes sense.

Bon Jovi was slightly off the mark when he said that the weekend comes 7 days too soon. But Hard Rock Monday is coming 2 months early. Motherfuckers couldn’t wait until August.

Monday 13 June The Forest is proud to unload 11 different nachos upon your eager outstretched tongue. Alongside the The Forest’s classic dish, we have some old favourites from last year and some making their first nervous appearance. Who can forget their first ‘Queso Grande’, or the prehistoric punch of the ‘Godzilla’? The cafe-clearing ‘Flamin Pendechos’ has been reformulated, so only your bowels will be evacuated this time round. Sisters may be curious about the ‘Wears the soap’, a saucy sapphic spread for those who like their tacos hot and yeasty.

For your ears, we propose a meaty helping of Edinburgh’s hottest 2-piece, Zebra!, sandwiched between the thickest slabs of hard rock that DJs Cyan Black, The Mortician and SDawg can provide.

Your eyes will not go unrewarded either. Our VJs are putting together a mind-watering compilation of ocular oddities to complete our onslaught on your senses.

Motherfuckers, you know it makes sense.

More ▶

Queer Mutiny Party
Wed 8th: 7pm - 1am
Bristo Hall (above The Forest Cafe)

They said it would never happen again. They said the danger had passed. But, as prophesied, Queer Mutiny has risen from the grave to destroy The Forest Cafe. Did I say destroy? I meant fundraise for. I always get those mixed up.

7-9pm: The Queer Mutiny Salon - Food, Activism, Paramilitary Training. All this and much, much less. Come share a truly civilized occasion (police infiltrators welcome, bring cookies).

9-11pm: The Hermitage - Banshee pop Alex’s Hilarious Enterprises (UnLtd.) - Ukulele lunacy The Fannies - Dear God my eyes, my eyes, my beautiful eyes

11-1am: Frenzied Dancing

BYOB + Corkage

Are you excited? We’re on the verge of losing bladder control. Request music on the website.

http://www.queermutiny.tk/

More ▶

THE FOREST at THE MEADOWS FEST
Saturday 4th & Sunday 5th June
from 12pm

Saturday with:
1SP, Kung Fu Mother, The Pineapple Chunks, Foxgang, Dark Jokes, Donna Maciocia, Punch & The Apostles
Akimbo Divine - DJ between sets

Sunday with:
Miasma, Hiva Oa, Small Feet Little Toes, Missing Cat, The Stagger Rats, Lewis Gibson & The Midas Touch, Jesus H. Foxx, Ruby And The Emeralds

More ▶

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALLEN GINSBERG!
Friday 3rd June, 7.30 - 11pm, Forest Hall
POETS + AH! SUNFLOWER + WITHERED HAND

FRIDAY 3RD JUNE 2011 WOULD HAVE BEEN THE 85TH BIRTHDAY OF BEAT GENERATION LEGEND ALLEN GINSBERG! To celebrate, READ THIS PRESS in association with FOREST is holding a Beat birthday bash featuring poetry, film and music.

- - - - 3RD JUNE, 7.30PM, FOREST HALL + + + + + +
THE LINE-UP +
POETRY INSPIRED BY ALLEN

To celebrate the life and work of Allen Ginsberg, READ THIS PRESS has produced a limited edition handmade chapbook of poetry by contemporary poets writing in response to the great man’s works (ed. Claire Askew, Stephen Welsh). STARRY RHYMES: 85 YEARS OF ALLEN GINSBERG features new work by Kevin Cadwallender, Colin McGuire, Tracey S Rosenberg, Ryan Van Winkle & many others (full list here: http://www.readthismagazine.co.uk/onenightstanzas/?p=1472). Poets published in the chapbook will read their own work as well as work by Ginsberg.

Confirmed to read: MICHAEL CONLEY // TRACEY S ROSENBERG // ALEC BEATTIE // COLIN HERD // MATT MACDONALD // SARAH QUIGLEY // COLIN MCGUIRE // MARION MCCREADY // RYAN VAN WINKLE

AH! SUNFLOWER SCREENING

We are hoping to screen AH! SUNFLOWER, Ginsberg’s 1967 documentary/London travelogue, in its entirety (running time approx. 25 minutes). There will also be a chance to hear recordings of the great man reading from classic works such as HOWL and AMERICA

MUSIC SET — WITHERED HAND (solo set)

I’m very excited to confirm that the night’s musical entertainment will be provided by the truly excellent WITHERED HAND:

“Bummed-out folk with the saddest, most beautiful wistful sparkly banjo jams and the most hilarious, and yet totally heart-melting, lyrics ever, sung with a grizzled UK croak that’s hard not to love.” — WVKR FM, New York http://www.witheredhand.com/

- - - - 3RD JUNE, 7.30PM, FOREST HALL + + + + + +

The event is + FREE + and BYOB!

Donations to the SAVE THE FOREST FUND will be encouraged! Merch from the performers will be available in abundance, along with copies of STARRY RHYMES and other READ THIS PRESS publications. 3/6/11, 7.30PM, FOREST HALL (above the FOREST CAFE), BRISTO PL, EDINBURGH

ALL WELCOME!

More ▶

Ragged University: Edinburgh Launch
7 - 11pm, Wednesday 1st June
Bristo Hall, upstairs at the Forest

The Ragged University is a free education project which aims to set up events where people can share their knowledge and passion for a subject with others in a friendly, informal environment. Someone who is passionate about a subject introduces a talk they are keen to share, with excerpts of free internet knowledge resources and accredited lectures from universities around the world. All this happens in a café, pub or any innately social space. This has been brought together by a core team people distributed over Edinburgh, London, Manchester and Glasgow.

At the event • Short Introduction of the Ragged University • Acoustic Music by The Henry Ibbs Band • Sleep and the Exercise Theory of Relativity by Mike McInnes • Break for 30 minutes for coffee, cakes, food and conversation • Short Film making and the Long Tale by Paul Bruce • Film screenings of Paul Bruces work

For more information, get in contact with our Edinburgh Team alex@raggeduniversity.com or visit www.ragged-online.com

More ▶

Reclaim the Day and Night!
11am Saturday 28th - 1am Sunday 29th
Free School, March, Gig!

The Edinburgh Anarcha-Feminist Collective is currently organising for Reclaim the Night which, this year, is going to take place on the 28th of May 2011 in Edinburgh. Events due to take place on the 28th of May include:

A freeschool day event on the subject of patriarchal violence, to include free workshops, discussion space, film, art and craft space, and more! This will be taking place upstairs in the Forest Cafe Hall, 3 Bristo Place, Edinburgh from 1pm – 5pm. All are welcome, come and hang out and prepare for the Reclaim the Night march with us! We want the space to be open and creative and to include whatever the people using would like from it, so please bring materials, energy and things to share!

A reclaim the night march gathering at usher hall on Lothian road at 7:30pm to begin marching at 8:00pm. The march will be open to feminists of any gender, however there will be a self-identified women’s only space at the front of the march for those who wish to march in that space. The march will culminate in Bristo square at 9:00pm. There will be a banner making at the freeschool event during the day!

There will then be a post-march gig to celebrate after the march with live music from Scragfight, Hannah Werdmuller and Gudrun Hirt and then dancin’ to some fine feminist tunes. This will take place in Teviot Dining Room, Teviot row House, Bristo Square from 9:00pm till 3:00am.

The event is so far being organised by three feminist groups who have decided to work together: Edinburgh Anarcha-Feminists, Ladyfest Edinburgh, and a small group of people from Edinburgh University who are organising under the Reclaim the Night banner. We would love for more people/groups to get involved to make this a real collaborative project which reaches out to lots of different people. All events are free.

If you would like to be involved in the planning for this event, please get in touch by emailing us: edinburghanarchafeminist[at]noflag.org.uk

More ▶

GOLDEN HOUR at KNOCK
28. May - Saturday, 4-7pm
The Longhouse

The Golden Hour rolls into the legendary Knock Longhouse bringing you spoken words and acoustic music in a cozy, woody and warm space.

Knockengorroch, Carsphairn, Castle Douglas, DG7 3TJ

Featuring:
Emily Ballou — Prize-winning poet and ace in the hole.
Ewan Morrison — lets his malls out.
Ryan Van Winkle — Long stories, short poems.
Jason Morton — here comes the ‘Michigan High Five’
Ericka Duffy — check the nose on this hot new prose.
Hailey Beavis — angel-voiced mama getting devilish on 6 strings.
Sophie Cooke —- the novelist and poet brings the bright light!

&&&

Special guests from the muddy madness.
See you in the fields!!!!

More ▶

[awry] Psych Cèilidh!
The Forest Hall, 3 Bristo Place
Friday 20th May, 8pm - 1am

Once again [awry] are going to be holding a psychedelic ceilidh upstairs in the forest.

As well as the Psych Ceilidh, we’ve got the great Jen and the Gents playing (http://www.jenewan.co.uk/) and possibly some very special guests…..

As always, entry is by donation only and it’s BYOB, so come and dance the night away to some psychegaelic tunes!

More ▶

Seedling Swap
Summer Seedling Swap!
Sunday 22nd May, 1-5pm

More ▶

The Forest Café Community Choir
Every Tuesday 7-9pm the Forest Hall

More ▶

JOSHUA CAOLE
19 May, 7pm

Live: Joshua Caole &
Tom McConnell

More ▶

UNDERGROWTH - A FOREST FUNDRAISER
Help support The Forest with a night of extraordinary sound!
16 May, 8pm

More ▶

GOLDEN HOUR
18 May, 8pm

Celebrate Reel Festivals at The Golden Hour
Edinburgh’s premiere literary cabaret featuring new Arabic and English translations from these thrilling local and international writers:

William Letford
William Letford lives in Stirling, Scotland and works as a roofer. In 2008 he received a New Writer’s Award from the Scottish Book Trust, and an SQA Star Award. He has been published in various magazines and anthologies including Poetry Scotland and New Writing Scotland.

Emily Ballou
Emily Ballou is a Glasgow-based Australian-American poet, screenwriter and novelist. She is the author of the novels Father Lands and Aphelion (Picador), and the recent verse-portrait of Charles Darwin The Darwin Poems (UWA Publishing). She lives in Glasgow, Scotland.

Tom Pow
Tom Pow was the first Writer in Residence at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, 2001, 2002 and 2003. He was StAnza’s Poet in Residence in 2005. Dear Alice Narratives of Madness (Salt) won the poetry category in the Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust Book Awards in 2009. In the Becoming, New and Selected Poems (Polygon), was published in 2009.

Rasha Omran
Rasha Omran is a Syrian poet with a degree in Arabic literature from Damascus University. Since 1997 she has published four collections of poetry: Rajaa Lahu Shakal al-Haya; Ka’ana Manfay Jasady; Thilak al-Mumatad Fi Aqsa Hanini and Ma’atif Ahmar Faragh as well as compiling an anthology of Syrian Poetry. She is the director of the annual Al-Sindiyana festival of culture in Syria.

Golan Haji
Golan Haji is a Syrian poet, with a postgraduate degree in pathology. He has published a number of books including Called in Darkness (2004) which won the ‘Al-Maghut’ prize in poetry; and Someone Sees You as a Monster (2008). His next collection My Cold Faraway Home will be published in Autumn 2011. He has also translated various works into Arabic including the Scottish classic - Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He lives in Damascus.

Mazen Maarouf
Mazen Maarouf is a Palestinian poet and journalist, living as a refugee in Beirut. He has published a number of books including Kaan Hoznona Khobz/It was our sadness as bread (2000) and Camera La Taltaket Al Aasafir/The camera does not frame birds (2004). His most recent collection of poetry is currently in press and he is also translating the poems of William Blake into Arabic.

Yehia Jaber
Yehia Jaber is a Lebanese poet, playwright, communist, journalist and actor. Amongst other literary and political works, he has published six collections of poetry: A Pool of Serum (1988); The Rascals (1991); Take The Book By Force (1994); Like If I Was A Divorced Woman (2007); For Adults Only (2008); and Love In A Washing Machine (2010). In 2010 he performed his previous poetry collection as a theatrical work entitled O Yahya Jaber, Take The Book By Force (Stand Up Poetry). He lives in Beirut.

All this plus short films and an eclectic range of music from Scotland and the the Levant including OkyDoky, Belvedere Mountain Express and Hiva Oa!

More ▶