<![CDATA[Patrick Widdess

<![CDATA[Patrick Widdess - News]]>Sat, 04 Jul 2026 16:49:26 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Dogface Improthon 2026 Writer in Residence]]>Mon, 29 Jun 2026 21:02:43 GMThttp://patrickwiddess-writer.weebly.com/news/dogface-improthon-2026-writer-in-residence

One of my main creative outlets in recent years has been improv comedy. I went to a class more than nine years ago when I first moved to Norwich with few expectations beyond meeting some people in my new home and having some fun. I was soon bitten by the bug and regularly participate in events and workshops run by Dogface Improv, where I am also a host and member of several teams.
On June 20, it was the annual Dogface improthon, 12 hours of sketches, drama, music and even ventriloquism made up on the spot, at Norwich Puppet Theatre. I spent as much of the day as I could watching shows, writing down standout lines and moments and taking contributions from audience members who wrote down their favourite bits. This was on top of hosting for an hour and performing with four different teams.

Audience contributions.

Improv has a dreamlike quality; it all makes sense at the time but when you try to deconstruct it all logic and meaning falls apart. This made it challenging piecing together numerous random words, lines, quotes and half remembered scenes. I constructed a poem in celebration of the day and the Dogface community, which was marking its 10th anniversary, and cramming in as much of the writing I had collected during the day as possible.
It was a joy to take to the stage in the evening and share a work, that I was revising even as I stood in the wings waiting to go on, to an appreciative audience.
You can find a video of the reading below.

Ode to the Dogface improthon 2026

We’ve gone from nothing to everything:
From the kingdom of squirrels
To the exotic dance of Butterkist popcorn,
To ladies in waiting:
The royal secret greeting
(It’s all about the curtsy.)
In a little cabin in the woods
Scrabble and a glass of merlot
And new traditions
Subbuteo
Several involuntary snorts
Every kind of cereal
Riboflavin levels off the chart,
Never bothering about football, just lettuce.
We’ve been fence panels
Teeshirts who should’ve gone to Primark,
a golf ball that wants to go into retail,
Filled our house with water for a budget beach holiday,
Got doused in frozen peas.
How do we get from building castles from humous,
Sword fighting with Michael, an Arc de Triumph bookshelf,
To the last one standing at a speed dating massacre
Springs for our knees, raised by a mum with wooden arms?
Is it because we were raised by Auntie Beeb, suckled from her teet?
Maybe it’s having lots of cupboards of nice things
And nice people to unpack them who believe us when we say
I love Fredrich almost as much as my other children,
I became a pig because I ate too many Frazzles,
I’ve lost my penguin.
It’s about connection whether you’re on a desert island
Or digging up treasure, having the courage to face
David Attenborough the most evil ghost pirate you’ve ever known
Absorbing the works of the great bard:
I a top do go from side to side
I saw some fool awalking on his hands
This is Roman times, no Heimlich was there then
Beware when the shrubberies come to your home
What play is that from?
We are united in our quest to push boundaries
Venture into the castle stationery cupboard
Hunt the elusive black radish
Slide down the stairs on our our bums,
Slide down the walls on our bums,
Slide down the curtains on our bums,
Get drunk at Cape Canaveral
Suck up the spaghetti
Get tickets for the Ting Tings in Tottenham
Find new language:
Uuh uuuh m m m m m m
No one’s used the word vagina in 10,000 years.
Translate poetry on the jealousy of the cashew nut.
We’ve been doing this for twelve hours
We’ve been doing this for ten years
Doing things we’ve never done before
Seeking the secret to long life and health
Discovering that skips are sexy
Snails are rarely embraced
There are plenty of beautiful people working in radio
But we can’t name them.
We’ve sung new songs:
Egg sandwich
I’ve lost my pelican
I really like hinges they’re so beautiful
Pedestrian blues
The do ron ron ron, the do ron ron.
And yes, there’s always one more thing
Another drop inside the bottle
As I was saying
You should have seen him with a squigee.
How do I finish when there’s always another scene,
More characters in the wings waiting
To exist before disappearing like clouds or mist.
And you the audience calling for scenes
On Jenga, watermelons, the sun, diamonds, shells, alien goop - has this happened to you?
It will happen somehow, somewhere when someone demands it
With cries of Jennifer! My laminator
No, you can’t put that there!
Come and join me in the washing machine
Marry me!
So pucker up your mutt mug, put a smile on your canine visage
Throw your paws in the air for Dogface!

Patrick Widdess 2026
Main image: Take It and Run Photography

]]><![CDATA[Erbacce Prize 2026]]>Wed, 03 Jun 2026 08:09:47 GMThttp://patrickwiddess-writer.weebly.com/news/erbacce-prize-2026I am honoured to have made the long list of the Erbacce Prize 2026, reaching the last 115 from more than 10,000 entries. The free to enter contest runs annually and attracts entries from around the world. Find out more here.]]><![CDATA[Haiku in Grapes Hill Community Garden]]>Wed, 24 Jul 2024 18:52:52 GMThttp://patrickwiddess-writer.weebly.com/news/haiku-in-grapes-hill-community-garden

On Sunday I ran my first workshop at Grapes Hill Community Garden, a small oasis near the centre of Norwich where everything from foxgloves to banana trees flourishes. It was perfect space for the mindful practice of writing haiku with a multitude of plants, trees and insects to inspire.
The participants, many new to haiku, embraced the form and produced some terrific work - some which is now on display in the greenhouse. The garden is open daily and there are events throughout the summer and autumn. I'll be running further workshops in September and October.
More information on the garden and future events available at grapeshillcommunitygarden.org

]]><![CDATA[Golden Haiku]]>Fri, 22 Mar 2024 21:12:00 GMThttp://patrickwiddess-writer.weebly.com/news/golden-haikuI've had a haiku selected for display in Washington DC's Golden Triangle district as part of the annual Golden Haiku competition. I'm delighted to be selected from around 4,000 entries worldwide. If you happen to be in DC look out for the haiku and if you spot mine please send a photo. The haiku will be displayed until the end of April 2024.
Read more about the competition and all winning haiku here.

]]><![CDATA[Gods and Monsters]]>Mon, 02 Oct 2023 10:09:50 GMThttp://patrickwiddess-writer.weebly.com/news/gods-and-monsters

Medusa’s Head

It hangs from the end of my bed
in a Marks and Spencer bag for life.
It hisses in the night.
I’ve been bitten once or twice...

My poem Medusa's head is featured in this new anthology from Pan Macmillan. It originally featured on an episode of my Poetry Non-Stop podcast with Ella Duffy. I'm delighted to see it get picked up and used in such a brilliant publication topped off with illustrations from Chris Riddell. Thanks for the inspiration Ella.

You can order the book here.

]]><![CDATA[Poem in Love The Words anthology]]>Sat, 04 Jun 2022 22:37:55 GMThttp://patrickwiddess-writer.weebly.com/news/poem-in-love-the-words-anthology

I have a poem, Old Bits of Cloud, in the Love The Words poetry competition winners anthology. The competition is run as part of International Dylan Thomas Day and this year the theme was water. You can download and read the anthology here.

]]><![CDATA[Dead Women Poets Society podcast with Caroline Bird and Jade Cuttle]]>Mon, 27 Jul 2020 10:31:28 GMThttp://patrickwiddess-writer.weebly.com/news/dead-women-poets-society-podcast-with-caroline-bird-and-jade-cuttleIn February I was asked to produce a podcast for an event by the Dead Women Poets Society at Norwich Forum. Each event or séance features women poets resurrecting a woman poet who did not receive the recognition she deserved. The living poets talk about the poet's life and accomplishments, share their work and talk about how they influenced them. They read a poem inspired by their chosen poet. This event features Caroline Bird vividly bringing Anna Wickham's wild spirit into the room and Jade Cuttle resurrecting Gisèle Prassinos through song. There is also an open mic section.
Standing at the back of the room, one of only a few men present, I was thrilled by the wealth of poetry shared from poets living and dead. I'm proud to be able to bring you this recording.

Dead [Women] Poets Soc. · Caroline Bird & Jade Cuttle resurrect at The Forum, Norwich

]]><![CDATA[The fish who left the ocean]]>Thu, 30 Jan 2020 22:12:52 GMThttp://patrickwiddess-writer.weebly.com/news/the-fish-who-left-the-oceanThere was a fish who had the notion
life was better outside the ocean.
“Are you mad?” The others said.
“If we leave we’ll soon be dead.”
“Don’t be silly,” the fish declared.
“That’s just a tale to make us scared.
“They’ve got us trapped down here you see,
“it’s cold and gloomy as can be.”
Dissatisfaction slowly grew
among the other fish he knew.
One day all across the sea
rose a cry of “let us leave!”
The fish all gathered in a band
and made their way onto the land.
All around was dry and bare.
They started gasping hard for air.
“What shall we do?” The fishes cried
“I think we’re all about to die.”
Then their leader shrugged and said:
“I hadn’t planned this far ahead.”
One fish wheezed: “Quick let’s go home,”
before collapsing with a groan.
There on the shore the fish all died
musing on their foolish lives.
If you choose to leave the place you know
Make careful plans before you go.

]]><![CDATA[Poetry Non-Stop: A podcast for writing and listening to new poetry]]>Fri, 10 May 2019 13:14:45 GMThttp://patrickwiddess-writer.weebly.com/news/why-my-new-podcast-needs-your-poems

As a teenager, one of my biggest influences was Mark Radcliffe’s late-night show on Radio One. Four nights a week it was an oasis of cutting edge music, art and culture. Among the regular guests were poets including Simon Armitage, John Hegley and Ian McMillan. They not only read their own poems but contributions sent in by listeners following prompts and writing exercises. Ian McMillan called it homework.
   They were lonely, difficult years as I navigated adolescence and the pressures of school and exams but in this after-hours poetry community I felt I belonged. I was a regular correspondent and some of my poems even made it onto the airwaves. I cringe to think how awful they were. But being prompted to write and having a platform on national radio to share my efforts was motivating. It developed my creative skills and built confidence as I headed towards taking a degree in English and Creative Writing.
  In my new podcast Poetry Non-Stop (and its predecessor Headstand) I have tried to create the same community. Each episode is an interview with a poet and showcase of their work but I also ask each guest to give listeners a writing exercise or prompt. So far I am the only one who has responded to these but I hope anyone who listens tries them as well.
   I have found the experience of writing to these prompts challenging and unexpected as I have been led to write a variety of poems that I would never have written otherwise. A prompt on borders and intimacy led me to write about a library which lies on the US-Canada border that I heard about on This American Life. A recipe for roast goose randomly picked from a Hungarian cookbook formed the basis of a vignette about a repressed housewife and an exercise to write about life experiences using metaphor prompted me to use a news story about rescued flamingoes to explore feelings of isolation and struggling to fit in.
   Birds kept coming up in the poems for some reason. Having noticed this I neither tried to avoid writing about them or include them but each time I finished a poem I realised another bird had found its way in somehow.
   The podcast is going out each Thursday via Soundcloud and the usual podcast providers for an initial run of six episodes but more are in the pipeline. I have been lucky to talk to some really brilliant and accomplished poets who have been very generous with their time and in sharing their poetry. But getting a wider network of listeners taking inspiration from these talented writers and sharing their own poems is an equally important aim for this project. Whether you are a seasoned poet or have never written poetry before I encourage you to tune in, enjoy the poems and then pick up your pen and do your homework!

Poems can be submitted via email, posted on the website or shared on social media using the hashtag #poetrynonstop.

Poetry Non-Stop poets

]]><![CDATA[Idiot Wind]]>Wed, 13 Mar 2019 11:31:19 GMThttp://patrickwiddess-writer.weebly.com/news/idiot-wind

I've just made my debut on Norwich based comedy panel show Idiot Wind. I've finally put all those hours listening to I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue, Just a Minute, The News Quiz etc to good use. You can hear me and the panel discussing ways to avoid getting burgled on holiday, practical uses for goats and my favourite cheese among other topics.

Please like on Facebook, follow on Twitter and subscribe wherever you usually get your podcasts for more episodes featuring me and other funnier folk.

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