1. Sweat & Mugs & RocknRoll: Attracted by the magic of stardust and a desire to avoid the 9-5, Steve Pottinger fell

into work in the music business instead. He started out as local crew, unloading and re-loading trucks and helping

to set up shows. He now works as a stage manager at some of the biggest festivals in Europe. It’s been quite the

journey. Expect anecdotes, stories, and insights into how the industry has changed – for better and worse – over

the years.

2. Writing Lives (two-handed) Emma Purshouse and Steve Pottinger talk about life as self-employed writers and

performance poets, their respective creative journeys within this field, and how they make a living from the arts.

Steve and Emma will share anecdotes, talk about some of the madcap, quirky, and unexpected projects they’ve

been involved in, and spout some poetry along the way! Opportunity for Q & A.

3. Ignite Books – the journey of a small press (two-handed) Steve Pottinger shares the development of his

business Ignite Books – a maverick publisher which has successfully produced books by punks, wrestlers, cabaret

artists, rock journalists and more. Together with Ignite author Emma Purshouse – who will share an author’s

perspective on being published by a small press – they’ll share anecdotes, read excerpts from some of the books,

and give a fascinating insight into the world of small press publishing.

4. The Black Country – is that somewhere near Leeds? (two-hander) Emma Purshouse talks about the Black

Country elements of her work as a writer, performer, and editor of The Blackcountryman magazine. She will share

her experiences of writing about the region, her involvement in local arts projects, and talk about the use of local

dialect and local history within her attempts to promote the Black Country further afield. Together with fellow

Black Country creative Steve Pottinger, they’ll also share examples of poetry created to celebrate the Black Country region.