It’s an exhilarating feeling, watching in the audience as actors embody characters you created, speak words you imagined, and belt out music you created.

But my co-writer Hannah Doyle and I weren’t the only ones getting chills during the opening weekend (May 3-4) of Joan: The Musical in the Brighton Fringe. Some of the audience members shared that it made them cry. Others left quoting the lines and humming the tunes.

I couldn’t have imagined a better weekend for Joan, where BOTH DAYS SOLD OUT!

Except for this – we were offered an opportunity to do a THIRD performance! It’s now happening on Monday, May 26, at 6 pm, once again at The Actors in Brighton.

Grab your ticket now for the May 26 performance of JOAN: https://www.brightonfringe.org/events/joan-the-musical/

Joan had some wonderful reviews.

From Brighton on the Inside:

It’s truly magical when the stars align and you end up seeing something that takes your breath away. Joan The Musical by Melanie Bell and Hannah Doyle is a triumphant tale about a woman’s dwindling confidence and her journey of self-discovery. A tale of despair and sadness, followed by joy and karma. With sequins, hot pink leggings, squats and box breathing. All set to an amazing original musical score.

From View from the Gods:

This is a sweet-toned musical about self-affirmation, new discovery and magical singing that works. Lyrics and songs are the kind you’d hear in a Southwark Playhouse musical: easy melodies, wittily syncopated around witty lyrics… They’ve clearly proved themselves as a writing team, and it’ll be fascinating to see where they go next.

Co-writer/producer Hannah Doyle and lead actress Geraldine Afifi spoke about the show on an episode The Brighton Babbler podcast, which also includes one of the songs! You can listen to it here.

We’re now looking for opportunities to develop the show beyond the Brighton Fringe. Feel free to be in touch if you know of any possible connections!

Book Events and News

The book launch for my new poetry collection The Heart Decided to Move went well, and I’m in the process of setting up more readings and events. For my next one, I’m coming to CANADA!

Poetry Reading at The Flying Canoe Bookstore

1-110 Roseberry Street, Campbellton, New Brunswick, Canada
June 6, 2-4 pm
Join me for a poetry reading, book signing, and snacks at a gem of a bookstore that offers “a space where anyone can feel safe and free to let their geek flag fly”!

My copies of the Whispers in the Earth: World Folklore Reimagined anthology arrived and they’re so beautiful! The book features 20 folklore-inspired stories, including one of mine, and hand-printed linocut illustrations. There may still be a few copies available on The Broken Binding’s website, so check here if you’re interested in ordering a paperback or a hardback with sprayed edges!

My poem “In Which Much Has Changed” has been (re-)published in issue 49 of QWERTY magazine, the “No” issue, along with other innovative poems and stories. You can order one here if you like.

And in final book news, a recommendation! I had the honor of giving some preliminary input on the English edition of Monika Orski’s book about leading highly intelligent people – which can be trickier than it looks! And the book is out now.

The Art of Herding Cats

Part 1: Learning by Doing Leadership
By Monika Orski

Leading highly intelligent individuals can be both an immensely rewarding and challenging experience. When those individuals are also volunteers, the complexity of leadership increases even more.

In this thought-provoking book, a former national chair of Mensa Sweden shares valuable insights and practical lessons drawn from years of experience leading within one of the world’s most intellectually gifted communities. With Mensa being a largely volunteer-driven organization, it offers a rare environment to explore leadership in its most nuanced and challenging form, also know as herding cats.

You will learn about leadership by sugar, explanations adapted for the fast thinkers, and how a character from a children’s book can help. Plus some other things you might not yet know that you want to know. There are even some attempts at humour.

Ideal for leaders, managers, and anyone working with high-performing or highly autonomous teams of professionals or volunteers, The Art of Herding Cats guides you through doing the mostly impossible and how to enjoy it.

You can purchase a copy here.

Whew, that was a lot! I’ll catch you next time, when I’ve hopefully had time to catch my breath!