The Other has been running in Manchester since January 2016. Michael Conley and Eli Regan organise the event where writers are put in pairs to read and perform each other’s work, with plenty of time beforehand to prepare. It is a fascinating idea.
During the pandemic The Other moved online and I took part in a memorable Zoom session where I was paired up with Adam Farrer. The Other is now ‘live’ again. Dates are on Facebook and Twitter. Sessions also raise funds for Manchester Central Foodbank.
It’s a pleasure introducing Michael and a sample of his writing.
Michael Conley is a poet and prose writer from Manchester. His first prose collection, “Flare and Falter” was published by Splice and longlisted for the 2019 Edge Hill Short Story Prize. His latest work is a poetry pamphlet published by Nine Pens, called “These Are Not My Dreams…”
At The Park, A Grown Man Has Got His Head Caught In The Railings
Possibly somebody loves,
or at some point has loved,
this man. But it’s hard to imagine
right now. It’s hard to imagine
that for most of his life
he hasn’t been stuck
at this ninety-degree angle,
fists flailing, jeans sagging
at the waist. He’s so angry
with the railings,
with the soft mud under his boots
and especially with the teenagers
who are laughing at him
from the picnic benches.
You could empty a whole tub
of vegetable oil onto his neck
and tug him out by his belt loops
but he wouldn’t thank you for it.
And of course you can’t ask him
what he was trying to do
in the first place.
He doesn’t know
what his pain looks like
from the outside.
Acacia Publications 