Live in any of these places? Then lucky you – get yourself along to Emma's gigs. You won't regret it.

Now *that’s* a statistic.

Got to admire the optimism of cafes which put tables and chairs outside in the wettest start to the year since Noah was a boy…

"There are few things I enjoy more in life than filling in arts funding applications – it's what I dream of!" said no creative ever.

Colour me utterly shocked

Worth a read, this thread. 👇

Great to see a new tranche of records has been published on on www.irishgenealogy.ie, so you can now access the following: Birth records – 1864 to 1925 Marriage records – 1845 to 1950 Death records – 1864 to 1975 #IrishGenealogy #IrishFamilyHistory #Genealogy #FamilyHistory

With news of a small flurry of upcoming gigs... 😊 stevepottinger.substack.com/p/its-almost...

Tomorrow evening, Arena Nights returns to Wolverhampton's Arena Theatre. It's a game of three halves, which finishes with a full Fringe show. This month, it's "Lullabies and Love Stories" by Maya Cathering Foster. A PAYF event with all money going to the artist. /1

Psst, Wolverhampton! I’ll be performing my show in the Arena Theatre in half an hour. A PAYF event. See you there!

Thanks to @richardjmurphy.bsky.social for sharing this on his blog. www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2026/02...

If you're in Wolverhampton tomorrow (and why wouldn't you be?) then pop along to the Arena Theatre and catch my Fringe show. A last-minute addition to #WolvesLitFest...

If you're in Wolverhampton tomorrow (and why wouldn't you be?) then pop along to the Arena Theatre and catch my Fringe show. A last-minute addition to #WolvesLitFest...

We’re all set up in Wolverhampton Art Gallery as part of #WolvesLitFest. Come and see us! 😊

More in hope than expectation… ☘️

This is a must-read: Appeasing Sex Matters was never about “clarity”. It was about power. What followed the Supreme Court ruling wasn’t calm or resolution, but escalating demands, wider exclusions, and institutions choosing fear over inclusion. yorkshirebylines.co.uk/opinion/what...

Nigel Farage tells GB News that Keir Starmer's decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as US ambassador shows his judgement is "seriously wrong" and he should stand down as Prime Minister. Here's what Farage said when Mandelson was appointed

Here you go... Have a poem. stevepottinger.substack.com/p/lets-have-...

Due to illness (get well soon, Rob!) I'm stepping up from the subs bench to take part in #WolvesLitFest Fringe Room this Saturday. I'll be sharing my show 'Sweat & Mugs & Rock'n'Roll' in the Arena Theatre at 1.45pm. 😊 /1

The Gorton & Denton by-election is Green vs Reform.

Pleased to see the jury make this decision. We need to have eyes wide open this is exactly why the Government wants to abolish juries. People protesting against a genocide are not the criminals here - it's the politicians who continue to provide cover. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Farage's troll army are rattled by the Green candidate in Gorton and Denton. They've claimed Hannah Spencer isn't actually a plumber. She's here to put the record straight!

YES!!! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Gaza has lost over a 250,000 people since the war began. A devastating population collapse exposes the real human cost of the Israeli genocide www.thecanary.co/global/world...

Just your average winter morning in a democracy.

🚨 This 🔽 neatly summarises the political dead end that Starmer and McSweeney have delivered for Labour. They now appeal to virtually no one, left or right... 🤡🤡🤡 www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

I had a lot of fun writing this… give it a read!

I've been writing again. You'll see why... stevepottinger.substack.com/p/poetry-and...

I've been writing again. You'll see why... stevepottinger.substack.com/p/poetry-and...

I had a lot of fun writing this… give it a read!

Genocide. Still happening.

It was a pleasure to judge the WV postcode element of this competition. Almost 100 poems from Wolverhampton and its surroundings meant there was plenty to chew over....

This is what we did last night, in a packed theatre in Wolverhampton. 😊

Israeli strikes kill at least 29 Palestinians on Saturday, one of the highest tolls since the October ceasefire aimed at stopping the fighting, hospitals in Gaza say.

There is no ceasefire. Israel continues to kill with impunity.

A cracking (pardon the pun) analogy. 😊

Reform don’t have the big chance they think they do, according to this interesting context analysis of the local area. Worth a read. Good luck Hannah. swingometer.substack.com/p/the-gorton...

If you can't make it along to Wolverhampton on Friday 6th February, then our online shop is THE best place to pick up any one of more than 50 titles we have in stock. Treat yourselves to some great writing about our region! www.blackcountrysociety.com/shop

Man oh man! This post is destined to go viral! So well written it’s easy to understand and believe! READ THIS! It’s important!

Hannah is the Green Party candidate for Gorton and Denton. She is also a plumber and dog rescuer🐕💪

Say hello to Hannah Spencer—councillor, plumber, greyhound lover and your Green Party candidate for Gorton and Denton 💚

Better late than never, eh? 😂

If you're at #WolvesLitFest next weekend, be sure to get along to this. It's superb.

They're here! The finalists in Saturday's #WolvesLitFest poetry slam each receive an *incredible* literary work salvaged from a local charity shop. Join us this weekend to find out just how toe-curlingly bad these books are! 😎 wlv.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/...

Thanks to @yorkshirebylines.co.uk for publishing my piece "This poem is not.."

I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Stay free

GIFT ARTICLE (no paywall). Masterpiece reporting here from Adam. He deserves awards for this. “This is my first occupation,” Olsen said as I climbed into the truck. “Welcome to the underground, I guess.”

If the Greens win Gorton and Denton, it'd change politics forever. www.owenjones.news/p/a-green-vi...

It is up to us to hold the architects of this genocide to account.

Big thanks to Reform for helping us keep out Reform in Gorton & Denton.