Talks & Performances
Ex-Random House Commissioning Editor, Kate Tym, has a whole host of published children’s books under her belt, she is also a regular on the performance poetry circuit, writes bespoke wedding poetry and appears as part of a comedy-song singing double act called The St. Leonard Twins. Kate has also just been awarded funding to work with local stroke clubs to write about the experiences/emotions around having/recovering from a stroke. She goes once a month to the Conquest Hospital in Hastings to read poetry to stroke patients, as part of the rehabilitative process, through the Arts in Healthcare programme there. Kate is also a regular on the WI speaker circuit for East Sussex, and also performs for U3A groups, the National Women’s Register, The National Trust Association groups and The National Health Service Retirement Fellowship. Kate was recently guest-speaker at the Nurses and Midwives Conference for the NHS East Sussex Hospital Trust.
Kate has three prepared 'talks' for adult audiences and can also provide after dinner speaking or an entertainment package of poetry and songs or facilitate poetry-writing workshops if required.
Performance Poetry
Kate’s poetry focuses on day-to-day domestic triumphs and tragedies - all delivered with a light, dry, comedic touch. She has performed to great acclaim at - Hammer and Tongues, Klub Kommedia, Brighton, (where she was recently a slam finalist), Lewes Poetry Club, Farrago Poetry, London, Loose Muse, London, and The Pink Lane Poetry Night at the Jazz Café in Newcastle, Kate is also one of the stable of performers who perform under the Apples and Snakes umbrella.
She can also provide an entertainment ‘package’ of performance poetry and comedy songs.
Kate's poems are regularly performed as part of the BodyGossip showcase - You can view these here
Kate recently headlined at Petersfield Poets in Hampshire - you can view these here Watch Part 1 , Watch Part 2, and Watch Part 3.
How a Book is Made
Wearing her ‘Commissioning Editor’ hat, Kate is well-placed to guide you through the process of creating a book in an eloquent, informative and fun way. Kate will lead you on a fascinating journey from the conception of a book as a thought in someone’s head, through to a manuscript, a set of proofs, and finally to a glossy finished product.
Kate has plenty of material to show and share and can talk about cover design and the sales/marketing aspects of making a book too – including thinking about layout, typefaces, blurb, audience, genre etc
This talk is quite interactive with lots of questions and answers throughout – and can include a short blurb-writing workshop at the end if desired.
My Grandfather and the German Resistance
Kate’s Opa (Grandfather) was an active member of the SDP (the German version of the Labour Party) when Hitler came to power in 1933. As soon as the Nazis seized control of Germany all other political parties were forced to be dissolved and a reign of terror began for anyone who did not share the values of their oppressive rulers.
Kate’s Grandfather was involved in active resistance against the Nazi regime. He distributed leaflets over the border in Holland, warning the Dutch of what was coming. For his efforts his family endured house searches and surveillance by the thuggish brown shirts which culminated in him being taken away by the Gestapo and serving two years in a hard labour camp. He returned home for a while only to again be taken by the Gestapo and this time sent to a labour camp in Northern France. When the allies landed in Normandy, the German camp guards ran away and Kate’s grandfather walked from Northern France back to his home in Northern Germany. He spent the remaining months of the war hidden in the attic.
This is the fascinating story of an ordinary family’s act of resistance in the face of the terrifying fascist machine. It also sheds light on an often overlooked facet of history – the fact that not all Germans were Nazis.
This talk includes slides and lots of documentary evidence from the town of Norden at this time, and Kate’s family’s part in its history.
Poetry Workshops
Kate has a number of excellent poetry writing exercises that can bring out the best in even the most reluctant of budding Betjemans. Kate is also happy to work across a number of sessions, rather than trying to do everything in a ‘one off’.
Kate lives in Hastings on the south coast so prefers bookings in E Sussex, W Sussex, Kent and Greater London… but given a bit of notice… she’ll go anywhere!
Please feel free to contact Kate to discuss what she has to offer.
How are you feeling?
A stroke survivor poetry project
Working with academics from the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Brighton University, Kate was awarded funding to run a project working with stroke survivors, through stroke clubs, to explore the emotional impact of having a stroke.
The project was run over six months. During this time Kate and several volunteers visited stroke clubs in Hove, Woodingdean and Hastings, collecting testimonies from stroke survivors, carers and stroke club organizers. These narratives were then turned into poetry by Kate. These poems were then ‘fed back’ to the stroke clubs in a performance and through published pamphlets.
Kate also attended classes of student nurses as a ‘guest lecturer’ explaining how the project was run and what the outcomes were. Thereby giving the stroke survivors a very strong voice and giving nursing staff a ‘non medical’ way to look at the impacts of having a stroke.
In a fascinating and moving talk, Kate explains how the poetry project was run, talks about the testimonies that were gathered and performs the poems that emerged from this project.
"Dear Kate,
Thank you so much for coming to our General Staff Meeting last week. As I am sure you appreciate from the rapturous response to your participation and performance it was enjoyed by all, despite the occasional sad and challenging tone of the work. It was a delight to gain a sense of the work you do with the stroke survivors and to hear more about the current project and its likely developments...
I suspect you might have contact from other staff who may be considering how this could complement their work. With many thanks again for your participation."
Jane Alderton, Assistant Head of School, School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Brighton
