Tall Tales for Men Who Fall Well Short

Men, hey? Rumbustious buccaneers and fallible flotsam. They set sail upon calm seas and weather storms; they love, they long, they grieve and hopefully find safe harbour. From childhood to supposed adulthood, these simple yet complex creatures battle expectation and seek understanding. It's a fantastical voyage in a changing world where a wave can sometimes be mistaken, but where there are still countless treasures to be found... This book is also intended as a resource to work with young men and men, in enabling them to relate to the different aspects of their lives through the use of planned and evaluated workshops. Tony Curry is a performance poet, playwright, workshop facilitator, soundsmith and enabler. Raised in Crawley by English and South African parents, he has lived and worked in Manchester for three decades, running literature-in-the-community projects with a specific leaning towards mental health and wellbeing. Tony’s solo spoken word shows include Brit Boy, Complicit Relations, Moving and The Odyssey, performed at Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre. His play, The Teddy Bear, was staged at Manchester’s Contact Theatre and his work has been exhibited at the city’s art gallery and museum. Since 2016, Tony has been the host of Word Central, the monthly open mic and spoken word event at Manchester Central Library coordinated by Flapjack Press and Manchester Libraries. "This collection is a journey of care and understanding for men." - Cathy Crabb, playwright & poet "The 'our town' of Tony's poetry is our town too. The smells that he evokes - fish and chips, beer and cigs, blood and spunk - these are our smells too. This is our poetry, these are our poems. They smell of home and friendship." - Tony Walsh AKA Longfella, Glastonbury Festival Poet in Residence 2011 "Tony's words make great music for the mind. This truly is modern, understandable, smart, real and, dare I say it, male poetry. Open to anyone." - Neil Bell, actor & sonic poet "The words are attached to truth, the truth of hurt and family and friendship. The language rocks us to waking up to the beauty in the pain and the love in the loss. He will come to mind and make you smile and cry, a poet full of the fire of our times. Connect to the terrible now with one of the best poets around." - John G. Hall, poet