p|arts aims to encourage and develop engagement and education in culture through the arts. We hope to make the arts more accessible to local communities, and to encourage creative ways of looking at local heritage.
The team behind p|arts are writer Graham Palmer and composer Jenni Pinnock.
Starting in the small press world of the 1980s, Graham co-founded Stride Magazine – one early reviewer commenting, ‘Palmer has the impressive gift of word economy, using a stark interplay of image and lyric to produce poems of depth and beauty.’
Graham is a member of the National Association of Writers in Education (NAWE) and has run writing workshops and classes in a variety of settings. In the past he has run adult residential courses at Knuston Hall, evening classes for Northamptonshire County Council and festival-based workshops. He has also taught Creative Writing to foreign language students in both Cambridge and at Eton College and led sessions for EFL teachers. His three books on writing for EFL students are published by Cambridge University Press, one of which was used to inform a study in the World Journal of English Language and also chosen by the English Language Gazette as its book of the month.
His original research featured in the centennial Book of the Old Edinburgh Club and the creation of myths, how the past informs or misinforms the present, has been one of his consistent themes. He is currently working on a historical biography. www.grahampalmer.co.uk
British composer Jenni Pinnock’s music has been described as ‘refreshing’, ‘imaginative’ and ‘tantalizingly beautiful in smoothness and soul’. Quirky time signatures, soaring melodies and moments of quiet stillness can all be found within her music which has received performances both across the UK and around the world. She is passionate about music in all forms, and loves writing for and collaborating with artists and musicians – be they beginners, amateurs or seasoned professionals. Giving performers the artistic freedom to make the music their own is an important element of her work.
Jenni studied at Kingston University and Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. In recent years she has had works performed by the Aldworth Philharmonic Orchestra, Red Note Ensemble, the Quangle Wangle Choir (as part of Adopt a Composer 2013/14) and Equinox Voices. Recent commissions include songs for Ada Lovelace: The Musical and Illuminations for the Palace Band.
Alongside composing, Jenni teaches music and composition to all ages. She is also a mentor for Making Music’s Adopt a Composer scheme. www.jennipinnock.com
Previous p|arts projects include In Black and White | Roger Britten, Cracked Voices and The Devil and the Draper.