Welcome
NEWS UPDATE
This is Patrick's statement in response to a press release that Waterstones have released with regards the cancellation of the reading aka bowing to christian voice's bigotted bullying-
"This is the sort of stuff Stephen Green does- now, are we going to lie down and take it?
provoked ( by an email) or not he is going to do it
Yesterday Mr Green also made some contentious comments about the Crown Prosecution Service’s decision that the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead has ‘no case to answer’ after it exhibited a 1ft high statue of Jesus with an erection.
He now advocates destroying art works he dislikes.
‘This decision urges Christians to create public disorder if we want a similar case to proceed in future,’ he said.
‘We are naturally reluctant to do that and it puts us in new territory.
‘On the other hand, there were those at the Baltic Centre who wanted to take matters into their own hands and I have warned Anita Zabludowicz that her statue will not survive being put on public display again.
‘If the CPS wanted to give the green light to blasphemous art their decision may paradoxically have the opposite effect. With the threat of destruction hanging over it, the Zabludowicz statue is now locked away by its wealthy owners and is unlikely to see the light of day again.
‘The same will go for any other blasphemous works of so-called art. Put simply, Christians won’t tolerate insults to Jesus Christ.’
"
i sent a few emails to various groups about 10 days before the launch- to organisations to religious groups- christian voice being one-( email below) with a few poems and asking for a debate-
that is all- now for that to be seem as a provocation for violent threats etc by christian voice is beyond my understanding-
No one else threatened violence or disruption-
i always do this before- as i do not have a vast pr machine etc and i genuinely wanted to have this debate- now christian voice obviously went a stage further and decided to threaten the event and waterstones cancelled-before my last play "revelation" which addressed the issue of battered men i sent some poems to various women's aid agencies- they responded and came to the play- we discussed the issue-slightly different approach to christian voice.
now the difference between an email with poems that would already be in the book that they could all read on wednesday and what has followed is immense- christian voice is now threatening every single venue i am reading at!!! cwmaman last night, abergavenny tonight, caernarfon and llanhilleth.These brave institutions have not submitted and are very supportive of my work- now, surely this shows that Waterstone's blame of myself is somewhat of a misrepresentation.
The poems are what caused Stephen Green and Christian Voice to act in their bullying manner nothing else and these are freely available on the internet and have been for months. Stop shifting the focus and let us continue with the real debate.It does not matter if he had received 100 emails or even a knock on the door to respond in the way he did- let us not lose sight of the real issue-
I sent an email in march 08 after a tv programme where he was so vitriolic and hatefilled to openly gay singer and actor ian h watkins- now that is democratic right and i am free to contact who i please as indeed is stephen green and everyone reading this but to actually force a book store to cancel a reading due to threats of disruption is another matter- where have logic or reason gone in today's world-THE REAL ISSUE IS NOT ABOUT ANY PROVOCATION IT IS ABOUT CHRISTIAN VOICE'S ACTS AND THE FEAR THESE INSTILLED INTO WATERSTONE'S-SO THAT FREEDOM OF SPEECH WAS SILENCED-IT IS IMMORAL AND UNJUST-I AM NO CRUSADER JUST A WRITER WHO FEELS PASSIONATE ABOUT CERTAIN THINGS AND TO BRING CHRISTIAN VOICE OUT INTO THE OPEN AND EXPOSE THEM FOR WHAT THEY ARE IS A DEMOCRATIC RIGHT- PLEASE, READ THEIR SITE, LISTEN TO THEIR SERMONS
so you can then make your choice-
thank you"
patrick jones
to all highly intelligent future leaders of the world at christian voice-
these poems are in my next book
"darkness is where the stars are"
please read-
love to hear your opinions,
thank you
patrick jones
..Any man who prays or prophesies with his head covered brings shame upon his head. 5 But any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled brings shame upon her head, for it is one and the same thing as if she had had her head shaved. 6 For if a woman does not have her head veiled, she may as well have her hair cut off. But if it is shameful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should wear a veil. 7 A man, on the other hand, should not cover his head, because he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man. 8 For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; 9 nor was man created for woman, but woman for man;
1 corinthians 11
HYMN
cover my face
with burkha so unnatural
i’m so ugly in your eyes
or is it my vision is so clitoral
use my holes
to cleanse your souls
paint my image as your icon of immaculation
force the feminine into your crucifixion
an olive branch drowned in thalidomide
they said it would make the sickness go away.
away, away
For the pope and for the immam
all i preach is deicide
just like mary magdelene
i fucked jesus
just like mary magdelene
i have been deemed useless
i shall drift to dust
all around
within,
us
slit my wrist with rosary beads
blind my eyes with testosterone veil
turn the other cheek
as you leave your seed.
Go to bed with jihad so young
fasten my vulva with catholic tongue
decapitate me while i kneel
as all my sisters bow like culled seals
just like mary magdelene
i fucked jesus
just like mary magdelene
i am in each of us,
With this next poem which I may add, I did not write these words- now i am provoked by them? do i shut it down do i threaten violence?
CUT-UP/MORNING PRAYER
onward christian soldiers marching as to war
with the cross of jesus going on before
the confrontation that we are calling for
does not know socrates debates or platonic law
but it knows the dialogue of bullets the ideals of
assassination
bombing and glorious destruction
gates of hell can never
gainst the church prevail
we have christ's own promise
and that cannot fail.
there shall be no peaceful solution
only pen and gun
by word and bullet
by teeth and tongue
onward christian soldiers marching as to war
with the cross of jesus going on before
the sinners shall be known by their marks and shall be
seized by the forelock and the feet
run the straight race through god's good grace
lift up thine eyes and seek His Face
life with its way before us lies
make a covenant o sister to make
their women widows
and their children orphans
to make them desire death
and slaughter them like lambs
and
let the nile and euphrates flow with their blood
we are brothers and comrades,
we stand side by side..........
sidebyside
s i d e b y s i
d ........
(foundpoem using al qaeda handbook statements and
christian hymns)
It is with great sadness, anger and regret that we have to report that, due to "threats of disruption and violence" from members of christian voice and others. Waterstones took the decision to cancel the book launch and reading this evening- this is a tragic day for freedom of speech, our beloved secular society and for poetry-
Patrick went down to meet with people who had come along for the reading- not a single protestor was visible!
The British Humanist Society,The Welsh Academi, The National Secular Society, BBC Wales, The Western Mail are all following the story and BBC Wales Radio will host a debate between . The reading tour will go ahead and the book still be sold.
If you feel strongly about this abuse of freedom of speech please contact Waterstones, your local news or Christian Voice
Thank You,
Patrick will launch his new book of poems "darkness is where the stars are" with a reading on 12th November 2008 at Waterstones, The Hayes, Cardiff 7pm- all are welcome.
READING TOUR 2008
Thursday 13th November 7.30pm
at Cwmaman Institute
The Library
Cwmaman Hall & Institute
Fforchaman Rd
Cwmaman
Aberdare
Rhondda Cynon Taff
Contact; Telephone 01685 887120
vic_doyle@yahoo.co.uk
14th November the Melville Theatre,
Abergavenny on 14th november at 7.30pm
www.gwenttheatre.co.uk
21st November 2008
Venue : Cafe bar Y DDRAIG GOCH, Eastgate Street, Caenarfon, LL55 1AG
Time : 7-30pm
26th November
Time; 7.30pm
Llanhilleth Institute, Llanhilleth, Blaenau Gwent
01495 354607
(free)
"all truth passes through three stages.first, it is
ridiculed. second, it is violently opposed.third, it
is accepted as being self -evident"
Arthur Schopenhauer
Welcome to the official webpages of writer Patrick Jones. Here you will find details of current projects, past works and contact information.
Patrick is a poet, playwright, human rights activist and filmmaker. His work includes the poetry collections The Guerilla tapestry and Fuse, the CD of spoken word and music Commemoration and Amnesia and the plays Everything Must Go, Unprotected Sex, The War is Dead long live the war and Sing to Me. He has also directed short films and videos for the bands The Manic Street Preachers and Lethargy.
Patrick is also committed to taking words to the whole of the community and has developed writing groups for young people in Wales and beyond, developed and co-ordinated writing and drama workshops for people of all ages and from a mixed background, attended many different organisations from
community groups to universities to speak about writing and give readings of work. Set-up various writing projects for people with specific needs, for example hospice patients, school non-attendees, mental health patients and most recently the young homeless.He has worked with various communty based projects with NCH, The Welsh National Opera, St. David’s Foundation Hospice Care and The Dyn Project ( advocacy for men who have
experienced domestic violence) and The Prison Service.
He is always looking to further and develop his work so please feel free to use the "contact us" section to get in touch with Patrick about any aspect of his work or future collaborations.He is involved in this site and will visit it regularly.
Thank you.
"Thoughtful, provocative and challenging, these poems engage and
enrage"
Peter Tatchell, human rights campaigner
“Very strong stuff”
Harold Pinter
“Striking enough to do for Welsh theatre what the
Manics and Stereophonics have done for its music”
The Guardian review of “Everything Must Go”