Podcasts about dragon caf

This is the first of what will become regular podcasts from Mental Fight Club, whose new home will be the Dragon Café, in the crypt of the church of St George The Martyr, Southwark.In this episode we get a taste of the launch event and party that took place on 23rd. of April 2012, St George’s day!

In this programme we greet the new ‘calmest’ month of December, the month in which we explore the meaning of locality, and specifically, the spirt of Southwark. Guiding us are Carrie Thomas who reads from a piece by Adriana Enciso Diaz, describing her search for Little Dorrit that brought her to St George The Martyr, Sarah and Thomas Tobias tells us of arriving in Southwark and the developing relationship with the ‘Outlaw Borough’, Chris Haydon who whets our appetite for the film making collaboration he will be undertaking with the Dragon Café in January and again in May of next year, interspersed with songs extracted for John Constable’s fantastic performance from ‘The Southwark Mysteries’.

Transitions is the theme of this programme and we start with a saunter around Tania’s drama group, Vivien’s singing group, Mestre Mags’ samba bash and Latin Dance with Ariella  and Renzo, then an interview with Sarah, Maiuko and Marianne and David about the Transitions writing project.  Sarah reads part of her piece for Transitions 2, John Constable sings Spark In The Dark with a little help from the Hawklords and we meet Jennifer who tells us bout the Dragon Café quilt and we end with the sublime Maiuko.

You may wonder what it is that is rocking Sarah's boat so much at the beginning of this Valentine's programme - listen to the end to find out! Sarah and The Eurythmics explore the theme of love in all its forms, artist Simba talks about his graffiti writing, Raga responds to Ken and Paul's homelessness drama. Sally Scantlebury reads us a poem rather than a menu and Martin chunters on about the new Dragon Café computer and, before Sarah takes us out with Ode To A Nightingale, the Rude Mechanicals give us a song.

A more than usually busy Dragon Café, with its new group activities including script writing, film making, drama and Shakespearen sonnets as well as our new exhibition of art works from the Bethlem Gallery and Museum, also brought us performances around a Survivors Poetry evening hosted by Dave Russel and Celia. In this programme we hear an Appalachian chant from Dave Russel, a poem from Frank Bangay, verse and song from John Constable, "Bloody Normals" from Stuart Black, "Intimacy" from Lidsay Burns and "Little Rose" from Ugly Sulk.

New Year’s Eve inevitably means a time of reflection and this week’s Dragon Radio looks back at the first three months of the Dragon Café with sound pictures drawn from the vast array of music, poetry, discussion and the general chit chat that makes up a ‘typical’ day at the Café collaged together by Mick and Monica. We also look forward to the Dragon’s roar in 2013!

It was Christmas Eve at the Dragon Café so what better to accompany your Dragon Roast with all the trimmings than a reading of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" from Lois and others, the presentation of an 'Ice Dragon' by Ivan and Julia, Jill Rock telling us about some of the beautiful artworks made by Café patrons in 2012 and looking forward to 2013, and Max's shadow puppet show, all topped off with an instrumental rendition of "Puff The Magic Dragon".

In this special issue we spend time in the third space at the Dragon Café, the kitchen, where Mick talks to Marc and Sally and volunteers Martin, Agnes and Anastasia - marvel at their rhythmic chopping skills! Then we take a stroll around the area with john Constable as he takes us on the second of three Southwark Mystery walks.

Sally's Plinth SculptureThis week William Blake arrived at the Dragon Café! Phil showed us around his London, Stephen Micalef introduced us to his cat and The Ghost of a Flea, Carrie took us to The Garden of Love and we had Infant Joy from Thomas Tobias. We also hear in this programme poems from John Constable and Blodwyn, a song from Musa, The Book of Job discussed by Barbara and Andrew Solomon and Jah Wobble and fireworks!

Another reel of film is taken out of its metal box and threaded onto the projector. Credits would take too long, but we hope it's all more or less there in this week's screening of our funny old radio show. Click on the radio and have a listen to what's happening down at the Dragon Café, six months or so after it began its dragony old life.

This week we hear the instrument of the week, as Mick Hobbs plays a Chinese marching song, the voices of people attending the Networking Salon, hosted by the Dragon Café in partnership with the Southwark Arts Forum and SLaM. Pete Woodcock reads his poem accompanied by the music from Martin Harrison's film, Two Days In Autumn and Sarah Wheeler reads from 'The Mystery of Mushrooms' and Mikalef takes us on a Blakean journey.

Bach and Boxing! Not an obvious combination, unless, of course you're a regular at the Dragon Café.This week, as well as Carlos Moreno teaching non contact boxing, we had lessons from the Tai Chi Masters of The Confucius Institute, David and Marianne of the Transitions journal, the poetry of Dylan Thomas read by Carrie, Paul Ashton talking about his gift of a painting to The Dragon Café and video from Animated Minds. All in this weeks podcast 

The wet autumnal weather couldn't dampen the spirits on the Dragon Café, and in this podcast we hear the wit of Dr Stewart, the poignant haiku-like poetry of Bill McKnight, part of the discussion led by Sarah Wheeler, in the series 'We Need To Talk About.... ', on the theme of this year's World Mental Health Day, 'Depression: A Global Crisis' and the music of Channel One from Sound Minds. Plus we hear from the voices of you, the people who make The Dragon Café. Click here to listen

The Dragon Café opened its doors for the first step on its year long journey. Over 300 people came to sample the soup, listen to poetry and music, experience the play "Dervish" and take part in the discussion panel "We Need To Talk About Mantal Illness". You can hear a taste of the day here

The magnolias outside the Dragon Café get their due and artist Andrew Connolly talks about his 'Naked Maidens' exhibition on the walls of DC for the next few weeks. We hear news from some of the many fine groups and a bit of a song and dance from Ariella. And what's this big plate-like thing? Join John and Katy on an introductory stroll around historic Southwark, and back to base at DC for some much needed talk about Mothers, with Ebony Empress and Thomas Tobias in evidence. All this and more… and still more that doesn't even get a look-in..

courtesy of Kevin McCleanJohn Constable wishes The Dragon Café a happy first birthday aided by Norman and David debuts his new Southwark Walks song. Eleanor Longden's TED talk introduces the subject of 'hearing voices', one we'll certainly be revisiting in the future, a snippet from Sue and Joe's amazing film, Southwark Tale (hopefully screening on this site soon!), Moonlight Sonata from Blue, The Dragons parade with samba from Bloco Maluco, and finally, voices from 'We Need To Talk About…Hope and Meaning in Recovery' (You can hear the whole of this here).

4th of November 2013The Dragon Café celebrates the news that we have secured funding for another year, and Sarah explains that we will reopen in February 2014, to allow time for some necessary strategic planning for the long term future of the Café. Birthday celebrations and a paean from Stephen and Tim who, after a bit of Bangra, also tell us about a missing cat flap. We compare and contrast the Art World as represented by Grayson Perry’s lecture with art world of the Dragon café and we dance with David.

Ruby Wax joins Richard Coles and Aasmah Mir to talk about how she brings her knowledge of neuroscience, spiked with comedy, to her one woman show. David Reynolds explains how his grandfather's letters, and enthralling childhood stories of the Wild West, inspired him to embark on a road trip along Highway 83 from Canada to the Mexican border. He describes some of the local characters he met, the three different types of cowboys that still exist today and why he thinks Sacagawea should be on US bank notes. Pete Ross meets some of the visitors to the Dragon Café in Borough, London - the UK's first 'mental health café' and creative space. We hear why dancing science teacher Dr. Richard Spencer choreographs his college biology lessons to music, and how this has led to him becoming a top 10 finalist for the $1m (£650,000) Global Teaching Prize. The singer Ray Quinn chooses his Inheritance Tracks: My Special Angel by Malcolm Vaughan and Eye of the Tiger by Survivor. And Josh Carrott - aka 'The Korean Englishman' - tells us why he is on a mission to bring Korean culture to the UK through his YouTube Channel. Sane New World: Taming the Mind - runs at St James Theatre, London from 2-14 March 2015. Slow Road to Brownsville by David Reynolds is published by Greystone Books. 'They Say Love' - the first single from Ray Quinn's new album - is released on Monday 23 February.

With an unmistakable air of penultimacy about it, this week's Dragon Radio podcast reflects what an Orphic day we spent down at the old Dragon Café. Be at the Dragon on Monday the 30th September for some birthday celebrations, or be square.

Laughter, speech, applause, poetry, song, affirmation, story-telling, piano, film and inspirational words and the free market all on the air at the Dragon Café this week, as we move into a month of September celebration.

We raid our lost archive and bring you, from the previous week's Dragon Café, news of the Wellcome Trust Mental Health Recovery Archive from Anna and one of the four contributors, Dolly, and then Tina takes us down through the strata, all the way back to prehistoric times, to reveal the history of St George The Martyr Church and its site.

This was the day of the confluence of a didgeridoo, Lancashire clogs, a tongue drum, a darbuka, amulets and talismans, Kindred Minds at the Dragon Café, a trusty trowel and bucket not to mention gremlins….I said don't mention the gremlins!

27th of May 2013Doctors Khaldoon Ahmed and Louise Bundock discuss with Mental Fight Club Creative Director, Sarah Wheeler and Thomas Tobias, and the Dragon Café audience, views and reflections on psychiatric training in this, the third and final dialogue in our series of ‘Young Doctors @ the Dragon Café Dialogues’.

As the summer solstice sidles bySorrily, and leaves us with the fearThat reason, rhyme and rivers shall run dryAnd leave us with no poetry to hear.Then must we all let loose our loud hoorayAnd get on down to ye Dragon Café.

The Dragon Café had its first of 5 radio shows on Resonance Radio this week, and we'll be there for you every Tuesday this month at 9.00pm. A lot of what's in this week's podcast was broadcast on Res on the 2nd July, but we hope this week's edition from this place offers another good taste from the Café.

It's the last week of The Dragon Café's poetry month, and off we go with more of the stuff in this week's podcast. Every Tuesday in July at 21.00 hrs you can hear 'The Dragon Café' - a new radio show on Resonance Radio 104.4fm or www.resonancefm.com.

3rd of June 2013Biscuit citizens tell their tale, as the Bandorians play.Behind the scenes at Resonance we go.With poems on the air, in our dear Dragon CaféBubbles, my head, and counsel to go slow.Liz Atkins talks about her compulsive skin-picking and the art she makes, in prose.Then back to our poetic world and month we go.

20th of May 2013Consultant Psichiatrist, Khaldoon Ahmed and Mental Fight Club Creative Director Sarah Wheeler and Thomas Tobias discuss with the Dragon Café audience the role in fostering (or not!) good mental health. This is Dialogue 2 of our ‘Young Doctors @ The Dragon Café Dialogues’.

21st of January 2013Alex Hamel, a Canadian film maker came to the Dragon Café to show us his documentary on a Canadian psychiatric hospital. It had originally been made with teenagers in mind and was originally presented in 6 short films posted on Youtube, with the hope that it would draw young people's attention to the existence of psychiatric hospitals and draw comments on people Facebook walls etc. This emotive subject certainly drew comment at the Dragon Café and is presented here in full but with the film clips truncated as they were in French and subtitled.

22nd October 2012Sarah led a discussion on psychiatric labels and imaginative metaphors for mental illness in the more intimate setting of Space One at the Dragon Café. Unfortunately we don’t have the audio of the talk but we present here the discussion that followed, with some very strong insights from Dragon patrons.

5th of November 2012This week we talked about anger and mental illness, with Sarah Wheeler kicking off the discussion with a piece she had written over the weekend and then handing over to a very full Dragon Café to share experiences and ideas. And you can carry on the conversation by clickinghere and going to Dragon Connect.