Nathan Lunt LEICESTER WRITER Creative Work | Reflection | Publications

Profile Nathan Lunt is a poet and performance artist based in Leicester. He was recently named as the East Midlands Poetry Slam Champion. Nathan arrived on Leicester's literary scene in 2007 after studying English Literature and Creative Writing at De Montfort University, where his passion for poetry soon led to performances at WORD! (Britain's longest running open mic poetry event) and regular contributions to many of Leicester’s community literature projects, including Showcase Smoothie and local radio performances. Nathan acted as a key organiser and creative contributor to The Lyric Lounge, an East Midlands wide season of poetry festivals at museum and libraries across Leicester, Derby, Nottingham and Loughborough. He has become increasingly involved in all things poetry across the region, appearing at everything from small scale performances in local bars to headline bookings at Leicester’s Riverside Festival, Summer Sundae, and The Cultural Olympics. Nathan also makes up one third of The Decadent Romantics, a trio of performance poets whose Poetry Brothel performance events regularly transform city centre bars, clubs, cafés and even libraries into exciting and exotic venues for artistic indulgence and intimate literary experiences accompanied by a plethora of artists, musicians and dancers. These events form part of the ‘Brothellian Movement’, an ongoing campaign for literary and creative rejuvenation. Nathan’s writing varies in style and content from piece to piece. It is sometimes concerned with deeply personal or social issues, at other times reflecting on simple observations. Regardless of the subject, he strives for honesty, originality and personality in everything he writes, trying to say something significant with every piece.

Creative Work Time stands between us now, History holds us both at arms a hundred millions years or more in length, But had that fateful day diverged, Might you be gone, and I be standing there instead, Perceiving you abandoned, as an Evolutionary Dead-End...? The point is moot; my days are over now, But still, that primal spark of recognition Reaches out across the ages, Your mind re-birthing me in More and more elaborate disguises. Because we know each other, you and I... And my ancestors made yours Dream of Dragons...

Reflection This piece was written in celebration of Leicester’s historic New Walk Museum, a place that has held a great deal of fascination for me as a writer during my time in Leicester. I still visit regularly to gather inspiration for new works, or just to relax and soak up some history. I have been involved in several large projects at New Walk Museum over the years, as both an independent artist performing works on stage and to individuals as part of instillations, and as the organiser of community writing workshops and literature festivals. The building has always intrigued me, and its many corridors and galleries contain hundreds of years' worth of astounding treasures that never fail to inspire my writing. On this particular occasion, I was exploring the museum’s dinosaur wing. Not many people realise just how much ancient archaeology Leicestershire has to offer, but there have been some truly amazing discoveries of prehistoric deep sea life and dinosaur fossils unearthed in the area. Several of my previous pieces have explored an alternative, almost magical-realist look at the history, architecture and culture of Leicester. I was struck by the idea of what Leicester must have looked like all those millions of years ago, and what great and terrifying creatures might have stalked the landscape. As if to answer my question, I turned a corner and was confronted by an enormous leering skull, its empty eye sockets challenging me to keep playing with this idea. I wondered what my new friend might have thought of me standing there composing a poem about his death all those eons ago. Though his end may have been humble, I wondered at the plethora of legends, stories and myths birthed by his fossilised bones. I therefore tried to write the piece from his point of view, with something of a wry sense of satisfaction at the fascination we still have for these long-lost creatures. I like to take my time when performing this piece, creating the sense of the slow creaking movements of the dinosaur skeleton, which also lends itself nicely to a sense of gradual stalking tension, like a predator creeping through the undergrowth. I owe a great deal to Leicester and continue to draw inspiration from its culture, people and history. For this poem, I chose to delve even deeper into my city’s past, and unearthed something rather special in doing so.

Publications Footprints, From Dusk2Dawn, Spring 2011 Primordial, Hearing Voices Vol.4, Crystal Clear Creators, 2011   Contact & Links Email: nathan_lunt@hotmail.co.uk Website: http://www.facebook.com/nathanlunt