@TheJohnHewitt Exhibition - 'Troubled Into Utterance'

John Hewitt is the "conscience of the planter tradition". The "father figure" to a shelf of Irish poets that includes Seamus Heaney and Michael Longley. W.B. Yeats wrote, "I owe my soul to Shakespeare, to Spenser, and to Blake". Heaney can surely write that of Hewitt. By his own words Hewitt was "troubled into utterance". Troubled by the terror and tensions of his Northern Ireland.

He used the written word - an "incredible instrument, half wand, half weapon" (Martin Amis) - to address these troubles and to articulate a greater context and vision. In a verse portrait Robert Greacen said John Hewitt 'defined the issues of our time... [and] tried to break the mould of bigotry.' He flew "out and beyond those radar systems" of Protestant and Catholic. Offered a creative hand

#BelfastFaces - Amanda Poole Previews the Exhibition

Amanda Poole (@AmandaPoole) , freelance journalist pictured above previews my exhibition, Belfast Faces and Famous Places:

"Pubs, poets, politicians and more feature in the new Belfast Faces and Famous Places exhibition opening tomorrow (June 7 2013). The latest work from artist and writer, Brian John Spencer, runs at the Common Grounds coffee shop (16 - 17 University Avenue) in the south of the city from June 7-29. 

The celebration of Belfast includes cartoons of the world famous Crown bar and Kelly's Cellars. Poet Michael Longley, restaurateur Michael Deane, SDLP leader Alasdair McDonnell and No Alibis books store owner David Torrens are among those immortalised in cartoon form. 

Brian (25) from Stranmillis said: 

"The exhibition is a celebration of the city, its well known faces and popular places. I initially focused on Ulster poets and politicians and then broadened the scope." 

Veteran journalist and author Eamonn Mallie, who specialises in politics, security and 20th century art, will be speaking at tomorrow's exhibition launch. “He's a rather new wave artist in a sense,” Eamonn said of Brian. 

“He is where Jack Yeats was when he started out as a young man for Punch magazine. He's working in a very rich vein of interpretation. I know Brian better as a writer, with a very finely tuned ear and awareness of political and legal evolution. He has a dual approach and a huge capacity for learning. I can't praise the guy enough.”

A big thanks to Amanda for taking the time out of her day to write this up. You can find out and see more about Amanda Poole on her Facebook fan page here.