One of the most unique things about Overhear and the Overheard Walking Tours is the intrinsic relationship between poetry and place; Ben Waddington and various poets will take you around our wonderful city as you unlock exclusive poetry at some of the best independent places that Birmingham has to offer! Not only are the tours a great way to explore the city and its hidden gems, the poems themselves are very closely linked to spaces and places.
Although we don’t want to give too much away about which poems are where on the Overhear map so users can explore for themselves, here are some of the neat links between the Jewellery Quarter poems and their locations!
The tone of Casey Bailey’s voice alone conjures up all the richness evoked by a single malt, as he puts you in the shoes of Ian Rankin’s famous whisky-drinking detective from Edinburgh, transporting him to somewhere a little out of place for the purpose of this poem.
Roy McFarlane explores the wealth of Birmingham’s history from a time when it was worth just ‘One Goat’, as noted in the Domesday Book of 1086. McFarlane then fast-forwards to today, where great value is generated by many of the city’s flourishing and diverse tradespeople!
As an outsider visiting the city, Matt Abbott considers the culture and history of the humble Brummy pub come local brewery. He recounts chewing the fat after an FA cup demolition from the Blues, whilst also reconstructing the architecture of the space with amazing eloquence.
And that’s just a sneak-peek into the exceptional talent and poetry that we have on offer on the Overhear app and ‘Overheard’ Walking Tours! Grab your tickets here and come and discover some of Birmingham’s hidden gems as you unlock poetry with Ben Waddington and some of the city’s finest poets, and don’t forget to download the Overhear app!