Poetry reading and exhibition of Jim Marshall's Peace and Light photographs and Scarlett Sabet's poems 03 Dec 2017

I've been a fan of the gruff, gun toting photographer Jim Marshall's for a long time. Known more for his iconic rock and roll images: capturing a young Bob Dylan in Greenwich Village and the Rolling Stones backstage, he was Rolling Stone magazines main photographer. Therefore it was a revelation, years after his death to be introduced to his Peace photographs. Obsessively and secretly Marshall had documented over and over again the Peace symbol in various locations, scrawled on a bins, in the subways, and on placards protesting the Vietnam war.The exhibition is accompanied by a book, which long term friend of Marshall's Joan Baez wrote the foreword. The Peace and Light exhibition is being shown in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The Troubadour was chosen as the London venue for the exhibition as the Ban The Bomb movement (which eventually became the CND: Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) held their first meeting there. And it was in fact that movement that birthed the Peace symbol.

I was honoured that my poems on love and war and politics were chosen to accompany Marshall's striking images. The Troubadour and Reel Art Press, along with Jim Marshall's estate have done a fantastic job putting together an evocative exhibition. On Sunday at 7pm, we gathered in the gallery for an intimate poetry reading. I read some of my poems that were being exhibited, and some new work that will be released next year. It was such a special evening for me, and I truly feel so lucky and grateful. Afterwards a small group of us went downstairs and had dinner at The Troubadour, and heard wonderful, crazy stories about Marshall from people that had worked with him and grown to love him.

The exhibition is up until the end of December 2017, so check it out, and enjoy The Troubadour.

Photography by Dave Brolan