Jonathan Steffen

Join Jonathan, Roland Gallery and Evelyn Nallen for an evocative evening of music and song in #Cambridge’s historic Round Church on Friday 21 June. Doors open at 7.00 pm. Advanced tickets are £10 and available to buy here: eventbrite.com/e/histories-of… #HistoriesOfTheHeart

‘It is his inability to understand the world that saves him from being destroyed by it.’ Jonathan writes about the brilliant intellect underlying Buster Keaton’s clumsy and awkward characters. Read the journal entry here bit.ly/31kIc6Y. #Journals #WeekendWriting

Fancy a short read this weekend? Jonathan has a written a number of short stories, including ‘The Story of Icarus’ and ‘Visit to a Brothel’. Read them here for a brief escape from your weekend chores! bit.ly/2H1GsYm #WeekendWriting #CreativeWriting #Fiction

#DidYouKnow Sherlock Holmes was inspired by Joseph Bell, a doctor who taught Conan Doyle at the University of Edinburgh? Jonathan discusses caricatures and characterization in his journal entry on Conan Doyle and George Elliot. bit.ly/2YQMWiQ #FunFactFriday #Journals

#DidYouKnow Saint Jerome is recognized as the patron saint of librarians and translators? Click here bit.ly/2Z4NVQA to read Jonathan’s translation of ‘Excerpt from After Arkadia’ by Nella Bielski, a French writer who was born in Ukraine. #Language #FunFactFriday

‘Unleash me from your hand / And I will jewel it bright for you’ – ‘The Falcon to the Falconer’ is one of Jonathan’s most successful poems and was featured in The Spectator in September 1992. bit.ly/33nb1S0 #ThrowbackThursday #poetry #writing

Although Robert Frost famously said that poetry gets ‘lost in translation’, Jonathan argues that great poetry can survive translation well. He discusses how his time spent teaching at university led him to translate the work of Rilke bit.ly/2OOzwUH #language #translation

For this week’s #TunefulTuesday, listen to Jonathan’s original song ‘The Ballad of the Sad Café’, which takes its title from Carson McCullers’ novella of the same name from 1951. bit.ly/2ZHIJPS #OriginalMusic #SingerSongwriter

'Short was your lifespan, endless is your grave / You were so young and so brave’ – listen to Jonathan’s song ‘Joan of Arc’ from his debut album ‘The Road in Our Feet’ bit.ly/2ZHWIFp #TunefulTuesdays #OriginalMusic #SingerSongwriter

Why not try something new this bank holiday and visit Jonathan’s personal website? bit.ly/2TAw9iV Jonathan is a Cambridge-based writer and musician, and his website features a range of work including original songs and poetry. #BankHoliday #OriginalMusic #ShortStories

‘From halfway across the Piazza San Marco, he could recognize her: only his mother was capable of wearing such a hat.’ Jonathan’s #ShortStory ‘Your Father’s Hair’ explores a mother-son relationship through a conversation at a Venetian café. bit.ly/302S7xO #WeekendWriting

‘…threading her way through the bustle of the rush-hour pavements like a leaf making its way down a waterfall.’ Jonathan’s short story ‘I feel the flowers growing over me’ follows a 38-year-old woman and her journey in Florence. bit.ly/2T520YY #WeekendWriting #Fiction

#DidYouKnow the 12th and 13th centuries are considered the ‘golden age’ of stained glass in Europe? Jonathan’s poem ‘Window on the World’ captures the essence behind the colours and craft of stained glass. Read the full poem here! bit.ly/2K09lGq. #FunFactFriday #poetry

In August two years ago, Jonathan shared some thoughts about the music of Scott Walker and Frank Sinatra, and the contrast between the distant nature of Walker’s work and the familiarity that Sinatra embodies. Read it here for #ThrowbackThursday bit.ly/2GOaVcx #Journals

The record-breaking 38.1C (100F) heat recorded in Cambridge this July left many people wishing for winter! As we slowly approach the colder seasons again, see Jonathan’s translation of Georg Trakl’s German poem ‘In the Winter’. bit.ly/2YI9mqK #summer #winter #language

Jonathan’s love of John le Carré’s spy novels stems from the author’s ability to write about ordinary life extraordinarily well. For #TunefulTuesday, have a listen to Jonathan’s original song ‘The Ballad of the Spy’ here bit.ly/2MniKcI. #SingerSongwriter #OriginalMusic

Anyone who has visited Cambridge may be unsurprised to learn that it is the cycling capital of the UK! Jonathan’s poem ‘Thoughts of a Bicycle’ contemplates the idea that there might be more to a bike than meets the eye. bit.ly/2MXUpdO #poetry #writing #CambridgeCycling

If you enjoyed #HistoriesOfTheHeart and want to read or hear more of Jonathan’s work, head to jonathansteffen.com #HistoriesOfTheHeart #OriginalMusic #SingerSongwriter

If you want to keep up to date about any concerts Jonathan has planned in the future, just stay in touch! #HistoriesOfTheHeart #OriginalMusic #SingerSongwriter

We’re still on a high after the #HistoriesOfTheHeart concert. Thank you to everyone who helped make it such a success! #OriginalMusic #SingerSongwriter

Thank you to @RolandGallery and @EvelynNallen for being such great performers to play alongside – it’s an honour! #HistoriesOfTheHeart #OriginalMusic #SingerSongwriter