This week has been a busy one poetically. On Sunday evening I was at the monthly “Buzzwords” group at the Exmouth Arms in Cheltenham for a very useful workshop (based on Pablo Neruda’s Odes) and an enjoyable open mic session. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to get to as much as I would have liked on the Ledbury Poetry Festival this year but on Thursday I did manage to make Naomi Shihab Nye’s very inspirational afternoon on “Silences and Strategies”. I certainly came away with some positive ideas for dealing with the inevitable periods of aridity to which we all succumb at times!
Naomi told a
lovely story about a writer friend who was asked if he ever had doubts about
his work. “Certainly” he replied. “I invite doubt in like a too frequent
visitor, give it dinner and a bed for the night then wave it goodbye in the
morning”. A skill I have yet to acquire!
Next Saturday
afternoon, July 20th, sees Radio Winchcombe’s monthly poetry
programme “Open Mike” with Guy Hunter https://twitter.com/openmike107
. You can hear it at 2pm on 107.1FM and on line and it’ll be repeated the
following Wednesday at midday and 6pm. Along with the work of other
Gloucestershire writers and poets from further afield you can hear my poem
“Family Photos”. Do hope you can listen.
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