Wednesday 30 September 2020

National Poetry Day

The first Thursday in October has been National Poetry Day since 1994; it was begun, and continues to be organised, by the Forward Arts Foundation. Tomorrow sees this year's celebration across the country; the theme for 2020 is "Vision", with a strap line of "See it like a poet!" Perhaps we're all seeing things a little differently just now, and many of the live events that were planned have been modified, moved on line or otherwise changed in nature but there's no doubt that both the written and spoken varieties of poetry will be much in evidence here, there and everywhere - wherever enthusiasts can take them. Look out for your local events. 

A little ahead of the day, last Friday evening saw a great on-line launch for two collections by my friends and colleagues Derek Healy and Marilyn and Howard Timms. The evening was part of Cheltenham Poetry Festival's year round programme of events that has sprung up in the wake of Covid. It was very well attended, and well worth attending too. I've written before about Derek's second collection Home (Graffiti Books 2020) but it was a great pleasure to hear him reading from it; his poems are always thought provoking and not infrequently amusing too. Deciphering the Maze (Indigo Dreams 2020) explores Howard and Marilyn's early and shared lives, with very moving references to the cancers of which they are both survivors. It's another collection that rewards reading and rereading, with so much to it.

                                                           


Tuesday 22 September 2020

Getting autumn underway

Radio silence for a few weeks as I've been away / unwell / inundated! But I'm home again now with things more on an even keel and trying to work through what should have been done but hasn't been yet. It does seem a rather strange early autumn though; usually by now we're settling into the September routine - groups meeting up again, classes restarting etc. - but this year it's just more of the same, with Zoom featuring large in most things we do, as it did all over the summer. How fortunate we are though that technology does afford us the opportunity to stay connected when the virus conspires against us.

One thing that has got done (at last!) is the final preparation of my poetry collection which should make it to the printers this week. It will be coming out shortly with Graffiti Books. On Friday my Catchword colleague Derek Healey (poetry editor with Graffiti magazine) will be launching his collection "Home"; I'm delighted to have been invited to read with him and Rona Laycock at the virtual launch. "Home" should have had its debut at the Cheltenham Poetry Festival in April but was a casualty of the lockdown, along with all the other events of the festival. Anna Saunders, the Festival Director, has been very successful however in arranging a year long programme of on-line readings, launches and open mics that has attracted a world-wide audience. Another silver lining.