Home and Away

 What an idyllic venue for a poetry group AwayDay! Dumbleton Hall near Evesham has Downton glamour, fantastic food, stunning grounds, bright and airy rooms and very pleasant staff. It was my second visit there with Cheltenham Poetry Society, who kindly let me still tag along although I haven't lived in the area for some time now. Last Wednesday's topic for the day was the Four Elements and seventeen of us had a very productive day, with hugely varied takes on the subject making for a wide spectrum of poems. Many thanks to Sharon Larkin Jones and Roger Turner for organising and running such a great event.

And talking about a broad spectrum - about ten years ago I worked for some time with Somewhere Else Writers in Cirencester. To celebrate their tenth anniversary they've published an anthology of poems and short stories by present and former members in both written and spoken word format. Many congratulations to them on their anniversary; they've spawned some excellent writers who have been prize winners in several fields. The anthology is available on Amazon - search for Somewhere Else Writers and it will get you to the listing for "Off The Wall". Definitely worth a look at!