Poetry Cafe Launch (by sarah)
Yesturday I headed in to Cheltenham to take part in the Poetry Cafe Launch at the Museum and Art Gallery in Cheltenham.
The guest poets where:
Angela France
Who interesting read out a poem called the Bisley Boy which is a local legend which I may nick for my NaNoWriMo this year (more on that later!). This was from her poetry collect called Occupations - I think she's also doing the Literature Festival this year and she runs another poetry things that I've been trying to find out about called Buzz Words.
Brenda Read Brown
This Dudette has been winning slams and actually almost made me cry with her poem about a prisoner from her work in prisons. Her work was mostly humerous though - what I think is termed Slam Poetry - hence winning the slams I assume!
Peter Wyton
I really like Peters poems - he was at Earshot too and I think he did a Stanza Room Only a few years ago. I had a long conversation with him about niche poetry last Thursday which was very helpful for me.
I read Ice and A Picture of Words.
I've read both at Earshot in the past - last time I read A Picture of Words I was accusted by an English teacher asking if she could have a copy of it to work with in class (she also teaches maths). And basically the same thing happened to me last night, resulting in me being on of the last to leave the building.
Outside I tracked down one of the poets I wanted to get Live Journal contacts from as she's moving. Then somehow I ended up reading poetry in the streets as people asked for more of my work and I just happened to have my entire arch lever file full of poetry on me!
I have also discovered I'm a bit odd in having an entire arch level file full of material and I haven't even typed everything up and printed stuff out yet. I haven't written much poetry in the last year but I think I do have enough material to be getting on with anyway.
I'm hoping to get involved in the poetry festival that this is a fore runner of too!
I think it went well especially as Anna told me there had been good feed back about my poems at Earshot. Apparently they are strong - not entirely sure what that means!
I did find I was a little bit paranoid about reading to the 50 poeple in the cafe - more so than the 80 odd I'd read to the week before - these were poet conasers not drunken Freshers and well they're all talking about form and structure and I just sort of smile awkardly and try not to let anyone see my printed sheets - Anna saw them last night and asked had I ment to spell fonetically :/
Fri 18th Sep 2009 9:42 am 
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By Ella, Fri 18th Sep 2009 @ 10:22 am
Sounds good. And strong is a compliment in poetry. Do you edit your poems? I'm a bit bemused at the moment having met fellow poets who suggested changes and having entered a competition where they scribbled on my entry to tell me how to make my poem 'stronger'. I just rarely edit poems, and I know nothing about form & structure, they just arrive as they are. So I find it odd to talk to people that study poetry, so I think I know how you feel! (Incidentally, all my poems are in a lever arched file now as well, but I do type them up from time to time!)
Anyway, I should be in Chelt. as a volunteer for the lit festival!
By Becca, Sun 20th Sep 2009 @ 10:15 am
Radio 4 have released free audience tickets for a recording of their Poetry Please show in Bristol. You just apply at the link below:
http://shows.external.bbc.co.uk/help/shows/poetry_please
Thought it may interest u.
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