Next Meeting 30 October

Our Fringe Poetry Binge is coming up very soon, on Monday October 30th at the earlier time of 6pm, upstairs at the King’s Head in Wells High Street, right after the Wells Litfest prizegiving event at the Cathedral School. Our main attraction will be Alex Corrin-Tachibana, with a side-order of ‘Angrams’ from Annie Fisher, Graeme Ryan and me, Ama Bolton. The Angram is a new literary form invented by Graeme Ryan at this year’s Langport Moot. It’s a fun and frivolous form of word-play and highly habit-forming. Open mic spots available; no need to book in advance.

I met Alex last year at the Tears in the Fence festival. Her reading was spellbinding. Her style is lively and punchy. Her subject is often the messier aspects of relationship. I’m really looking forward to hearing her again. Her debut collection, Sing me Down from the Dark, is published by Salt.

There will be no meeting on the first Monday of November, but read on …

A couple of events in the Wells Litfest may be of interest; both are on Saturday 4th November. At 2pm, Sonnets for Albert by Anthony Joseph, and at 3.45pm, The Waste Land – a Biography of a Poem, by Matthew Hollis.

Poetry is not a luxury – Audre Lorde

Next Meeting 2 October

Our September meeting was wonderfully interactive, with our guest Alyson Hallett introducing ‘Poetry Bingo’ – a game in which we the audience drew lots to decide which poem would be read next. This revealed a surprising number of coincidences and personal connections. There were some particularly moving poems during the open mic section, as well as some that made us laugh aloud. An exciting evening!

Why are mistakes important to discovery? Are rocks and stones alive? What’s the connection between a meteorite and the human heart?
If you would like join the crowd who are funding Alyson’s next book, Impact: Listening to Bodies on Earth, have a look here.

The next meeting will be all open mic, chaired in my absence by David Niven, author of the podcast Bard Window. Usual time (7pm), usual place (upstairs at The King’s Head, Wells High Street). Monday 2nd October. Bring your poems please!

And don’t forget the Fringe Poetry Binge on Monday October 30th at the earlier time of 6pm, right after the Wells Litfest prizegiving event. Our main attraction will be Alex Corrin-Tachibana, with a side-order of ‘Angrams’ from Annie Fisher, Graeme Ryan and me, Ama Bolton. There will be no meeting on the first Monday of November.

A couple of events in the Wells Litfest may be of interest; both are on Saturday 4th November. At 2pm, Sonnets for Albert by Anthony Joseph, and at 3.45pm, The Waste Land – a Biography of a Poem, by Matthew Hollis.

Poetry is like a bird; it ignores all frontiers. Yevgeny Yevtushenko
(Note to self: if you’re not a bird, remember to pack your passport!)

Photo credit: Shetland Webcams