17th
October, 2000
Secretary’s Report 1999-2000
As I gather
together my thoughts of this past
year’s activities, National Poetry Day has just seen its seventh year. It’s on this annual day each October that
poetry no longer seems to be the minority interest we all know that it is.
Nearly every bookshop and arts venue you can name seems to take poetry on board
for the day - or even week - and the
television and radio listings spoil us for choice.
So it’s a real
bonus to belong to a society that keeps poetry as the centre of attention for
the rest of the year. And I don’t think anyone will disagree with me when I say
it’s been an exciting year indeed.
As has become
somewhat of a tradition now, we had our high profile November reading at
the Tonbridge School, but with a difference.
Working together with Kent County Council Celtic Festival (and Tonbridge School), enabled us to book a
big name poet at a fraction of the cost to our society. And Jackie Kay didn’t
disappoint. Her unusual, down-to-earth
style seemed to grab hold of her listeners and make a permanent impression. I
for one left that reading on a ‘buzz’ that kept the inspiration coming for days
and even weeks later. Jackie was also an obvious hit with the Tonbridge school
teens, some of whom read out to the audience their own writing, which was
produced as a result of poetry workshops earlier that day.
In December,
Lynn Rees once again generously hosted our annual Christmas do. As anyone who was present can testify, this
not only had the usual high standard of food and hospitality, but some pretty
fine bubbly too - some of which proved
to be a bit too much for the likes of me.
Gracefully swooning and then fainting
(my head to land on Graham’s soft shoe instead of Lynn’s hard floor)
while taking centre stage during our playing of the poetic version of the
‘adverb game’ , was not something I expected to be reporting on in this annual
report. .. but it’s about all that I can remember from the night! (The others
will no doubt fill those who weren’t there in on the less obvious, though more
entertaining details).
In January,
centre-stage went to two of our most hard working committee members, non other than Clive Eastwood and Graham
Mummery. Miriam Carney was scheduled to
balance the act, but sadly had to withdraw at the last minute when a nasty flu
bug struck her down.
In February,
Martina Evans graced our floor with readings from her outspoken collection, All Alcoholics Are Charmers, as well as
some of her most recent work, not yet in print. Her Irish voice gripped us, as
she shared her lines and these were generously dabbed with touches of humour,
irony and not a little sting.
March brought
our annual competition results and the usual adrenaline-filled packed crowd.
Carole Satyamurti proved an insightful judge with an enormous task – having to
plough through more than 1600 entries.
Again, a healthy profit was the result, which enables us to carry on
with many of these exciting events throughout the year.
In April, poets
from the Ripley Art Centre in Bromley gave us a reading, in what is intended to
be an ‘exchange’ in future months with a handful of our own poets. And in May,
it was John Whitworth’s turn to share his lines and also to give the results of
our annual Folio collection, which is always a highlight in our calendar. And a congratulatory pat on the back is due
to Lynne Rees, taker of the first
prize, and also to Mara Bergman & Liz Dawes for their highly commended
poems.
Our June
reading, featuring Gregory Warren Wilson, brought a few tears to the eyes of
some of the female members of the audience. To say the reading was moving isn’t
putting it strongly enough. Gregory’s citrus fruits and enthusiasm for the odd,
the quirky, the unsaid things that simply must be said in a loving relationship
made a huge impression on the fairly small group which showed up that night,
and the consensus is, we want more!
And so we will
be getting more of Gregory (and Carole Satyamurti), as they have both agreed to
jointly run a Saturday writing workshop for us on December 9th. Personally, I know this will be one not to
miss - as I first discovered how well they work together at a series of similar
workshops held last year at the National Gallery. It will be held at the Beacon
Inn and the dynamic duo have planned a
few challenging tasks for us, some of which will address our ‘writing taboos.’ This is one not to miss!
Our open air
summer event took place at Bewl Water,
with the theme of ripples. Sadly, I had to pass that evening, but word
has it that it was a fun event which generated a few good breezes and not bad
poetry either.
For our
September meeting, Ruth Sharman read from her impressive first collection, The Birth of the Owl Butterflies. Her
lines, sometimes bordering on fantasy, had an uncanny truth to them and
personally, sent shivers down my spine. I can only guess they may have aroused
even stronger emotions in the men.
And last week,
another first for us - in association with Tunbridge Wells Live Literature
Week, we helped to sponsor a reading from poets Michael Donaghy and Hugo
Williams, at the Trinity. Unusual for poetry, they read to a packed house,
arranged ‘coffee house style’ around small tables. And though I sadly couldn’t
attend this one, the grapevine has it that the atmosphere was electric.
At this time
next week, about a dozen of our members will be entrenched in our annual
get-together, get-away from it all, writing week, which this year we’re
holding in Frettenham, Norfolk. Last October’s writing week at Glen Lyn
Gorge, Lynmouth proved to be a
spectacular setting, with the added bonus of lots of friendly pubs to dash into
when escaping from the raindrops. Shame about the restaurants.
Till the same
time next year…
Joyce Mandel
Walter
Secretary,
Kent &
Sussex Poetry Society