Not a very exciting title I know – but it does sum up my week rather nicely.
I have been on half term this week – but last weekend I drove back from Torbay Poetry Festival to my parents in Leicester, then the next day from Leicester to Barrow, and it feels like I’ve spent the whole week stuck in traffic on a motorway somewhere.
Last night I drove to Carlisle to read at the Bookcase in Carlisle – what an amazing book shop – one of the biggest in the UK and an absolutely huge second hand poetry section, which I didn’t get enough time to properly look at – but I did manage to buy an Adrienne Rich ‘Early Poems’ hardback which I am very happy at finding. I am planning a return visit to pick up some more poetry from them!
The other readers were Geraldine Green and Josephine Dickinson – I’ve heard Geraldine read before and she didn’t disappoint – but although I have crossed paths with Josephine at poetry events have never seen her perform. Her reading and her poetry is completely compelling – to use a well worn metaphor – you could have heard a pin drop. Josephine also talked about the wonderful people she had met through poetry – a subject close to my heart – I feel that we have a very unique, supportive community of writers in Cumbria – it is one of my favourite things about poetry!
And going back to traffic – I got stuck in traffic again, on the cursed M6 – which will, one day I’m sure drive me to some sort of breakdown. I got to the reading with ten minutes to spare but no chance to eat but Gwenda from the bookshop kindly made me a cup of tea – a lovely poet called Deborah Hodge(s?) listened to me while I ranted for five minutes about the traffic and then I calmed down and was back to my normal, sane (or more sane) self.
There were some lovely people in the audience – one of my favourite people to bump into, Mick North and two Daves from the local poetry group – which they informed me was a reading group, not a writing group. What a good idea – and a brilliant way to encourage people into poetry. I’m vaguely toying with the idea of starting one in Barrow – but it’s fitting it in…
I am off to the Brewery in Kendal tonight to read with poets Gill Nicholson and Mark Carson which I’m looking forward to. I’m mainly planning to read new poems I think as I am guessing most of the audience will have read/heard the pamphlet before.
Today I have been drafting the timetable for the residential course that I’m running with poet Jennifer Copley in April 2014. This still has a couple of details to be put on – like what time the evening meal is (waiting to hear back from the lovely Hotel Manager) but this is the bones of the course. Over the next couple of months I will post more detailed blurbs about the workshops we will be running. You can also find this information on the ‘Residential Courses and Workshops’ tab at the top of the page.
Encounters and Collisions 14th-18th April 2014
Monday 14th April
2.30pm-5pm –Workshop with Jennifer Copley and Kim Moore
“Encounters and Collisions with Art and Other Media”
Dinner
8pm – Evening Reading in the lounge
Bring a favourite poem to share with the group, written by somebody else.
Tuesday 15th April
10am-1pm – Morning Workshop with Jennifer Copley
“Encounters and Collisions with the Past”
3pm-5pm – Afternoon Workshop with Kim Moore
“Encounters and Collisions with Animals, Birds and Other”
8pm – Poetry Reading in the Lounge with Kim Moore and Jennifer Copley
Wednesday 16th April
10am-1pm Morning Workshop with Jennifer Copley and Kim Moore –
“Encounters and Collisions with Landscape”
Free Afternoon – Tutorials available – participants to sign up at the beginning of the week
8pm – Poetry Reading in the lounge with two Mystery Guests
Thursday 17th April
10am-1pm – Morning Workshop with Kim Moore
“Encounters with the Body”
3-5pm – Afternoon Workshop with Jennifer Copley
“ Encounters and Collisions with Ghosts and the dead”
8pm – Poetry Reading in the lounge by Course Participants
Friday 18th April
10am – 1pm – Critiquing workshop in the lounge
1pm – Course finishes
Encounters and Collisions: that’s really whetted my appetite, Kim! Looking forward to the luxury of five days of poetry.
Hi Jayne – glad you like the look of it! Any feedback or suggestions just let me know – do you think the balance is right between workshops/free time?
Kx
Great to have the opportunity for tutorials, Kim 🙂