Brickwork Poets reading at Petersfield on Tuesday

Gill Learner, Lesley Saunders, Anna-May Laugher, Wendy Klein and I will be reading at Write Angle in Petersfield tomorrow evening (19 July). Details here:

http://www.petersfieldwriteangle.co.uk/

Looking forward to it immensely. Please come and join the lovely audience.

Harry Potter - the end

And so it all came to an end on Friday night. Loose ends tied up, well almost, Voldermort vanquished, cowardly Malfoys run for the hills, and the terrible three grow up and have kids...strangely satisfying but rather sad. Childhood over for my girls.

http://harrypotter.warnerbros.com/harrypotterandthedeathlyhallows/mainsite/index.html

Poetry in the Garden at MERL - tomorrow

Please join me for Poetry in the Garden at the Museum of English Rural Life, Redlands Road, Reading at 6.30pm. Entrance includes a glass of wine.

The Two Rivers Press archive will be on display. I am reading with Susan Utting, Peter Robinson and AF Harrold.

Ledbury Poetry Festival 2011

My first trip to the festival as i) it's a along drive and ii) it's spread out over 10 days, so it's hard to pick quite when to go, but yesterday was a treat: three lovely readings from Peter Sansom, Ian Duhig and Jo Shapcott. I'm not a fan of their 'partner' readers (Caroline Bird, Anthony Thwate, Anne Caldwell) but that's my taste for you. Ledbury is a beautiful town. On my next visit, I will stay longer than a day and have a good look around.

http://www.poetry-festival.com/index.html

In this photo - Caroline Bird looks straight at the camera. Jackie Kay and Michael Rosen are on the poetry sofa.

Centre for Literacy in Primary Education - Poetry Award 2011

....and the winner is - Philip Gross for his book Off Road to Everywhere (Salt).
Congratulations Philip!

Poetry Society Meeting - Update

The Poetry Society will hold a general meeting on 22 July at 2pm at The Royal College of Surgeons, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London. Details here: http://www.poetrysociety.org.uk/content/mediaroom/

If you are a member and want your vote to be counted, but can't get there, you can appoint a proxy. Kate Clanchy can provide the names of members offering to act as proxies. You can email her at kateclanchy@gmail.com, otherwise see you there.

Ty Newydd

I have just come home from a writing retreat at the National Writers' Centre for Wales. It is in Lloyd George's last home in North Wales (I slept in his bedroom, un-haunted!). It's the perfect location for writing new poems, meeting new poets and catching up with friends. If you ever have the opportunity to spend a week on a course of retreat there, grab it with both hands and then hope you are blessed with good weather. This week we were spoiled for sun and sea. Over the years I have met people on courses there that I am still in touch with, some of whom I am proud to call my friends.

http://www.tynewydd.org/english/home.html