A short visit to St Andrews for StAnza for me this year, I only stayed for one night and went to four events. From my limited visit the highlights for me were hearing Tony Curtis read, what a funny, lovely man and a great reader. Chase Twichell, who read fantastic poems and is a new and very pleasant discovery for me. From the Happenstance showcase I really enjoyed Richie McCaffery's reading, I've always liked his poems when I've come across them in mags and journals and it was good to hear him read.
My poetry purchases this year:
Horses Where the Answers Should Have Been: New and Selected Poems by Chase Twichell
Black Cat Bone by John Burnside
Spinning Plates by Richie McCaffery (pamphlet)
Where We Live Now by Elizabeth Rimmer
Question Your Teaspoons by Alec Finlay (pamphlet)
Corpus by Michael Symmons Roberts
I read at both of the open mic events and though both events were very enjoyable and well organised I found it it all quite unfulfilling, I really need to get myself along to doing full set readings at events in Glasgow and Edinburgh. On the Saturday I helped out for a bit at the Calder Wood Press stall at the Poet's Market and Colin gave me a fantastically hand-painted Calder Wood Press T-shirt!
It was lovely being in St Andrews again, the noodle bar is great! My only regret is that I couldn't stay to hear Kathleen Jamie read, one of these days I get to hear her.
10 comments:
I was just talking to a friend the other day and she was asking me if I was going to put on any more poetry events over here. I said that one reason I hadn't done anything for a while was that there wasn't a poet I was particularly desperate to hear right now (mostly at previous events I have put on poets who were reasonably close by and who I really wanted to hear). She suggested Kathleen Jamie and for the first time in ages I thought... actually yes, I would like to hear her (I never have). See which one of us manages it first. Maybe you could invite her to do a joint reading with you in that local library you were talking about... asking never hurts!
ha! I'm too much in awe of her to imagine reading my little poems alongside her! but please do host a reading for her, I would definitely come (as long as it was on a fri or sat night!!), I'd so love to hear her!
No need for awe. I heard she's quite approachable... and teaching at Stirling now, isn't she? Go on, go on, go on! I'll come (to be honest I'd rather be a punter than an organiser for a while!).
x
nae chance, I'd be a quivering wreck ;)
Ah well, fingers crossed for next year for me.
And I am, of course, with Rachel. She can only say no.
I got Black Cat Bone too!
what a shame you couldn't make it, titus, hope your man is on the mend. I was raging I couldn't get to the John Burnside reading but excited to get a signed copy of this collection from St Andrews Waterstones!
That sounds interesting! I'm not really familiar with any of these poets.. I'm still learning, I'm relatively new to poetry, but I am attending more events these days.
hi kerridwen, it's hard to keep up with all the poets out there and I've been reading poetry for quite a while now!
i would like to hear you read again :-)
ahh but would anyone else?! lol
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