Memory Corner….

Hello Poetry Lovers, and welcome to another memory corner.

The Delorean has been taken for scrap so get your bus passes and masks as we head back to 18th May 2019 and the Poetry Cafe. The Poem-A-Thon to be precise…

I was thrilled when the wonderful Paul E McCrane emailed about this exciting and ambitious project that the Poetry Society were hosting all day on that Saturday. So I volunteered and headed down there sharp-ish!

Would you also believe I volunteered to be an MC – from 12 midday till one thirty! Never again will I think MC’s have a cushy number! I could hear the quiver in my voice as I spoke into the mike.

One of the poets I introduced was the lovely Dino Mahoney – I was so pleased it was someone I knew. And clever poet Greg Freeman was in the audience, so that was nice. In fact, he took over MC-ing from me. I also introduced, among other wonderful poets, Suzanna Fitzpatrick, Joshua Idehen and HIlaire.

I read at ten to two for eight minutes. This was luxury to me, being used to five minutes in an open mic, and a walk in the park compared to being a MC!

Our hero Paul McCrane was at the back recording it all, so I handed him a jelly pizza sweet on the way out. I’m sure that kept him going for the next four hours!

This is me with the fantastic poet and friend, Astra Papachristodoulou. I had the pleasure of seeing her read, along with Ben Rogers, Oliver Fox and Helen Bowell. A great team from the Poetry Society. And to top it all – I won the Tombola four times! I adore that red picture I’m holding there, and I now have it framed. How lovely it is to win things.

That was the day I actually joined the Poetry Society – filled in the form and sent a cheque. I haven’t looked back since.

Thank you Poetry Society for such a wonderful day – and bless you, Paul McCrane and good luck for the future. Poetry@3 and all us poets will miss you so much.

Phew! I got quite emotional remembering that one, PL’s. It was a wonderful day. Needless to say, there wasn’t one this year. The Poetry Cafe was one more place we took for granted. I hope its doors open soon…..

Well, now we’ve caught the bus back, let’s relish that lovely memory.

Thanks for tuning in, Poetry Lovers and we’ll be back real soon for more poetry adventures…..