Here in Galway - heralded, by its own self-trumpeting, as a 'City of Culture' for years - writers' groups don't speak to one another. Galway Arts Centre refuses to speak to the Western Writers' Centre and blatantly resents its existence: other groups follow suit, refusing co-operation with each other on the schoolboyish 'If-You-Attend-His-Reading-You-Aren't-Welcome-At-Mine' philosophy. Grown adults, I'm talking about, here! Meanwhile, up at City Hall, their City development Plan mentions a 'writers' centre' for Galway but refuses to use the word 'Western' - even though City Hall funds the Western Writers' Centre!!! Has anyone else experienced such daftness? Fred Johnston.

Its not as bad down in sunny Yorkshire but theres only really a handfull of poetry nights over here. However the poetry groups that do exist seem to co-operate a wee bit, hoping on going to Galway in the future, is it really that bad?

Don't know the history of your probs, probably everyone's forgotten why you're not speaking. It strikes me that there are usually two sources , money and/or ego,... and philosophy. It usually strikes me there are three sources, money, ego, philosophy... and etc.
Here in North West England in the rarified atmosphere of inner-city cultural jousting that acompanies REGENERATION and this year's POLITICAL CORRECTNESS agenda, whatever that might be, there is some back-biting but it's not obvious on the surface (to a provincial like me anyway). Poetry organisations across the North West have a healthy respect for each other, if this amounts to competition it's a good thing since everyone aspires to be as professional as the next while retaining individuality. On balance I see more co-operation than competition with an awful lot of happy miscegenation between groups. The NW is densely populated and can support a vibrant poetry scene, there is room for the academic, cerebral stuff that needs re-reading with the aid of a dictionary of classical mythology and the etymologist's handbook, right through to the scabrous rantings of people like me who are only in search of a cheap laugh and instant audience gratification.There is overlap and in the past three years the status of performance poetry has risen in all quarters, and I think this reflects a growing quality in thought, in writing and in performance, by a wide range of people including many who traditionally would have written in isolation or aspired to being anthologised rather than performing. I hope others in the NW agree with me about the healthy state of the art and its practitioners, or am I just a naive simpleton?

Dave Morgan

Reminds me of the folk scene in the 1960s, everyone out for themselves and no clubs actually collaborating.

I'm not a new poet but am new to the wider scene. Dont have much money so travel is a problem for me.

Maybe someone will come along who galvanises the groups into a more cohesive unit. One can only hope.

Aye, I think more poets need to colaborate more and help each other out with gigs, and then maybe the groups will fall into place.
Luckily theres sites around now like Write out Loud that allows people to do this