Guest poets Jo Bell, Chris Dommett and Emma Mcgordon at this the sixth Stirred promises to make it a special April event. I'm excited to hear their sets, fifteen minutes of poetry love from each guest.

Anna Percy has promised to recruit 'pathetic prizes' for the regular writing exercise. Last month was all about the shoes, this month it is all about the Christmas cracker debris. The picture attached is of everyone's contributions to the shoe wall from International Women's Day Stirred, walking in a woman's shoes. An eclectic mix of drawings and poems resulted in a wall of footsteps. Leading who knows where...

Taking place at Sandbar this Monday, 4th April, doors open: 7.30pm. Open mic slots are five minutes each.
All are welcome. It is preferred that male poets read a poem by a woman they admire as well as their own work, all performers are encouraged to share poetry by current and forgotten female poets.

In which spirit I include an extract from a Margaret Atwood poem, to inspire Aprily thoughts:

'Sor Juana works in the garden'

Time for gardening again, for poetry; for arms

up to the elbows in leftover

deluge, hands in the dirt, groping around

among the rootlets, bulbs, lost marbles, blind

snouts of worms, cat droppings, your own future

bones, whatever's down there

supercharged, a dim glint in the darkness.

When you stand on bare earth in your bare feet

and the lightning whips through you, two ways

at once, they say you are grounded,

and that's what poetry is: a hot wire.

You might as well stick a fork

in a wall socket. So don't think it's just about flowers.

See you Monday for the full version.