Fridays tend not to be good nights for the pub/mechanics institutes and difficult to ge tpeople out for poetry because there are other distractions available; but, prove us wrong!
there is on other thing that is vitally important to the success of a night. Damned if I can remember what it is.

Comment is about help please :) (blog)

Original item by Ann Foxglove

You didn't use to be in the Boomtown Rats did you Harry? (Oh sorry - that was MONDAYS!);)

Comment is about help please :) (blog)

Original item by Ann Foxglove

just don`t like fridays...pay no noticeto me
....Julian`s told you all the essential stuff

Comment is about help please :) (blog)

Original item by Ann Foxglove

comment to Philip Fletcher.

I'm slightly older than you,
gave up selling my poetry years ago.
I have written about 23 collections over the years. yet, i have many readers on different sites on the net.

Comment is about The beat of our hearts: how to combat poetry phobia (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

there is much poetry about,
plenty of it is terrible.
Often a would be poet uses
an artificial language
and write constantly and without
humour about their suffering.
I only wish poets would write using the language they speak daily

Comment is about The beat of our hearts: how to combat poetry phobia (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

I was fortunate to win this years competition and have already received my copy of the anthology. It's excelent. The production values are great and the range of poetry is astonishing. But I'm not posting this comment for any sort of self-publicity - I'm posting it because the future success of this prize rests, in part, on the sales of the anthology. There is NO external funding for this prize, it is funded purely from entry fees for the competition and sales of the anthology. No one is making a profit, in fact certain individuals frequently lose money. So why not be two things at once, a poet AND a philanthropist and, if you can afford it, buy a copy to support this prize? I'm sure Picador and Faber will be selling lots of books this week, but why not support genuinely good - but unpublicised - poets, and purchase a copy. After all it's keeping a quality prize going for the benefit of everyone who shares our passion for poetry!

Comment is about Welsh Poetry Competition anthology launched (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Hi kealan, I love this poem.

Comment is about If Women Grew On Trees (blog)

Original item by Kealan Coady

luv it Scott... great!



....was offered a dozen ex riot Argos Catalogues in the pub last nght, very popular, people were fighting over them...


Hope to C U soon

Gus

Comment is about ? (blog)

Hi Isobel

I HAVE a Jag....and I Have NOT got a problem with my pleasently cheeky rotundity.....

Chill... give us fat Kats a break!

Missya

Gus x

Comment is about The Haves and The Have Nots (blog)

Original item by Isobel

Hi Anthony

Many thanks for your response. I entirely agree with what you say about freeing poetry from the page and the need to create a more general demand from the public. The money will only follow when that happens.

Comment is about The beat of our hearts: how to combat poetry phobia (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Well that's something I suppose! ;)

Comment is about diamante love (blog)

Original item by Ann Foxglove

i like the first and last lines!

Comment is about diamante love (blog)

Original item by Ann Foxglove

Thanks for your comment Ann. Enjoyed your samples. Will check out the blogs too.

Comment is about Ann Foxglove (poet profile)

Original item by Ann Foxglove

great idea, kealan for a piece.. you really are cooking brilliantly with your pieces nowadays.. you just keep getting better! A

Comment is about If Women Grew On Trees (blog)

Original item by Kealan Coady

excellent stuff, rach.. very skillfully done.. particularly like the last two stanzas but there is a slightness throughout the full piece that i really enjoy.. hope to see you end of the month x

Comment is about Beyond The Green Gate (blog)

I really enjoyed listening to this - thank you - a good start to my morning! Be nice to see your words.

Comment is about Wax Equestrian and CB 2004 (blog)

What a romantic poem - and totally true of course! Mind you, I wouldn't want to be married to Alan Titmarsh!

Comment is about If Women Grew On Trees (blog)

Original item by Kealan Coady

i like the idea of being a nightshade brunette, decorated in tempting red!! great poem :-)

Comment is about If Women Grew On Trees (blog)

Original item by Kealan Coady

Just saw this on Facebook, looking forward to it.

It'll be my first poetry thing since I come back from America so I'm looking forward to it.

I'd be happy to get Ben to film if you like n_n

Comment is about Bolton becomes bi-monthly (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

Ah! like the poem she will always be a beautiful memory.

Comment is about (blog)

Hi Larisa, thanks for missing me. I am fine, thanks, but been away from this site too long! I have missed you and some other lovely friends on here as well. Love, Lynn xx

Comment is about Larisa Rzhepishevska (poet profile)

Original item by Larisa Rzhepishevska

This is a Cracking poem John. Did you know that
Ann Foxglove gave me credit for writing it. No such luck. but I told her it must have been some other trucker.
What-a Mistake-a to Make-a.
Blogs away. Tom Mc.

Comment is about Eddie (blog)

Original item by John Coopey

no thats fine by me Lynn
you pose a fair and sensible question.

ta chuck.

Stef.xx

Comment is about The Aftermath (blog)

Original item by Lynn Dye

Thanks for comments, Stef, you are so right about the real victims. I do not mean to excuse the rioters at all. Ta, Lynn xx

Comment is about The Aftermath (blog)

Original item by Lynn Dye

guess who again!

just to say
on the other hand
many of the rioters
would not change places with
a third world person who has to walk
thirty miles or more for water
and in most cases carrying a child as well

we should never forget those-real-victims.

thanks again Lynn-take care-Stef.xx

Comment is about The Aftermath (blog)

Original item by Lynn Dye

Hi John, thanks for your comment on Summer Seasons - I answered it on my page. x

Comment is about John Coopey (poet profile)

Original item by John Coopey

ohhh too right Lynn.

the fat cats,
white collar criminals

those hardfaced B*****d,s
have a lot to answer for.

why dont they bring
them before the courts.
and not just one scapegoat either!

why because they close ranks too well!

grrrrr!

thanks girlie.

Stef.xx

Comment is about The Aftermath (blog)

Original item by Lynn Dye

love it Chris.

I bet you could have penned
the Lyrics to 'Aladdin sane.

but not sang them as good as Bowie-lol!

thanks mate.

Stef.

Comment is about 2 poemzzz (blog)

"With the joy-shimmer light in her eye and cropped flame for her hair" - lovely.

Comment is about COLETTE (blog)

many thanks Lynn
for comments on
'f**k the blinkered.

am loving your change of writing style.

cool!

cheers love.

Stef.xx

Comment is about Lynn Dye (poet profile)

Original item by Lynn Dye

Sorry for the repeat...I thought I was editing the original and my mentor wasn`t here

my apologies

Comment is about (blog)

Great tips guys! Why avoid Fridays? Too much else on?

Comment is about help please :) (blog)

Original item by Ann Foxglove

Hi Ann
There are a few things to think about, all worth doing so.
1. Enjoy it.
Venues are usually the most difficult thing to source. Their availability might dictate what night you choose. Pubs often like to have you there on otherwise-quiet nights like Sundays or Mondays. Try to avoid match days if your venue is a pub with a giant screen.
Try to get a place with a room you can close the door on, and where the music is turned off - piped or jukebox. In Wigan they pipe the poetry around the pub, which is superb.
Not essential that it is a pub. Cafe, gallery, anywhere where people will feel comfortable to let others tread on their dreams.
Publicity is probably the next item to consider. How do you let the people who might be interested know about it, and how to persuaed those who don't yet know they might be interested: the secret poets who are more numerous than most folks realise.
Get it onto our gig guide. david Andrew will help with that: gig@writeoutloud.net.
In building up the WOL nights, I built an email mailing list, as well as phone numbers for the digital underclass. libraries are useful places to put posters, as are shops, post office, supermarkets, so forth. Think up something newsworthy - nude poetry reading?send it to nes@writeoutloud.net - local radio, with whom you have contacts, local press, too.
I wil send you some examples of our earlier publicity stuff and you can ignore or adapt as you see fit.
Stick to times, no more than two hours with a good break in the middle, though not too good or they will resent you cutting into their conversations.
Don't have music at first as it can make the poetry harder to make an impact, except in the break or at the end. not needed though. Don't have guest poets. They often dissuade nervous newbies from having a go by seeming too good; that first time can be really difficult to pluck up the courage.
ensure everyone listends respectfully rather than shuffling thorugh their papers for their next poem whilst someone else is pouring their heart out.
Meet and greet, chat to the people arri

Comment is about help please :) (blog)

Original item by Ann Foxglove

1...Avoid fridays
2...Don`t keep going till all hours
3...Posters around...design a gig-identifier
4...keep to five minutes per poet.
5...not more than two (short) music spots.
6...most folk want to read...control the guest

I`m sure you`ll make a great sucess of it.

(and - by the way - I like your poems)

Comment is about help please :) (blog)

Original item by Ann Foxglove

Enjoyed this poem, Chris.

Comment is about Learning Poetry (blog)

Thanks for taking the time to comment Lynn. Much appreciated. Are all your love poems on your profile / blog? If not, I'd love to read them.

Comment is about Lynn Dye (poet profile)

Original item by Lynn Dye

Nice one Scott

Comment is about ? (blog)

Powerful stuff, Chris. This was all so true and unjust, and reminds me of my favourite song, My Native Son.

Comment is about Colonialism (blog)

Hi Ann, just thought I'd let you know I've gone audio With: "What a mistake to make." But Eddie is
not mentioned at all.x Tom.

Comment is about Ann Foxglove (poet profile)

Original item by Ann Foxglove

Guilty as charged, John! But as it was 28 degrees, I did indeed cast my clout!

Thanks Chris, maybe I should change the title to English seasons.

Comment is about Summer Seasons (blog)

Original item by Lynn Dye

Hi there

Welcome to WOL Friday Night Writers. Winston

Comment is about Friday Night Writers (group profile)

Original item by Friday Night Writers

Hello Thomas,
that's very kind of you. I wanted to wait until I had calmed down before I posted anything. I felt that simply responding in anger to the riots would just make me a verbal rioter.

Comment is about ? (blog)

Hi Pardner,
I've managed to put one poem on audio. They'll
be more later. Thanks for your help.
Tommy Mc.

Comment is about John Coopey (poet profile)

Original item by John Coopey

Hi Scott,
you've really caught the mood with this wonderful aftermath poem. Great stuff!

Comment is about ? (blog)

please Miss-

if we can choose
a kitchen boogeying track

can we have 'oh la la'
by 'Goldfrapp'

ta Aggie bird.

Stef.xx

Comment is about Ann Foxglove (poet profile)

Original item by Ann Foxglove

oi!
out of that bed-now!

and get some more lovely poems
like this one written.

really nice Lynn.Stef.xx

ps.

"searched my soul
and it led to you"

mmmmmmm!!

Comment is about Love (blog)

Original item by Lynn Dye

hi Jeff. Likeing the sound of these changes. The earlier start time suits me well. and events such as the Cadence fest were great fun.
Keep up the good work. Win x

Comment is about Bolton becomes bi-monthly (article)

Original item by Greg Freeman

re your comment on 'kill and love' -I could murder a pint and love the doing of it. ;o)

Comment is about Larisa Rzhepishevska (poet profile)

Original item by Larisa Rzhepishevska

John- (re Abstraction...)
Indeed, but wherever your 'position' physically at the time happens to be - ones political stance should be dictated by principles and the understanding of both the events and wider consequences. :o)

Comment is about John Coopey (poet profile)

Original item by John Coopey

It's nice to be even-handed but difficult to be so between the fire brigade and the fire.

Comment is about An abstraction of events (blog)

Original item by Tommy Carroll