Worrying signs!

Just thought I would let you know about something called Poetry Can. This is an organization, led by Colin Brown, that is a vital part of the Poetry scene in Bristol and has, alongside the poetry Festival (also run by Colin Brown), kept the banner flying for many years. Sadly, it has just had its funding completely taken away by the Art Council and so is due to close its doors at the end of the month. This is a real tragedy, especially bearing in mind Bristol’s poetry history, in particular the Slam which appeared here first after its inception in Chicago and San Francisco. It is a sorry reflection on the times – as is the fact that in most book stores these days there is hardly ever more than a couple of shelves given over to poetry – and that usually the staples of Chaucer, Shakespeare and the odd Romantic. Past and present Poet Laureates may also feature but very little else. Indeed I have found myself having to defend and justify poetry on all too many occasions – though strangely younger folk, when they get to read and appreciate it, are usually quickly convinced. It has in its depth and its complexity, in its lyrical power and its reflective description qualities that the world now seems disinclined to value. At its loss – and at its shame. To say that we need the quiet wit of a Heaney or the cutting edge of a Hughes is an understatement – especially in these times of Trumpian Twitter!

In the meantime, the Women’s Book progresses well. Clara’s tale is told; Violet’s almost so.