Here's what happened at previous Poem and a Pint events ...
Poem and a Pint - 10 November 2007
I’ve never wanted to respond so promptly to an evening’s entertainment! It was magic! Held in Greenodd Village Hall, we had every chair taken and what’s even better – lots of new faces. Floor spots were quickly taken up – David Nicholson reading for the first time, a moving piece about his father’s experience of war and its toll on the human spirit, Our guest poets were the highly acclaimed Mike Barlow and Jane Routh. Both read from their latest collections and we were very privileged to host Jane’s launch of her new pamphlet, Waiting for H5N1, from which she read one of my favourite poems “Forbear.” Other lyrical poems about the sea and the natural world she writes about so well followed. Mike ‘s poems were more “people” orientated including “Unattended,” a poem about a vagrant he used to watch from his window and “Unspecified Crimes,” tapping into his experiences as a probation officer. Terrific stuff though I was disappointed he didn’t read the poem that won the 2006 National Poetry Competition! Our musical slot went to Maz O’Connor who, although only 17, sang her folk songs with great feeling, emotional intensity and purity. You could have heard a pin drop. She also captivated us with a piece she wrote herself based on a song from the novel, Jane Eyre. The applause spoke for itself and we very much hope she will come back and sing for us again soon.
Poem and a Pint - 22 September 2007
September 22nd was a Poem and a Pint event with a difference. Paul Farley, who had been our invited guest poet, had had to cancel so we came up with a home-grown event which went down really well. Held in a new venue – the foyer of the Lanternhouse, which was an ideal space – we began with our usual floor-slots, followed by long-time favourites Matt Cowe and Fitz who played “flamenco-based” guitar numbers. You only had to look at people’s faces and hear the applause to know how much we all enjoyed it.
After the break we were privileged to hear a commissioned piece by South Cumbria Poet Laureate, Maggie Norton, entitled “In Praise of Life” based on the life and work of Karl Schwitters. It was an exceptionally well-crafted work and much appreciated.
For the final phase of the evening, the Poem and a Pint committee had prepared a series of poems on the theme of Transition and though I shouldn’t boast (!) it showed what talent the 5 of us possess! From poems about schooldays in the 60’s to angels and waistcoats; rare winter visitors to wedding-photographs and watersheds, the subject matter was rich and varied. The audience seemed to like us anyway!