Reading at the Welly

Spent much of the day prepping for the poetry reading at the Wellington Hotel, while Lorraine zoomed off to Hove to see Paul. Came back looking glossy and glamourous. I decided to go slightly outside my comfort zone and try out some new stuff, including a bit from Gordon Road.

A full moon (in Libra). I felt the right amount of nervous pre-reading. Lorraine popped in to drop something off with Pat and Maureen. I got there early and chatted to Chris Goode the organiser from Seahaven poets. Drank shandy. 

 Lots of Seaford friends turned up, and in the poet corner Robin and Stephen Bone. Robin gave me an advance copy of The Mayday Diaries, her first full collection from Pindrop Press. It looks excellent, with a cover designed by Robin too. Of Seaford pals were Steve, Andrew and Kate,  Delores and her brother Dave and newer rebooters, Matthew and Andy, and Carole from the book group, and Helen and Andy. 

The evening started with an open mic reader who threatened to take over the whole thing and overran his slot, taking as much time as I had been allotted. Robin, who I was sitting next to, and I muttering about this. This combined with Robin standing on Matthew's dog, which Delores was fussing, led to a slight tension. I enjoyed road testing the first section of Gordon Road, and finding that it went down well. And a generally warm and attentive crowd. I felt very supported. Sitting on a table afterwards with Steve and Andrew and Kate and Lorraine, and they were discussing my poem in great detail, which was lovely. 

Cheerily off home with Lorraine, feeling fairly pleased with myself. Late night snack,  as we had not eaten properly before we went out. 

Lorraine took a snap of me with my head down reading. I guess were thirty-odd people there.